Tony Leonard reveals his Pub of the Year for 2025
Press PLAY to hear what is Tony Leonard’s Pub of the Year!
3AW/DE BORTOLI PUBS OF THE YEAR 2025
REVIEW DATES: 5 and 12 December 2025
Today marks the 30th time I’ve announced the De Bortoli Pub of the Year for 2025 and certainly (in the Melbourne metropolitan area), pub life has never been better and the standard of the final four pubs is as good as I can recall.
For the record, a total of 35 were reviewed, 10 for the first time, with some lovely pubs resuscitated from the hospitality grave to be trading successfully.
On 5 December, the final four were announced thus;
● Morning Star, Elektra St, Williamstown,
● The Cricketers, Cruikshank St, Port Melbourne
● Builders Arms, Gertrude St, Fitzroy
● Railway Club, Raglan St, Port Melbourne
These are four of the most bankable pubs for hospitality and comfort, each of which has its own distinctive feel representative of their locations.
And while the Morning Star and the Cricketers have had their share of operators over the journey, no matter who runs them, they always elicit a loyal following. The Builders and Railway Club tick over seamlessly.
General observations for 2025:
Limiting to three only, you will be confronted by;
1. Surcharges. Depending on who you speak to, there are two diverse opinions summarised as either, the Monday to Friday prices should be sufficient to more than cover any additional weekend costs thus obviating the need to add surcharges (10 per cent weekend//15 per cent public holidays) or, that margins are so tight throughout the week that additional costs for labour during these times cannot be absorbed.
My only comment is these surcharges are not universally applied (some do/some don’t, why is that?), and that when applied and the additional costs are covered, they are not removed but remain all day.
2. Beer. Standby for a shock. In Melbourne, the accepted mean price is $7.5/pot. Obviously these vary from venue to venue, but in recent times, your humble CD pot is creeping into the mid $8s.
Consider this: Excise is frozen until August 2027, (you think the government will go lightly when lifted?!), the landed cost of a barrel is set to rise in the New Year, and surcharges on weekends all add up to, sooner than later, $10/pot.
Hmmm.
3. On a positive, nearly every pub will do a ‘night’, so mid-week, there are some cracking bargains on steak/parmas/burgers. These nights represent a decent shave and should always be considered.
December 12: Individual awards and Pub of the Year.
Before announcing this year’s De Bortoli best pub for 2025, some individual honours:
Best beer: Cricketers, Port Melbourne. A beautiful, cold, clean tasting pour, into a pot that had been properly cared for, so the inside lace was retained until the finish.
There is never an issue with price when presented like this.
Honourable mention: Mount Erica, Prahran.
Best entree: Rainbow Hotel, Fitzroy. Korean fried popcorn chicken, polenta crust, spicy gochugang sauce, $18.
Crisp, moreish, tasty pieces of chicken, perfect beer food.
Honorable mention to Dick Whittington Tavern, StKilda East, for the one-off special of saganaki, honey, raisins, flambeed at your table with white Sambuca, $17. It works.
Best roast in a pub: Along with the scotch egg, the pub roast roars back into popularity as an acme inclusion in any pub menu. Simple message: Get it right.
As is the case with any food item, especially in pubs, the way that it is plated can vary. By that, while the roasted meat is the constant, the backing band can move from the traditional e.g roast potatoes/pumpkin/carrot/cauliflower/beans/yorkies to something a little different, basil pesto/pomegranate, almonds, etc.
The best: Guilford Family Hotel. What a treat! Pork, crackling, roast potato, pumpkin, cauliflower, carrot, peas, beans, broccoli, parsnip, onion, choko, $30. Worth the 90 minute drive.
Big shout out to The Lion and Wombat, St Kilda, for its Sunday roast also.
Best dessert: Cricketers, Port Melbourne. Any pub game enough to offer sundae ($14). Vanilla bean ice cream, pretzels, fruit loops, honeycomb, marshmallow, chocolate sauce, gets my vote.
Best wine list: Railway Club. They specialize in steak; accordingly the wine list is dominated by a range of reds at all price levels.
Torbrecks Woodcutter Shiraz, $15pg, made for fine shopping but if you have the budget, they have the bottle.
Best revival/renewal: A number of pubs came back to life, and here’s a couple;
Blackwood Hotel. For such a small town, the Blackwood has come back to life and offers a perfect drive from town, great set up either inside or out on patio with the views, roaring fires in winter and an excellent menu. May it trade successfully.
Morning Star, Williamstown. This pub changes hands, opens/closes, yet every iteration seems to work.
2025 represents its best form, from the village green beer garden, old world front bar and dining room, and some fabulous cooking, highlighted by the humble scotch egg.
A fine pub, amongst the very best in the western suburbs.
The runners up – 2025:
Morning Star, Williamstown: Score 16. Brilliant rebirth, great everything, steady experienced hands at the helm.
A little away from the hub of Williamstown, with the signature horse trough still at the front.
Cricketers, Port Melbourne: Score 16. For a pub that is known as the ‘hole in the wall’, who traded once as ‘the house of food and wine’, this is proof positive that understanding what your customers want will get you some distance in this game. Firing again.
Builders Arms, Fitzroy: Score 16. Much loved, old school in an old school suburb, the Builders attracts fans far and wide.
They do everything right, including a signature dish of Melbourne pub life, fish pie, massive, glorious feast. Best front bar in Melbourne. Go.
PUB OF THE YEAR:
Railway Club, Port Melbourne: Score 16.5/20
For the first time, it takes the honours of De Bortoli Pub of the Year, to go alongside the De Bortoli Pub of the Decade (2010-19).
Everything is in sync here; its service is the best in a pub in Melbourne in my opinion: Its popularity never wanes.
The pub’s steaks are its calling card but so much more is on offer, as far as food goes. And the intangible kick in here; you sit to lunch with family friends at say 12:30 and before you know it it is closer to 4 pm, the staff unobtrusively working around you but not disturbing.
I wrote in a recent review a meaning of life question: Why does this pub do it so well? Why is it the chosen one? Let’s face it; premium steak doesn’t come cheaply but the whole hospitality package makes it something elite.
The Railway Club Hotel, Raglan St, Port Melbourne, is the 3AW Pub of the Year for 2025.
De Bortoli Pub of the Year Honour Roll – 1996-2025
2024: Home Hotel, Launching Place//Rising Sun, Sth Melbourne
2023: Junction Hotel, Newport and the Mountain View Hotel, Whitfield
2022: Telegraph Hotel, Geelong West
2021: North Port Hotel, Port Melbourne
2020: White Hart, Longwood
2019: Avoca Hotel, Avoca and Lamaro’s, South Melbourne
2018: The National, Richmond
2017: Centra, Geelong and the North Melbourne Hotel
2016 Fitzroy Town Hall Fitzroy
2015 Tinamba Tinamba
2014 Plough Trentham
2013 Royal Clifton Hill
2012 Wayside Inn Sth Melbourne
2011 Lincoln Hotel Carlton
2010 Terminus Hotel Clifton Hill
2009 Grand Hotel – Richmond
2008 Station/Carringbush l Footscray/Abbotsford
2007 Bouzy Rouge Richmond
2006 The Albion Port Melbourne
2005 Metropolitan/Brandon Hotel Nth Melbourne/Carlton
2004 The Beach Hotel Albert Park
2003 Court House Hotel North Melbourne
2002 London Tavern Richmond
2001 Doyle’s/Vine Mentone/Abbotsford
2000 Royal Park North Melbourne
1999 Emerald Sth Melbourne
1998 Clare Castle/O’Connells Carlton/Sth Melbourne
1997 Spencer West Melbourne
1996 All Nations Richmond
(Sadly a few of these wonderful pubs have ceased to exist).
In closing, thanks again to Vince Gurcuillo and the team at De Bortoli, sponsors of the segment since 1991 and to Tony Moclair, who graciously took up the segment post Neil.
And again, thank you for your correspondence and suggestions and please keep in touch at tony.leonard@nine.com.au.
I look forward to presenting the segment again in 2026.