Tony Leonard’s Pub of the Week for 2026!
DE BORTOLI PUB OF THE WEEK: 2026
Introduction: Welcome to the 3AW/De Bortoli Pub of the Week/Year for 2026, a segment that has been running since 1991 through both Neil Mitchell and now Tony Moclair programs, with Shane Healy and Steve Price as former custodians of the segment.
Since this date De Bortoli has been our sponsor, with a view to finding the best traditional pubs throughout Victoria. However with the price of ‘bricks and mortar’ buildings, reviews will also cover smaller premises that have a real pub feel to them and in essence do the same things as your local but on a reduced scale.
Accordingly these venues that started life as something other than a pub, e.g, Brewpubs, Taverns, Clubs etc., will also be considered. Fine examples of this from 2025 were the Lion and Wombat, and Jekyll and Hyde Tavern, both in St Kilda.
Again we thank Vince Gurcullio and the team at De Bortoli for their ongoing support over the journey.
The fundamentals are still there: Good beer/food/wines/service that is best summed up as hospitality to finally acknowledge at year’s end, the best of the bunch.
As is the case with the reviews, my scoring relies heavily on better level food and drink, but cleanliness of the venue, staff attitudes to customers are important factors in consideration. It is not an exact science.
Final marks are scored out of 20, but any pub 15 and above is really delivering in spades, while most pubs scoring 12 and up would pass their own pub tests.
Again I reiterate, any pub review 12 months or older should be treated cautiously or disregarded, mine included. Totally and absolutely ignore anything pre-Covid especially as far as prices go (the amount of pubs changing hands has seen the time of review relevance reduced from 18 to 12 months).
WHAT TO EXPECT IN 2026:
Pubs have been in the news this summer with two main issues seemingly at the forefront of debate;
● Cost of beer and preference in size of receptacle
● Cost of food, particularly the “humble” pub steak
Beer: For drinkers in Victoria, there is no recommended retail price from the AHA. The accepted median is $7.50/pot/285ml. Obviously you will pay more/less depending on time of day and owners’ preferences.
At this stage (Jan 26), anything more being paid should be reflected in the better levels of comfort and surroundings in which you partake. The other two sizes, schooner (425ml) and pint (568ml) are your other options. (The perfect amount, glass, 200ml), has sailed off into sunset.
Increasingly, there is a push to withdraw the pot from the rotation and start at a schooey. How this is responsible drinking eludes me, but if that’s what it is, there should be some reduction in price rather than an automatic doubling from say a pot to pint. (Simple economies of scale).
And while excise is frozen (until August 2027), raw materials, insurance, utilities, wages rises, etc will see the humble pot shoot beyond $8 sooner than later.
With surcharges a way of life (10 per cent Sundays, 15 per cent public holidays), be prepared for the $10 pot.
Steak: For those that missed it, Hawthorn star Jack Ginnivan raised his (and others) eyebrows with a socials post expressing his horror of a steak coming in at $58 at an unnamed local.
Well done to Jack for raising this (there was, with any posted on social, the attendant pile was best summarised thus … as a high profile footballer HE can afford it), as the belief is that all pubs can absorb the rises better than most.
So, to honour this each review will have the entry level steak meal, fully plated, at each of the venues reviewed, non steak nights. To reiterate, prices on everything post Covid have skyrocketed.
For sure $58 is at the higher end, so the quality should be higher – Cape Grim, Robbins Island, Blackmores Wagyu (and that will be way beyond $58). As a rough estimate, $43-47 is about the average starting price for a 300g Porterhouse C&S and a sauce.
Again be mindful whether your meal/drinks are subject to surcharges; the amount should be shown on the pub’s website/hard copy menus so you are aware.
From last year’s opening remarks, it is reiterated;
LOOK TO PUBS SOCIALS – WEB PAGES/FACEBOOK/INSTA FOR MEAL/DRINK DEALS.
Smart pubs can’t price themselves out of business but smarter pubs use their social platforms to promote themselves and during the week you can nab a bargain, especially if it’s a parma/steak.
Summary: In 2026, the role of the pub in the community continues to be so vital. The pub provides a central place of reference to enjoy each other’s company for whatever reason.
In spite of rising prices, your local really provides the best bang for the leisure buck.
Always looking for suggestions so please email: tony.leonard@nine.com.au, each week, the pub of the week will be broadcast around 1:45pm on the Tony Moclair program.
Reviews for 2026:
Date: Venue: Score: Review:
January 23 – Pub of the week opener
January 30 – Stolberg, Preston – 13.5
February 6 – Rosstown, Carnegie – 14.5
February 13 – Staggs Head, Williamstown – 14.8
February 20 – Marquis of Lorne, Fitzroy – 15.5