Time Out’s Melbourne and Sydney Pub Awards nominees

By Andy Young

Time Out has revealed the nominees for its Melbourne and Sydney Pub Awards, with the winners to be revealed at awards nights in each city next month.

The nominees have been chosen by Time Out’s independent critics who have reviewed pubs across both cities, with nominations in seven categories.

In Melbourne the categories are: Best Pub Food, Best Beer List, Best Entertainment, Pub Revival Award, Old School Pub Award, Best Sports Pub and Publican of the Year. 

While is Sydney there is a slight variation, with the seven categories being: Best Pub Food, Best Beer List, Good Times Award, Pub Revival Award, the Family-Friendly Award and Publican of the Year.

Both cities will give out a further four awards on the night with no nominees announced. These include the Legend Award and also the top accolade of the Pub of the Year.

Time Out readers in both Sydney and Melbourne have been invited to cast their votes in the People’s Choice for Best Pub and Best Regional Pub.

“Melbourne’s pubs are a national treasure,” says Emily Lloyd-Tait, Time Out’s National Food and Drink Editor. “They’re part of the fabric of Melbourne life, and every time we lose one a little part of us dies.”

She added: “Sydney’s pub scene is thriving.

“These awards allow us to celebrate the venues that are like our second homes – we go there to watch footy, see bands, meet friends, and eat our body weight in chips and aioli.”  

The Melbourne awards take place on Monday, 15 May at Foresters Pub and Dining in Collingwood, with tickets at $45 available through the Time Out Melbourne website.

The Sydney awards take place the following week on Monday 22 May at the Bank Hotel in Newtown, with tickets again priced at $45 and available through the Time Out Sydney website.

The Time Out Melbourne Pub Awards Nominees:

Best Pub Food 

• Builders Arms Hotel 
• Lamaro's Bodega 
• The Lincoln 
• Marquis of Lorne 
• The Woodlands Hotel  

Best Beer List 

• The Alehouse Project 
• Foresters Pub and Dining 
• The Local Taphouse 
• The Royston  
• Terminus Hotel North Fitzroy 

Pub Revival Award 

• Garden State Hotel 
• The Last Chance Rock & Roll Bar 
• The Montague 
• The Rose 
• Stomping Ground  

Best Entertainment 

• The Catfish
• The Corner Hotel 
• The Gasometer 
• The Reverence Hotel 
• The Tote  

Best Sports Pub 

• The Auburn Hotel 
• The Crafty Squire 
• The Great Northern Hotel 
• Mountain View Hotel 
• Palace Hotel South Melbourne

Old School Pub Award 

• Labour in Vain 
• The Mitre Tavern 
• Railway Club Hotel 
• The Sherlock Holmes 
• Town Hall Hotel  

Publican of the Year

• Mihir Mason, Beer DeLuxe Hawthorn 
• Siobhan Dooley, The Drunken Poet 
• Bridie Harrop, Clodagh Harris and Tracy Walsh, The Fox Hotel 
• Iain Ling, The Lincoln 
• Jessica McGrath, Mark Pratt and Billy the Pub Dog, Palace Hotel, South Melbourne 

People’s Choice: Best Pub – Voting now open at ​www.timeout.com/melbourne/pubs​. Closes 9am, Monday May 8.

People’s Choice: Best Regional Pub – Voting now open at ​www.timeout.com/melbourne/pubs​. Closes 9am, Monday May 8. 

Legend Award – This award is for a pub that has led the way, indelibly shaping Melbourne’s drinking culture. Winner announced on the night. 

Pub of the Year – This is the pub that in the last year has offered the complete package: service, innovation,  cultural significance, drinks selection and X factor. It’s a place you would cross town to drink at. Winner announced on the night.