Zengal Hospitality Group’s newest venue in the heart of Flemington, Auntie Annie’s Hotel is set to open its doors this Friday 5 September after months of renovation and rebranding.
The site is the former home of the historic Melbourne pub The Quiet Man, known for its Irish charm and strong racing community ties.
Zengal Hospitality’s Zenita O’Neill and James Gallagher acquired the venue in October 2025.
In April this year the pair announced the pub’s name change and began carefully restoring and modernising the space with the goal of retaining its history and character adored by locals and visitors alike.
The new design incorporates contemporary elements to create a new Irish pub experience with notable updates – including a double bind Guinness tap all the way from Ireland, a refreshed interior and a more comfortable layout.
An expanded menu that blends traditional Irish favourites with contemporary Australian dishes will be available at Enbarr – the venue’s new restaurant with head chef Declan McGovern at the helm.
When discussing the menu with McGovern, O’Neill said their shared goal was to create elevated home-style, comfort cooking.
“I asked him ‘What are we trying to make different here?’ and he said, ‘I’m trained in French style cooking but nobody else could train me in how my granny used to cook.’ That’s what we want to create and allow people to experience what we learned from home.”
With all-new speakers and a sound system, O’Neill highlighted Auntie Annie’s renewed focus on live music as a nod to her own history with the venue which began many years ago playing regular gigs in her band Zeon.
“We’re bringing back the local live bands. Theres been a real decline in local musicians in Melbourne. I know I’ve lost the ability to play a band in venues, because they’ve removed stages and reduced budgets, so we want to bring that back with our venue.”
Structural history
An important part of bringing the venue to life for the duo was honouring the building’s unique history and feel, which O’Neill said meant starting with the structure.
“The main bar came from Dublin in the 90s and it’s been restored as best as possible. A lot of love has gone into it because it had been battered. We also restored the original staircase and brought back the grand entrance to this hotel,” she told Australian Hotelier.
Throughout the process O’Neill said the team continued to uncover unexpected nods to the building’s racing heritage and structural gems – including a grand entrance.
“We found that it had a grand entrance from plans from the original architect Robert H McIntyre. His son Peter McIntyre was also an architect and is 98 now. He’s invited to the opening. He told us that when he was a small child, he started working on his father’s architectural drawing, so he very well could have been involved with this building. He doesn’t know for certain.”
Robert was a prolific hotel architect and was responsible for several Melbourne hotel designs in the 1930s, with O’Neill saying it will be an honour to have his son in attendance at the opening.
Another part of Robert’s design that the team decided to restore was the buildings high ceilings.
“When we opened up the roof, we noticed that there were high ceilings hidden away so we brought that back. We salvaged what we could but some of it couldn’t quite be saved,” said Gallahger.
With the focus on creating a modern, bright and friendly version of the typically dark Irish pub, O’Neill said the team needed to be creative in the way they utilised the existing features.
“It was a big push to keep things light because of the way the building was structured. We have used its dark wood but brightened that up with our lighting to balance that traditional Irish pub feel. We also modernised the space with the paint and textures on the wall. In the restaurant it’s all about the mood for evening dining but also keeping it fresh.”
For the community
Gallagher emphasised that at the heart of Auntie Annie’s is the pair’s commitment to providing quality Irish hospitality to the local community who have shown their unwavering support of the project.
“There has been lots of support from the locals. They are literally knocking on the doors, to ask when we’ll be open. Everyone loves the name too. They don’t think there was too much love lost changing it. I think they’re just happy to have a local again,” said Gallagher.
O’Neill also hinted at plans to revive the area’s once beloved St Patrick’s Day street festival.
“James and I met over the St Patrick’s Street festival. When it was The Quiet Man, it was really known for the festival amongst the Irish community. We haven’t got council permission yet, but we want to bring it back. Watch this space because we are going to give it a try.”