Portland Hotel - Melbourne CBD - Review

First, have a great Christmas and New Year.  Hopefully you have a fantastic lunch or dinner planned with family and friends.

The Portland Hotel at 127 Russell St, Melbourne VIC 3000 is also well known as The James Squire.  Unsurprisingly it has a wide and varied selection of James Squire beer on tap. 

A pleasant enough environment

As you can see, The Portland Hotel is kind of your typical modern pub type layout.  Not drab in anyway but neither is it distinctive.  Certainly nothing to complain about though.

Scallops anyone?

 There is a modernish take on the food and it looks enticing enough on the plate.  The scallops were definitely the standout.  Then again they were clearly on a different level regards their price.  They might feel a bit scant on the plate so you might also want to order some chips on the side.

Classic fish and chips

The fish and chips by general consensus were passable but in no way more than that.  Given that the chips were more satisfying than the fish is a bit disconcerting.  Anyway, probably not a dish to put at the top of your list should you go to the Portland Hotel.

Wagyu beef burger and fries

Unfortunately I cannot say much for the wagyu beef burger either.  The dark bun may be a designer touch but frankly this was a disappointment.  The beef pattie seemed overly dry to me and the burger itself generally lacked flavour.

Well they seem to have good branding if that counts for anything.

James Squire

A big selling point of The Portland Hotel is really the James Squire beer available on tap.  This is certainly very good and the range is extensive.  You would be a very fussy person to not find something to your personal taste.

Judging by the crowd, The Portland Hotel appeals to the 20 something demographic.  It is centrally located, there is plenty of beer and other alcoholic beverages available, it has a typical pub styled menu and has a nice modern and open interior design.  The prices are fair, neither cheap nor expensive.


If they could improve the quality of the food they would probably knock it out of the park as far as a city pub goes.  As it is right now, its certainly nice enough with the great group of friends.  Don't expect too much on the food front and you'll be a happy camper.

Portland Hotel 
Food Type: Western
Telephone: (03) 9810 0064
Address: 115/127 Russell St, Melbourne VIC 3000

Rating: 3 stars
Would I go again: Yes
Would I recommend to a friend: No
Reviewed By: Howie Be