Brunswick’s Railway Hotel has long been a north-side institution. And the three-storey, nearly 140-year-old pub on Albert Street has one hell of a backstory. It’s served as a morgue and a hostel – among other things – in its long lifetime.

Entering the public bar through a Victorian-era hallway, you’ll find slick wooden furnishings and several communal seating areas flooded with natural light. The centrepiece is a striking 17-metre brick bar. Similarly lengthy is the drinks list; there are 12 beers on tap, including Balter XPA, Brick Lane pale ale, Pirate Life acai sour and, for the old-school regulars, Carlton Draught. Rounding out the offering: plenty of bottles and tinnies from Bodriggy, 4 Pines and Mountain Goat, plus VB longnecks.

The first of two food menus centres on classic pub grub; think Wagyu cheeseburgers with fries, chicken schnitzels with slaw, Porterhouse steaks and a handful of pizzas.

Moving into the spacious dining room, there’s a second, slightly swankier Eastern Mediterranean menu. “A pub should be a pub, and I firmly believe that,” Ludbrook says. “But it’s great to have an area you can take Mum on her birthday, go on a date or try something that’s reflective of the community it serves – Brunswick has a substantial Mediterranean population, so it’s good to dish up a menu that acknowledges that.”

In the beer garden, the style is adjacent to the menu. European terracotta tiles line the sunlit floor and walls, with greenery scattered throughout. An elevated area is built on the foundations of an old neighbouring townhouse – with the fireplace and part of the brick wall still intact (the remaining bricks were used to line the bar).

There’s also a laid-back, late-night corner bar – behind the pub’s preserved historical facade – that’s licensed until 3am, with dark wood furnishings and vinyl-only DJs.

Hotel Railway
291 Albert Street, Brunswick