MELBOURNE | I’m no stranger to Fitzroy pub, The Pinnacle. The distinctive wedge-shaped heritage-listed building opened in 1886 as a land sales office, and soon after became the North Fitzroy Post Office. In the late 1990s, it was transformed into a pub, The Fitzroy Pinnacle Hotel. It became a local’s haunt, known for its great vibe, quality pub meals, and support for up-and-coming artists through its live music programme. When I started visiting after moving to Melbourne in 2012, the Pinnacle was also building quite the reputation for its diverse, local selection of craft beer.
Unfortunately, a fire ripped through the kitchen in 2015, causing significant damage to the building and closing the bar for two years. COVID hitting while the venue was still recovering, compounded things, and the pub never truly got back on its feet. The Fitzroy Pinnacle Hotel closed in January this year but, in a stroke of excellent news, the space was taken over by Michael Bascetta, co-founder of Bar Liberty, Capitano, Falco, and Reed House (he’s only still actively involved in the latter).
Michael has been wanting to open a pub for a few years, and when the opportunity to take over the Fitzroy Pinnacle Hotel presented itself, he jumped on it. The things that needed to be updated and refreshed were, but make no mistake, this is still a pub at heart, and immediately recognisable the moment you walk inside. Now simply named ‘The Pinnacle’, changes include things like removing the velvet curtains to let in more natural light and painting the walls white. Both help brighten the space, and highlight the building’s heritage elements. While the music stage is no longer present, you can expect to find live music in the beer garden in the future, once the team has found its feet and the venue’s settled in.
Venue manager Jamie McDonnell (ex Reed House, JKS Restaurants London) leads front of house, while the kitchen is run by head chef Scott Eddington (co-owner of Arnold’s Wine Bar in Kensington, ex Mamasita and A1 Canteen). On the menu, you’ll find a tight selection of pub classics, made with top notch local produce, with a nod to seasonality. Think chicken schnitzel with seasonal salad and chips; a cheese burger with mustard aioli, tomato relish, pickles, and chips; and daily steak, parma, and roast specials.
To drink, it’s a keenly priced, accessible selection of local beer and wine, and a handful of cocktails. There’s around 15 varied and interesting wines available by the glass, and a decent little selection of drinks for those looking for something booze-free. In a refreshing rarity in this city, you can find an alcohol-free beer, Bridge Road’s Free Time, on tap. And yes, in the one exception to the local drinks rule, you can get Guinness on tap.
The Pinnacle
251 St Georges Road
Fitzroy North
Victoria 3068
Australia
Telephone: n/a
E-mail: [email protected]
Website
Open
Mon – Thu: 4:00pm to 11:00pm
Fri – Sat: 12:00pm to 11:00pm
Sun: 12:00pm to 10:00pm