You’re on a good wicket at The Sporting Club Hotel. The longstanding corner pub – formerly home to the Charles Weston Hotel – is from the crew behind some of Melbourne’s favourite watering holes. Owners Will Benjamin, Cal Hitchens (both co-owners Marquis of Lorne), Ryan Crick, Ollie Smith and Guy Wells are the same publicans who reimagined the Royal Oak Hotel to thunderous applause.
Inside, which was designed by Studio Co & Co, a horseshoe bar opens the entire front room up. The sizable outdoor area is bolstered by a dedicated bar and a retractable roof with considerable coverage. Dogs are welcome to come along, too.
The food menu acknowledges tradition while still having fun. Snacks might include baked Pacific oysters, a riff on clams casino; a prawn cocktail-inspired roll; and a hot-smoked-trout hash brown. Mains might include Marquis of Lorne’s beloved rockling burger, chicken schnitzel, three kinds of steak on the grill, and a vegan cauliflower Kiev.
