Aviary Hotel

Quite a fan of the Aviary. One of those pubs that walks the line between being cozy and laid back with a locals feel, and yet with a clean and modern touch — no beer soaked carpet to be found here. Great beer garden, and classy upstairs area, but I prefer to perch at the front and enjoy a bit of people watching along Victoria St of an afternoon before crossing the street for some awesome Vietnamese the street is famous for.

This is another of those pubs that I completely missed when I was first exploring the scene along Victoria Road. I remember asking a friend at work were the best nightlife was, and he said Richmond, so for some reason I assumed it would be Victoria Road (though as it turns out there is a lot more to Richmond than just Victoria Road). In the end I only discovered this bar after looking at Google Maps (despite having been into the bottle shop next door a number of times). I quite like this place, though for some reason I don’t consider it anywhere near as good as The Vic. Still, it is one of those bars that I will wander into if I am down that way. They do have a pretty cool beer garden out the back (which I always gravitate towards), and every time I have been here I have found myself a place to sit. The other thing about this bar, as can probably be determined by the name, is that it has a bird theme. It is not hugely noticeable, but if you look around you will see the odd picture of a bird here and there.

Beer garden: check. Awesome wine list: check. Sunday roast: check. Craft beers: check. Event space upstairs: bonus check. The Aviary is such a great ‘settle in session’ pub and it has one of the most impressive looking outdoor beer drinking spaces in Melbourne. There is also great people watching spots out the front of the pub. And the inside has heaps of places suitable for one, dark spots for awkward tinder dates and larger tables for big groups.
There are a lot of share snacky items to chose from on the menu including smoked fish croquettes, mussels, stuffed zucchini flowers, edamame and oysters. All of which are delicious (particularly the mussels and crockettes with saffron aioli). They also have steak nights on Tuesday and a lot of great bigger dishes on such as a mushroom risotto (recommended) and standard stuff like parkas.
So great space, tasty food and excellent drinks. I’m a fan.

Nice enough food, good atmosphere in the dining area, our waitress was great — very friendly and attentive. I was quite pleased up until I had to deal with a woman behind the bar who didn’t seem very happy. Very condescending and scowly. A disappointing and deflating end to an otherwise enjoyable evening.

Fantastic ambience, the courtyard out the back is stunning and totally unexpected based on what you see out the front. The interior walls have murals which form a talking point everytime you visit. Heck, even the staff are totes cool, some of them highly decorated too, if you now what I mean. The service they provide is extraordinaire.
The dining areas are separate to the bar, and the food is actually pretty delicious. We’ve had pizzas there and they never fail to fulfill. The selection of beverages is good and you won’t find the nasty stuff here. The upstairs is rentable for private functions and I had a squizz it looks really nice.
Highly recommend the Aviary for a nice night out, with great company, decent food and an easy to get to location.

A bit of a surprise on Victoria St, Aviary is a gastro bar with warm but trendy and lively atmosphere and a stellar food menu taking in Asian and French influences. Hints of what’s inside can be seen from the street: the stone and cement façade allows glimpses of dark-​stained furnishings with steel and antique lighting highlights. That’s carried through to the awesome beer garden, which has enough greenery to make you forget you’ve just stepped off a busy street.
It’s really the atmosphere that makes the place and the staff go out of their way to make you feel welcome — you end up feeling like you’re out for a special occasion even if you’re just having a beer or glass of wine after work. They also do seasonal cocktails, though I couldn’t go past a mojito, which was delicious.

I often forget that this place exists as its just near the corner of Victoria street and can often get overlooked. Its always a pleasure when visiting this popular venue and never fails to disappoint. Its modern a modern, spacious funky little place with a generous indoor/​outdoor entertaining area and also offers a sit in and dine section. The Aviary offers a place where many can enjoy cocktail happy hour of simply sit back and relax and soak up the atmosphere. Sunday afternoons are pretty chilled here if your looking to sample the venue in full swing come down for a cocktail on a Friday or Saturday night.

The Aviary has a lot of things going for it: it has really nice interior design and décor, with it’s long dark mahogany bar and it’s beautiful outdoor courtyard. The staff are really top quality — providing table service to the entire venue, including the outdoor sections. It has a separate eating area, making it an ideal spot for dates as well as a place to hang out with larger groups of friends. It also benefits from the fact that there is such a massive shortage of decent bars in the Abbotsford area.
As well as serving bistro style food, the Aviary also serves some really tasty bar snacks, including fried chips with aioli, salt and pepper calamari with lemon, and THE MOST delicious spare ribs.

The Aviary is located on the border of Abbotsford/​Richmond in the Vietnamese area. The establishment is an old brick building that reminds you of a beautifully adorned Italian church with stained glass windows. The downstairs is simple and elegant, but the upstairs White Room is furnished with lush leather couches that create a very old world, European feel.
I love the venue and in a sea of Vietnamese restaurant, the Aviary stands out.
We came here for drinks and drink we did. They made an amazing gin and tonic — so simple. I don’t know what it was about their gin and tonic (definitely the tonic), but it was completely refreshing. When the tonic isn’t good, I know because a metallic tastes starts developing in my mouth. As I’m very partial gin, I loved it.
The bar is also good with cocktails ($ 18) and on Sundays, they have decent jugs ($ 16). Friendly staff and great atmosphere, I’ll continue to choose the Aviary as my go-​to for pre-​dinner drinks.

Located in the heart of Little Saigon aka Victoria Street, the Aviary is a pub that is just awesome. This is a place that we would always go for drinks prior to hitting Victoria Street for a cheap bout of Vietnamese food. The space is heavily designed but completely pulls off the look it was going for. The atmosphere is really relaxing with a good vibe amongst staff and clientele alike. They often have DJs spinning tunes on busy nights, which adds to the ambience.
I remember getting a gin and tonic here and was surprised at how exceptional tasting it was. Each time we’d come, we were caught salivating over their parma (I’m not even that fond of parmas being a pom) and almost changing our dinner plans last minute. If only I lived closer then the Aviary would definitely turn into a local haunt. Their menu looks to have got a revamp and I’m gonna check this out soonish and report back.

If I’m heading into the city or looking for a great venue for drinks and a catch up, I always find Aviary satisfies my needs.
The space is enormous and long couches; low tables and open fireplaces create a very comfortable and cozy atmosphere. You can rent out a room, and I have to admit, if I were going to have a function anywhere — Aviary would be it.
Great drinks, fabulous food and fantastic service put it up high on venues. The atmosphere and setting put it near the top. Delicious cocktails and an excellent wine list are well worth looking at, but for me, I can’t go past the small (but mighty) dinner menu.
Last week a friend and I shared the blue swimmer crab dumplings with lemon myrtle with Vietnamese mint and tomato consommé to start ($ 14), followed by the parmesan gnocchi with sage butter, asparagus, mushrooms and macadamia nuts ($ 23.50).
I have to say that the highlight was the dessert: lavender crème brûlée with berry salad ($ 11). There seems to be a fashion for lavender flavoured sweets at the moment.
If you haven’t tried one, you are missing out.
Aviary is great for drinks, dinner and conversation. It can get a little busy on Thursday and Friday nights so get in early to avoid missing out on comfortable seating.