Penny Black

I have been to penny black multiple times now and theres somwthing for everyone. You could be sitting outback enjoying the warmth of the summer sun/​winter heaters or enjoying some amazing live music inside. Sunday roasts are a must but get in quick they sell out quickly.

Disclaimer, I have only been here once. I actually hated it with a passion! I am unsure of what the hype is? Yes I went here on a busy Friday night, they had a marching band playing!!! The line to the bar was so deep that I couldn’t even see the bar. The people inside the place, down right annoying. I just don’t know. The outside area looked nice and all but without a dirnk I am unaware why I would sit there, yes yes I spose I could wait in this ridiculous line for god knows how long, while listening to a marching band and being bumped by rude rude individuals but no not my cup of tea!
So yes I have only been here once but I don’t fancy myself going there again to give them a second chance.

On a quiet weekday night Penny Black was full of uni-​kids scoffing down $ 4 pizzas in the huge beer garden out the back (that has a bit of a beach-​side ‘tiki’ bar feel to it), but as fun as that looked on a warm Spring night, we were in the smaller front bar to see some tunes from some talented musicians.
Love that there’s a spot in this hood for live music most nights, and brilliant that it’s always free (which means some of these up’n’commers will be exposed to more ears and making new fans)
Penny Black comes with a pretty high hipster warning — they serve Pabst Blue Ribbon, which says it all really — and I was a little confused by the bar prices (as others have mentioned — schooners at pint prices) considering the young uni crowd, but a few regulars we got chatting too pointed out that while things were chill and civil this weeknight, the weekend is a whole ‘nother story — things can apparently get quite messy then, which might explain the bouncers, and perhaps the bar prices and small glasses are set up to keep the drunks a little at bay.
Still, hard to fault a place that can offer both a huge beer garden and a cosy gig space, so it’s a two thumbs up to Penny Black from me.

I’m not sure what it is about this place, but something rubs me the wrong way. A very popular place and it gets busy on the weekends and the weekdays. I like the atmosphere and the food looks good. They often have bands and a DJ outback if you like that.
I think my problem with the place has something to do with the fact that they are charging full pint prices but are clearly not serving pints or, if they are, it is not at all clear. In any case, there are many good bars in the area and Penny Black definitely competes in the events department but it doesn’t really work as a bar. It is more of a music/​quiz/​movie/​DJ venue and that is fine. If you are looking for that, you will enjoy your stay. If you are looking for a bar, I would keep moving.

I haven’t quite worked out if this place is the north-​side Lucky Coq or not. There is a certain feel the place has that is reminiscent of my favourite $ 4 pizza place.
It’s a cheap bar food-​wise but the drink prices are nothing special. I didn’t actually drink anything last time I was here because of it. This being said, it’s not expensive, it’s just the same as most places. The choices on tap are much more impressive here though. I love finding a bar with craft beer on tap.
I hear the bar has good live music but I’ve never been around at the right time. I haven’t got much else to say really. Hey reader, how was your day? Shoot me a message and I might probably not really reply maybe.

The below reviews provide an interesting overview of the Penny Black, so this will be short. Maybe not so sweet.
Staff– how many is too many? How much work are they actually paid to do?
After our experience I’m sure that the staff here are paid by the glass that they collect for cleaning. It was near impossible for a group of girls in their late 20s to enjoy a catch up conversation without rude and over bearing staff interrupting to remove semi empty glasses and bottles. Please take note– I paid for 100% of my drink to be enjoyed by me. I did not bargain with the bar tenders that I would be well behaved and sit there prettily for a mere 75% of my drink. No you do not need to stop our conversation to reach through our small group, over the table and take alway said unfinished drinks.
In the end we left the venue to find a more adult bar, with staff who understood the basic needs of a group of girls having a quiet night out.

A wonderful big beer garden is a welcome thing on a day you are super tired and all you want is a beer, with a side serving of dinner.
They do $ 12 specials during the weeknights, and the last time I was there on a Friday night, it got boozy and rowdy, which equaled a fabulous night for all.
A great place.

The Penny Black is an interesting place. It’s technically a pub, but at night it comes alive into a dark, wondrous beast.
That might be a little too imaginative, but I wanted to paint a slightly vivid image. Unfortunately, I didn’t try out any of the food they had which seems reasonably priced and the menu had a decent selection. However, I couldn’t comment too much here which is a shame. That will be for another time, maybe lunch on the weekend?
They have $ 12 specials such as a parma on Monday, $ 12 steaks on Wednesday and $ 12 roast on Sunday. Tasty bites (I would hope anyway) to keep in mind if you’re in the area. It’s good value for those sorts of meals.
The atmosphere is quite friendly, so you always feel comfortable, it’s a good place to go to with friends. In saying that, if you come at night (on a weekend) and you’re male, depending on the time you go in, if you haven’t got a few female friends with you (as the security guards repeated several times to many guys), you’re not going to get in (which is a strange requirement for a pub, even if you’re invited to an event such as a birthday). Even more so after it hits midnight which is the time I left, the line is quite long. To skip the queue, go before 10 PM.
Another factor which might discourage a few is for those of you who can’t stand smoke, I would advise to avoid the outside area (beer garden) at the back. It’s where most people are, but it becomes a mushroom cloud. So if you don’t mind breathing in smoke for the good part of 2 – 3 hours, it’s best avoided. That’s where the DJ resides as well.
The Penny Black is nothing too far out of the ordinary, you will enjoy yourself with a group of friends and if you enjoy the food here (which I didn’t try), you can add another shooting Unilocal star!

It’s hard to go past $ 2 tacos on Fridays, but you must be strong weary traveller, for there are many other Brunswick bars that warrant your attentions.
Kind of a homeroom for geographically estranged Brunswick locals, this bar is at once an eatery, a venue and an alibi. Choose wisely.

I like this pub a lot — although I dont go very often. Like many others, its a good pub that is unfortunate enough to share its suburb with the Retreat Hotel (my favourite pub) and thus plays second fiddle in a way — although that is purely out of habit rather than it being any worse a pub!!!
The food here is really good for pub food. The steaks are nice, as are the pizzas. The crowd is very friendly and relaxed and it doesnt have a pretentious vibe at all. Ive never been here late on a Friday or Saturday night, but I have watched the AFL Grand Final here and the crowd was great, with a really nice energy.
The beer garden is a good one although it can get a bit cold at times, and the front bar is a very large room without many nooks and crannies — but with enough couches etc to be cozy in a strange way…
The tables out the front are great for people watching and a quiet drink in the sun in the afternoon — particularly on weekends!

It’s always a good mood setter to walk into a big old pub to live music with a captive audience. Shuffle through the crowd to the massive beer garden and (on the weekends) you’ll find a DJ cranking an eclectic mix of banging tunes. A casual space with a grungy 90s art-​scene vibe, when it gets into full swing it’s got the laid-​back buzz of really great house party. With food specials all through the week it’s a great place to grab an affordable feed and a jug of beer. If you never wanted (or want) to leave your uni days behind… this place is for you (for all the right reasons).

The default «go-​to» place of Sydney road.
«Hey, the conversation begins, «I know this great little place
just up the way here that you’re going to love» «oh I’ve been
here before!» comes the reply. and so many of us have, either
for a gig/​live music thing, a lazy weekend stumble into
the place, or from any manner of parties, shenanigans and
goings-​on.
As with all place that are cool they have pizza’s and also
do a little tapas-​y warm olives plate, which is always divine.
There’s a big beer garden/​puffing billy smoking section out
back, with what looks like a fake farm house on the side.
Beers on tap are generally pretty good, and they have, as do
many places these days the ubiquitous cider.
This place tends to get pretty busy though, but it’s great for striking
up random occurrences and chance meetings. Some funny things
happen sometime.

The Penny Black is the ‘IT’ girl of your high school. The venue is popular with everyone, boasting a spacious beer garden and large indoor music venue.
Penny Black is known for it’s gigs, the bands that play here are Melbourne fav’s and new local bands.
My friend Casey had her band, ‘Lilly’s Radio’ play a gig here and played in the main front room /​stage. The venue was lit up really well, red curtains lined the stage, seats and chairs to sit and enjoy the music to be sung.
A couple of bars provide enough places to grab your drinks from, the beer garden out back is big enough to accomodate a hundred people or so! After the gig we all sat in the beer garden, drank our ciders and enjoyed the friendly, school-​like vibe of the beer garden.

The Penny Black is an awesome pub indeed. Surprisingly raging on weekends and nicely laid back during the week, this is a great place to be able to call your local. Sit cosy and rugged up by the fire in winter or cool and fancy free outdoors in the summer, this is a place for all seasons.
While my fellow reviewers have discussed the venue, crowd and general ambience, I’m here to talk about the chips. Skinny fries with sea salt and rosemary served with aioli. It makes me happy just thinking about them. In all honesty they are the true reason i go to Penny Black. After all, sometimes it’s the little touches such as this that keep you coming back for more.

Never had the food here and not sure I’d ever be tempted to because it’s simply standard pub fare and I’m certain of where to find it better in Brunswick.
Been here a couple of times to drink some beer out in the beer garden, which by the way, is a lovely beer garden for a Sunday afternoon sesh. There’s a bar out in the garden too so you never even have to venture inside until it’s time to leave.
There are bands on some nights with a folky, indie slant — Fridays and Saturdays for sure, but I don’t tend to stick around to hear them because the crowd starts to grow after about 9pm and it’s not totally my kind of scene.

Two words. BEER GARDEN!
The Penny Black has Melbourne’s best beer garden, and the secret is well and truly out. Summer arvos here have become the place to be, with all of the tables filling up quicker than you can say «Shotgun».
Fake grass, wooden tables and undercover booths all make this the ideal spot for a few beers in the sun. Plus, the owners were clever enough to install a full bar outside, so you don’t have to walk too far to top up.
Inside it’s a great venue/​bar/​eatery, dishing up good pub fare and cheap cheap cheap pizza til very late. Just what you need.
Bands play every weekend, and although the crowd isn’t always paying attention, the stage is great and the sound system does a bang up job pouring music through the whole venue.
On Saturday nights a strange occurrence takes place when the clientele takes a shift form Brunswick locals and layabouts to girls dressed to kill and the line outside starts to back up down the road. I was quite amazed to see this last time I was there, however not fussed as I’m usually one to check in while the sun is still high in the sky.
Do the same and avoid the line.

Come 930pm most Friday and Saturday nights there’ll be a line a mile long outside Penny Black and it’s for good reason. WIth a huge double-​level beer garden out back equipped with plenty of heaters, outside bar and lots of seating it’s one of the better outside areas I’ve seen in Melbourne.
As you walk inside there’s a front bar and stage to the left which has more seating around the periphery. For this area of Sydney Rd Penny Black is more a mixed crowd than you’ll find down the road at The Retreat.
With seating out the front it’s a good spot to watch the perpetually busy Sydney Rd out front.
Pizza’s start at $ 6 every day and a Sunday roast is $ 12 — good value to be sure.
Highly reccomend this pub, just beware it closes at 1am on the weekends so if you’re keen for a massive one you’ll need to look elsewhere.

This one’s a little hit and miss. Food can be good, the selection looks great and can smell even better, but the service can be terrible. And if you’re in one of those afternoons where all you really want up do is EAT before drinking and they lose you’re order, this may not be the place for you. The pizza was good from what I could remember, but by the time it came I was willing to eat the linings of my pockets.
Bands play Thursday Friday Saturday and Sunday, with windows that open to the street and a decent sized beer garden out the back.