Snug Public House

Cozy and hearty are the two best words for The Snug. A diverse crowd really, on a Saturday night, with groups of middle aged married men, couples on dates, a single or two and our birthday group.
Service was pretty slow on account of just one chef but the food consisted of large portions and pretty tasty dishes. If you’re seeking anything beyond traditional meals this is not your place. Most dishes are around $ 30 but you won’t go hungry!
There was live music (Irish acoustic) which personally I found too loud over dinner but I guess they were trying to liven it up for the party crowd, even though most people seemed to be there to chat and socialise.
Yeah, it was alright. The birthday girl really liked it. I wouldn’t rush back but it was a decent pub come restaurant at the city end of Sydney Road.

5 stars for food ³⁄₄ for the beer.
So it’s Monday evening and pub food is the order of the day. This time to the Snug (on Sydney Road).
We had the fish supper: beautifully cooked flake, crispy batter, nice chips and comes with a slice of bread to make a chip butty! Even comes with a side of HP sauce (if you like that kind of thing). These are by far the best fish and chips I’ve had in a pub (or anywhere) for ages. Perfection.
The wife had the Eye Fillet steak with chips and red wine jus and she thought it was sensational (I tried a bit and was great!). It was pure happiness she said to get a steak cooked as requested (rare as of course).
The only reason it doesn’t get 5 stars is the beer selection isn’t great. They do some tasty wines by the glass though.
The staff are friendly and the venue is cosy and welcoming. They have live music most nights (I think).

The Snug certainly has an «authentic» Irish feel to it, in that it’s cosy and unassuming. Almost the opposite to the cavernous Irish themed bars found all over the world.
The menu of hand prepared (according to the Irish lady who served us, presumably the owner) meals at lunchtime wasn’t extensive, but it was all very Irish. Think lamb and ale pie with mash and vegetables, and beef and vegetable stews.
The portions were generous, and the quality good, but that was offset by the relatively high prices for lunch. $ 25 for a pie and mash when you can get a burger and beer for $ 15 in the same area.
They also didn’t give us any drink menus, but were immediately asked what we wanted as soon as we sat down. It turned out that the cans of coke were $ 6 each, which is a bit excessive.
If you’ve never been to Ireland and want to experience something different from a typical Aussie Irish pub, I think the Snug is worth a visit. Apart from curiosity/​novelty, unless you want to eat food that’s overpriced and not really appropriate for the summer, then there’s not much else they can offer.
I mean, is there an Irish pub in Melbourne that doesn’t have Guinness on tap and Magners cider?

This place seems to be like a cross between a bar and an Irish pub. The reason that I suggest this is because it isn’t a traditional pub, or at least it isn’t located in a traditional pub building, but rather a narrow shop (that has a reasonable beer garden) however when I went inside it was decked out as if it were your typical Irish pub, which isn’t a bad thing, just different. I’ve known about this place for a while, if fact since New Years Eve 2013, namely because it was one of the very few places open along Sydney Road (which seems to be one of those things in Melbourne — very few places are actually open on New Years Eve). It took me about two years but I finally got around to actually paying it a visit. I have to say that it wasn’t bad, and the beers were quite reasonably priced, and it was pretty cosy, however there didn’t seem to be much about the place that set it apart from all the other Irish pubs scattered about the area.

Good pub for a beer and lunch. Don’t go there if they have a special event on. They will pretty much ask you to leave and have no flexibility with food menu. Was told chef and food would be available at 5pm. At 5pm I was told sorry no food will be available except christmas in July menu and that’s only if you have a table reserved we couldn’t even eat outside in the beer garden. Never good when local pub tries to bring in a 4 star reservation system.

Snug had limited beers to choose from but I was happy with Coopers Pale Ale. We sat in the back of their small garden.
We ate their mushrooms which were crumbed and came with a substantial salad. Their garlic cheese chips were an entertaining mess.

This Irish venue is a very cosy as the name suggests but in a good way. It is quite popular so if you want to come at peak time, you might want to book. The Guinness and Coopers is always of good quality.
For drinking it used to be a regular. We stopped coming here because it was too busy indoors and I don’t like the garden. I wish smoking was banned in the back garden, and that the kitchen extractor fan wasn’t making the garden smell like a deep fryer some nights because it’s quite nice otherwise.
Today, after he having tried to try the food here for ages because of the good reviews, I relented. My suspicion was always that people rated portion size and value for money over quality of food. I was wrong. The quality is great but yes the portions are huge, really huge.
I had the porterhouse steak, chips, gravy and salad and he had fish and chips. It was FAB and the table service was good. The food get 5 stars, only the garden brings it down to 4 stars for me.
I will back.

I approached the Snug last Saturday when I was absolutely ravenous. So I was happy to see plenty of substantial traditional pub food with a definite Irish flavour on the menu. I ordered the bangers and mash which I washed down with some Guinness. I was surprised to see it came as 4 huge thick beef sausages served on a mountain of mash and gravy.
As I said I was ravenous. The meal was delicious, and the staff were friendly. The meal didn’t last long, given its size, and I took to the bar for a second pint. About halfway through the pint I realised I let myself down badly as the indigestion kicked in. Luckily on the way home I was able to stop at Discount Chemist Warehouse for some chewable Quikeze. Totally not the Snug’s fault, just testament to the deliciousness of the food and my lack of restraint.
There was live music too which added to the genuine Irish vibe of the place. All in all a great pub!

Snug is a very homely and inviting Irish pub. A perfect nook to retreat into when the weather is cold and blowy for hearty food– or on a warm one out to the little back patio.
The portions for the mains are quite substantial– so definitely share unless you’re starving! I recommend the ribs– delish. This place is comfy like a thick, wooly jumper– so the name suits perfectly!

Great staff who care about their pub. Very cosy with nice little beer garden out the back. Huge portions of food will keep you happy too.

I write this review prone on my couch, resting my laptop on my distended belly after a meal at Snug Public House. Housed in a long narrow shopfront not far from Barkly Square, «snug» certainly is an apt descriptor for this new little addition to Sydney Road, as well as my waistband after leaving there this evening. My friends were auditioning this pub as a possible local, as they have just recently moved into the area, and so I trotted along for an outsider’s view. We arrived in time for happy hour ($ 6.50 pints and wines) and eagerly perused the menu, which is Irish in flavour, like the owners. We were brought soda bread — absolutely delicious, like eating sliced scones — to soak up the pints while we waited for our meals. The servings are generous to say the least. I had the fish pie — a large bowl filled with creamy mixed seafood and topped with buttery dollops of mashed potatoes, served with a side salad — while my friends had a beef and Guinness pie (served with salad and chips), and the chicken breast (stuffed, and served with roasted vegetables, including not just mashed potato but roast potatoes too!). Each of these could have easily served two, but are also good for ravenous piggies like us. Each of these cost about $ 20, but you are definitely getting a lot for your money. Again, if you are less hungry than we were an on a budget, these meals could be easily shared. The service is friendly — we were served by one of the owners who takes care of front of house while her husband is the cook out the back dishing up these hearty feasts. Our only criticism is that the tables and stools are little on the small side — all the more noticeable when you are trying to cram in three meals (all of which are served on wooden boards) and three pints on to these little café tables — so we wondered whether it could be better arranged. There is also a courtyard out the back, and a alcove room that seats about six for a more intimate and quasi-​private experience. The conclusion? My friends have decided that this is their new local, so I foresee a lot more time spent in that snug little space.