The Cornish Arms

Brunswick, Australia

3.6

Closed now

20 reviews

Contacts

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Telephone:
+61 3 9380 8383
Website:
www.cornisharms.com.au
Address:
163 Sydney Rd, Brunswick, Victoria, 3056
Nearby public transportation stops & stations:
500 ft20 - Barkly Square
770 ft21 - Glenlyon Road
790 ftJewell
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Bussiness info

Takes Reservations
Yes
Delivery
No
Take-out
No
Accepts Apple Pay
No
Accepted Cards
Credit, Debit
Good for Kids
Yes
Good for Groups
Yes
Attire
Casual
Ambience
Casual
Noise Level
Average
Music
Live
Good For Dancing
No
Alcohol
Full Bar
Best Nights
Tue, Wed
Coat Check
No
Smoking
Outdoor Area/ Patio Only
Outdoor Seating
Yes
Has TV
Yes
Waiter Service
Yes
Caters
No
Has Pool Table
Yes

Today

Today 12:00 pm – 3:00 pm
6:00 pm – 9:30 pm
Closed now
Local time (Brunswick) 00:03 Monday, 2 June 2025

Business hours

Monday 12:00 pm – 3:00 pm
6:00 pm – 9:30 pm
Tuesday 12:00 pm – 3:00 pm
6:00 pm – 9:30 pm
Wednesday 12:00 pm – 3:00 pm
6:00 pm – 9:30 pm
Thursday 12:00 pm – 3:00 pm
6:00 pm – 9:30 pm
Friday 12:00 pm – 3:00 pm
6:00 pm – 9:30 pm
Saturday 12:00 pm – 3:00 pm
6:00 pm – 9:30 pm
Sunday 12:00 pm – 9:30 pm

Description

Specialties

There’s something for everyone at the Cornish. With a large Vegan focus and daily meal deals, The Cornish has quickly become one of the best pubs in Melbourne for dietary requirements and a cheap, incredibly tasty meal.

Complimented by our Craft beer selection and carefully chosen wines, the Cornish really does have something for everyone.

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20 reviews of The Cornish Arms

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Place rating: 3
Australia
I feel unsure about the Cornish Arms. It’s definitely not your usual local pub.
Firstly It offers a great variety of veg and vegan menu and lots of it, not just your usual salads but vegan Parma, mock pork pizza you name it they’ve got it. My qualms is that they’re really actually unhealthy and although it tastes ok, i think I prefer better veg options with. Well,… Real vegs.
Then again, you don’t usually go to the pub to get healthy food anyway, so maybe I’m just being picky.
And then there’s the table service. I’m quite surprised actually that they offer full table service, and you have to book a table even for small parties if you want to sit inside. It’s nice but throws out my plan to ‘just head to the pub for dinner ‘impulsively a bit out the window.
Atmosphere wise, it’s not as noisy as other pubs can be and there’s lots of beers on tap including some Boutique beer deals. A great spot for catch up and as far as pubs go, the Cornish caters to veg and vegan well.
Place rating: 4
Melbourne, Australia
I had heard some negative things about the service here but I had a really good experience myself, which could be due to the fact that I went when it wasn’t too busy (I think it was a Tuesday night). The staff were friendly and my food came out pretty quickly.
My partner and I both ordered the vegan chicken sandwich and it was seriously amazing. The chicken seemed to be tofu based, yet with a chicken-​y texture. The breading was deliciously spiced, kinda tasted like cajun spice mix. The «facon» bacon was too realistic for me and I had to give it to my partner, but that might be a really good thing for you if you like bacon. The whole thing came with a humongous side of chips and I think it was pretty good value considering the serving size. I definitely want to come here again because there was so much on the menu I wanted to try.
Place rating: 2
Melbourne, Australia
This place is bitter sweet. There are SOOO many good things about it and they were on such a great trajectory but a few recent business structure changes have made sure it is no longer an easy option for a pub feed.
Starting with the good. The food is great and fairly priced, they boast what has to be the most extensive vegan menu of any Melbourne pub I have seen, a great changing selection of beers, and good décor.
BUT. what was until recently an unpretentious ‘pub’ has seen a paradigm shift and started forcing table service upon customers. As well as isolating punters who are after a simple and quick pub feed it is huge draw back for many other reasons.
It puts the punter at the mercy of the over burdened waitstaff while the bartenders are often unoccupied. Instead of ordering a beer and rejoining your table in 30 seconds to a minute you have to wait aggeeeees. If you take it upon yourself to order at the bar (the tried and true method for establishments of this kind) you are redirected by the aforementioned unoccupied bartender back to your table.
It’s now inhospitable to large groups who want to pay for their individual meals and drinks as they go opposed to splitting a lengthy bill at the end.
I’m sure the business could save a fortune on the extra waitstaff necessary to both take orders and deliver meals.
I’ve spoken to a number of people to gauge the response to the new format and this opinion isn’t solely mine.
If it ain’t broke don’t fix it.
Place rating: 2
Melbourne, Australia
Service here has gone downhill. Been waiting half an hour for someone to take my order. Not the first time it’s happened, last time I left after waiting an hour.
Place rating: 5
Australia
Love this place. Best pub trivia I have ever played. Richard is the bomb.
Huge range of vegan dishes. Huge range of beer — internationals, locals, micros, crafts. Nice crowd. It’s just a really well run, comfortable pub.
Place rating: 4
Melbourne, Australia
Do they even parmigiana? Yes, yes they do. And it is vegan friendly with multiple options to choose from.
The interior has a open lay out which creates a wonderful atmosphere on a busy afternoon or evening.
Trivia night, if you havent been or need practice brushing up on some knowledge check their Facebook page and head in. Kill some brain cells and create some… win win yeah?
Place rating: 4
Brunswick, Australia
Love The Cornish, it’s a good local! Unpretentious and inviting.
This venue is a Wednesday evening favourite of mine as they have a cheap Steak Night. There has been a few occasions when ‘I forgot’ to go shopping so didn’t have anything in the house to eat… The Porterhouse steak for $ 17 with chips, veg and amazing garlic butter is great. To wash this down there’s a choice of craft beers for $ 10 (everyday).
The service is quick and friendly so all good. Have recently tried their pizza and have to say I wasn’t expecting too much for $ 14 but it was great (had the Americana with extra mushies).
There’s a small beer garden out back but I covert the tables between the bar and street. You can get table service there too so don’t have to bother getting up to walk the 4 steps to the bar :-)
Place rating: 2
San Francisco, CA
I just paid $ 21 for a ground steak and brisket burger and it was not a happy experience. Well below the standards of a rat meat burger you might prepare in a post-​apocalyptic landscape while hiding the glow of your fire from Super Mutants (is it obvious I’ve been playing Fallout 4?) I am being hyperbolic here, clearly, but it was definitely a disappointment, especially for the price.
The IPA is okay though and the trivia is great fun.
Place rating: 4
Melbourne, Australia
As a vegan, this place is a treat when going out with meat-​eating friends and family. A classic dirty dingy Aussie pub with daily specials, cheap craft beer and trivia nights. Vegan Parma on a Sunday is a must, and their burger options are great. If you want a traditional night at the pub, The Cornish Arms will certainly deliver.
Place rating: 4
Melbourne, Australia
The cornish is that place you always go back to for a comforting pub meal, cheap beer ($ 10 per jug!) And a relaxing time. Extensive vegan menu with all the old faves veganised. Also lots of meat dishes so great place to go with both vegan and meat eating friends. For a while there they seemed to always be changing staff but now the wait staff seem to have been the same for a while which is great to see and they are all super friendly and efficient. Only prob is the manager can be/​come across as rude sometimes. But I still go back and would recommend it to others.
Place rating: 4
Brunswick, Australia
Great spot: plenty of beers on Tap !! Had the burrito. It’s big enough to feed me and I’m a big guy. Have the odd bowl of chips there and they are huge ! Trivia night seems super busy and fun on Thursdays and Sunday arvo. Great watering hole
Place rating: 4
Melbourne, Australia
One word: trivia. If you like getting your squad together for a good old-​fashioned quiz night then the Cornish Arms for you. They have trivia on both Thursday evenings and Sunday afternoons, both of which bring out a trivia-​loving crowd.
These guys have a very wide range of beers on tap and I generally go for the ever-​delicious Two Birds. However I recently indulged in the lesser-​known (and less-​delicious) Australian Lager where a pint only set me back five clams. FIVE!
Also good news for my wheat-​hating friends, each beer is listed as to whether or not it is gluten-​free, with many containing the GF tag.
While I am yet to indulge in the food at the Cornish Arms, I have noticed they have an extensive vegetarian and vegan menu, as well as a very long list of parmas. Something for everyone!
Place rating: 5
Brisbane, Australia
An entire extra menu for vegans. Oh my god.
Being a Brisbanite, I am so not accustomed to being able to waltz into a local pub and just ORDER A VEGAN PARMA without the staff staring at me like I’m a crazy hippie.
A friend brought me to the Cornish Arms, raving about the menu of delicious faux-​meat dishes, and I couldn’t believe how many options there were.
We ordered the «Chicken» burger and Souvlaki and split both, and they were brilliant. I’m still thinking about the sauce on the souvlaki weeks later.
Boyfriend ordered a real chicken parma and enjoyed it too.
Huge array of beers, warm atmosphere, cool staff, something for everyone. Highly recommend.
Place rating: 4
Mid-Wilshire, Los Angeles, CA
I am a true lover of all things Melbourne and The Cornish Arms definitely embodies some of the cities finer qualities. Although super busy this pub is a great place to sit, have a quiet beer/​cider and chat with friends.
I especially love the outside area in the back of the pub, very homey feel to it! The drinks are also very reasonably priced and the bar tenders know what they’re talking about.
Place rating: 4
Melbourne, Australia
One of the best craft pubs in Brunswick imo. The selection and quality of the beer is superb.
The pub has a mix of locals staring at the TV screen and diners, plus some that fall in-​between.
There is a good food thing most nights (often so popular you need to book a table for the dining room), cheap parmas, burgers or my fav Wednesday $ 15 steak night. The selection you get with it makes it a step above many other «steak nights». My fav is the $ 1 addition of béarnaise sauce to my steak with chips and salad, his is chips, veg and garlic butter. I just wish they could get the fish and chips right. We’ve tried it several times over the year we’ve come here and it’s never hit the mark of their other food.
The staff have a lot of knowledge about their beers and I like that if you sit at the front tables you are offered table service.
There are some tables out the front where in summer the windows/​doors are pushed back making the front bar an indoor /​outdoor area, as well as a beer garden at the back, behind the dinner area on the other side of the bar.
There are also «events» such as a quiz, open mic night and music.
A good local!
Place rating: 3
North Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
Shame this place has started to use organic vegan cheese and not Cheezly anymore. Still worth the trip from wherever you are in Melbourne though.
Place rating: 2
Australia
This pub is always packed with locals and offers all the traditions of food nights, trivia and live gigs, but unfortunately it’s a fail for me.
The service and food is mediocre. Mark ‘The Terrifying Sharptooth’ and I waited an hour-​and-​a-​half one evening to get a parma and a burger! After having to chase down a waitress numerous times to alert them to this, they just kept saying, oh yes, it’s on its way. Obviously, there’s not enough staff in the kitchen, or it’s one of those incidences where the kitchen docket goes ‘missing’. Either way, there’s hundreds of pubs I can go to where I don’t have to wait and hour-​and-​a-​half for food.
The toilet needs an upgrade too.
Place rating: 3
Melbourne, Australia
Good consistent food and service.
Enjoy just having a drink at the bar with a friendly relaxed atmosphere.
Place rating: 4
Brunswick, Australia
There are a lot of pubs to chose from on Sydney road, but this is one you can’t miss. As a new vegan it is sometimes hard to find somewhere that caters to my dietary requirements. Most standard pub fare is far from vegan. At the Cornish arms this is not a worry. They have a standard meat menu and and equally impressive vegan one. It makes me drool just thinking about it. They do special nights as well. The latest being American BBQ on a Tuesday with a list of $ 13 vegan or meat plates which is plenty to feed the hungriest of people. If stuffing yourself silly is more your style you can indulge in the $ 20 mixed plate, which includes bits if everything.
On top if all this the staff are really friendly and the beer list more than your average pub!
Place rating: 4
Melbourne, Australia
The pubs along the Brunswick section of Sydney Rd are all pretty much hit or miss. There are some fantastic venues that I can’t stay away from and then there are the crappy pokies venues that I feel like crossing the road to avoid. Luckily the Cornish Arms falls into the former category.
The Cornish seems to have something on offer to suit everyone. Most nights of the week there are meal specials available, live music several nights a week and on weekends, pop culture trivia on Thursdays (which I really need to get along to!) and they even have a Sunday afternoon trivia session.
There’s a decent sized bar area around the main bar, which has a pretty good selection of beers on offer, but nothing out of the ordinary. Beyond the bar is a large open dining area that overlooks the stage and actually offers table service! It gets pretty busy in here so you may need to book ahead. I’ve been here on nights when there was no hope of getting a table, but I’ve also been here when we were the only table occupied! Past the dining area is the beer garden, which I have yet to actually venture out to, but it looks nice through the window!
The food here goes a few steps beyond the standard pub grub. You can still get that, but there are some great additions to it, including a separate pizza menu and a wide variety of vegetarian and vegan options.
Try the eggplant chips!