The Gem

Well, with something live 35 reviews this place certainly seems to be a really popular place, but then again I worked that that the few times I’ve been here — it’s absolutely packed, at least in the bar (it seems that there were some seats in the dining area), and the seating out the front is always full. Mind you, that probably has a lot to do with the really friendly staff, the decent beers on tap, and the fact that it is basically pretty cool. Mind you, it is hidden away on the back streets, which basically means that only the people in the know really know about this place, so you are less likely to get random people simply walking in off the streets. Still, it’s a pretty cool pub, though I do prefer my pubs to have places where I can sit down.

The Gem has officially stepped it up a notch! I have been coming to the Gem on and off for years for causal drinks with friends and good home cooked meals. However I came here tonight for a friends birthday and wow did they blow us away. If you’re having a birthday soon in Melbourne and enjoy yourself some American bbq look no further! Upstairs at the Gem you can book out a room or table and they offer all you can eat American bbq banquet. And they mean all you can eat. Imagine medieval sized amounts of delicious bbq meats like brisket, lamb ribs, roast chicken, spicy sausage and pulled pork. And don’t forget the sides– Mac and cheese, coleslaw, potato salad, brisket and beans and delicious brioche dinner rolls– are you still hungry? All for a very respectable $ 40.

The Gem lives up to its name! We came for my friends birthday dinner where we ordered the all you can eat BBQ Banquet. This is not the kind of all you can eat where you still need to do a Maccas run on the way home to fill you up. Everyone left with a well established food baby. They served brisket beans, creamy potato salad and spicy chipotle coleslaw… And then the meat platter to end all meat platters, lamb, chorizo, brisket, ribs, chicken and pulled pork not to mention the house baked brioche buns! In a word HEAVEN!
If you are not a meat eater that is fine too, the Gem caters for both vegans and vegetarians. They had quite a wide range of menu options and also adapted some meat options to cater to vegetarian needs.
It was a fantastic night! Great service and I left with a very full tummy and urge to return soon!

Fine for drinks but don’t go here thinking you’ll get anything resembling American bbq. They’ll serve you Aussie style supermarket bbq sauce, smoked supermarket style snags and Gravox gravy with your meat. Sides were ok but seriously so far below what genuine contenders are making. Made me die a little on the inside.

American eats have become so ubiquitous around Melbourne these days, it’s easy to forget there’s places that do it as well as The Gem does.
Beef brisket was *outstanding*, as was the pulled-​pork burger. From all reports from mates who have frequented this place lately, it’s hard to go wrong with anything you order. (Having said that, I’d pass on the cornbread next time. Didn’t stack up to the real thing for me, but it’s a small thing!)
Beers are a buck or two on the pricey side of things, but even if you are just here for a few drinks that’s a price worth paying as the front bar just has a great feel to it.

Quaint bar tucked in Callingwood it is said to be the first southern cuisine pub in Melbourne! With that being said they apparently on weekends have a Texas BBQ that looks yum!
The bar itself has a very casual feel to it and is well priced! I had the mussel soup with corn bread for 10 bucks! It had so much flavor and was really filling! They do also have a rib night during the week, this will most likely be my next visit!

After living in the US for the last five years, I was sceptical of the surge of American-​themed restaurants and bars in Australia. My fears have mostly been justified. The Gem, however, is an exception — the weekend BBQ is awesome. The only thing holding me back from five stars is the beer list — pretty anaemic tap list and nothing exciting in bottles. But the food makes up for it!

If you’re eating at the Gem i’d strongly recommend getting the kale salad and a parma with the lot (includes jalapeños and prosciutto) — delicious!

Last night at The Gem there was a discussion about ‘your local’ and the standards you’ll accept of a pub close by vs one you would cross town for. I don’t live all that close to The Gem but it’s definitely a pub that I have and will cross town to get to.
I’ve been here on a couple of occasions — one for their Sunday BBQ plate and again for a CMYE where The Gem hosted a fun group of Unilocalers for beer and sliders. There were a lot of happy campers when we tucked into those pulled pork sliders, nodding our (somewhat mayo-​covered) heads in agreement.
One of the first comments of the night was the music and how laid back it was. You won’t get pop or hip hop, just chill to the blues at big wooden tables in this rustic pub. It’s got charm and appears to be very popular with locals and the rockabilly crowd. The laid vibe was perfect for our after work unwind, with most of us sticking around for dinner — the lure of the BBQ smell too hard to resist.
The beers on tap change (I wasn’t all that impressed with the options the first time but happier the second!) with a mix of traditional and craft beers. You can also get your PBR if you’re that way inclined.
On Sunday the BBQ meat plate has to be seen to be believed. A huge selection of smoky BBQ meats with up to 4 sides to choose from (think cornbread, mac n cheese, grilled corn, slaw — all the good stuff!). The brisket was the winner for me.
Whether you’re in the area or not, The Gem is worth checking out.

I really like this place. Simple, quaint, elegant and charming. Homely and inviting.
I feel like I should be writing a grand novel of some kind within these walls.
There’s something about the wooden paneling and floors that has me captured.
I also like the fact that it’s not smelly and dingy and dark. I haven’t got to the stage
of being recognised, but on way out, I had nice encounter with a patron wearing a reggae flavoured addidas top. The food is pretty darn good, I tried a few things, and
what i didn’t i saw, and those looked ace too.
I want to come back on the Sunday for this «platter tray bbq» thing that is being held
in very high regard. Good beers on tap, including Goat, and White rabbit. As has been
discovered too, There is the mountain of fries for $ 7. Finally, someone has got the serving right. Dang, didn’t do the pickleback, or see the non beers drinking selection,
but with great food and a charming interior, I’m sure I’ll be back to this alpine lodge-​saloon-​pub one day soon. Want to come here for a music night as well. They’ve also got a little min hall of fame with music posters of well known artists about the walls.
And then Mexican skulls.

The Gem is a good little pub, the wooden floorboards, staircase and artwork on the walls give it a rustic feel. It’s very popular both among locals and those from other burbs as well. I mentioned it to some guys at work before we went and they all said that it’s a cool place and they like it.
They have live music and Djs on weekends to ditch out some cool tunes and keep diners entertained throughout the night, a good selection of beers and the staff are quite cool as well.
We went on Sunday night to have a crack at their Texas BBQ for dinner. We chose the corn succotash, corn bread, slaw and mac n’ cheese w/​bacon for the sides — everything was nice except for the mac n/​cheese which was quite blend and and lacking flavour.
The meat was served on a board. I love when my dish is delivered to me on a chopping board and I also love a good barbie so you combine the two together and now we’re talking… Liked the pulled pork, goat, sausage, brisket and loved the ribs.
If you’re not from this neck of the woods, drop by on a Sunday and have a go. It’s not that pricey for the amount of food you get…

My local. Or at least one of them. It has all you ask of a local: familiar faces, easy tasty food and well priced booze. I love their wine list and it has a great selection of my favourite SA reds (eg gem tree Shiraz). I would like to see a couple more craft beers on tap but little creatures represent so can’t really complain!
The food specials are always quite interesting and there is somewhat a Mexican theme through out the menu (and décor) mixed with normal pub fare and whatever the chef feels like. Haven’t been disappointed yet! And haven’t ordered off the main menu yet. Try the taco special it always rocks.
There are tables and chairs outside but these get taken up pretty early on so be quick. If you have to sit inside they are always playing awesome music (think arcade fire, Neil young, Johnny cash etc).
Very pub, very relaxed, great place to take friends for a good old catch up. Oh and have a pickle back.

Now this is my sort of place:
A rustic, country pub appeal thanks to worn wooden floor boards and rough hewn tables? Yes, yes, please.
Elvis tatt decorating the walls and plenty of random tchotchkes on most available surfaces? Why yes!
Good country and vintage rock n roll playing loudly? Most Certainly.
A crowd that sits mostly on the right side of 25 (no children allowed!)? Mais oui!
Most importantly, the Gem has NY style pickles for one dollar. Everyone knows that nothing goes better with a cold beer than a salty, sour, crunchy dill pickle. Even better than one dollar pickles is the PICKLE BACK! For non-​Americans, this is a shot of pickle juice taken directly after a shot of bourbon. It is amazing. The Gem has them. Therefore, the Gem is amazing.
Sadly, I wasn’t thrilled with the beer selection, which was heavy on the lagers. Where are my ESBs? My IPA’s? My bitters and/​or stouts? In any case, this is a great local and I will be back.

An excellent little pub. Great food, but can get a little busy, and packed at the par. But that comes with been a great place and not that big.
Have been back many times, and will again.

Don’t be expecting to get the friendliest of welcomes walking into this place. A couple of good barmen there but generally they are pretty rude. Nice spot to sit outside and the food is quite nice. Happy hour during the week is good too

There’s something funky going on at the Gem. It’s still my local due to proximity, service and atmosphere but the recent menu changes aren’t spectacular.
Once known for their soul food and 50s American diner fare the menu at the Gem now run a little but modern French/​a little French fry. It’s confused and it falls short of the usual quality the Gem was once known for.
If you really miss the old days head in for their monthly soul food night, Saturday Night Fish Fry.
Still, they have excellent old school bands and it’s a brilliant crowd. Let’s hope things change in the kitchen soon.

Dudes, the best time to go to The Gem is the second Saturday of every month when they hold their soul and soul-​food night, Saturday Night Fish Fry!
The best soul and R&B DJ in Melbourne, Richie 1250, spins the tunes (with a guest or two) and the kitchen serves up Southern-​style dishes like pork chops and meatloaf. It’s definitely a different spin of a night at the pub, and who knew The Gem would see so many people dancing on its floor? Better yet, who knew its old wood floor would be so good for dancing on?
The kitchen gets going at 6pm and the tunes at 8pm.

With great food and a true «local» feel, The Gem Bar even added the words «…and Dining» to its official title to remind punters that it prides itself on its food.
This is totally warranted with a great little menu that covers all bases. From favourites like Chicken Parma’s and Fish & Chips, to the «extra effort» items like the Haloumi Burger or 14 Hour slow roasted Pork sandwich, The Gem has really succeeded as a place to go and either have a nice meal out in the dining room, or to take it easy and just eat near the bar.
The Gem hosts live music on weekends, usually of the rock/​rockabilly/​alt-​country persuasion. All gigs are free and all you need to do is look at the walls and you’ll understand what gets the Gem going when it comes to music. Every wall is posted with pictures of Elvis, Hank, Gram and Cash. This is a cowboy pub that loves its music and wears its influences on its sleeve.
Check out the website for special events at the pub too. With Dave Larkin (Of Dallas Crane & Gun Street Girls) putting these together, this year has seen some of Melbourne finest muso’s come together for the «Tom Waits Time» tribute night, and more recently the «Johnny Cash Karaōke» Nights, in which Dave himself teams up with some shit-​hot musos to form a backing band to a string of great singers. With yours truly having being selected to sing at both of these nights, I can say first hand that they are quite popular and always end up in a full pub singing along and having a hell of a time.
The bar serves good beers on tap, like the staple Cooper Pale Ale, to White Rabbit Dark Ale and Cider. With a great choice of wines and an overall good feel to the place, check The Gem out as a potential for your new local.

The old Curry Family Hotel (awesomer name me thinks), the Gem is a little ripper on Wellington Street — I know, I used to live 65 paces from the front door of this joint. It’s an inner-​city cowboy pub, so if that kind of shit gets up your nose then give it a wide berth. They have the best pub food in town, though you do pay for it, and have a great little snack menu too.
The problems with the Gem stem from staff attitude and inclusiveness. If you don’t wear you hair a certain way or wrangle in spurs, they have a bit of a tendency to give you the dead eye.
There are great little themed rooms upstairs for dining purposes. These are perfect for escaping the cliques below and make for fabulous birthday/​general celebratory spaces. Downstairs, they present some form of live music most nights, and though the set up can be a little in your face for Friday after-​work drinks, the calibre of acts they deliver is pretty high for such a small venue.

The Gem is a small pub packed full of punch. In my view it is one of the best places to go have a relaxed evening pint midweek or to go nurse a quiet wine on a lazy Sunday.
They often have live music (of the country singer song writer style typically) on Sundays and they have a good selection of beer and wines as well as a fantastic food menu. In fact I think the roast duck with potato mash and red cabbage salad is one of the nicest pub meals I have ever had.
They also do take away booze if you have missed the off license on any given evening.