Pugg Mahones

Good old Puggs. When I lived in Melbourne, this was our go-​to place for a crazy and sloppy night out. It’s pretty much one of those places that gets packed like a sweat box full of drunken 20 year olds singing along to the cover bands playing the same pop music all the time. But alas, we had so much fun here that I can’t bear to give it any less than 3 stars. Pugg Mahones never did disappoint. It’s one of those places where you always know what to expect. Also, it draws an international crowd, so there’s a good chance you’ll meet some interesting people. If you want to avoid the sweaty mob upstairs and actually have a conversation with someone, there is a downstairs room that is a bit less crazy.

If you come here for a hens or bucks, before you head out, it’s a good pub. We came here on Saturday night for my hens and there was another bucks party there and lots of room to dance to the live music and order from the bar. They tried to put us downstairs but we didn’t really want to be down there. There is a bar down there, but it’s not open and it didn’t smell very nice.
The pub food seemed good enough, don’t order the Irish poutine, i was drunk and ordered it and ate about half of it. Other options are better, I think.
Bartenders are great, music is good and location is awesome. Don’t know if I’d come back for a meal with friends, but I’d definitely endorse it for a messy visit on a hens or big night.

To Corey & Liffy if they are reading this:
I am sorry.
I AM SO SORRY.
I LIKE YOU BOTH AS PEOPLE BUT I REALLY DO NOT LIKE WHERE YOU WORK.
«Do not like» is actually kind of an understatement — I fucking hate it here.
Ambiance: Honestly, it isn’t that bad most of the time. Pugg Mahones advertises itself as an Irish Pub, and it does the job fairly well. The venue is fairly big with a lot of enclosed booths for groups of people.
But I say it isn’t bad «most of the time» because there ARE times when the atmosphere is awful. Trivia night. Trivia fucking night. Come here if you enjoy loud obnoxious screaming. Just thinking about it boils my introverted blood.
Food: I ordered a Chicken Parma that left me very unsatisfied because it was burnt and rough. I couldn’t finish it and was hungry for a long duration of the night. Not being able to stand it any longer, I ordered a $ 17 Beef & Guinness Pie. I thought — how can someone mess this up? Pie Face’s steak pies are delicious. I can microwave a damn frozen pie I got from Coles. No, Pugg Mahones messed it up. What was supposed to be a creamy, delicious filling was watered down and bland in combination with the undercooked carrots and chalky peas.
$ 17.
What. The. Hell. I feel like my money got sucked into a black hole of awful pub food.
Never again. I’d rather microwave that Coles pie.

I like Pugg’s. I like the awful cover bands they get in. I like that I sat on a stool watching Geelong beat Collingwood this season, while friends of mine (read:bastards) threw ice at me to distract me. I like the fact that is has cider on tap.
Actually, I don’t. Couldn’t care less. But I like the fact that a friend of mine likes it.
I like that the booths are fairly comfortable, and that the atmosphere’s very lasseiz faire. I don’t love it, and I don’t think I could because there’s not enough of a distinct personality to love. But it’s welcoming and fun and has alcohol and a bit of a menu, and that’s often enough.