College Lawn

Great place for afterwork drinks. We went on a Friday night so it was relatively busy. We were also in a big group, so I imagine our dinner order would have put some strain on the kitchen, because the food took a little while to come out. The meals were all good, but nothing exceptional. I had the risotto (one of the only vegetarian options on the menu) which had a good consistency, but was seriously under seasoned.

I’m selfish. The only reason I go to College Lawn is because it is conveniently located from my house and work and because of the awesome Happy Hour on Friday evenings.
Though, I might just add that they do pretty great pub meals too. We all love a parma and College Lawn make a darn good one, I also love their risotto too.
It’s in a residential street in Prahran and its quite a nice venue. Has ample seating outdoor, so its absolutely perfect for after work drink s in summer and for a frothie session on the weekends. In winter they provide ample heating too.
College Lawn ticks most of the boxes for me.

Beer Garden — Check
Close to my house — Check
Live Sporting Events — Check
Reasonable Food — Check
I enjoy the college lawn although at times it can get a bit packed with unfriendly locals, but hey that’s not the venues fault. The people who frequent this place are a bit too South Yarra hipster for me but i like to time my visits to the slower periods when these people are at home oiling their beards and fake tanning their legs.

Bad service, got kicked out of our seat by very unfriendly people because a band was starting. Billy Brownless got served in 10 seconds, while we waited 5 minutes.

I love these little pubs hidden away in the backstreets of inner Melbourne, though if you expect them to be quiet your going to be sorely disappointed because it always seems as if everybody likes these pubs hidden away in the backstreets of Melbourne. When I first saw it though, after a pleasant stroll through the backstreets of Prahran, it really didn’t look all that impressive — until I saw the beer garden of course — it was huge. They even had a craft beer on tap that I have never tried before and apparently it had only just been released. As I suggested, it does get pretty crowded, especially in the beer garden, and it was a Monday night that I first visited the place, and from reading the other reviews it seems as if this is generally the case. However pubs that draw a decent crowd, though is not overtly crowded (such as this one) tend to be my preferred pubs — especially if they have a cool beer garden.

This place is the place to go if you love your beer gardens! It is in a great location to have a little get together for a few beers and something to smash your teeths into.
I came here with a mate to watch the soccer Asian cup finals, Australia Vs Korea Rep. Took a tram and did a little walking which didn’t bother either one of us as we do a lot of driving to and from work.
I had something to eat while we drank and I bought the salmon for dinner. I couldn’t remember how it tasted but it tasted good! After you’ve had two pints of beer and your hungry, anything taste good regardless. Though I can say that the skin of the salmon was really crispy which meant that it was fresh not frozen in turn, is a good thing!
I read Mel P. review about strangers with short skirts and a lot of makeup which I did see a few that night and I’m sure the weekends would have more. They didn’t wear short skirts nor were they loaded up with make up. Majority didn’t wear too much and it took every fibre of my being to turn my head and get back to finishing my meal which wasn’t hard after I had another pint.
Overall, I had a good night and as they say, each to their own. Yes, read the reviews and talk about it but do that after you’ve been there at least once. Experience it first because you never know, you may just like it.

Due to a holiday function, our blokes’ hump-​night get-​together got moved to College Lawn. It’s only a few blocks from home, so it was a nice stroll along Greville Street to get there. The place is large, with spacious indoor dining and sitting areas, as well as a large outdoor, astro-​turfed terrace, perfect for warm spring/​summer days/​evenings. It’s decked with park bench tables and large umbrellas, and a good-​sized bar, with several taps. Great way to start an evening with the blokes! As it turned out, there’s no wait staff in the outdoor area, so we had to mosey-​up to the bar to place our food and drink orders. A thirst quenching pint of American pale ale ($ 11) hit the spot. (Interestingly, I asked the bartender if there were any porters available and he had no clue what that was! All that was on draught were pale ales and ciders.) The pub’s menu ran the gamut: crispy vegetarian spring rolls ($ 3 ea.); chicken/​bacon stuffed quesadillas ($ 17); chicken and avocado salad ($ 22); fish and chips ($ 24); mince burrito ($ 21); steaks ($ 29.50-$ 38); various pizzas ($ 11-​$ 20). Pretty much there’s something to suit virtually any taste.
My mate and I decided we’d share the College Lawn tasting plate ($ 38), consisting of saganaki skewers, mushrooms, chorizo, black olives, veggie spring rolls, arancini balls, honey-​soy chicken drummettes, complemented with eggplant, beetroot and sweet-​n-​sour dips, along with some rustic bread slices. It arrived looking mighty hearty and would’ve satisfied four. (We were sharing this as a main, for two, and it was plenty.) Taste-​wise, the items were hit-​n-​miss. The saganaki/​olive skewers (4) were very tasty — the rich flavors of the saganaki (cheese) and kalamata olives worked well — although on the greasy side, and was enhanced by the sweet/​sour dipping sauce (which we could’ve used much more than was served). Crispy veggie spring rolls were very good — which, for me, was surprising, as there was a distinct flavor of green capsicum (bell pepper) that I normally loathe; but, it was subtle and edible in these rolls. There were a couple — Yes, Ladies and Gents, TWO! — slices of sautéed white mushrooms; maybe three (albeit, tasty) slices of the chorizo; there might’ve been two or three slices of black olives. Arancini balls??? Nada on the plate. The honey/​soy chicken drummettes (4) were baked, as opposed to the American deep-​fried wings, so it wasn’t quite what we were expecting; nevertheless, they were meaty and tasty, without the crunchy skin. The uncredited bread slices were…, well…, bread slices. Beetroot and eggplant dips were unimaginative, bland, and pretty much didn’t work with anything else on the platter, except for the bread.
Fortunately, the fine company made up for any deficiencies in the meal. To be honest, I was a bit skeptical about College Lawn because of my fellow Unilocalers’ reviews. As it turned out, my skepticism might’ve been warranted. That said, as pub food goes, I suppose it was wholly decent. The place was packed by the time we left, so I don’t think it would be too farfetched for me to parallel it’s popularity to one of those middling Hollywood blockbuster remakes that’s simply immune to any sort of criticism, and is gonna pack ‘em in no matter the gastronomic consensus… (Curiously, of the 20 pics that’s been uploaded onto Unilocal!,my shot of the tasting plate is the only one showing food. I will say, though, that my blokes’ various dishes all looked really hearty and picture-​worthy. But, I leave it up to them to make their own reviews…)

If you’re looking for a sunny beer garden, this is a great spot. Large outdoor lawn area with plenty of seating and umbrellas to curb the sunburn. I came here with a group to sit outside and enjoy a few beers — for that this place is ideal.
I wouldn’t come for the food and definitely not the company of strangers. There was a lot of chatter at the table about what the College Lawn transforms into on weekends. Think short skirts, loads of makeup, popped collars — a very Prahran like venue. Ok if you like that sort of thing, but if you’re looking for a quiet drink away from the South Yarrans, avoid this pub.

Maybe I’d been spoilt with quality food all weekend, but I was a little underwhelmed by this place.
It was a beautiful sunshine day and this place was packed with very dressed up, heavily make-up’d women and very casually dressed men. Looks like the place to be in this quaint neighbourhood.
My friends raved about the wagu burger (a wagu beef patty with the trimmings, incl an egg), so we stopped by College Lawn. We had a snack (cheese and olive kebab — deep fried), which was very tasty. Then the burger. I thought it was quite sizable, but my friends told me it was smaller portion served that they enjoy in the week. Either way, I couldn’t finish it, and they were not going to give me a container to take it away in a ‘doggy bag’ («can’t tell how you’ll treat the take-​away and then you’ll sue us» rule that really annoys me), so I wrapped the leftovers in a serviette without the knowledge of the wait staff.
And I enjoyed my take-​away while waiting at the airport a few hours later…

I’d always wanted to check out College Lawn, purely for the cool factor of the name — it sounded super lax and as if it would be filled with young, fun uni students enjoying beers in the sun.
Unfortunately for us, the day we attended was grey and rainy but nonetheless, we still soaked up the atmosphere. After all, it was Melbourne Cup Day.
The «race that stops a nation» certainly drew the crowds to this venue but seemed to accommodate to the rowdy mob quite well. Plenty of TV screens in the main bar section allowed everyone to watch the race, while a friendly sweep kept attendees involved in the day’s action.
Drinks were reasonably priced and typical pub fare such as parmas and steaks were flowing from the kitchen throughout the afternoon. After the race, we managed to secure a table outside on the faux turf underneath the umbrellas (fortunately, because of the rain) and enjoyed the next few hours playing cards and lapping up the fact that it was a Tuesday afternoon.
I really enjoyed this place and found it to be quite reminiscent of a miniature Portsea Pub (minus the sweeping ocean views). I’ll certainly be returning for a beer (or more likely a gin and soda) when summer hits!

I don’t know which collage this lawn belongs to but I do know on a summer’s day that the beer garden gets busy. Collage Lawn is located in a perfect position for those who want to start drinking on Chapel St, then decided to go to the Belgium Beer Gardens and start to walk there through Greville St and realise that although it is quite a short walk they are thirst again for more beer.
This is actually the first pub that I have seen in Melbourne that doubles as a backpackers. I am sure that there are many more but I have not noticed yet, most likely because I have a home. If I were a backpacker in Melbourne, this is the perfect location.

Hidden a short walk up Greville Street, The College Lawn is a very popular watering hole for locals, the offer some good pub grub at reasonable prices and very generous servings. They do not however have drink specials, so if you are looking to buy a few rounds best split it with a friend.
The College Lawn is usually my chosen place for trivia nights. Held every Wednesday night the whole pub is transformed into a fun and light hearted trivia competition. It’s great for all ages as the questions are varied and not too hard like some other trivia quizzes. There are lots of prizes to be won throughout the night, including jugs of beer, chocolates and the grand prize at the end.
The pub itself is separated into three areas; the restaurant, the bar area and a brand new outdoor area which has been converted from what used to be a drive through! Really nice addition especially coming into the warmer months.