Thornbury Local

This is one of the first bars that I discovered when I first arrived in Melbourne (probably because I lived a little further up the line from where it is located) and I have to say that I have always been pretty impressed with it. Since it is located a little further along High Street from the main Northcote strip it has never been anywhere near as packed as some of the other places, but it still seems to draw a pretty decent crowd. Basically it is your typical hole in the wall bar, which includes a decent beer garden (though it is huge). It also has an upstairs area (which I have yet to check out). I can’t say it is the biggest place, but they do have live music occasionally, as well as other event. Oh, they also have a late night kitchen, which means that you can grab a bite to eat when everything else has shut. It’s a pretty decent place and I’m sure to visit it again sometime.

I really dug this place! Given, we came pretty early on a Thursday night and only stayed an hour or so while nursing beers, but I loved what I saw! Really nice staff, great (and different!) beer tap selection, and a beautifully decorated space. I hear they have trivia nights here as well, which I’m keen to go back for.
My favourite part was the little cat that sat in the outside area on the roof, mewing at us… but I’m a sucker for a cute animal.

Great local bar with an awesome outdoor area. Try the mountain goat summer beer it’s awesome ! They have pot and Parma nights and the old dude on the decks is pretty cool playin all his fav tunes. Great for a Friday night quiet one

Great pizzas and even better that they were 2 for 1 on Tues nights with the quiz. The contadina (potatoes and gorgonzola) was a winner as well as pizza with prosciutto. Downstairs was a tight squeeze and the smell of smoke was strong from their beer garden but upstairs has a more cozy restaurant feel.

As soon as you include the word ‘local’ in your business name, there is an implication of inclusiveness that doesn’t rub well with me. I had a similar experience down Balaclava way a few years back where the local bar, named appropriately ‘The Local’, felt like this place for about five family’s worth of folk to hang and generally dictate the terms of. While the Thornbury Local doesn’t necessarily fall into this trap, there is still something about the place that rubs me up the wrong way.
They do drinks and are promising to open up a restaurant soon. The DJs they select haven’t been great in my experience, but at least they are dedicated to having music on a nightly basis. I haven’t been to the karaōke here, but would prefer to stick to the private rooms in Chinatown that punch out ‘Eye Of The Tiger’ in a room full of people I don’t know.
They do have great signage here and they are open late, but I feel like there are other places in the area that fit better with my tastes. This doesn’t mean it’s not a worthy addition to the strip, just that I’ll be somewhere else.