Best Sports Bars in Melbourne

The benchmark for Melbourne sports bars: 22 screens including a 4-metre main feature wall, 18 taps of craft and international draught, and a kitchen that stays open until midnight. Soda Rock on King Street splits its crowd evenly between AFL fanatics and football (soccer) devotees who pack the place for Champions League mornings. The loaded fries are non-negotiable. Reserve a booth for big match days or expect to stand. Open until 3am Friday and Saturday.

Richmond is Tigers territory and The Corner is the neighborhood's unofficial second home on match days. Three bars across two levels, a dedicated sports bar downstairs with 16 screens, and a rooftop that opens when the weather allows. The beer list leans Victorian craft and the food is better than any sports bar has a right to be. The crowd on a Richmond home game afternoon is a genuine Melbourne experience worth having even if you follow another club.

The go-to for European football in Melbourne. Mick's opens at 4am on Champions League and Premier League match mornings and the crowd that turns up at that hour is committed in a way that is genuinely moving. Proper Guinness on draught, 14 screens, and an Irish breakfast running from 4am to noon on match days. The bangers and mash is reliable. The atmosphere at 5am during a Manchester derby is something most Melbourne visitors never discover.

A genuine sports pub with a heritage to match. The Sporting Globe has been Carlton's neighborhood sports anchor since the 1970s and the walls of memorabilia prove it. Table tennis, pool tables, beer pong, and a projector setup that covers the back wall. Student energy mixed with lifers. The handles are among the cheapest proper pours in Melbourne. Avoid the food and focus on the sport and the $8 beers.

Melbourne's most authentic Irish sports pub experience, anchored by a commitment to Gaelic football and hurling broadcasting that no other bar in the city matches. They hold official Irish Football Association viewing events and the community that gathers feels genuinely imported rather than constructed. Excellent whisky selection alongside the expected Guinness. 12 screens across two levels. Best visited during GAA championship season but quality year-round.

The pub directly across from Flinders Street Station has multiple levels, one of which is the dedicated sports bar with screens covering every wall. The location is unbeatable for pre and post-match drinking given the foot traffic from the station to the MCG. The beer is honest. The crowd is mixed and good-natured. The rooftop bar is worth visiting even when there is no sport on. Open since 1853 and no plans to change.

Port Melbourne's sports bar of choice, positioned conveniently close to AAMI Park and Marvel Stadium. The Precinct does not pretend to be anything other than a well-run sports bar: good screens, cold beer, and a kitchen producing generous pub meals that hold up under scrutiny. The outdoor area fills with pre-match crowds walking from the stadium. The NRL season brings a particular mix of transplanted New South Welshmen who provide entertaining rivalry commentary.

Fitzroy's local pub has been doing sport properly for decades. No gimmicks, no themed packages, just 10 solid screens, rotating guest ales from Victorian microbreweries, and a crowd that has graduated from university but not from enjoying themselves. The pub quiz on Tuesdays draws a sharp crowd. The roof deck opens in summer for cricket days. The Sunday session is the best way to end a weekend in Melbourne's best suburb.

Abbotsford's community sports pub with a garden bar that makes it exceptional in summer. The interior screens cover AFL, cricket, and cycling without discrimination. The Retreat has deep ties to the local cycling community and you will often find serious road cyclists and the AFL crowd occupying the same bar without incident. The food is above average pub standard and the selection of Victorian craft beers runs to 16 taps.

A British-style pub in the CBD with a strong allegiance to English football and cricket. Sherlock's opens at 6am for English Premier League morning kickoffs and does it properly: a full English breakfast, a proper match atmosphere, and commentary audio turned up to a volume that makes the walk to work from the pub feel dramatically unnecessary. The bar serves real ales alongside lager and the food punches above its class.

Bob Hawke's namesake brewery has a taproom in Collingwood that doubles as the best craft beer sports bar in Melbourne. The screens are positioned thoughtfully so no seat has a bad view, and the beer list is built entirely from Hawke's range plus rotating Victorian guests. The Lager is the signature and it is worth the trip alone. Match day afternoon sessions here feel different from the big-screen pubs: quieter, more local, and focused on quality.

The Prahran Hotel carved its sports bar identity from a historically nightclub-focused street. The downstairs sports bar has its own entrance, its own vibe, and a crowd that shows up at noon to stake their table claim for an AFL afternoon. 18 screens, a comprehensive beer selection with 20 taps, and a kitchen serving until 10pm. The Southern Stand beer garden is the best place in Prahran to watch an evening match in summer.

St Kilda's beachside sports pub manages the difficult trick of being genuinely fun in summer without becoming insufferable. The ground floor sports bar runs the full gamut of AFL, rugby union, and international cricket, and the outdoor terrace lets you watch screens with beach air in your lungs. The happy hour from 4pm to 6pm on weekdays drops drinks to genuinely good prices. The Sunday afternoon crowd is the best mix of ages and backgrounds you will find in the suburb.

Brunswick's answer to the big-screen sports pub operates with an anti-corporate attitude that the neighborhood demands. The sporting schedule focuses on AFL (North Melbourne territory), Test cricket, and Formula 1, broadcast with the same seriousness as the neighborhood devotes to its music scene. Cheap schooners, decent bar snacks, and a pool table in the back that develops a queue on weekend afternoons. Exactly what a neighborhood sports pub should be.

The Federation Square pub across from Flinders Street station, home to live AFL in the CBD with every game shown loud. The official site lists a public bar, the Transit rooftop and weekend live music seven days a week.