The Provincial Hotel

The Verdict

The Provincial is pretty much the Grand Old Dame of Brunswick St pubs. If you don’t have three stories of loose nights here, you’re not a true Northsider.

It also happens to be Portia de Rossi’s favourite Melbourne venue. Little trivia for you there.

Well, this Grand Old Dame has a few tricks up her sleeves, because she just launched bottomless cocktail and crepe brunch. No, we’re not kidding.

For $49 every Saturday and Sunday from 11am-1pm, you can feast on DIY crepes with your choice on toppings like chocolate sauce, crème, strawberries and cheese. Bottomless bevvies include house wines, sparkling, Mimosas and selected beer and cocktails, which rotate weekly. Think Long Beach Iced Teas, Espresso Martinis, Aperol Spritzes and French Martinis.

For those with dietary requirements (or if you’re just, you know, a picky eater), there’s a separate a la carte brunch menu for $8 per dish, including fresh calamari and garlic aioli, zucchini & sweetcorn fritters (vegan friendly) or sweet potato and spinach pakora (vego friendly).

The rooftop itself is covered in a giant marquee and decked out with blankets and the cosiest winter warmers, so you can soak up the view without the chill.

If you’re not there for the crepes (who are you), you’ll find ten beers on tap (a solid mix of craft and generic), plus local and international wines by the glass. There’s a few sassy cocktails to shake things up too—try either the Dance with the Devil (rich, dark undertones, spiked with vanilla and butterscotch) or the You’re Punching Mate (a fruit punch with pickled watermelon, pomegranate and mint that kicks like an absolute mule).

The daily food menu on the rooftop is all about salt and swagger. Expect eat-with-your-hands classics like the Johnson Jamma burger (fried chicken, onion, jam, cheese and bacon crisps) or The Brunswick (a mac patty, cheese and crumbled cheese Doritos). And yes, it’s as ridiculous as it sounds.