Where to drink on St Patrick's Day in Melbourne

One of Melbourne's premier Irish pubs, PJ O'Brien's is the place to be for a good time on St Patrick's Day. You'll find the walls splashed with Irish paraphernalia, suspended TV screens playing the rugby, live music, and Irish grub (expect Tayto chips, big Irish brekkies and plenty of McDonnells Curry Sauce). 

North Melbourne pub the Last Jar is such good craic. The pints of Guinness or Kilkenny you get here are among the very best in town: yeasty and sour-sweet rather than bitter and metallic. There’s live Irish traditional music on Sundays, which they'll no doubt crank up on St Patrick's Day. The beer garden will host a fun marathon trad session. But the real draw here is the food – the beef and Guinness shepherd's pie is a hearty dish that is sure to line your stomach. If you'll be there before 3pm, email the team here. Anytime after that and you'll need to buy a ticket.

This classic pub is one of those venues that really crank up the craic on St Patrick's Day. The Irish Times will have a full Irish breakfast menu available from 8-10am, with live bands playing throughout the day. They serve a mean beer-battered chips with McDonnells curry sauce, plus a great beef and Guinness pie if you like to eat your Guinness as well as drink it. On a normal day, though, the Irish Times Pub has a quiet atmosphere and a relaxed attitude, often with entertainment such as comedy and live bands.

In an ode to the Emerald Isle and the "stately, plump Buck Mulligan" of James Joyce's Ulysses, Northcote's boutique bookshop and bar represent the glorious union of Irish whiskey and literature. By day, Buck Mulligan's is a bookshop and café. By night, the bar's Irish whiskeys get a good workout. 

This St Paddy's Day, Buck's will have a pop-up whiskey and Guinness bar in the courtyard and live music from 3pm. The venue will be open from 1pm.

A little bit of Ireland right here in the heart of Chapel Street, Bridie O'Reilly is a hub for good times and decent beers. It's serving a full Irish breakfast with a side of Guinness on St Pat's from 10am, but if you've had one too many pints you'll want to order a plate of cheesy chips slathered in melty cheese and Irish curry sauce. There will be food specials all day like Irish curry, Irish stew, sausages and roast pork running alongside its classic pub menu. Entry is free, and there will be live music running all day.

Opposite the Queen Victoria markets on Peel Street, the Drunken Poet is Melbourne’s cosiest little Irish bar. As for all true Éireanns, music is the soul of the Drunken Poet, here six nights a week and always free. St Patrick's Day will bring live music from midday to 11pm. Due to the bar's diminutive size, it is best to get in early, or you'll be queuing on the street.    

The Charles Dickens is a hidden CBD favourite, but on Saint Patrick's Day, it's not so hidden. This year, festivities will kick off with acoustic renditions of Irish supergroup U2, played by Ethan Davis and Craig Jupp. Sing along to your favourite hits with a pint of Guinness in hand from 6pm onwards – bookings are recommended, as the venue tends to fill up quite quickly.