The Beach Hotel - CLOSED

Albert Park's Beach Hotel has entered a new phase of existence, and has been reborn as a classic Aussie pub. The longstanding beachside boozer has reopened after an extensive makeover, sporting a fresh look across its dining room, public bar and courtyard. It's the latest project for new owner Tom Walker, who also had a hand in revitalising other southside pubs like the Middle Park Hotel, Newmarket Hotel and Albert Park Hotel.

In The Beach's new kitchen, Head Chef David Marshall (Middle Park Hotel, Wilson & Market) is plating up a mix of Aussie and British pub classics, with an emphasis on honest comfort food, done well.

You'll spy a chicken schnitzel teamed with minted peas, cabbage and goats cheese, a butternut squash pappardelle and a beefy cheeseburger oozing thousand island sauce. Bar snacks and small bites might include the likes of a beef and aged cheddar jaffle, or crumbed local calamari done with blood orange and fennel. And the grill gets a solid workout, turning out offerings like a spatchcock chook with green olive and chorizo, or a 1.5-kilogram two-person tomahawk with bone marrow butter and brioche crumbs.

Meanwhile, the bar's also shaking things up with a reworked selection of over 100 wines, both contemporary and old-world, along with a hefty lineup of tap beers and a slew of classic cocktails.

And there are more changes afoot, with plans for an external facelift and a name change back to the pub's (great) original moniker of The Bleak House Hotel — both slated for completion by the end of the year.

Images: Brook James.