For many years, The Gertrude Hotel was hard to miss with its two-storey Bowie-style lightning bolt painted on the exterior of the building and its bold colour palette — big bursts of fluoro pink and green contrasted with a lot of black and iridescent artwork. The 'more is more' design aesthetic was fully embraced by this Fitzroy boozer.
Now, The Gertrude is under new ownership and sports an entirely different look and feel. A cool cream and navy colour scheme now permeates the building, paired with plenty of natural finishes. It's gone from high-voltage to stylishly understated and more refined across all elements.
At the front bar, either jump on one of the leather stools at the curving marble-topped bar or pull up by the windows to watch the Gertrude Street crowds. Grab some Italian and Aussie vinos (there's a focus on smaller producers and natural and low-intervention wines), or get through some of the Euro-centric cocktails that change seasonally.
You can eat at the bar or head into either the small dining room out the back or upstairs to the private dining rooms and outdoor terrace.
Andy Lockyear (ex-Rockpool), is running the kitchen at The Gertrude Hotel, conceiving classic, beautifully executed gastropub fare alongside a selection of Italian bites and very good pizzas.
A tight selection of antipasti work well for the drink and snack crowd — including fresh and baked oysters, fried calamari and an heirloom tomato and stracciatella salad, as well as larger plates for those wanting to further flex their appetites.
Try one of the five pizzas (that can be made gluten-free), go heavier on one of the pasta dishes, or just embrace the pub energy and grab a classic chicken or eggplant parma with a schooner of your favourite lager.
Come Mondays, you can get a kilo of mussels for a very modest $20. Tuesday nights are for discounted pizzas. The Gertrude Hotel also runs a wine and pasta deal every Wednesday for $29. These weekly specials are always loved by local Melbourne pub stans, and they're pretty much essential for any successful local gastropub these days.
The spot has only been open since December 2023, but it is already buzzing, with tables filling up on weekends. If you want to get a table for lunch or dinner, you best book ahead.
Images: Niki Schuch