Bobbie Peels Is North Melbourne's Old-Meets-New Watering Hole From Two Familiar Hospo Names

Neil Mills and Phil Gijsbers have helped gift Melbourne with a slew of hospitality gems, as two of the minds behind Richmond's Burnley Brewing, Small Print Pizza Bar, Green Acre Pizza Bar and Rusty's Sandwich Parlour. And they've just added another to the family, revamping a 113-year-old North Melbourne pub for their latest venture, Bobbie Peels.

The OG Robert Peel Hotel (also once home to The Keeper's Arms and The Crimean) has been gently transformed into a contemporary take on the classic watering hole, with interiors by Margo Studios nodding to the building's rich history.

They've retained all of the pub's charming, cosy nooks and crannies (along with the name of its most recent predecessor), kept its old-school pressed metal ceilings, and finished off the look with vintage subway tiles, gold velour curtains and comfy booth seating. You'll find a secluded beer garden tucked out back and, at the top of the original staircase, an upstairs event space with room for 100.

The guys have made sure there's some great drinking to be done here, with a solid lineup of indie beers sitting alongside lots of local craft spirits — including pours from ​​Mountain Distilling, where Mills has been honing his booze-making skills.

The wine list is a broad-ranging one, filled with interesting drops and with as much love for new-world styles as for the classics — perhaps a chardonnay from the Yarra Valley's Dominique Portet, a McLaren Vale nero d'avola by Lino Ramble, or a French rosé out of Languedoc.

Meanwhile, the kitchen is focused on drinks-friendly share plates and fresh pasta that's hand-rolled daily in-house, all of it guided by whatever's on offer at the nearby Queen Victoria Market. Order a glass or a bottle and snack your way through the hot and sticky pork ribs; chilli mussels with house-made bread for mopping; brussels sprouts finished with honey and pancetta; and pesto bruschetta topped with peppers, goats cheese and heirloom tomato.

Meanwhile, pasta fiends will be more than happy faced with options like the squid spaghetti sprinkled with lemon and breadcrumbs, a vegan pistachio pesto orecchiette with feta and asparagus, the beef and pork pappardelle, and a classic carbonara.

Find Bobbie Peels at 351 Queensberry Street, North Melbourne. It's open 4pm–late Tuesday and Wednesday, and 12pm–late Thursday to Sunday.