The Beach Hotel Is the Latest Bayside Boozer to Receive a Drastic Makeover

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, The French Saloon, 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.

The new-look Beach Hotel is now open at 97 Beaconsfield Parade, Albert Park.

Images: Brook James.