O’Connell’s Hotel returns in South Melbourne with a Josper-led kitchen, refreshed interiors and weekly pub specials
O’Connell’s Hotel has reopened in South Melbourne, with the 150-year-old pub returning under the team behind Prahran’s Flying Duck Hotel.

The Coventry Street venue now centres its kitchen around wood-fired Australian ingredients, led by Head Chef Michael Conlon and Managing Director Brenton Lang. The reopening also brings a refreshed interior by Melbourne designer Fiona Drago, while keeping the pub’s long-running local role intact.

The menu uses a Josper oven fuelled by red gum, with native ingredients including pepperberries, bush tomato and finger lime worked through the food. Dishes include wood-fired prawns with smoked macadamia butter and native bush tomato, veal schnitzel with chips, gravy and salad, and saltbush lamb shoulder cooked overnight before finishing in the Josper.

“The menu has been centred around what we love about Australian food, think Aussie beef and seafood, native ingredients, with the relaxed environment of a pub,” Conlon said.

The food also keeps several familiar pub staples on the menu, including fish of the day, chicken parma and steaks. A dessert of doughnuts with Davidson plum jam and vanilla cream is also listed among the opening dishes.

Weekly specials return alongside the new menu

O’Connell’s has also introduced rotating weekly specials across the week. Monday is steak night, Tuesday is parma and schnitzel night, Wednesday is pasta night, Thursday is homemade pie night, and Sunday is Sunday roast.

Families are also part of the pub’s weekday trade, with kids eating free from Monday to Friday between 4pm and 6pm when a main meal is purchased. Happy hour also runs on weekdays from 4pm to 6pm.

The refurbishment keeps the venue’s two entrances in use and introduces a warmer palette across the pub, including tobacco timbers, maroon counters, beige and tan walls, and mocha-toned ceilings.

The front bar has been designed for drinks, casual dining and daily live sport, with the former ground-floor private dining space now folded into the bar area. Integrated TV screens have also been added.

At the rear, the dining room includes a fireplace, a walk-in cellar and a newly opened kitchen pass. Outside, the Clarendon Street terrace remains a key part of the venue, with covered areas and heating for cooler months. The terrace can accommodate 75 guests.

The second level retains three private dining rooms. Two suit groups of up to 12, while the larger room can host up to 18.

The reopening places O’Connell’s back into a competitive South Melbourne pub market, with the operators leaning on the venue’s age, address and regular local trade rather than treating it as a new concept.

Address: 407 Coventry Street, South Melbourne VIC 3205
Website: oconnells.com.au