It has been a massive year for us chasing specials, meeting venue owners, managers and staff and getting to enjoy some of the best this city has to offer.
Some 2023 highlights by the numbers:
- 1 million visitors to our platform
- 3.2 million page views
- 300,000 outbound clicks
- 2,700 specials updated
- 120 specials in regional Victoria
- We turned 10 years old in June!
We personally tried more than 170 specials this year across Melbourne and Sydney (Sydney Speshies dropping soon) with plans to reach everywhere around Australia.
Follow us on instagram to see everything we’ve tried so far.
One of our key values is that we always remain neutral, we don’t judge venues or specials on the platform. Our goal is to ensure the most updated list of pub specials in the country, reporting the facts so you can decide for yourself which specials you prefer and you consider the best.
But along the way we’ve found a few spots we’ve enjoyed more than others and wanted to share the places, dishes and experiences we’ve loved the most.
Jump to:
The best overall specials & experiences
Cheapest happy hours this year
Firstly, we want to acknowledge and shout out the very best value drink specials and happy hours this year. We didn’t get to visit all of these and rely on friends or local experts. Prices rose all year so extra love to this list who managed to keep the cost as low as possible.
Here are the cheapest Melbourne happy hours we know of in 2023:
$2 pots
Medusa Geelong Wednesday 5-6pm
Workers Club Fitzroy Monday nights 6pm-late (also $4 pints!)
$3.50 pots
Old Bar Fitzroy Saturday afternoons (honourable mention as this was valid in August but haven’t been able to verify. If you know, please let us know!)
$4 basics
OC Bar Murrumbeena – Thursday 4-5pm (and $5 from 5-6pm!)
$5 pints
Fifth Province St Kilda 4-5pm Friday pay the time (and $6 pints from 5-6pm!)
$5 drinks
The Fitz Fitzroy 7 hours every day 2-9pm. Pretty epic happy hour
29th Apartment St Kilda $5 spirits all night Wednesday
$6 pints
Tassie Pearl South Wharf 4 hours daily
Low Key Bar Northcote 4-6pm (now $7 but was $6 for much of the year)
Fun fact: we are working on sorting specials by price for 2024!
Our favourite happy hours in 2023
Next we wanted to share the best happy hours in Melbourne we got to experience for ourselves. We consider value for money, quality of drinks, taking into account offers for a longer period of time or outside the usual 4-6pm window and finally, extra bonus points for discounting drinks beyond beer and wine.
And the Speshy for favourite Melbourne happy hour of 2023 goes to….
Pretty much everything all week 4-7pm
Vic Bar, Abbotsford
Complete offering with $6 wines, $8 pints and $12 cocktails 4-7pm Sunday Tuesday Wednesday and then 4-8pm Thursday to Saturday.
Pretty much everything: 3-7pm and 7-9pm weeknights
Holy Grail, Windsor
3pm to 7pm for $6 wines, $7 spirits, $6 pots, $12 pints and $24 jugs. 7pm to 9pm it’s $14 cocktails Monday to Friday. Great value and bonus points for late night HH.
$7 pints, 2-4-1 cocktails: 4-8pm Wednesday to Friday plus Sunday
Bar Stock Shuffle, Fitzroy
Top value happy hour with $7 pints and select spirits along with two for one cocktails so we ended up trying all of them.
2-4-1 margaritas: 4-7pm Friday
St Luja, St Kilda
Cracking good hand crafted margaritas for 3 hours at half price on a Friday as the sun sets in St Kilda. Case closed.
2pm til close Sunday, 5-7pm Friday, all night Wednesday
Maeve Fox, Richmond
If they sell it, it’s half price all day Sunday, all night Wednesday and Friday knock offs. Half price has to be one of the best specials moving.
$8 backshelf spirits & $18 jugs 4-7pm Tuesday to Sunday
BartonFink, Thornbury
We love this one for being a little different. Hendricks & Tonic? $8. Premium bourbon or whiskey? $8. They also do cheap jugs of all their taps so jug for one thanks!
Pints, cocktails & more: 4-7pm Wednesday to Sunday
Rochey, Fitzroy
$8 pints (lager & cider) $8 house wines, $14 cocktails and $3 oysters. Great value and that it runs on the weekend gets extra credit in our eyes.
Pay the time Friday: $5 4-5pm, $6 5-6pm until 8pm.
Fifth Province, St Kilda
Massive fan of this concept and the Fifth come through strong. $5 pints (not just Draught either!) is already amongst the cheapest pints in the land, let alone on a Friday arvo.
Pay the time from 12pm to 6pm weekdays
Nevermind, Hawthorn
Another Pay the time but for much of the day weekdays; 12-4pm: $7 pints, $4 wines.
4-5pm: $8 pints, $5 wines.
5-6pm: $9 pints, $6 wines.
And finally, admittedly a wee-bit of author bias for our local watering holes.
All these specials have merit on their own and sustained us throughout the year thus deserving an honourable mention ❤️
Half-price hand-made cocktails 4-6pm Friday nights at Budgie Bar and 6-8pm Friday night at Bungalow Bar.
$8 pints, $10 spritz every single day 4-6pm at Suburban.
$7 beers, $8 spirits 3-7pm Wednesday to Friday at Firehouse (all in Ringwood)
Our top 10 favourite best specials dishes in 2023
These are the best special dishes we enjoyed in 2023 in Melbourne. We don’t have any specific criteria, these are the dishes we felt were best executed and of the best quality regardless of price. These are in random order and we consider all of them worthy of being considered a top notch speshy in Melbourne.
And the Speshy for favourite Melbourne special of 2023 goes to….
Burger & Pint Wednesday $20
Thornbury Taphouse
Incredible value at $20 with a pint from any of their taps, we opted for the chicken burger and it’s not hard to see why. Every aspect of the special was perfectly executed, bountiful and tasted fabulous.
Parma Night Tuesday $20
Postmaster Hotel, Kew
One of the best parmas in Melbourne at a great price point ($25 with a pot at the time, now $20 without) in a beautiful setting. The converted post office on the hill in Kew is bathed in natural light, with modern yet approachable dining room and a most excellent chicken parma. Plate-swallowing in size, perfectly cooked along with slats of crispy chips.
Steak All Day Tuesday $25
Osborne Rooftop, South Yarra
Glorious 300g rump steak, super tender, charred and perfectly cooked. Paired with a Draught or glass of wine (we opted for the latter) for $25 this is a great value steak special available all day Tuesday.
Steak Night Wednesday $22
Park Hotel, Abbotsford
Another top notch steak perfectly cooked for $22, where all of the elements come together on the plate. Place was rammed the night we visited and we understand why. Staff recommend a pour from their extensive set of taps and the place feels super homely especially during a Melbourne winter. Instant classic.
Steak Night Monday $25
Flying Duck, Prahran
Make your way down the back streets to find the Duck hiding out, but you’ll be glad you did. Monday night is a large slab of steak with chunky chips and salad and choice of sauce for $25. Perfectly cooked and enjoyed in the expansive beer garden in Spring or Summer or slide inside by the fire or under the covered patio when it gets colder.
Roast Sunday $30
Railway Hotel, Brunswick
Great Sunday lunch of slow cooked beef bbq and a slab of tender chicken with roast veg and all the trimmings. Great open space pub, beer garden and big screen for the ages and genuinely good vibe. Sat all Sunday arvo and enjoyed the roast and footy for hours. Excellent pub, great Sunday Speshy.
Steak Night Wednesday $35
Copycat, Elsternwick
Like a scene straight out of New York you slide on to the posh banquet under candle-light and enjoy quite the spread of tender steak, crispy fries and a Ceaser salad paired with a glass of premium wine for $35 Wednesday night. When you add it all up this is fabulous quality meal and great value.
Burger Night Wednesday $20
Wilburys, Moorabbin
Committed to quality, Wilbury’s in Moorabbin serves up a top notch burger and fries on Wednesday nights for $20. Massive fried chicken burger with crispy fat fries and pair it with happy hour 5-6pm for cheap pints and wines.
Friday Lunch $20
Precinct, Richmond
Choice of 3 dishes Wednesday to Friday paired with a beer or glass of wine. This time we scored a rolled pork roast, rich, decadent and bursting with flavour. Balanced with sweetness from the sauce and the slaw and paired with a glass of pinot for just $20 and came out swift if you have to get back to the office.
Steak Night Wednesday $25
Goldy’s Tavern, Collingwood
Sneaking in to the list very recently (it hasn’t even made it to the ‘Gram yet) is Goldy’s Tavern. Wednesday steak night features a nice porterhouse, expertly cooked with the right amount of char and beef flavour for $25. This whole place is a vibe with incredible decor and an excellent steak night.
Finally, our top 10 favourite all-round special experiences – the very best
These are the best all round specials and our favourite experiences in 2023 in Melbourne.Dishes we felt were the best experiences we would love to re-live and take in to account quality, food, drinks, execution, service and value for money. These are also in random order and we consider all of them worthy of being considered amongst the best specials in town.
And the Speshy for all time favourite Melbourne special of 2023 goes to….
Noodles or Katsu Sando & bev $22
Nama Please, Paradise Alley, Collingwood
Had been on our list for months and didn’t disappoint. The sheer quality, innovation, execution and value were hard to top all year. One of their iconic noodle dishes (in this case Tonkatsu carbonara) or an elite katsu Sando paired with a beer ($20) or a wine ($22) only on Wednesday night.
Bottomless Brunch from $58
Cheeky Pint, Footscray
Three bottomless sessions feature on our list, all very unique especially this one! If you buy any main meal (burger from $27 or the $32 parma we loved) you can add on two hours of bottomless for just $29. The total price as low as $57 is amongst the cheapest bottomless we found. The drinks you ask? Their entire selection of craft beers, range of wines and an excellent list of cocktails including espresso martini, cosmo, spritz and more. Super friendly and attentive team checks in as your drink whittles down to keep you refreshed throughout the sesh.
Share Plates & Happy Hour $40
Riverland, Federation Square CBD
One of the best spots in Melbourne combined with 3 share plates for $40 and their 3 hours of happy it’s an easy pick for a great night out. Choose from their menu of share plates and a 4-7pm happy hour with select pints wines & spirits just $9. (Check as this one might not be back in 2024 but quality happy hour by the Yarra can’t be beat).
Sunday Roast & Happy Hour $25
Rochey, Fitzroy
One of our favourite roasts; a giant slab of pork with roast veg and all the trimmings on a cold Melbourne winter’s day sitting by their fire. Perfectly cooked, great quality meat for $25 (meat rotates weekly). Add on their happy hour from 4pm and you can while away the Sunday afternoon. Just perfect.
Bottomless American BBQ $59
Bluestone American BBQ, Coburg
The smokers are literally in the restaurant which produces this unlimited spread of pulled pork, wings, links and sides. Pair that with their selection of unique cocktails including a take on apple pie and pina colada keep coming for 2 hours solid. At the sub $60 price just exceptional value for 2 hours.
Parma Night & Happy Hour
Fitzroy Beer Garden
What we like to call the Adult happy meal, pairing a strong happy hour with a meal speshy is great and 3 hours of cheap pints along with a cheap parma definitely gives us the McHappies. Fitzroy Beer Garden is a great spot for hanging out any time of year with friends and enjoying great deals.
Lunch Special (Parma) & Schooner $20
Harlow, Richmond
Best value lunch we found all year and one of the better value specials full stop. It also happened to be one of the best parmas perched atop the Church Street rooftops with views of the city. The classic AVC parma covers the plate like a doona, served with chips, salad and schooner of beer for $20 (almost half the sticker price). Great company with a dear friend on top of the world.
Bottomless Lunch $79
Concrete Boots, Richmond
Epic 2 hour session for $79 per person with bookings between 12midday and 5pm. Selection of snacks like jalapenos Mac n cheese bites along with unlimited tacos. Then the drinks; all of their craft taps, spritz, seltzers, spirits and cocktails including espresso martinis, margs and more. Staff kept us topped up and everything was great quality.
Half price cocktails and snacks $10
Tian38, Melbourne CBD
Short but sweet with an hour of $10 hand crafted cocktails and $10 serves of their wings. The cocktails are under half price 5-6om and are truly unique concoctions. Restaurant is luxurious without being uncomfortable and the staff were wonderful. Sampled a few cocktails just magic.
Indian Butter Chicken Burger $13 & Indian spiced cocktails $14
Burger Shurger, Elsternwick
Instantly blown away by this modern Indian fusion, especially their Butter Chicken burger and parma’s! They also bundle in cheap hand-crafted cocktails on special for $14 as well for great value. Throw in the ecelctic decor and awesome hosts and this was just a great night out with great, unique food on special.
Finally, a huge thank you for your support this year
To everyone who works at venues, makes drinks, cooks food, washes dishes, serves tables and everything in between – a huge thank you for all that you do. Hospitality is the essence of humanity and we are privileged to live in such an epic food city.
Thanks to all the punters out there chasing specials, thanks for supporting our venues and thanks for trusting us to help you find them.
On to 2024, bigger and better than ever with a few surprises in store
Sam & the EDC team ❤️