The Yarra Hotel

The Yarra Hotel is a historic pub at 293-297 Johnston Street, Abbotsford, trading since 1855 with a relaxed, community feel and a large partly covered beer garden. Dogs are welcome, and the beer garden is where they go.

The dog setup

Dogs settle on lead in the big, partly covered garden; the main bar is not open to them. Water bowls are provided, and some footpath seating out front gives a second option on busy days.

A fireplace keeps the garden usable through a Melbourne winter, which is rarer than it should be among dog-friendly gardens and makes the venue a genuine four-season stop.

Worth knowing

The kitchen runs solid traditional pub meals and daily specials, and the venue programs trivia nights, open mic and live music, so evenings can get lively.

Mid-week and weekend lunches give you the most room in the garden; check the gig calendar if your dog is noise-sensitive.

That history shows in the building rather than the fittings: the front bar keeps a working-class east Melbourne feel, and the crowd is a genuine mix of locals, students and footy traffic rather than a destination scene.

Getting there

The pub sits on Johnston Street at Abbotsford, with street parking on Johnston and the side streets, and the usual inner-city signage to read. The 109 tram runs nearby and Victoria Park station is close.

Pair it with

The Victoria Park fenced off-leash oval is minutes away on foot for a pre- or post-pub run, and Battersea Off Leash Dog Park is a second option on the same side of the suburb.

For a longer walk, the Yarra Bend parklands sit close by, and The Farm Cafe covers the coffee-and-breakfast leg of the day.

More garden tables are in the Victoria pub guide and the suburb's other spots are on the Abbotsford destination page.