Brunswick Mess Hall

3 Reviews on “Brunswick Mess Hall”

• Good Food Good Mood

  We gave the Mess Hall another go recently (and also learned it has no linkage whatsoever to the Mess Hall on Bourke street!) and found it a much better experience. The staff who served us this time were super duper friendly and were able to enlighten me on the scent that I couldnt identify from the previous visit. Turns out its just the smell of ancient history as the space has had a fascinating background all the way back to its heyday as a Masonic Hall.

  We tried the thick noodle dish again knowing it was a hit and also added a pad Thai upon recommendation. In keeping with the Thai theme we also went for the massman which we enjoyed from the original visit. Looks like the menu doesnt change too much here but its not necessarily a bad thing. I still really do love this spot for its sensational ambiance and would definitely take people here for drinks if I wanted to impress with a quirky Melbourne venue

  Original review
  We settled on Mess Hall for Valentines Day dinner as all I wanted to do was eat dessert from a particular place nearby. Husband wanted to be the voice of reason and insist we have something savoury prior to gorging on sugar so we found ourselves in this absolutely amazing space.

  Ive been to the Bourke st Mess Hall but this venue is awesome. Great atmosphere and brilliant interiors although I did detect quite an unpleasant smell in there that I couldnt find the source of. Either way I was loving the vibe but unfortunately the food didnt measure up to those levels.

  We started with baos, soft shell crab for him and beef for me. My beef bao was literally the worst one Ive ever had. So uninspiring, lacking flavour and the bao itself tasted stale. Heartbreaking as baos are right up there with my favourite food groups.

  I was then quite struck by how small portions were for the price. Not very good value. Next up was crispy fried eggplant. This was absolutely saturated in oil, all I could taste was oil and that made it so soggy that crispy was certainly not the case. When the waitress was clearing our chicken skewers (nice but quite small) I said she could also clear the eggplant and when she asked why I told her it was too oily. There was a bit of a snide comment about well it is deep fried (umm so are chips but they dont come out dripping in oil). She eventually returned and said usually they let people know its quite oily but the oil settles after awhile and offered for us to pay for a replacement dish instead.

  We chose corn fritters but didnt fare much better. While they werent oily as such they were very bready and not particularly enjoyable to eat. The mains were definitely better and the massaman curry was a rich flavoursome dish. The chicken noodle dish while quite stuck together was also rather tasty.

  I loved the venue deeply so I would definitely recommend it for drinks but Id personally stay away from the smaller dishes and stick to mains and cocktails

  December 29, 2020, 3:48 am

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• I Could Eat A Horse

  Great spot in Brunswick for group dining or small groups as the venue is unique and pleasant. There is a nice variety on the menu, including drinks. The food was good, I enjoyed the green curry and curry soft shell crab bao. I was hoping my mulled cider would be slightly bigger, however it was still great.

  October 31, 2020, 4:21 pm

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• Miss T.A

  Spacious area. Perfect for large groups. Well decorated inside. Love the ambience. Highly recommend the banquet. Very delicious generous amount of food but pad Thai was too sweet. Top notch dishes : crispy fried tofu , mar hor and grilled squid.

  January 20, 2019, 6:31 pm

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