The Drunken Poet

Warm and pleasent welcome when we arrived followed by a quick pour of that long awaited guinness. They say guinness doesn't travel well and I would say thats true based on this pour. A little watery or maybe just thinner than the many pints I have consummed in Dublin. Still it went down easily. I think that the only food item was a toasted sarnie. They went well with the guinness and were ready in good time. Lots of Irish memorabilia and I guess darkish wood surrounds. There was a fiddleydee group of players and plenty of punters to create the atmosphere. Apparently there was only a multi-gender toilet which was suffering a bit. Overall I don't know how it got rated in the top 10 Irish pubs in the world outside of Ireland. Its not really traditional Irish from my experience living in Ireland for the last 6 years however it is a good pub and worth a pint or two there. The bar staff were superb.

Siobhan is the most amazing human. The drunken poet will deliver the best damn pint of Guinness (I will fight ppl on this fact) the vibe is amazing 😍 and if you haven't been you really should ❤️✌️

This is a gem of a place! Friendly staff and well poured pints of Guinness. If you're into poetry and literature then you'll enjoy it immensely. A cozy place to chill. They even have a jukebox! Came in for a cheeky pint while walking through the city, and was glad I did! Excellent! *****

Excellent Gunniess. $14.50. 3.30 pm Tuesday No doubt busy at night. Girl was making so many tomato and cheese sandwiches (toasted $7.50) it must get busy.

Holy cow - this place is tiny!!! The heat and people inside was stifling. (Combined with a 5 person musical performance, literally blocking the door) Unfortunately we had to stand outside (no seats) and drink. Staff were friendly, but this wasn't a good visit sadly.

The Drunken Poet is a classic Irish pub with loads of character. The atmosphere is warm, lively, and perfect for winding down with a drink. Live music nights add to the charm, and the crowd is always friendly. Whether you’re there for a quiet pint or a late night session, it delivers every time. Great 🍺 Guinness, 🎶 live music nights, 🍻 pub atmosphere. Highly recommend

A great pub pub’s, live music and tasty beers venue. Not so sure on the crisps, thinking they will send me to an early grave before the beers. But a great bar 😊

That is easily the best Guinness in Melbourne. Fantastic staff too. Very busy Sunday with live music and they still took the time to have a conversation at the bar. Fantastic.

A must stop hole in the wall pub great service great Guinness First time in Melbourne an ill be recommending this place to everyone

This is the best Irish pub in Melbourne and it's all down to Siobhan. I don't know how she does it but she remembers everyone and even though she seem to always be working she's always friendly and happy. Of course keeping the Guinness at the best standard you can get in Australia is a plus! Although I don't think it is drinkable outside Ireland/England but that's a whole other subject. There is live music too. The only food is simple toasted cheese sandwiches which are just awesome. There's usually two tables out front on the street which are generally communal.

LOVE! I loves me an Irish Pub. This small pub opposite of the Vic Market is a great place to grab a pint. No pub fare here though, all booze and a $5 toastie if you're starving! The bartenders are friendly, the place isn't kitchy and it has that good old fashioned Irish charm!

I love this place. Whenever I am in Melbourne I find my way there for excellent music. It is a proper local so don't expect anything flashy but good beers and always friendly staff make for a good afternoon.

I really liked that this little place had no tellie nor pokie machines. The music was old school with your choice from a juke box also available. A rather old pub that is very welcoming even if you are the only people there. If you are not into talking to your mates then try your hand at a game of ring toss on the wall.

Right across the street from the Vic market is a traditional Irish pub with a slogan something like "no shamrocks, no leprechauns" and something else, not sure. If the idea of going to an irish pub makes you want to clothe yourself in orange, you might want to give this place a try. It is not the kind of place that has given irish pub's a bad name, it is the kind of place that inspired people to hijack the concept of an irish pub to horrible effect. Anyway, I appreciate a decent pub Irish or otherwise that doesn't have TVs, has good service behind the bar, and is swimming in good woodwork and history. The walls are lined with pictures of famous Irish luminaries (Jonathan Swift, Oscar Wilde, James Joyce, etc.) and there is often live music. Good beer and good prices, with a good selection of whiskey. They don't have much in the way of food but they do claim to have good "toasted sandwiches." Not totally confident about what those are exactly, but I suspect they are what they sound like. Worth a visit. Their website is also pretty good and has a list of upcoming events http://www.thedrunkenpoet.com.au/home. Last time I was there a pretty good band was playing and it looks like there is

This is a damn cool pub right behind the Vic Market. You can't walk past it on the weekends without hearing live music right at the entrance and a bunch of people sitting at one of the tables outside. It's a decent sized pub, not too large but big enough to hold a rowdy bunch. More often than not you'll find a place to sit down. It gets super loud when there's live music but that's all part of the fun, isn't it? They also make cheese toasties for anyone who has late night munchies. Beer, music, friends and grilled cheese? Count me in!

Beautiful little spot next to Vic market! Understated and classy, with gorgeous portraits of Irish poets. I sought this place out after reading an article on the top ten Irish pubs worldwide not in Ireland! The bartender was so nice, gave us some tips on food in the area. Delicious pint on the patio apparently Wednesday nights is women wine and whisky with live music!

Ventured out here the first time for St Pat's day with my cousin. I'll admit I'd never heard of it before and I don't tend to get up to the top of the Vic Market very often so unlikely I would have found it without being told. But boy am I glad I found it. It's perfect to sit and unwind with a pint (for me cider as I haven't gotten into the whole beer thing yet, though I did try some Guinness). We arrived at about 4:30 straight from work - not too crowded and plenty of comfy seats in the back to choose from. After the first pint we ordered a couple of ham 'n' cheese toasted sandwiches YUM! Simple fare but oh so good. Later on they had a live band and it was great to hear some favourite standard Irish songs. A few more pints and sandwiches later we happily poured ourselves home at about 10:00. Since then I've been back when waiting to catch up with friends. I like that it's not too crowded but it's homey. Plus it's easy to walk to from flagstaff station.

There are two things that I really like about this place: the name, and the painting of James Joyce on the far wall. If this were the only two things about this place then it would still get the thumbs up. Okay, I've only been here on a Friday night, which means it gets uber crowded, however for some reason nobody ever takes the seats at the back, which means that I have my nice little dark corner where I can sit and just let the ambience roll over me. I also just have to mention the guys toilets - it is covered in pages from a comic book, so you actually have your reading material plastered on the wall.

Really cool, old school type pub/bar. Came here randomly and had a great time drinking pints, playing songs from the jukebox and listening to a live music act at one point. I'd return.

This is not even in the top 25 Irish Pubs I have been to in the world. Around 10 total beer selections. Chips were stale and no food. We've been to over 30 countries all over the world (Europe, Asia, USA, S. America) and always try to find a great Irish pub to drink at. This is not it. In fact, I feel a 1* is a gift.

You'll probably be at the Vic Market if you visit Melbourne and if you want a good pint and a real relaxed irish Pub, this is your place. Good music, at least when we were there listening to the alt-folk-rock-quirky Lily and King. Highly recommended