More pubs should be like the Skinny Dog - a spacious bar, bistro and courtyard in Kew. Slide into a booth with mates and tuck into Skinny Dog's famous steaks, generous parmas and thin-based pizzas before heading to the spacious outdoor beer garden, catering perfectly to Melbourne's unpredictable weather with its retractable roof.
The old Kew pub has been renovated and it looks good, all nicely spruced up without having lost its identity. It's a big place comprising a front bar and sports bar, a dining room that segues into a bistro, a beer garden and courtyard protected from the heat by ceiling sails. It's noisy, good-humoured and almost always crowded. It's the kind of place where blokes can eat, girls can meet, families can have a night out, and everyone's happy.
The menu offers a broad range; have some Thai spring rolls, bruschetta, or nachos with one of the beers on tap. Mains include various hamburgers – beef, chook or vegie – and then there's the legendary parma, the Skinny Dog signature dish. There must be a dinosaur-sized chook somewhere to have produced a parma of this size! It's so big that many can share it, and an extra $4 gives you chips and salad too. Like everything else here, it's honest and pleasing food. Accompany it with beer, one of the cocktails, or something from the reasonable wine list. This is not a place for a fussy eater, anyone wanting tiny portions of the latest trends, or a couple out for a romantic evening. But it's a good place for almost everyone else. Hard-working and good-humoured waiters provide table service, and late in the week, there's live music from 10pm. There should be more pubs like this.
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