“New year, new you” isn’t a concept exclusive to people. Some of the city’s best pubs got a makeover at the end of last year. While they’ve maintained much of their old charm, they’ve also been given a refresh and are ready to take on 2024 with a vengeance.

From a formerly lightning-bolt-emblazoned Gertrude Street hangout and a 136-year-old watering hole with a $4.3 million expansion to a mustard and mauve Collingwood joint that’s throwing it back to the 1970s, here are three newly revamped and (still slightly) retro pubs.

Albion Hotel

The historic site on the corner of Smith Street and Perry Street in Collingwood has lived many lives and gone by many different names since it first opened in 1847. In the ’90s it was the Punter’s Palace; more recently it was Perry’s, an event space by Blackhearts & Sparrows. But for its first 120 years, it was known as the Albion Hotel. At the end of last year, Pete Walsh and Anthony Daniel of Bodriggy Brewing Co resurrected it as the Albion once again, with a redesign that aims to channel the venue’s 1970s heyday.

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The pub’s centrepiece is a large, U-shaped bar finished with green tiles and stained glass. The walls are lined with dark timber walls and there’s furniture to match, plus a combination of tartan carpet and wooden flooring. The food menu centres on pub classics but draws on chef Johnny Dominguez’s Mexican heritage and Latin American cuisines, and the drinks are primarily focused on Bodriggy tap beers.

The Auburn Hotel

The Auburn Hotel site in Hawthorn East was built in 1888 and has been a go-to watering hole for many south-east locals ever since. The pub, on busy Auburn Road, recently expanded, taking over the neighbouring block. After a $4.3 million renovation, the new arm, which opened last November, houses a beer garden, playground and 230-seat atrium space with a bar, central fireplace, TV screens and a pizza oven.

In the atrium you can pull up a seat at a high top, take a table by the fireplace or stand by the bar and catch a game on the TV screens. Plus, a retractable roof means that when the sun comes out you can make the most of it.

Outside in the beer garden you’ll find large picnic tables and a relaxed vibe that complements the old pub feel. If you’re bringing the kids, the new playground will keep them entertained. On Sundays from 12.30pm to 3.30pm there’s even a mini petting zoo with chicks and rabbits.

Gertrude Hotel

The pub on the corner of Gertrude and Napier streets – once easily identified by its two-storey-high David Bowie-style lightning bolt and bold grey, pink and green paint job – has been transformed into an Italian-inspired gastropub and painted a calming cream and navy.

The neon-lit interiors of the old Gertude Hotel have been replaced and the pub now has an unfussy, airy and bright atmosphere, with natural wood finishes and heritage stone. And the walls are now adorned with framed vintage newspapers from the 1930s and oil paintings, which influenced the pub’s new colour palette.

On the ground floor is a 60-seat dining room and a public bar, while the second level houses the terrace, a sizeable, light-filled space decorated with greenery and festoon lighting. There’s also room for 40 at the footpath tables on Gertrude Street, with additional outdoor seats expected in spring with the opening of a parklet on Napier Street.

Additional reporting by Quincy Malesovas, Kosa Monteith and Lachsley Parton.