Railway Club Hotel

For more than four decades, The Railway Club Hotel has held a steadfast reputation as a Melbourne steak-and-wine institution. And though the main drawcard has always been the restaurant, Port Melbourne regulars routinely fill the 19th-century-built pub’s convivial front bar every night of the week.

The broad menu overseen by head chef Prakash Chalise is full of pub classics. But let’s be real: if you’re coming here for a meal, all signs point towards steak. You can’t miss the display cabinet piled with an array of heavily-marbled cuts from producers such as Cape Grim, Robbins Island Wagyu and Bass Strait Beef. All are dry-aged in-house.

Options might range from a single-serve eye fillet to an 850-gram rib-eye fit for (at least) two people. There’s also reef and beef (an eye fillet with bearnaise and tiger prawns) and bacon-wrapped filet mignon. Choose from the pantheon of classic steakhouse condiments including blue cheese, bearnaise and brandy peppercorn sauces.

Beyond steak, house favourites reflect the restaurant’s old-school charm: lambs fry (grilled liver) with bacon and mash, upmarket rissoles made with ground eye fillet steak, plus curries, burgers and more.

The comprehensive wine cellar is well and truly up to the challenge of matching the dining room’s penchant for red meat. Aged releases such as Penfold’s Grange and Henschke Hill of Grace fetch a suitably hefty price, but there are also plenty of affordable drops to go with your expertly cooked steak.