Century-old Yarra Valley pub Healesville Hotel has been given a refresh and a rebrand thanks to publicans and mates, Matt Vero (who co-owns Marquis of Lorne, Union House and the Mount Erica Hotel) and Scott Connolly (Moore Street Tavern in the Latrobe Valley). The duo, who also revamped and reopened The Orrong Hotel in Armadale at the end of 2021, took over the lease in June and bring serious experience to the venue.

The 1912 pub, built on a hotel site that dates back to 1860, has welcomed its next iteration – though Connolly and Vero have made only a few changes. With vaulted ceilings, large windows and an old timber bar, the pub retains its historic charm. But it also has a new cool courtesy of the 1970s colour palette that includes avocado green, tangerine and spacesuit orange.

The pub is divided into three spaces, with a public bar, beer garden and bistro. Inside, the public bar has 52 seats and the bistro has room for 55. There’s also a private dining room and a side bar that seats 30. Outside, there’s a 16-person verandah and a 200-seat beer garden which, with its lush botanic landscaping and playground for little kids, is a great place to hang out. Guests can sit and enjoy local tap beers – including pale ales from Healesville’s own Watts River Brewing and Matilda Bay’s Redback, a wheat beer produced in a traditional German style – and order dishes from the bar menu.

Head chef Ella Stevens heroes local produce in both the pub menu and the elevated Italian offering found in the bistro. “We’ve got so many incredible suppliers right on our doorstep in the Yarra Valley, so making that our focus was a no-brainer,” Connolly tells Broadsheet.

The bar has pub classics and a kids’ menu (featuring ice-cream and sprinkles, of course). There are pork sausage rolls with ’nduja, and chicken liver parfait served with pickles, toasted sourdough and kumquat jam made using fruit from the trees out the back. Plus, staples like chicken parma, battered fish’n’chips, cheeseburgers served with pickles and chips, and sticky date pudding for dessert.

Stevens’s house-made pasta comes in shapes like flat reginette ribbons and classic spaghetti and are served with the likes of pork and fennel ragu, and broccoli, chilli, garlic, walnuts and parmesan. The pastas are served at the bar and bistro, but only the bistro has the braised Tuscan pork on soft white polenta, club steak made using meat from Vintage Beef Co and served with Dijon or chimichurri and lemon, and tiramisu.

Guests are spoilt for choice when it comes to drinks. The hotel celebrates locally grown Italian varietals from the likes of Soumah Wines. Plus, minimal intervention skin contact wines from producers including relative newcomers Fin Wines and Yugen Wines. “We're in the Yarra Valley, so it makes sense to have all that great wine,” says Connolly.

Plus, if you want to spend more time in the Yarra Valley, or enjoy the pub without worrying about driving home after, upstairs there are seven hotel rooms available for bookings year-round.

Healesville Hotel
256 Maroondah Highway, Healesville
(03) 5962 4002

Hours
Public Bar and Kitchen
Mon to Sun midday–late
Dining Room
Wed to Sun midday–late

healesvillehotel.com