Correction (10 October 2026): an earlier version of this page listed places and details we could not stand behind. It has been rewritten from scratch: every place below was confirmed at two independent sources on 9 October 2026, and every price was copied from the page it was published on.
This guide covers seven pubs and bars that list live music, running from the CBD to Carlton, West Melbourne and South Wharf. Two are in the CBD, one is in Carlton, two are in West Melbourne and two are in South Wharf.
Each one was checked against at least two sources. Where the live-music line comes from the Australian Good Food Guide (AGFG), it is a listing tag, so we say AGFG lists it. Where it comes from the venue’s own site, we quote the site.
We have not printed set times, line-ups or capacities, because the sources we read did not publish them. Check each venue’s own channels for what is on.
The quick picks
| If you’re after | Head to | Order this | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| CBD pub listing live music | The Irish Times | see below | not printed here |
| Weekend live music, beer hall | Höfbräuhaus | see below | not printed here |
| Carlton pub with AGFG live-music tag | John Curtin Hotel | see below | not printed here |
| West Melbourne Irish pub, live music | The Drunken Poet | see below | not printed here |
| Live music plus a priced pub meal | The Three Crowns | THE CROW N PAR M A | $30 |
| South Wharf bar, live music tag | Melbourne Public Bar | see below | not printed here |
| South Wharf pub, live music tag | The General Assembly | see below | not printed here |
The Irish Times — 427 Little Collins Street, Melbourne VIC
The pub’s own site describes it as “Your Irish home in Melbourne” and lists “Good craic”, “Live music”, “Sport” and “Pub grub” in the same line. That is a site description, not a gig calendar, so it tells you live music is part of the offer and nothing about which nights. It is one of the two CBD entries here.
Gig nights: The site names live music but, in the pages we read, no nights, so check the pub’s own channels before you plan around a band.
Höfbräuhaus — 18-28 Market Lane, Melbourne VIC
Its site says “Feel the real Oktoberfest vibes with our live music on the weekends, and take advantage of our exciting weekday events and specials.” The site’s hours line reads “TUE-SUN: 12pm-Late”. The Oktoberfest wording is the site’s, not ours.
Gig nights: The site points to weekends for live music, and we could not find a published act list.
John Curtin Hotel — 29 Lygon Street, Carlton VIC 3053
AGFG lists the John Curtin Hotel with Live Music and Takeaway. The pub’s own site and OpenStreetMap agree on the Lygon Street address in Carlton. We have left hours out because the listings we read disagree with each other.
Catch: Hours differ between the sources we read, so confirm the night with the pub before you go.
The Drunken Poet — 65 Peel Street, West Melbourne VIC 3003
AGFG lists The Drunken Poet with Live Music. Its own site and OpenStreetMap both place it on Peel Street in West Melbourne. We have left hours out for this one, so check the venue’s own channels for what is on.
Door: We could not find a published cover charge, so ask the pub whether entry is free on the night you pick.
The Three Crowns — 365 Victoria Street, West Melbourne VIC 3003
AGFG lists The Three Crowns with Live Music and Takeaway. Its site lists trading hours of “WEDNESDAY 12PM-11PM THURSDAY 12PM-11PM FRIDAY 12PM-1AM SATURDAY 12PM-1AM”, with Monday and Tuesday opening from 3PM to 11PM and Sunday from 12PM to 11PM. Its menu PDF prints THE CROW N PAR M A at $30. It also prints GAR LIC COB LOA F at $15, with the odd spacing exactly as the menu has it.
On the menu (copied from threecrownshotel.com.au menu PDF on 9 October 2026):
- THE CROW N PAR M A: $30
- GAR LIC COB LOA F: $15
Door: We could not find a published cover charge, so the only prices we have are the two menu lines above.
Melbourne Public Bar — 11 Dukes Walk, South Wharf VIC 3006
AGFG lists Melbourne Public Bar with Live Music and Takeaway. Its site lists Monday to Thursday from 12:00pm to 10:00pm, Friday and Saturday from 12:00pm until late, and Sunday from 12:00pm to 9:00pm. The site carries no date we could see, so treat those hours as a guide.
Catch: The live-music line comes from a listing AGFG tag, so ask which days a band plays.
The General Assembly — 29 South Wharf Promenade, South Wharf VIC 3006
AGFG lists The General Assembly with Live Music. Its site lists Monday to Thursday from 11:30am to 10:00pm, Friday and Saturday from 11:30am to 12:00am, and Sunday from 11:30am to 9:00pm. The site carries no date we could see, so check before you travel.
Capacity / stage: We could not find a published capacity or stage detail, so none is printed here.
Quick answers
Where can you find live music near the Melbourne CBD?
Two CBD entries are on this page. The Irish Times lists “Live music” on its own site, and Höfbräuhaus says on its site it has live music on the weekends. Carlton’s John Curtin Hotel is also listed by AGFG with Live Music.
Which pubs in West Melbourne list live music?
AGFG lists Live Music for both The Drunken Poet on Peel Street and The Three Crowns on Victoria Street. The Three Crowns site also lists trading hours, which run later on Friday and Saturday.
Which South Wharf venues list live music?
Melbourne Public Bar and The General Assembly both carry an AGFG Live Music tag. Their own sites list trading hours, and both pages are undated, so confirm before you go.
Do any of these live music venues publish menu prices?
The Three Crowns is the one place where we could read prices, copied from its menu PDF: THE CROW N PAR M A at $30 and GAR LIC COB LOA F at $15. For the other six venues we could not find published prices.
How we checked
We checked every place on this page against at least two independent sources on 9 October 2026: OpenStreetMap, the places’ own websites and the Australian Good Food Guide. Every price is copied exactly as printed on the page linked under Sources, on 9 October 2026. Menus, prices and opening hours change, so check with the venue before you go. The cover photo is illustrative, from Unsplash, and does not show any place on this page.
Seen something out of date? Email [email protected] with the page link and what has changed, and we will check it again.
Sources
- The Irish Times: openstreetmap.org/13953200636, theirishtimespub.com.au
- Höfbräuhaus: openstreetmap.org/4312299694, hofbrauhaus.com.au, hofbrauhaus.com.au/whats-on
- John Curtin Hotel: openstreetmap.org/676561325, johncurtinhotel.com, agfg.com.au/the-curtin-77436
- The Drunken Poet: openstreetmap.org/5085529434, thedrunkenpoet.com.au, agfg.com.au/the-drunken-poet-51297
- The Three Crowns: openstreetmap.org/315149998, threecrownshotel.com.au, agfg.com.au/three-crowns-hotel-32078, threecrownshotel.com.au menu PDF
- Melbourne Public Bar: openstreetmap.org/11182252768, melbournepublic.com.au, agfg.com.au/melbourne-public-33882
- The General Assembly: openstreetmap.org/1251054128, thegeneralassembly.com.au, agfg.com.au/the-general-assembly-40507
