Village Belle Hotel

202 Barkly St
St Kilda VIC 3182
(03) 9534 2200
www.villagebelle
For many years the only thing missing from the Barkly Street end of St Kilda was a decent pub. The Village Belle was a monument to lousy pubs: unfriendly regulars, boring drink and food fare, and indifferent staff. A few years ago that all changed, and now the Belle is a superb place. Everything was changed, from the floor plan to the staff to the people who frequent the place. Some might attribute this to the demise of St Kilda, the yuppification of the area and the way it’s gone from being a place where people could live cheaply to a trendy, high-rent tourist town. All this is true, but that doesn’t detract from the Belle being a first-rate pub. The restaurant is good and affordable and the drinks selection is OK, especially in the attached Doulton Bar, although let down by a below-average wine list. It can get pretty crazy on sunny weekend afternoons, but during the week it’s a fine place to spend a few hours.