The Palace

Laying, as it does, on the Eastern side of Pickles Street, The Palace is technically a South Melbourne pub. However with half its windows looking straight down Crockford Street, this is much closer to the heart of Port Melbourne and makes for a great start for an up-market bar crawl; with the Sloaney Pony, Prince Alfred and Rose Diner just minutes apart from each other (and you could easily incorporate the Swallows, Albion and Railway Club for good measure).

Seemingly no longer Luke Mangan's palace, this pub is still very focussed on food, with a menu in the same price territory as The Graham. Consequently the bar area is more a place to wait for a table than a relaxing place for drink, however this palace has an ace up its sleeve in the form of an almost palatial courtyard to the side.

It's a similar size to the Cricketers Arms' courtyard, but is greener and is one of the few pubs around here that catches the evening sun.

Beers on tap: Carlton Draught, Pure Blonde, Fat Yak, Asahi, Kronenburg
Wine range: $8 - $16
Parma: Yes, but they don't use that word
Gastro: Yes
Tradie vs Yuppy: No tradie's gonna feel at home here