Whole Rooftop at Prince Alfred
About this space
This is an agitated and bustling community pub. The venerable 100-year-old place retains its facade, whilst the interior has been renovated, green roof, two bars, and colour splashes everywhere.
Adjoining a casual ambience and understated elegance, PA's remains a meeting point for people looking for places to eat, drink, and celebrate.
Prices
Capacity
Catering and drinks
Facilities
Music & sound equipment
Accessibility
Rules of the space
Allowed events
Age policy
Guests under 18 are not allowed after 9:00 pm
Host rules
No smoking in the building.
About Prince Alfred
It’s impossible to know exactly how many beers have been poured at the Prince Alfred Carlton.
But given it’s stood on Grattan Street since 1926 and the University of Melbourne has always been across the road, it’s safe to say that the stuff has always flowed quite freely.
For that century, the two-storey pub has faithfully sat on its corner and served up beers to students between lectures, pints to lecturers after classes, and pale ales to doctors after surgeries - and maybe before a few surgeries in those early days.
Early in 2025, Bright Brewery took over the pub and set about walking the line between uni hangout, craft beer taproom and local boozer.
If you’ve somehow found yourself drinking craft beer in Melbourne but missed the Bright Brewery story, here’s a quick recap.
Founded in 2005, the High-Country brewery is one of Victoria’s original craft breweries. Long before so many independent breweries recognised that hospitality and community were keys to success, Bright Brewery made it their mission to be about more than the liquid.
That’s the same approach the Bright Brewery team has taken with the Prince Alfred; step inside and you’ll instantly be welcomed by the PA’s crew and glistening taps pouring the brewery’s beers.
Wander upstairs and you’ll find The Bright Rooftop offers a delightful spot to bask in the sun. It’s also the home of Prince Alfred’s events and function which beyond bustling uni nights, hosts anything from birthdays to baptisms.
In a corner of Melbourne where change has always been a constant, Prince Alfred Carlton remains a cornerstone pub that’s a welcome connection to the city’s history. Today, it just tastes a whole lot better than it did for that first century.