The Penny Black Review

Review By Jessica Hoadley

Housed in the old Brunswick Post Office on Sydney Road, The Penny Black has a comfortable front room filled with couches in the day and live bands on stage at night. It's a beautiful Heritage-listed old building with lofty ceilings and fireplaces, but the real draw here is the beer garden: a huge expanse of picnic tables, couches and booths outside which fill up quickly on balmy summer afternoons. The space holds four hundred, one hundred under cover. There's icy cold cider on tap and a delicious menu that will persuade you to stay past your dinnertime! Pizzas start at a tempting $6, and drink specials vary depending on the day.

Open from 3pm Mondays-Thursdays and from 12pm on Fridays-Sundays, the atmosphere at the Penny Black in the afternoon is lazy and chilled out, with the focus on food, jugs of beer, cider and Pimms to share, and ambient background music allowing for conversation. As it darkens however, the volume levels rise and the standing room in the beer garden fills up with an arty Fitzroy crowd. The patrons vary from Uni students in local share-houses to early thirties young professionals wearing jeans, sandals, sundresses; whatever the mood desires. When winter approaches the outside space is still popular as it provides tall gas heaters for groups to huddle around, and open fireplaces inside to snuggle in front of.

The Penny Black proudly supports local music acts, and hosts live bands inside most nights of the week. Resident and visiting DJs take care of the outside area... not bad at all for a venue with no cover charge. The cute bar staff don't hurt, either.

Do get here in the afternoon to snag a table with some mates outside, enjoy the sunshine, food and drink, and relax until the place livens up after dark.