Bells Hotel

I visited this brewpub for lunch on a warm day before touring the botanical gardens a few blocks away.
The entrance leads you to the bar and restaurant area. There are about 15 stools at bar and also several table chair setups for dining. Well lit by large windows. There are 3-6 house beers on tap currently a currant stout, strong lager, ginger bells, black ban bitter. ALso 13 guest taps several Aussie regulars VB, Carlton, Fosters, but also Hoegaarden, Guinness, Stella Artois, and Leffe Blonde. Similar lineup in bottles plus some asian beers. If you visit I say stick to the house brews the two I sampled were tasty!
One side of the place is dining and on the other side of the bar, (viewable through bar windows) is a pub/bar area for watching sporting events etc. There is a full liquor selection and extensive wine choice as well.
Ordering food from a window at one side of the bar was different but service was very friendly and helpful, bar tenders were also very nice. My first stout overflowed the glass a bit and the bartender actually rinsed down the glass to remove potentially sticky beer residue!! Quite nice gesture!
My wife had an excellent Thai Chicken dish and I had very tasty lasagna while our local friend had white fish that she raved about. She vowed to come back as we were leaving.
There are some TVs on both sides of bar.
Very clean bathrooms as well. A great place to visit for some beers and Outstanding food!
Behind the bar was a clock with hands that moved counter clockwise, time was still accurate as numbers were reverse with a 3 on the left and a 9 on the right. Just a cool little gadget that caught my attention. A must stop in Melbourne!

The oldest brewpub in Melbourne.

I've seen two versions of Bells...either very quiet during the day, or extremely busy during a footy or rugby game. The place definitely gets jumping when game time rolls around.

Their Bells Beer is brewed on premisis in the brewery that you can tour if you ask nicely. The beer is pretty good and has a definite English influence. Almost to the point where many of the beers taste alike, even when had side-by-side on the tasting tray. The stout is fantastic and is a must-try.
In addition to the house beers, Bells has a pretty good selection of bottles and taps.

Food is pretty good and reasonably priced. My wife and I had the chicken parma and were happy with it. Bells is a nice place to stop by occasionally and a good contrast to some of the more stuffy CBD bars.

used to be much better than it is now, bells is worth dropping in on if youre in town, but not worth going out of your way for.

the beers and the service have deteriorated over the years in direct relation to the popularity of the place. the beers used to be some of the best micro brewed beers in town, but while the beers havent turned to total crap, they are not in the same league as previously. i tend to find the service very aloof too. the way they have things set out inside is a bit hotch potch, but if its a nice night, youre definately better off sitting outside where it is rather more pleasant.

of the beers, the stout is the best, the porter pretty good, and if youre looking for something half decent and want to avoid CUB/tooheys products, the black ban bitter is also acceptable.

i seldom go to bells anymore, but if youre a stranger in town and want to sample everything there is to offer in terms of beer, then its worth the visit.