Standard tap beer and i-Pod tunes make this comfy pub feel delightfully simple. But dig a little deeper and you'll discover jaw-dropping history that will set tongues wagging as well.
Established way back in 1873, this Carlton boozer has its own fascinating and colourful history.
Ask the owners and they'll tell you straight out that this is the place where (after lengthy discussions - and probably more than a few beers) the Carlton Football Club was first founded.
On a darker note, the University Hotel has also gone down in history as the former hangout of Miss Jean Lee, who visited this exact pub before becoming an accessory to a murder perpetrated at a local residence close by. She was the last woman to be hanged in Melbourne (and the only Australian woman executed in the 20th Century). This may be a murky and unfortunate link for the pub management to publicise - but they do it all the same.
The University Hotel doesn't have too many fancy frills. All the music comes straight from an i-Pod, the wine list is all Aussie and the tap-beer range includes familiar names such as Carlton, Cascade and VB.
The cocktail list is long, but you won't find too many surprises. It's filled with standard-issue cosmopolitans, mojitos, martinis and daiquiris. However, if you're really hankering for something adventurous, try the Bounty (Midori, Cointreau, cantaloupe, ice cream and milk).
Nosh-wise, the kitchen plates up simple meals such as fish and chips, chicken parma and tasty steak sandwiches.
Andrea Tomaz
