Builders Arms Hotel

The fish pot pie was taken off the menu once and put straight back, and Time Out's five-star review says the removal "almost caused a Fitzroy riot."

Why go

The pub has stood at 211 Gertrude Street since 1853 and the front bar still works like a local: shoulder-height yellow tiles, counter service, pots and schooners, and craft taps running Young Henrys, Hawkers and Pirate Life (Time Out). Behind it, Andrew McConnell has run three different restaurants in the same shell, first Moon Under Water, then the Chinese room Ricky and Pinky, and now a European-leaning bistro (Broadsheet). Know which room you are booking. The bistro is table service at $$$ and the front bar is where you stand with a beer. It is one of six venues in McConnell's Trader House group, which means the group has to prove edge rather than assume it, and here a five-star review and a chef's repeat pick do the proving.

Order this / avoid

Order: whipped cod roe with flatbread soldiers, then the Ortiz anchovy and stracciatella on toast. The fish pot pie is the reason most people book. Spencer Gulf king prawns come butterflied under curry butter and fried curry leaves.
Avoid: the vegan cheeseburger, which the same five-star review calls "a solid, but not too exciting, meat alternative" ref. Also avoid walking into the front bar expecting bistro food; that is a different room and a different bill.

What locals & experts say

Paul Chai, Time Out Melbourne, five stars (2022): "The bistro menu is 'just' pub food in the same way that truffles are 'just' fungus. These are pub classics by name but delivered with balance and finesse by McConnell's team." ref
Nornie Bero, chef-owner of Mabu Mabu, June 2026: "Builders Arms in Fitzroy. It's one of those places that just gets it right: Great atmosphere, delicious snacks and a good drink list." ref
The same chef, seven months earlier, on a different question: "Builders Arms Hotel, it's just perfect for groups. The food comes out to share, the energy is always buzzing, and everyone leaves happy and full." ref
Broadsheet on the pot pie: "popular and semi-famous", opened at the table to "a soupy mess of rockling, ocean trout and prawn." ref

Good to know

Where: 211 Gertrude Street, Fitzroy. Public bar, bistro and a private dining room in one building.
Timing: seven days, noon until late.
Booking: book the bistro. The front bar is walk-in, counter service.
Sites: one premises. The operator, Trader House, also runs Cutler & Co, Supernormal, Cumulus Inc, Gimlet and Marion, and the shared booking system is how that was confirmed. No sibling review is used on this row.
Food safety: no entry for this business on Safe Food Victoria's register of convictions as at its 21 July 2026 update. ref
Near MCEC: no. Fitzroy, about 4km from South Wharf.

Jeff's take (his words)

None. Melbourne has no raw saved-places export under places-db/melbourne/data/, so jeff_note stays empty rather than being composed from a master-CSV cell. The body is virtual voice with its sources attached.

Verdict (Chef Jeff ladder)

should-visit — Rearrange an evening for it, especially with a group. Time Out's Paul Chai gave it five stars and put the case in one line: the bistro menu is 'just' pub food in the same way that truffles are 'just' fungus. The fish pot pie of snapper, ocean trout and prawns under pastry in a sorrel broth came off the menu once and went straight back on, which is what a signature dish looks like when the room is honest about it. Nornie Bero of Mabu Mabu has named it twice in Broadsheet, in November 2025 for group dining and in June 2026 for a snack and a glass, which is a working chef choosing it for two different jobs. The pub has stood on Gertrude Street since 1853 and the front bar still trades as a neighbourhood boozer with craft taps, so the room has both halves. It stops short of must-visit because this is one of six venues in Andrew McConnell's Trader House group, which carries the burden of proof on edge and value, and because the last real critical assessment is from 2022.