Prince Alfred Hotel

Editorial

The Prince Alfred Hotel is pretty much defined by the fact that it is across the road from Melbourne University and has therefore, attained second-home status to a lot of the I.T. and Engineering students who study nearby. PA’s, as it is more commonly known, wins no prizes for interior design and nor would most of its patrons care. A stock standard early-nineties-looking pub makeover is holding together as best it can, resisting the ravages of raucous Uni student behaviour. Wednesday night is when it all goes off as the flash of a student card gives licence to a cheap night out all round - cheap drinks, cheap food and if you hang around long enough, maybe a cheap root. The basics are all represented at the PA. Basic bar prices, basic pub grub and basically not much more. About the only saving grace to this place is its Carlton location. If you want a cheap, no frills base from which to explore historic and cosmopolitan Carlton the Prince Alfred fits the bill. Brenton Geyer, February 2011