The Angel Of Malvern Is Reborn As A Multi-Level Playground Built For Late Nights

A beloved Malvern local is spreading its wings again, with all three levels of heritage-listed corner pub The Angel of Malvern now open.

Sitting on the junction of Glenferrie and Dandenong Roads, just steps from Malvern Station, the 1856 venue originally opened as The Gardiner Hotel and later the Angel Tavern. Now, it's been reborn as a three-level playground for casual catch-ups, long lunches and big nights out. 

Under new hospitality outfit Refinery Group, The Angel of Malvern is being pitched less as a pub and more as a 'village of venues' stacked over three floors.

Angel Of Malvern Public Bar

Image: Angel Of Malvern | Supplied

On the ground level, expect a relaxed public bar pouring tap beers and natural-leaning wines, backed by a leafy courtyard beer garden made for sunny afternoons and impromptu knock-offs. The menu offers refined pub fare, think: fried buttermilk chicken, beer battered fish and chips, rigatoni vodka pasta, a classic parma served with slaw, and ginger sticky date pudding. 

Flores

Image: Flores | Supplied

Upstairs, Mediterranean-inspired dining room Flores opened on 2 July. Primed for long lunches, with polished but unfussy dishes built around great produce, it's serving share plates alongside a strong showing of European wines.

Menu highlights include zucchini and manchego croquettes, prawn and lobster ravioli, slow cooked lamb shoulder and Portugese half roast chicken. To finish, opt for dessert—molten chocolate pudding or dulche de leche flan—or a sweet cocktail in the form of either a frozen mandarin margarita or a tiramisu-inspired tipple. 

Lately

Image: Lately | Supplied

Climb one more level and things get darker as the nights get later, with cocktail bar Lately (also opened on 2 July) bringing a speakeasy feel, late-night snacks and a sharp list of signature drinks. It's truly an all-in-one venue: start with a post-work beer downstairs, graduate to dinner one floor up and finish the night with cocktails and DJ sets, all without leaving the building.

Stars of Lately's impressive cocktail list include the Autumn In Aomori with Nikka Coffey malt Whiskey, quince, black walnut and Amaro Lucano; the Ambrosia with brioche, house made limoncello, Cocchi Americano and elderflower; and the Elixir with gin, rhubarb, pear, macadamia and jasmine.

The revamp is led by Kokoda Property’s founder Mark Stevens, who created Refinery Group to extend the developer’s design-led approach into hospitality. 

"We’re not interested in creating a one-dimensional pub. Each level has its own identity and energy, but together they form a cohesive experience grounded in quality and generosity," Stevens says. "For us, great hospitality isn’t just about what’s served, it’s about how a place makes people feel."

The Angel’s new look respects the heritage shell while layering in contemporary interiors from Studio McCue, blending original details with warm timber, textured finishes and plenty of greenery.

In the kitchen, chef and hospitality consultant Justin North is steering the food brief across all three levels, with generous, flavour-first menus that rework pub classics downstairs and skew more coastal Mediterranean as you head up.

For locals, the reopening means the return of a proper “meet you at the Angel” night out; for everyone else, it looks like a new go-to for pre-train wines, destination dinners and late-night cocktails in Malvern.

Main image credit: Angel of Malvern | Supplied