The Cheeky Pint

The Verdict

The iconic Barkly Hotel has been transformed into something delicious.

The Cheeky Pint is now open and ready to pour refreshing local beer into your gullets.

Owned and operated by Footscray local Mitch Peacock, The Cheeky Pint serves five core products brewed in-house, including The Cheeky Victorian Lager, Perfect Change Pale Ale, 5 Eyes IPA, Mr Albert Stout, Fiva Cider and an English style Ale. Seasonal releases are also available on tap, as well as collaborations with other local breweries.

But The Cheeky Pint is much more than just your local watering hole. With Massimo Spedalletti at the helm of its kitchen, patrons of The Cheeky Pint will get a cheeky surprise when it comes to food. Spedalletii—an Italian native who spent time working on a hops farm in Northeastern Victoria—has completely mastered the art of matching yummy ingredients to all the different flavour profiles of beer.

Some of the menu highlights include manchego, leek and porcini croquettes which are perfectly suited to the house lager, and chicken liver pate served with housemade pan brioche and peach chutney. Spedalletti has also recreated several pub classics including triple-cooked crispy wedges and panko-coated chicken parma.

“Beer and food pairing is often a ticketed event, rather than an everyday experience,” Peacock says. “So we hope that by establishing a venue that offers both we can really treat Melburnians to something special.”

Image credit: Annika Kafcaloudis