The Rising Sun Hotel in South Melbourne is probably the closest pub to my office where I’ve been working for the past 2 years and yet, I’ve only been there twice. This is not to be confused with the similarly named Rising Sun Hotels in Auburn, Bendigo, Richmond, Townsville, Port Wakefield Rosewood, Broken Hill, Lobethal or anywhere else.
The first time I went to the Rising Sun Hotel was for pizza after work in October 2022 and again for a steak lunch in July 2023. I’ve got to say, it’s a pretty good pub and I really should eat there more often. Below are some photos of the Rising Sun Hotel and the food that I’ve eaten there.
Photos of the Rising Sun Hotel South Melbourne
The Rising Sun Hotel is on the corner of Raglan Street and Eastern Road South Melbourne
Raglan Street Side
To the left is some undercover outdoor seating.
Eastern Road Side
There is outdoor seating to the right here as well.
Inside on the Raglan Street Side
There is plenty of seating and numerous areas to sit indoors.
The Kitchen
Every Wednesday they have Steak Night with a $25 Porterhouse Steak 300g.
The Rising Sun Hotel – Home of the Sydney Swans
As covered previously in the History of South Melbourne & Sydney Swans article, the Sydney Swans originated in South Melbourne. Whilst I’m no expert on AFL myself, this would have to be the undisputed best place to watch a Swans game in Melbourne. The place is full of South Melbourne / Sydney Swans memorabilia and is a favourite spot for locals who follow the team. Take a look around the old memorabilia whilst you’re there.
Pizza Specials at The Rising Sun Hotel
The Rising Sun Hotel only seems to offer one pizza at a time and they are $22 each. The first time I went, the pepperoni pizza I had there was incredible. I had to really force myself to get through the whole thing after also eating some of the cheesy garlic bread below.
Cheesy Garlic Bread
This garlic bread with melted cheese was great. It cost $12 and I’d highly recommend it.
More recently, I took Jack out for lunch and thought it was time to return here as I’d been craving steak but didn’t want to walk all the way to Lamaro’s. Below is what we got at the Rising Sun Hotel instead.
220g Eye Fillet Steak
I went for the 220g Eye Fillet Steak which is from Flinders & Co, NSW and was Pasture Fed. It was $50 and the smallest size steak they had. As someone who is newly interested in steak, I went for the smallest cut as the smaller pieces usually have less gristle and tend to be more premium cuts. This piece was great. I had it with mashed potato and vegetables with creamy peppercorn sauce.
I only later realised that the angle I took this photo from makes the steak look smaller compared to the rest of the items on the plate and it was small, but not as small as it looks. Overall, I was quite satisfied with the meal and is probably the second-best steak I’ve had in a very long time.
Linguine Bolognaise
Jack had the Linguine Bolognese with parmesan cheese on top. He seemed quite impressed with it.
Whilst we were there we saw quite a few people from the office next door also eating here. I think this is their preferred regular lunch spot. I hope to return here to expand this review again soon!
Rising Sun Hotel Menu
Starters
Garlic Bread | $10 |
Garlic Bread with melted cheese | $12 |
Mixed Olives with toasted baguette, balsamic & parmesan dip | $14 |
South Pacific Oysters, with mignonette: Natural (½ doz / 1doz) Kilpatrick (½ doz / 1doz) Mixed Plate (1doz) | $24/$48 $26/$52 $52 |
Salt & Pepper Calamari, roquette, pickled radish salad & aioli | $22 |
Chorizo & Garlic Prawns, lemon, butter, parsley with toasted baguette | $24 |
Chilli Mussels, fennel, shallots, chilli in napoli sauce with garlic bread | $28 |
Crispy Pork Belly, miso chilli caramel, wombok & pickle (gf) | $24 |
South Melbourne Dim Sims, soy mirin, steamed or fried (3 piece) | $15 |
House Made Sausage Rolls, sauce (8 piece) | $15 |
Rising Sun Share Platter for two: salt & pepper calamari, chilli prawns, beef kofta, zaatar olives with papaya salad | $42 |
Daily Specials
Pie of the Day, golden puff pastry, mixed leaf salad, chips | $29 |
Curry of the Day, basmati rice, roti bread, cucumber raita | $28 |
Roast of the Day, roasted vegetables, cauliflower cheese, peas & gravy | $29 |
House-Made Fresh Pizza | $22 |
Fish of the Day | $ market price |
Steaks from the Chargrill
Choice Cuts from Cape Grim & Flinders Select
All below steaks are served with either:
Chips & Salad or Mash & Veg
220g Eye Fillet from Flinders & Co, NSW, Pasture Fed | $50 |
300g Porterhouse from Wanderer, VIC, Grain Fed MB2+ | $44 |
350g Scotch Fillet from Bass Strait, VIC, Grain Fed | $58 |
350g Wagyu Rump from Westholme, QLD, Grain Fed MB5 | $56 |
600g Rib Eye from Cape Grim, TAS, Grass Fed MB2+ | $72 |
Make your steak a ‘Surf & Turf’ with creamy bearnaise sauce & grilled tiger prawns | add $12 |
Chef’s Special
Fillet Mignon, 220g bacon wrapped eye fillet with creamy mash, grilled portobello mushrooms, spinach & red wine jus | $56 |
Sauces / Butter (gf)
Garlic Butter | $3 |
Traditional Gravy | $3 |
Mushroom Jus | $4 |
Creamy Peppercorn | $4 |
Red Wine Jus | $4 |
Bearnaise | $4 |
Trio Chilli Plate: chilli jam, fresh red, pickled green | $6 |
Side Dishes
Garden Salad, house vinaigrette (v,gf,ve) | $10 |
Seasonal Vegetables (v,gf) | $12 |
Steak House Chips Small $8 Large (with gravy) | $12 |
Potato Mash (v,gf) | $10 |
Vinaigrette Slaw (v,gf,ve) | $10 |
Cauliflower Cheese (v) | $12 |
Broccolini, Romesco & Parmesan (v,gf) | $14 |
Battered Onion Rings (v) | $12 |
Wednesday Steak Special: Lunch & Dinner 300g Porterhouse with Chips, Salad & Sauce | $25 |
Pub Classics
Beer Battered Fish & Chips, mixed leaf salad, tartare | $28 |
Tuna Patties, chips, salad & aioli | $22 |
Prawn Linguine, cherry tomato, chilli, garlic, white wine, parsley | $30 |
Linguine Bolognaise, parmesan | $24 |
Bangers & Mash, peas, gravy (gf) | $24 |
Steak Sandwich, minute steak, bacon, caramelized onion, lettuce, cheese, tomato, chips (add fried egg $2) | $26 |
Fried Chicken Burger, homemade slaw, cheese, sriracha aioli, chips | $28 |
Beef Burger, lettuce, tomato, cheese, pickles, house dressing, chips (add fried egg $2) | $29 |
Chicken Schnitzel, slaw, chips & gravy | $28 |
Chicken Parmigiana, ham, mixed leaf salad, chips & gravy | $30 |
Veal Schnitzel with herb crumb, slaw, chips & gravy | $32 |
Veal Parmigiana, ham, mixed leaf salad, chips & gravy | $34 |
House Crumbed Lamb Cutlets (3), mash, peas, gravy | $42 |
Caesar Salad, bacon, cos, croutons, anchovy, parmesan Add: grilled prawns or grilled chicken | $22 $29 |
Ricotta Sage Gnudi (light Italian dumpling), roasted cauliflower, king brown mushrooms, garlic spinach, almonds, grana padano (v) | $29 |
Golden Tofu & Vegetable Curry, with shitake, steamed rice, roti bread & herbs (v,gf,ve less roti) | $28 |
Dessert
Chocolate Tart, dark chocolate, mascarpone cream, orange, praline & strawberries | $15 |
Sticky Date Pudding, butterscotch sauce & vanilla ice cream | $15 |
Crème Brulé, homemade biscotti | $15 |
Apple & Berry Crumble Cake, gingerbread ice cream & coulis | $15 |
Affogato, espresso coffee with vanilla ice cream & Frangelico liqueur | $18 |
Trio of Cheese Platter for 2, quince jam, pickled raisins, crackers & nuts | $28 |
Champagne & Sparkling
Taylor Ferguson Brut Piccolo, NSW (Gls) | $12 |
Taylor Ferguson Prosecco Piccolo, NSW (Gls) | $12 |
Casa Canavel Extra Dry Prosecco Piccolo, ITA (Btl) | $58 |
Di Giorgio Family Sparkling Pinot Noir, Coonawarra, SA (Btl) | $60 |
Piper Heidsieck Cuvee Brut Champagne, FRA (Btl) | $98 |
Pommery Brut Royal, Epernay, FRA (Btl) | $145 |
Moet & Chandon Brut Imperial, Champagne, FRA (Btl) | $150 |
Veuve Clicquot, Yellow Label Brut, NV Champagne, FRA (Btl) | $160 |
Louis Roederer Brut Premier NV Champagne, FRA (Btl) | $160 |
Sauvignon Blanc
Rising Sun Sauvignon Blanc, Adelaide Hills, SA (Gls / Btl) | $10 / $45 |
Whitehaven Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough, NZ (Gls / Btl) | $12.50 / $57 |
O’Leary Walker “The Lucky Punter” Sauv, Adelaide H, SA (Btl) | $55 |
Hamelin Bay Sauvignon Blanc, Margaret River, WA (Btl) | $55 |
Churchview Sauvignon Blanc Semillon, Margaret River, WA (Btl) | $60 |
Vasse Felix Sauvignon Blanc Semillon, Margaret River, WA (Btl) | $65 |
Shaw and Smith Sauvignon Blanc, Adelaide Hills, SA (Btl) | $75 |
Moscato
Alexander Hill Moscato, Barossa Valley, SA (Gls / Btl) | $12.50 / $57 |
Chardonnay
Storm Ridge Chardonnay, Yarra Valley, VIC (Gls / Btl) | $12 / $56 |
DiGiorgio Family Chardonnay, Coonawarra, SA (Btl) | $65 |
Hugo Chardonnay, McLaren Vale, SA (Btl) | $58 |
Witchmount Estate Chardonnay, Plumpton, VIC (Btl) | $60 |
Fire Gully Chardonnay, Margaret River, WA (Btl) | $73 |
Jones Road ‘Nepean’ Chardonnay, Peninsula, VIC (Btl) | $95 |
Thompson Estate Chardonnay, Margaret River, WA (Btl) | $75 |
Yering Estate ‘Reserve’ 2019 Chardonnay, VIC (Btl) | $140 |
Pinot Grigio
Pasqua Pinot Grigio, Italy, ITA (Gls / Btl) | $12 / $55 |
Camelback Pinot Grigio, Plumpton, VIC (Btl) | $55 |
Bellissimo Pinot Grigio, McLaren Vale, SA (Btl) | $58 |
Nautilus Estate Pinot Gris, Marlborough, NZ (Btl) | $78 |
Riesling
Vickery Estate Riesling, Eden Valley, SA (Gls / Btl) | $12 / $55 |
Jim Barry Lodge Hill Riesling, Clare Valley, SA (Btl) | $62 |
Pewsey Vale Riesling, Eden Valley, SA (Btl) | $62 |
Craigie Knowe Riesling, Freycinet, TAS (Btl) | $78 |
Rose
Yering Station Little Yering Rose, Yarra Valley, VIC (Gls / Btl) | $12 / $55 |
Eldredge Kitty Rose, Clare Valley, SA (Btl) | $50 |
Ninth Island Rose, West Tamar, TAS (Btl) | $55 |
Pasqua 11 Minute Rose, ITA (Btl) | $64 |
Pinot Noir
Maressa Pinot Noir, Mornington Peninsula, VIC (Gls / Btl) | $13 / $58 |
Fossett Pinot Noir, Yarra Valley, VIC (Btl) | $58 |
Kooyong Massale Pinot Noir, Mornington Peninsula, VIC (Btl) | $72 |
Longboard Pinot Noir, Geelong, VIC (Btl) | $62 |
Jones Road ‘Nepean Pinot Noir, Mornington Peninsula, VIC (Btl) | $72 |
Pegasus Bay Prima Donna Pinot Noir 2020, NZ (Btl) | $145 |
Dalrymple Pinot Noir, Pipers River, TAS (Btl) | $78 |
Shiraz
Rising Sun Shiraz Cabernet, Adelaide Hills, SA (Gls / Btl) | $10 / $45 |
Wild Duck ‘Yellow Hammer’ Shiraz, Heathcote, VIC (Gls / Btl) | $14 / $68 |
Bobbie Burns Shiraz, Rutherglen, VIC (Btl) | $58 |
Campbells Shiraz Durif, Rutherglen, VIC (Btl) | $56 |
Witchmount Shiraz, Plumpton, VIC (Btl) | $58 |
Eldredge Blue Chip Shiraz, Clare Valley, SA (Btl) | $64 |
Geddes Seldom Inn Shiraz, McLaren Vale, SA (Btl) | $65 |
Zema Estate Shiraz, Coonawarra, SA (Btl) | $65 |
Elderton Estate Shiraz, Barossa, SA (Btl) | $74 |
Stefani Barrel Selection Shiraz, Heathcote, VIC (Btl) | $84 |
Zema Estate ‘Family Selection’ Shiraz 2016, Coonawarra, SA (Btl) | $88 |
Penfolds BIN 128 Shiraz 2018, Coonawarra, SA (Btl) | $95 |
Gibson Shiraz 2020, Coonawarra, SA (Btl) | $115 |
Yalumba Octavius ‘Old Vine’ Shiraz 2016, SA (Btl) | $190 |
Penfolds St Henri Shiraz 2019, SA region (Btl) | $210 |
Mt Langhi Ghiran Shiraz 2015, VIC (Btl) | $260 |
Varietals
Cecchi Chianti DOCG, Tuscany, ITA (Btl) | $54 |
Camelback Tempranillo Grenache Mourvèdre, Heathcote, VIC (Btl) | $54 |
Famille Perrin Reserve Cotes du Rhone GSM, Rhone, FRA (Btl) | $61 |
Serafino Merlot, Coonawarra, SA (Btl) | $70 |
Hamelin Bay 5 Ashes Merlot 2013, Margaret River, WA (Btl) | $68 |
Wirra Wirra Church Block Cab Shiraz Merlot, McLaren Vale, SA (Btl) | $58 |
Adele Tempranillo, Plumpton, VIC (Btl) | $64 |
Adele Sangiovese, Plumpton, VIC (Btl) | $64 |
Churchview St John Zinfandel, Margaret River, WA (Btl) | $68 |
Cabernet Sauvignon
Hugo Cabernet Sauvignon, McLaren Vale, SA (Gls / Btl) | $12 / $55 |
Vinaceous Raconyeyr, Margaret River, WA (Btl) | $48 |
Hamelin Bay Cabernet Sauvignon, Margaret River, WA (Btl) | $58 |
Di Giorgio Cabernet Sauvignon, Coonawarra, SA (Btl) | $65 |
Fernando The First Cabernet Sauvignon, Barossa, WA (Btl) | $65 |
Zema Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, Coonawarra, SA (Btl) | $68 |
Majella Cabernet Sauvignon, Coonawarra, SA (Btl) | $68 |
Zema Estate Family Selection Cab Sav 2010, Coonawarra, SA (Btl) | $85 |
Yalumba The Signature C/S Shiraz 1994, SA (Btl) | $92 |
Wynns Coonawarra Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 2001, SA (Btl) | $110 |
Penfolds 389 Cabernet Shiraz 2020, Wrattonbully, SA (Btl) | $165 |
Fortified
Penfolds Reserve Tawny Port, Barossa Valley, SA | $12 |
Campbells Muscat, Rutherglen, VIC | $13 |
Elderton Golden Semillon, Barossa Valley, SA (375ml) | $14 |
McWilliams Port, Hanwood, NSW | $14 |
Penfolds Grandfather Tawny Port, SA | $16 |
Cocktails
Aperol Spritz – Aperol, prosecco, soda, orange | $17 |
Cosmopolitan – vodka, triple sec, cranberry, fresh lime | $17 |
Gin Martini – gin with dry vermouth, olive | $22 |
French Martini – vodka, Chambord, fresh pineapple juice | $22 |
Margarita – tequila, Cointreau, fresh lime juice, salt rim | $22 |
South Side – gin, lime, mint, sugar syrup | $22 |
Espresso Martini – vodka, Kahlua, sugar syrup, espresso | $22 |
Negroni – gin, Campari, sweet vermouth, orange | $25 |
Craft Bottled Beer
Stone & Wood Pacific Ale | $12 |
4 Pines Pale Ale | $12 |
Coopers Pale Ale | $12 |
White Rabbit Dark Ale | $12 |
Bottled Cider
Strongbow Original Apple Cider | $11 |
Bulmers Apple Cider | $11 |
Hill & Co Non-Alcoholic Apple Cider | $10 |
Hill & Co Apple Cider | $12 |
Hill & Co Pear Cider | $12 |
Magners Irish Apple Cider 568ml | $15 |
Soft Drink on Tap
Pepsi (Pot / Pint) | $4 / $8 |
Pepsi Diet (Pot / Pint) | $4 / $8 |
Lemon Squash (Pot / Pint) | $4 / $8 |
Sprite (Pot / Pint) | $4 / $8 |
Dry Ginger (Pot / Pint) | $4 / $8 |
Tonic Water (Pot / Pint) | $4 / $8 |
Soda Water (Pot / Pint) | $4 / $8 |
Lemon, Lime & Bitters (Pot / Pint) | $4 / $8 |
Orange Juice (Pot / Pint) | $4 / $8 |
Apple Juice (Pot / Pint) | $4 / $8 |
Pineapple Juice (Pot / Pint) | $4 / $8 |
Soft Drink Cans & Bottles
Coke | $6 |
Diet Coke | $6 |
Coke Zero Can | $6 |
San Pellegrino Sparkling 250ml (Small) | $5 |
San Pellegrino Sparkling 750ml (Large) | $10 |