Harlow in Richmond has all the ingredients of a great pub – quaffable booze, crowd-pleasing snacks and footy on the telly. The Australian Venue Co, which owns a slew of pubs across Melbourne, took over the tired-looking Great Britain Hotel and restyled it as a modern space with plenty of nooks for knocking back a beer with your mates.

The main dining room is packed with blow-ins rubbing shoulders with twenty-something locals when we visit, the crowd possibly explained by footy at the nearby MCG. There’s an animated game of pool being played in the corner, while in the bluestone-walled bunker downstairs – where the Great Brit’s live music acts once performed – there’s two separate functions demolishing hot chips and mini beef-brisket tacos.

Head chef Telina Menzies (who’s also in charge of the kitchens at Hopscotch, State of Grace and O’Connell’s) has created a menu of her favourite pub staples. The smoker powers most dishes, such as the tiny corn tacos packed with ultra-tender smoked beef brisket.

Add a lick of sour cream and Harlow’s house-made ‘Bloody Good BBQ sauce’ and you’re in for a spicy, salty treat. But it’s the PitMaster Pie that nails delicious home-style cooking, its buttery shortcrust pastry encasing fall-apart beef cheeks braised in the pub’s Harlow Hooch draught beer.

Sadly there’s no dessert, so satisfy sweet cravings with colourful cocktails, aptly named after hit songs. A peach liqueur-laden California Gurls and an elderflower-spiked Gin ’n’ Juice are named after the Katy Perry and Snoop

Dogg tunes, respectively. Harlow’s playful esky package lets you share a coldie with mates, best enjoyed on the bleacher ‘stadium seating’ in the courtyard, which thrives in summer.

A nice all-rounder local pub, Harlow fits the bill for a midweek lunch with nan, a 21st birthday on the weekend or a casual catch-up in time. Best enjoyed with good company.