Buying the joint in early 2015, Sean Donovan declared he wanted to make the Fitzroy Town Hall Hotel “more of a fair dinkum pub’’.

He has succeeded. This historic watering hole is once again a place where you can prop at the public bar with a craft beer and a schnitzel and watch the game, or take a seat in the cosy dining room for some gastro-pub fare. While this is a definitively Aussie venue, just as he did at Footscray’s Station Hotel and the Wayside Inn in South Melbourne, Donovan has brought robust Euro fare to the fore.

In the front bar, you can order crispy snapper wings or house-made haggis, maybe even an Eton Mess; while the midnight blue dining room, moodily lit and warmed by a log fire, is the perfect place to savour premium cuts of beef and seafood expertly handled.

Sherry-splashed king prawns, sizzling Toulouse sausages and charcoal-dark Angus rib eye all comes hot off the Town Hall’s red-gum fired barbecue. Donovan – whose cooking is deeply reassuring – excels with a robust Sardinian fish stew. No other pub in town comes near to surpassing this bountiful blend of mussels and clams, cuttlefish and snapper fillet in a saffron-scented broth.

Must-eat dish: Sardinian fish stew
Instagram: @fitzroytownhallhotel