12 of Melbourne's best steak nights at pubs on all points of the compass

God bless the weekly specials board at the pub. There for you no matter what, you can choose your own adventure depending on whether you're a parma devotee this week or a burger aficionado the next. But steak night is where the real value lies, especially right now when the price of, well, everything is going up and beef in particular is skyrocketing. Not if you play it smart though.

WEST

The Victoria Hotel, Footscray
Monday, $21

There aren't many neighbourhood pubs that will mix you a non-alcoholic spritz and include bottles of gruner veltliner and chablis on their wine list. But The Vic is one of them. Owner Anthony Hammond is also involved in The Builders Arms, so you know the 250-gram porterhouse with Cafe de Paris butter is bound to be the goods.

43 Victoria Street, Footscray, victoriahotelfootscray.com

The Plough, Footscray
Tuesday, $23

A favourite among everyone from families to housemates, The Plough takes its grub seriously. The kitchen breaks down beef on-site so every 250-gram angus rump is consistent in size and fresher than your average pub steak. It comes with chips and salad, and there are plenty of beer-friendly snacks such as popcorn-style fried mussels and buffalo wings to keep pre-dinner hunger pangs at bay.

333 Barkly Street, Footscray, ploughhotel.com.au

Junction Hotel, Newport
Wednesday, $20

Each Wednesday, punters are in for a different cut of Great Southern grass-fed beef, with porterhouse the steak of choice lately. It comes with chips, rocket and horseradish, plus pepper or red wine sauce, and there are $6 glasses of house wine or pots of Newport Draught available. Talk about unheard of. If you get there before 6pm, you can take advantage of Family Hour, where kids eat free.

15 Hall Street, Newport, junctionnewport.com.au

SOUTH

Railway Hotel, South Melbourne
Wednesday, $25

Pool tables, fireplace, a beer garden and a pie of the week: the Railway is a proper pub. And on Wednesdays, it's crammed with those in the know, who are ordering Hopkins River rump, raised near the Grampians, for a mere $25. It's served with two sides (you choose) and sauce, but we reckon you can save room for the cobb loaf garlic bread.

280 Ferrars Street, South Melbourne, railwaypub.com.au

The Local Taphouse, St Kilda East
Wednesday, $21

Closer to a charming tavern than a pub, this mahogany-toned room has pulling power on any night of the week. But on Wednesdays, when the kitchen is grilling $21 steaks, The Local is magnetic. The cut changes weekly, but the high-quality beef sourced by Gamekeepers stays the same. Recent examples include tri tip with parmesan mash and chimichurri, and rump cap with chive potato rosti. Throw in 20 beer taps and a fireplace, and call it paradise.

184 Carlisle Street, St Kilda East, thelocal.com.au

Mount Erica Hotel, Prahran
Tuesday, $20

After surviving a fire last July and all those lockdowns, it's great to see the Mount Erica doing its thing again. On Tuesdays, you can do your thing, with a nearly half-price special on their sirloin steak, served with bearnaise sauce and chips. There's a solid line-up of tinnies, including gluten-free brews by Two Bays, plus every weeknight between 5pm and 6pm, half a dozen oysters and a glass of bubbles are yours for $20.

420 High Street, Prahran, mountericahotel.com.au

EAST

Union House, Richmond
Wednesday, $20

Heading to Swan Street for dinner isn't always a budget-friendly affair. But if you stick to a midweek visit to this slick-looking pub, you can easily get out of there with change from a $50. Steak night involves 250 grams of porterhouse plus chips, salad and pepper sauce, while in your glass might be wine from Unico Zelo or Dormilona, or a Bodriggy beer.

270 Swan Street, Richmond, unionhouse.com.au

The Skinny Dog, Kew
Tuesday, $20-$29

This must be one of the few steak nights around town where you're in control. Three different steaks are offered at a discount, from the $20 porterhouse or $25 rump to the $29 chef's cut, which changes weekly. All three come with a choice of salad or vegetables, chips or roast potatoes. Reliable, humble and all about its locals, is The Skinny Dog the platonic ideal of a pub?

155 High Street, Kew, skinnydoghotel.com.au

The Orrong Hotel, Armadale
Thursday, $24

This 150-year-old boozer was recently reborn thanks to new owners Matt Vero and Scott Connolly, who between them own pubs including the Marquis of Lorne. They understand the importance of a great steak night and anchor The Orrong's around a 250-gram rump cap from Wanderer, whose beef are fed both pasture and barley, leading to great marbling and full flavour. The weekly meat raffle is held on the same night. What are you waiting for?

709 High Street, Armadale, orronghotel.com

NORTH

Town Hall Hotel, Fitzroy
Wednesday, $20

You can have your steak and eat it too at this well-known food destination. Even on steak night, the beef is O'Connor and it's cooked over red gum for that beautiful char-grilled finish. Served in the classic steak frites style, with small copper pots of bearnaise or pepper sauce, and a crunchy slaw, this is one classy bargain.

166 Johnston Street, Fitzroy, fitzroytownhallhotel.com.au

The Woodlands Hotel, Coburg
Thursday, $20

Run by the same crew at The Rainbow in Fitzroy, on Thursday nights this enormous old pub offers more than just quirky decor. For a crisp $20 you can sit down to a 300-gram porterhouse with either chips and salad or mashed potatoes and sauteed broccoli. Six sauces are on offer, running from gravy to salsa verde. Choose your own adventure.

84-88 Sydney Road, Coburg, thewoodlands.com.au

Terminus, Fitzroy North
Tuesday, $19

Bargains can still be had even in this postcode: the Termy's porterhouse, chips and salad for less than a lobster is hard proof. Of course, if you want something a little fancier, you can also sneak out the back to Cinder, the high-flying steakhouse attached to the pub, where a Josper grill and dry-ageing cabinet will add a few digits to your bill, and a smile to your dial.

492 Queens Parade, Fitzroy North, terminus.com.au

Correction: An earlier version of this article listed The Woodlands Hotel's steak night as Wednesdays, this has since been updated.