High St Hotel Launches in Prahran
A new era has begun for one of Prahran’s most recognisable corners, with the reopening of High St Hotel, a revitalised, community-driven local pub that promises to reclaim its place at the heart of the neighbourhood.
Leading the charge are hospitality duo Nic and Bianca Gordon, the former owners of Blue Tongue Wine Bar, who have joined forces with acclaimed Executive Chef Sebastian McQuarrie to create a venue that feels both fresh and deeply familiar.
Positioned to become Prahran’s new local, High St Hotel brings together exceptional hospitality, innovative cuisine and a genuine sense of community, offering something for everyone, from weekday locals grabbing a quick pint to weekend visitors settling in for the long haul.
After an extensive renovation, the once-tired corner pub has been transformed into a contemporary yet approachable multi-space venue designed to serve as a true hub for connection.
“Our vision is to reimagine a once iconic venue into a vibrant and multi space destination, catering for all that work, live and play in our community – and beyond our dynamic postcode,” says Nic Gordon. The couple’s design brief can be summed up as “Ralph Lauren meets Prahran”: British racing green walls, old-school pub charm and refined contemporary touches that never feel try-hard.
There’s a lively front bar for walk-ins and after-work drinks, a spacious dining room for longer lunches and dinners, and a vibrant beer garden that will double as Prahran’s new go-to destination for live sport. Adding an extra layer of warmth, Bianca’s mum lent her creative eye to the interiors, helping bring the venue’s family-led aesthetic to life.
In the kitchen, Sebastian McQuarrie has put serious thought into the food with a menu that blends elevated technique with the comforting pub classics people actually want to eat. Think whole rotisserie chicken or porchetta served with two sides, crab and prawn toast with XO mayo, deep-fried beef and mozzarella lasagne bites, and eye fillet steak frites finished with bone marrow butter or red wine jus. “Sebastian brings a stellar resume of culinary leadership across high-performing hospitality venues,” says Bianca Gordon. “His appointment signals a serious commitment to food quality, consistency, and an elevated yet approachable dining experience.”
Sport has always been part of the High Street Hotel’s DNA, and the Gordons have leaned all the way in. A 3.5m x 2.5m superscreen dominates the beer garden, backed up by five more large screens throughout the venue, guaranteeing you’ll never miss a moment of the action. The mix of seating and standing room creates an electric yet relaxed match-day atmosphere where strangers become mates by full-time.
At its core, High St Hotel is built on family values and local pride. The venue manager and assistant venue manager are Nic’s nephew and cousin, embedding genuine trust and togetherness into daily operations. That same spirit extends outward: the pub will launch a $10,000 annual community grant for local sporting clubs, putting money directly back into the grassroots teams that keep Prahran’s sporting heart beating.
With its warm, relaxed and friendly tone, High St Hotel blends old-fashioned pub values with the expectations of a modern inner-city crowd. There are plenty of places in Melbourne doing “elevated” pub food and plenty doing big-screen sport, but few manage to nail both while still feeling like the kind of joint you could wander into with the crew, or alone and leave with new friends.
In a suburb that already has no shortage of drinking options, the Gordons and McQuarrie have created something that feels distinctly like home, proving there’s nothing else like it in the city right now. Now that the doors have finally swung open, Prahran’s most famous corner has the local it deserves.