Neighbourhood pubs are the cornerstone of any suburb. They’re not always destinations – you’re probably not travelling across town to grab a stool at the bar – but they’re comfortable, familiar and layered with history and character. A pint off the wood at a long-standing local is unbeatable – whether it’s your neighbourhood stalwart, an after-work spot a few streets back from the office or a hot tip from a friend who lives nearby. Here are a few of our favourites.

The Park Hotel, Abbotsford

The Park Hotel is your classic neighbourhood haunt. It’s been around since the 1860s, when the gold rush brought a population boom to working class Abbotsford. Its warren of rooms has been sensitively restored, with plenty of preserved features – including the original wood panelling and polished timber floors – to remind you of its history. There’s a fireplace or two for the winter, and a sunny beer garden for you and the dog come summertime. And, being from the team that brought us The Royston in Richmond (another neighbourhood gem), you’ll find a great menu that weaves pub favourites with more inventive fare. The vintage Guinness tap is a lovely touch, too.

The Great Northern, Carlton North

The Great Northern definitely feels like a pub from another time. Proudly perched on its corner, those double-wide Carlton North avenues stretching away to the north and south, it appears from outside like exactly the sort of place where an entire neighbourhood might congregate at the end of a long day. And that’s pretty much the case; the idiosyncratic interior is often bulging with locals looking for a beer and a pub feed after work. It shows everything from AFL and rugby to basketball and UFC on its many screens, but they don’t dampen the cosy atmosphere inside the historical hotel or its sprawling beer garden. The Great Northern is a pro-dog pub, too (check out the photo wall of Great Northern dogs), so you and pooch can reflect on the work day together.

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Buck Mulligan’s, Northcote

This one’s not strictly a pub, but set foot inside Buck Mulligan’s for one second and you’ll see why it makes the list. Truthfully, the cosy High Street spot is an Irish whiskey bar and bookstore – the shelves are crammed with Irish literary classics (the place is named for a character from James Joyce’s Ulysses, if that’s any indication). The small food menu is all black pudding, pork pies and cheese toasties. And yes, you’ll find a wide range of Irish whiskies but, when the clock strikes five, we’re just as likely to settle in with a pint and a good book.

Antique Bar, Elsternwick

The Irish seem to have nailed the art of post-work wind-downs. This Irish watering hole in Elsternwick is another welcoming bar with a pub-like atmosphere, filled with bookshelves and fireplaces. With its red-brick walls, timber floors and soft vintage furnishings, Antique Bar gives the impression you’ve been invited into your eccentric neighbour’s lounge. It’s an ideal environment for kicking back with a cheese board (with Irish cheddar, of course) and a pint of the good stuff.

Mona Castle Hotel, Seddon

We always want our neighbourhood pubs to stay the same, but change inevitably comes. For Seddon’s Mona Castle Hotel, change has been more of a gentle evolution; the recently revamped corner pub is, thankfully, as local-friendly as ever. Everything about Mona Castle exudes casual charm, from the seriously good dim sims (best in Melbourne?) to the weekly raffles and enduring love for those sons (and daughters) of the west, the Western Bulldogs. Stake yourself a spot at the horseshoe bar with the after-work crowd and you’re laughing.

This article is produced by Broadsheet in partnership with Guinness.