The Fitzroy Pinnacle To Reopen With an All-Star Team

Fans of The Fitzroy Pinnacle can breathe a sigh of relief. The pub, on the corner of St Georges Road and Taplin Street in Fitzroy North, announced its closure on Thursday January 15, with the last day of service due for Saturday January 31. But the venue will reopen on Wednesday February 18, with a new team and only a slightly new look.

Michael Bascetta – who co-founded Bar Liberty (a business he exited in 2023), is a former co-owner of Falco and Capitano and current co-owner of Reed House – purchased the pub in November. He got the keys on Monday February 2, dropped Fitzroy from the name, and has started work on a minimal revamp. 

The walls will get a fresh coat of paint and the old timber floors a good polish, but Bascetta says he’s conscious of not making the venue feel “too shiny”. There’ll be bookable tables in the dining room; bar tables in the front for walk-ins; the courtyard, which previously had an area for smokers, will be flipped into a food-and-drink-only space; and there’ll be more street-side tables. The pool table is staying, but the live music stage will be removed (though there’ll still be some live music in the beer garden).

Joining Bascetta are chef Scott Eddington of Arnold’s and venue manager Jaime McDonnell, formerly of Reed House. “We wanted to create something that was a really straight-down-the-line pub in all senses of the word,” Bascetta says. Eddington, a partner in the business, has developed a classic pub menu for the space. There’ll be weekly specials such as $25 pot-and-parma nights on Mondays, $28 steak nights on Wednesdays, and $35 Sunday roasts. “It’s not a bells and whistles pub menu. It’s really down to earth and something that my parents can come into and enjoy and understand and not find too daunting.” 

That thinking continues in the wine and beer offering. There’ll be Carlton Draught on tap, Guinness, plenty of craft beers, and “one crazy beer” – a wild-fermented brew from Two Metre Tall in Tasmania. 

The Pinnacle at 251 St Georges Road, Fitzroy North will reopen on Wednesday February 18.

thepinnacle.melbourne