Since it was built in 1854, Hawthorn’s Beehive Hotel has been meaningful in many people’s lives, including Julien Moussi of Only Hospitality (Hotel Collingwood, Willim).

A Hawthorn local, his personal experiences at the pub were a key part of his decision to revive it. “My business partner Tony Pantano and I have been going there since we were just out of school,” Moussi tells Broadsheet. “It’s very nostalgic for us.”

Though it was still known colloquially as the Beehive, the venue has operated under different names and as different concepts for the last 15 years (most recently, it was Italian restaurant Serafina). Moussi and Pantano have now restored the original name and aesthetic of the pub, which officially reopens today.

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“We haven’t tried to make it feel shiny and new,” says Moussi. “The whole fit-out was about paring things back to the original.”

The exterior, formerly blue, is now the same cream colour Moussi remembers from when he used to visit, and the old pink terrazzo floors have been refurbished. The interiors have been enhanced with heritage tiles, custom furniture and yellow slumped glass windows, allowing light to add warmth to the space.

The venue is divided into the main dining room and the public bar, which are joined by a room that can be an extension of either space or a curtained-off private dining area. There’s also a courtyard with a retractable awning and heaters. The second level is currently being subleased but will eventually become function spaces.

The kitchen has a woodfired oven that will be used to grill spatchcock and lamb rump or bake house-made focaccia, which can be paired with sides like creamy whipped parmesan, chicken liver parfait or tuna crudo with red onion and Worcestershire dressing. There’ll also be pub classics like oysters, cheeseburgers and enoki mushroom tagliatelle.

Harrison Young from Milton Wine Shop has written the wine list, which includes wines aged for 10 or more years. There’s also Guinness, Peroni and a slate of local beers on tap. Punters can snag $5 pots Monday to Friday from 4pm to 6pm along with $8 wines and spirits and $15 Margaritas.

The Beehive Hotel
84 Barkers Road, Hawthorn
03 7052 9062

Hours:
Sun to Thur Midday to 11pm
Fri & Sat Midday to late

www.thebeehivehotel.com.au