New Northcote Brewhouse review: Burwood Brickworks’ pub welcome sight for dry-zone locals
Finger lickin’ good wings, locally-brewed beer and footy on the TV are just some drawcards of this new Burwood East pub.
Food
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“She’ll be right.”
Those were my famous last words when I visited New Northcote Brewhouse on a whim without a booking one Friday night.
Yes, yes, I know, it’s poor form from someone who should have known better. But when the cold beer and counter meal cravings kicked in on this balmy night, we bravely tried our luck as walk-ins.
Burwood Brickworks’ newest pub was abuzz with joyful, money-spending punters who sure didn’t look like leaving anytime soon — and why would they?
A packed venue is a lovely sight after the 12 months we’ve had, particularly for Burwood East folks who live around Melbourne’s last remaining dry areas.
So while they raised a glass to good times, we walked off into the sunset, tails between our legs and ate pizza on the couch that night. Don’t worry we’d be back, with a booking.
New Northcote is thriving after its nine-month hiatus over lockdown and subtle rebrand before reopening last December.
Before we begin, let’s iron out a few things.
You may ask why it’s called New Northcote, as Burwood East is a long way from Northcote in Melbourne’s hipster north?
Or why from December it was no longer called New Northcote Tavern, and now identifies as a brewhouse despite not making any beer on site?
New Northcote was actually the name of a brickery in Northcote in the 1930s.
The site later moved to Middleborough Rd, rebranded as Burwood Brickworks and now 80 odd years later the old brickery site has been given a $500 million makeover to become a housing estate and uber-sustainable shopping centre, known today as Burwood Brickworks. Up to speed? Great.
New Northcote owner Tyson Chambers — of Melbourne Food and Brew and also behind cafes Mister Mister in Windsor, Mister Sister in Malvern East and Norwood Cafe also at Burwood Brickworks — nods to New Northcote’s past in the name, while looking to its beer brewing future.
Chambers hopes to be making beer at the 225-seater later this year.
Until then, all sweet nectar flowing from New Northcote’s 11 taps come from Chambers’ Golden Hills Brewery in Diamond Creek, made by head brewer Steven Matthews.
Whether it’s a pineapple-packed tropical XPA, hop-heavy IPA or citrus-bomb ginger lime gose that takes your fancy, know there’s a dude food just waiting to be riding shotgun.
Like the Korean fried chicken wings ($16), all golden crisp and dripping in a sticky sweet chilli and sesame sauce, with juicy meat to suck right from the bone. A perfect way to start, or end, a night.
Pizza and beer is another no-brainer, especially when doubling down on the carbolicious mortadella pizza ($22).
Finely sliced spuds are spread across a cheesy mozzarella canvas, tickled with rosemary and shavings of the ever-popular deli meat of the moment. A delight from first to last bite, and a win for the white-sauce pizza lovers.
New Northcote is in between head chefs, which explains a few missteps in the kitchen, like an underdone burnt butter sauce robbing the baby barramundi of a rich nutty flavour, and there’s an unpleasant brown sugar grit to the otherwise refreshing brandy-soaked pineapple dessert. With that said, New Northcote isn’t out to be posh or pretentious with its food, drink or decor.
Instead it offers pub classics like chicken parma, steak and beer-battered fish and chips, alongside local beers and a rocking all-Aussie wine list, all under one (very tall) roof.
It’s a space you come to relax with mates, helped by a flat screen TV fixed to the wall and a pool table in close reach of the bar, neutral colour scheme and large retractable glass windows that’ll get a workout for the last of the warm weather.
New Northcote isn’t your typical sticky-carpet pub affair, but a place you’ll feel right at home thanks to friendly service, good beer and classic snacks.
Just don’t forget to book.
NEW NORTHCOTE BREWHOUSE
Where: 70 Middleborough Rd, Burwood East
Ph: 9399 9240
Open: Mon-Thu: 3.30-10pm, Fri-Sat: noon-1am, Sun: noon-10pm
Go-to dish: Mortadella pizza
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