We love a classic pub special, because the only thing better than a great parma or steak is getting it for a few bucks less than normal. But this edition of Specials board is dedicated to less common but just as delicious pub specials that cost less than $30.

$25 chicken night at the Builders Arms Hotel

Forget taco Tuesday. At the Builders Arms, front-running chef-restaurateur Andrew McConnell’s Gertrude Street pub, Tuesdays are all about free-range charcoal chicken. From 5pm, they’re cooked on the rotisserie and served by the half with seasonal sides (currently pommes puree and mushroom sauce) for the bargain price of $25. Every week, the chook special is paired with a wine special, available by glass or bottle.

211 Gertrude Street, Fitzroy, buildersarmshotel.com.au

$20 snags and wine at Springrock Public Bar

From the team behind barbecue restaurant Fancy Hank’s and rooftop bar Good Heavens, newly opened neighbour Springrock is helping up the CBD’s pub game. And like any pub worth its weight, it has a plethora of weekly specials worth marking in your diary. On Mondays, 20 bucks gets you a grilled, coiled pork sausage with a hot honey glaze and a side of classic coleslaw, plus a glass of red, white or bubbles.

87 Bourke Street, Melbourne, springrock.com.au

$25 club sandwich at the Sporting Club Hotel

There’s one very good reason to take a weekday lunch break at Brunswick’s Sporting Club Hotel: a top-tier, three-tiered club sandwich (with chips) only on offer from noon to 4pm during the working week. Three slices of white bread are toasted and generously buttered then hit with chunks of chicken, crispy bacon, mayo-tossed lettuce and tomato.

27 Weston Street, Brunswick, sportingclubhotel.au

$24-$52 charcoal chicken night at the Prince Public Bar

Yes, this is the second charcoal chicken night on this list, but it’s one for the baysiders. Every Tuesday, longstanding St Kilda boozer the Prince is flame-grilling juicy chooks and selling them by the quarter ($24 with one side), half ($32 with one side) and whole ($52 with two sides, ideal for sharing) with the ultimate accompaniment: glossy gravy.

29 Fitzroy Street, St Kilda, theprince.com.au

Various specials at Izakaya by Tamura

Tamura Sake Bar’s sprawling Japanese-style pub Izakaya by Tamura – also in Fitzroy – has different specials to lure you every night of the week. Love yakitori? Skewers are two for one on Mondays. How about fried chicken? It’s a buck apiece on Wednesdays with a beer. For the soba fans, bowls of noodles are $10 on Fridays from 9pm.

343 Smith Street, Fitzroy, izakayabytamura.com

$23-$25 laksa at Molly Rose Brewing

Not only does Molly Rose make some of the most interesting beers in town, but its Collingwood brewpub has a cracking menu that takes inspiration from across Asia. On Thursday nights, you’ll find most punters hunched over steaming, sizeable bowls of Singaporean-style laksa. There are two options: seafood ($25) or vegan ($23).

279/285 Wellington Street, Collingwood, mollyrosebrewing.com

$27-$29 Sunday roast at The Lion and Wombat

The beauty of British pub culture was the driving force behind The Lion and Wombat, which opened in St Kilda last year. Your choice of excellent Sunday roasts are threefold: beef ($29), chicken ($27) or nut ($27) – and each comes with a plump Yorkshire pudding, roast potatoes, carrots, peas and a substantial pot of gravy.

107 Grey Street, St Kilda, lionandwombat.com.au

$22 curry night at the Paradise Valley Hotel

What’s better than the view at this idyllic pub, overlooking rolling hills (and, sometimes Puffing Billy) in Clematis? The specials board. As well as all the usual suspects, the crew – which also has The Recreation in Fitzroy North – runs a Wednesday curry night. It is rotated regularly, but you might find an aromatic, vegie-packed Thai red curry.

249 Belgrave-Gembrook Road, Clematis, paradisevalleyhotel.com

$20 lasagne night at the Railway Hotel

Part of the furniture on Nicholson Street, and still with all its old-school charm intact, the Railway has long been a ride-or-die for northsiders. Its Wednesday lasagne night is just another thing to love. From 5pm to 9pm, fork out $20 and stick your fork into a cheesy, meaty slab of lazza with a side salad. And you get a glass of house vino, too.

800 Nicholson Street, Fitzroy North, railwayhotelfitzroy.com.au

$20 mains at the Auburn Hotel

After a $4.3 million reno, Hawthorn’s 135-year-old Auburn Hotel has entered a new era, expanding into the site next door and re-emerging with a fresh-faced offering for locals. If you want to save a few bucks, Monday is the day to visit. From midday to 9pm, all counter meals – from chicken parmas to wagyu burgers to lamb pies – are $20 a pop.

85 Auburn Road, Hawthorn East, theauburnhotel.com.au

$22 pie night at the Prince Alfred Hotel

The PA is a Richmond mainstay that knows how to draw a crowd, whether watching the footy, sinking pints in the beer garden or both. On Wednesday pie night, you’ve got a choice between lamb or lentils, encased in flaky, buttery pastry and accompanied by mash, peas and gravy, for $22.

619 Church Street, Richmond, princealfredhotel.com.au

$18 pizzas at the Hardimans Hotel

Finding a pizza that costs less than $20 is harder than you might think in this economy. Unless it’s Monday at Kensington’s Hardimans Hotel – a beacon on Macaulay Road because of its ship-shaped design – where wood-fired pizzas are $18 all day. There’s a traditional margherita, a potato-chorizo number and more. Selected tinnies are $7.

521 Macaulay Road, Kensington, hardimans.com.au