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Why do we need pubs in 2023? You can drink, dine and socialise everywhere these days. Cafes serve wine. Restaurants do steak. The big games are on the screen at Federation Square. But somehow pubs remain essential.

When they do it right – such as the revamped Central Club Hotel – there’s nowhere else that offers the same appeal of our corner institutions. You might be a family group aged from nine to 90, a solo traveller communing with a pint and a parma, a bunch of mates debriefing a big week, even a nervous pair of first-daters: the pub sees you, welcomes you and wraps you in its embrace.

The Central Club’s liquor licence dates back to 1869. Publican Vincent Magrath has had the place since 2017 and reopened it a few months ago after a two-year renovation. What impresses most is the sensitive and respectful layering of old and new, a meaningful acknowledgement of all the different things a pub can mean.

Timbers reclaimed from the renovation have been honoured and reused: the original jarrah keg chute is now charcuterie boards; joists and flooring have been refashioned into tabletops.

In the olden days, upstairs accommodation was normal in pubs: Magrath has installed chic city studios with their own bathrooms. A grandfather clock that belonged to the previous owners, the Aidone brothers, keeps a watchful eye over the (soon to open) bar downstairs, alongside prized whisky bottles from Irish-born Magrath’s collection of single malts.

Proximity to Queen Victoria Market shows through in the fresh produce and in the frequent presence of traders. You don’t generally think about a parmigiana as a dish of fine provenance but there’s nothing like telling Luke, the chook guy, that you appreciate his big, juicy, well-crumbed chicken breast. The parma is a classic of the genre, ticking the ham, napoli and mozzarella boxes, getting the ratios right and the satisfaction rating skyrocketing.

Beyond the pub classics, the kitchen team is mostly Italian so it makes sense that head chef Alessandro Carestia crafts his own pasta and runs Pasta e Vino Wednesdays ($25 for pasta and a glass of wine).

I had the duck ravioli, which was beautifully al dente with rich, generous filling. The drizzle of burnt butter was gorgeous but the swirl of parmesan foam on top didn’t add much, especially as it settled into a cooling pool of faint cheesiness. It was a small misstep in a solid pub meal.

Modern pubs do drinks differently: when a friendly barkeep offers me a taste of the barbera they’ve just opened, we’re in my kind of front bar. It’s also great to see an extensive non-alcoholic range of beverages.

Add it all up and you have a pub that’s not just a nice place to visit, it’s also a living, breathing, beer-pouring argument for a genre.