Labour In Vain

Bar staff short changed me. Was first drink of the night. They were very smooth about it too. Be warned and watch how much cash you give them.

The good old Fitzroy is still here hidden among all the trendy places that have taken over.
I love love love LiV — it’s been a local since we moved to Fitzroy. A proper no nonsense pub with top quality beer and friendly staff.
There is no food but you can bring in from the pizza place around the corner or the amazing Blue Chills across the street.
There is music every Sunday, a pool table and rooftop.
Love this place.

Great rock’n’roll pub with a good selection of craft beers on tap. Also a (a little TOO loud) live music venue. There was a sausage sizzle on the roof but no vegetarian food options. Their door policy is the best: no bucks or hens nights or tour groups allowed entry. Win!

My fave pub in Melbourne. The Labour in Vain is a simple dive bar and ticks all the right boxes. Great selection of beer and cider on tap. Cheap prices. Pool table and cool tunes, played at a volume whereby you can still hold a conversation. Rooftop beer garden. Low key, relaxed atmosphere with no pub crawls allowed. Chips and nuts served over the bar in old school wooden bowls. No ridiculously large screens playing sports ²⁴⁄₇. Friendly bar staff. Lovely!
The ace up the Labour’s sleeve are the music residencies. Top notch musicians, roll-​up regularly and it’s totally free. We saw Charles Jenkins the other night and had a ball. As good as it gets, indeed.

Perfect grunge locals pub

The Labour is a sweet smallish pub with a big personality in the heart of shitsville Fitzroy. They show music on a pretty regular basis (though it’s not really the focus of the place) and they serve an excellent pint; they don’t fuck with food too much, so it doesn’t appeal to the wankerish ‘gastro’ crowd, and the place has great atmosphere because of these qualities.
The winner here is the amazing rooftop area, which possibly even doubles the floor space of the joint. They have a barbie that punters are welcome to fire up, lots of large tables and space for weekend afternoon boozy come down sessions or large-​scale catch ups.
If you like a beer served well and without an ounce of pretence, the Labour In Vain is as good as it gets (bar the Rose) in Fitzroy.

Yes, it’s another corner pub. Lots of beers, bags of crisps, smack dab in the middle of Brunswick.
This place is different.
Come inside. See the band? They’re usually quite good.
They’ve got some good beer on tap, wow. And it’s not gonna break the bank? Sweet.
Go upstairs in the back. Why? You’ll see. It’s a garden! Hidden, open air, and there’s even some benches in the sun. Wunderbar!
Don’t go too late cuz they won’t let you outside, the neighbors get fussy. But come by and enjoy the music and the lazy days.

The Labour in Vain. Says it all really. Good place to go after a hard day’s work to forget the fact that you probably have to go do the same tomorrow and the next day and the next and so on.
The Labour in Vain is a god honest pub — with good beer and musty smelling carpets. Being in the heart of Fitzroy they are used to trendy people walking through the door upon regular occasion and don’t snare at you if you order a cider with ice in it. But they really are still just a good ol’ pub and proud of it.
They often have live music crammed in the corner of the downstairs section of the bar, which has a really nice feel to it. If that isn’t your cup of tea then the rooftop beer garden is pretty good too. If that isn’t enough to entice you to indulge in a pint or two here — consider the fact that this pub has been around since 1856. They must be doing something right!

With a pub, bar, venue (or mix of all three) on every corner in Melbourne, it’s hard to find a good old fashioned down home drinking hole these days. A place that serves drinks, smiles when you order, and whose menu consists of bags of crisps or peanuts is a rarity. You feeling me? Then head to The Labour in Vain.
In the heart of Fitzroy, you have plenty of options, however «The Labour» knows what its good at and sticks to it. A range of good beer is on tap, including some punter favourites micro-​brewed in the next suburb, plus a mix of ‘beer worth serving’ available in bottles in the fridge.
Walk past the pinball machine and head upstairs and you’ll find a decent sized beer garden with a few share tables, some covered, some open air, plus heaters in the undercover section for those wanting fresh air in winter. You’ll catch a great view from here as you knock back a few pints before or after dinner. As I mentioned, there’s no kitchen, but my hazy memory recalls the barkeep saying it was cool to bring a take away pizza or two in if you wanted some grub.
Downstairs the bar hosts free live music a few nights of the week, and on afternoons on the weekends. The usual genre is a mix if Alt-​Country and Blues outfits, with many a Melbourne music icon stopping by for a stripped down set.
On a personal note, a group of friends and I headed here for my bucks afternoon after being told to leave our first destination after 10 minutes. (We had barely finished our first drink). The Labour was fantastic, and we repaid the hospitality by acting accordingly and pouring a small fortune over the bar. While I’m not going to recommend every rowdy bunch stop in here to cause havoc, (and if you are planning to head here with a large group, either make other plans or call ahead), we were treated with respect as we managed to drink away the afternoon in peace. Cheers guys, you made my day.

If it’s a nice day and you’re up Fitz way, do not make haste: get thee to the Labor rooftop.
No, really, if you wait then all the tables will be gone and you’ll have to find somewhere to sit downstairs, often fighting for space and air as a band jams it out.
Yes, the inside bar of the Labor can be a little bit of a clusterf**k come the weekend and sunny days, and it’s on the dingy side, but at least is does HAVE live bands and the roster is very decent — many iconic Melbourne songwriters have played this place. But the front bar be damned — if it’s rooftop drinking you’re after then the Labor has everything you need. A rooftop, and alcohol.
It used to be a rule that the rooftop closed after sundown for noise reasons, and the sign stating that rule is still up, but they seem to have relaxed on that front. So if it’s a nice night and you’re up Fitz way, do not make haste, etc.

If it’s a Sunday afternoon and you’re wondering where I am (you know you are) you’ll find me at the Labour.
This is a pubby kind of pub. Beer comes in jugs, food is unnecessary (unless if it’s a bag of salt n’ vinegar chips) and everyone is here to hit the hair of the dog. The band downstairs come sometimes be a little too loud, so seek refuge on the spectacular rooftop and nurse your hangover in the sun.
Ladies, word of warning: the toilets are pretty gross. But I think that just adds to the experience, no?
Grab your mates or a date and head to the Labour and discuss the meaning of life.

Great name for a pub. Oh how often after a long day have i felt like its all been in vain and the only thing that will make me feel better is a frosty brew.
Its one of the oldest pubs on the street and nothing to incredible to look at, but its quaint and interesting, abit like a dive bar in a pub. The thing i really like about this place is its upstairs semi covered roof area. It’s simple, with a few tables scattered about, but its outside, cool and sociable.
The selection of beer is pretty standard, and the closing tme varies but is never really later than 11.30. However, lock-​in seem to happen frequently. Also, ask for Ben, he will be your 6,8 Southern rocker, bearded BFG of a bartender