Insignia bar - Melbourne Central - A Review

502 Flinders Street, 
Melbourne VIC 3000  
(03) 9629 7405

It was a Thursday night and raining heavily. Melbourne was showing what the locals refer to is the normal Melbournian weather. We have been wandering about for a good 30 minutes looking for a half-decent pub. My sister and her boyfriend were visiting from Christchurch in New Zealand. Christchurch very recently got destroyed by a huge earthquake so this was a much needed break for the both of them. 

Finally we stumbled on Insigina located right on the corner of Flinders st and King st. From the outside it does not look like much. An old semi-Victorian/Gothic looking building with its neon lighting, is all that pinpoints this place as a pub.

After walking through the giant front green doors you realise what a little gem this place is. The ceiling is almost 2 stories high giving you a sense of an awesome spaciousness. There are several very comfortable-looking couches and low level tables spread out around the perimeter of the floor. The lighting and decor is full of classic old furniture with groovy, mood-setting lighting. This place just felt really comfortable, a type of pub I would love to sit at all day. 

They had some interesting specialty made beers, like the Four Wives Pilsner for example. They also had some of your usual pub grub. We ordered a round of drinks, calamari, and dim sums. On top of that we also ordered a tapas dish which included spring rolls, more fried squid, chicken satay, chili sauce, and tartar sauce.

We waited for roughly 20 minutes for our food to arrive. Even for just ordinary pub grub, the food tasted better than I would normally expect for a typical bar. It all had just the right amount of crunchiness and juiciness. I think the cook at this pub doesn't stuff around and knows what he was doing. In terms of cost you can expect to pay 7-15$ a drink and 12 - 30$ for a meal.

Overall, I didn't really want to leave this bar but it was late and some of us had work in the morning! I can recommend this purely on atmosphere. However they also offer decent food and good beer, which for me hits all the right buttons. 

Atmosphere & Presentation: 8/10 stars
Quality of Services: 8/10 stars

Quality of Drinks & Food: 7/10 stars
Value for Money: 6.5/10 stars

Overall Rating:  7.4/10 stars