Birthday Party Venues in Melbourne's Inner North

Choosing the Right Birthday Party Venue

Brunswick, Fitzroy, Collingwood, Northcote and Carlton each bring a different kind of birthday to the inner north – a warehouse club with a late licence in one, a midnight-blue dining room for 30 in another. Narrowing it down suburb by suburb:

Brunswick: Rubix Warehouse on Phoenix Street hires its whole club for up to 300, while Rooftop Bar @ The Cornish Arms gives a pub party a roof that closes over when it rains.
Fitzroy: a private-bookings-only space at 386-388 Brunswick Street, The Wolfhound, plus The Bowery Room @ Builders Arms Hotel, a restored room in a Gertrude Street pub dating from 1853, and in the same pub Private Dining Room @ Builders Arms Hotel, one long table for 20 with a vinyl library.
Collingwood: Cellar Bar @ Grace Darling Hotel on Smith Street is a bluestone cellar for up to 60, and Hotel Collingwood at 376 Smith Street has Bobby's Upstairs, a private room with a cocktail bar for up to 100 standing.
Northcote: High Street's Northcote Social Club offers a pair of covered decks and a small room of leather booths, the Old Bottleshop.
Carlton: Private Dining Room @ The Lincoln on Queensberry Street seats up to 30 for a share-style set menu, while Prince Alfred Carlton on Grattan Street hires out its upstairs level, with a private rooftop, dance floor and DJ booth, for 250.

Ages matter here. The Grace Darling and Northcote Social Club don't host 18th or 21st birthdays, so for those milestones check with the other venues when you enquire.

Rubix Warehouse comes with club-grade sound, DJ gear, LED visuals and a stage; weeknight hire carries a $3,600 minimum spend at the bar plus a hire fee, and outside drinks aren't permitted.
At The Wolfhound, the Main Room fits 120 beside a fireplace with space for a DJ or band, the courtyard seats about 50 and the upstairs Gallery holds 80 behind its own door – in-house grazing comes from $20 per person.
On the Cornish Arms roof, night-time parties of roughly 65 to 75 get the end facing the street, and on weekday daytimes the entire roof can be booked for 150, with food spends from $25 per person.
At Northcote Social Club each deck fits 50, and a platter-style party there begins from $25 per person for six canapés once the group reaches 20.

Quieter dinners and smaller rooms

The Lincoln's private room runs a lunch sitting or a dinner sitting with exclusive use, and guests can carry on at the pub's bar afterwards; a $2,500 minimum spend applies.
The Bowery Room sets one long table for 24, a seated dinner for 60 or a stand-up party for 100, with catering shaped around the group and budget; its smaller sibling, the Private Dining Room, seats 20 and has a vintage record player so the birthday table picks the soundtrack.
The Grace Darling's cellar seats 30 under candlelight with a sound system for your own playlist, from $2,000 minimum spend between Sunday and Thursday.
Mixed diets are well covered: there is a whole vegan menu at the Cornish Arms, where the tap beers are vegan too, and The Wolfhound's grazing table comes in gluten free and vegan versions.

Common Questions About Venues for Birthday Parties

Which inner north venues will host an 18th or 21st?

Cellar Bar @ Grace Darling Hotel and Northcote Social Club both say they don't take 18th to 21st birthdays. Ask The Wolfhound, Rubix Warehouse, Prince Alfred Carlton, Hotel Collingwood or the Cornish Arms directly – The Wolfhound, Rubix Warehouse and Prince Alfred Carlton have dance floors and DJ set-ups.

Where can a vegan-heavy birthday group eat properly?

Head to Rooftop Bar @ The Cornish Arms in Brunswick – its kitchen cooks an entirely vegan menu as well as the standard one, and all the tap beer is vegan.

Can we bring our own caterer?

At The Wolfhound you can hire in a caterer of your choice or do the food yourselves. Rubix Warehouse lists drinks packages rather than catering and doesn't allow outside drinks, so ask them how food works. At Builders Arms Hotel, food for the Private Dining Room comes from the pub's own kitchen, shaped to the group and its budget.

What's a lower-cost way to throw a birthday in the inner north?

Grazing at The Wolfhound starts from $20 per person, while the Cornish Arms charges no room hire and Northcote Social Club's canapés start from $25 per person.

Birthday Party Venues in Inner North

Inner North Birthday Party Venues, Compared