The Union Club Hotel in Fitzroy is one of those nouveau retro pubs that seem to be popping up throughout the hipster inner suburbs. Its like The God of Pubs decreed that to have a pub looked lived in, give it lots of op shop purchased furniture & a grungy-esque feel will create success. And it looks like its worked. A pub crawl in Collingwood, Fitzroy & North Fitzroy could see you come up on a half dozen similar pubs, all with that retro charm & an un-manufactured sense of cool. They have a quick & tasty kitchen, with pub grub that fits the dcor, non mainstream but cool & good value. They have a big beer garden, downstairs stays in with the retro nonchalant theme but the rooftop courtyard looks a little cleaner & fresher. Perhaps theyre trying to get a gig for functions for the ever expanding local SMBs. One area of disappointment is the range of beers on tap. For a pub of its ilk there is a clear absence of boutique brews on tap. No fat yak, no mountain goat or little creatures, coopers is about as boutique as you get you see my point! A side note, despite not having a manufactured kid friendliness about it (i.e. no playground, no kids rides etc) but when I went there were lots of parents with children.