Get ready, the Hawthorn Hotel is back

A night out at the Hawthorn Hotel was a rite of passage for many Melbourne students.

Pool tables and pinball machines provided hours of entertainment, while an array of draft beers and classic pub fare fed the masses.

So it was like a nostalgic kick in the gut to hear that the Hawka was closing its doors. Well, that all changed thanks to a partnership between the Australian Venue Co and Swinburne University of Technology.

In exciting news, the venue has now returned to its former glory so its doors can reopen on June 22, 2021, albeit with some additional tweaks.

The ground floor will be operated by The Australian Venue Co, which currently has 150 venues across the country. There could be a brand new food court with a revamped beer garden, but the revamp of the venue also welcomes the return of Tightarse Tuesdays, with happy hour and late-night musical entertainment returning once restrictions relaxed.

Pub staples will remain on offer like chicken parma, fish and chips and burgers like The Hawthorn with double beef and bacon, with a few new additions as well. The list of affordable $15 cocktails will also include classics like the late-night study buddy Espresso Martini, Negroni, Margarita and Aperol Spritz. There will also be a daily happy hour, live music and sports, and a variety of pub specialties including Steak Night, Parma Night, Sunday Roast and more.

Swinburne will license the first floor of the venue, which will become a dedicated space for its alumni, industry partners, staff and students. It will transform into an event space that will also offer the community the ability to book weekend functions. There is still hope that the venue will continue to host 18th and 21st birthday parties as known in the past.

This Melbourne bar plants a tree every time you buy a cocktail.