O'Connell's occupies a building on the corner of Montague and Coventry streets that's been part of South Melbourne's drinking history since the 1870s, named after Irish political leader Daniel O'Connell. Through the 1990s it built a reputation as one of Melbourne's first gastropubs, with chefs including Greg Malouf and Adrian Richardson putting a modern, Middle Eastern-leaning stamp on pub food long before that was common. After a period of change, the venue was taken over and refurbished by the team behind Prahran's Flying Duck Hotel, with Melbourne designer Fiona Drago overseeing a refit that leans into tan walls, maroon counters and timber booths rather than stripping the heritage character out. Original 1870s architectural drawings and other memorabilia pulled from the pub's old cellar now hang on the walls, a nod to the building's long run as a local landmark. The kitchen cooks most mains on a Josper oven, with a menu that leans into seafood, native bush ingredients and wood-fired technique — think grilled prawns with bush tomato and macadamia, or a rib-eye off the grill — alongside a cocktail list that includes the Silk Road Martini, a reference to the pub's Malouf-era Middle Eastern period. There's a public front bar for a casual pint, a 48-seat dining room for a proper sit-down meal, a 75-seat all-seasons terrace on Clarendon Street for something more relaxed, and three private dining rooms for bigger groups or functions. It's the kind of corner pub that works equally well for a quick beer after work, a long lunch, or a booked-out private event, and its location on a quieter stretch of South Melbourne means the outdoor tables stay a comfortable spot to watch the street go by rather than compete with foot traffic.