“Let’s meet at the pub” leaves a surprisingly useful question: what sort of gathering do you have in mind? A meal with relatives, time around a brewery taproom and a rooftop catch-up can all sit under the idea of the local.
Maroondah’s pubs help explain how that choice developed. The present-day map connects an old roadside stopping place with suburban hotels, breweries and a shopping-centre venue.
Header photograph: Eastland Town Square, Ringwood. MX, July 2026.
Which Maroondah pubs suit the kind of gathering I am planning?
The Coach connects the guide to Ringwood’s early hotel history. Dorset Gardens and Castello’s Croydon Hotel belong to the later suburban-hotel story. Their roles grew around combinations of food, meetings and entertainment, rather than one identical pub experience.
Hard Road Brewing in Bayswater and 8 Track Brewery in Ringwood take the social gathering into brewery settings. The Suburban at Eastland places its public bar, dining and rooftop within a shopping and entertainment precinct. Those differences provide real starting points when deciding where to meet.
For a group meal, investigate the hotel’s dining and booking arrangements. For a brewery setting, start with Hard Road or 8 Track. For an Eastland meeting, look at The Suburban. Confirm the current space, menu and availability with the venue. The history below explains why the local now takes so many forms.
Why the pub became more than a place for a drink
Australia’s early inns and public houses carried British and Irish traditions into a very different setting. They provided accommodation, food and drink, but their practical importance was wider: they were places where travellers stopped, residents met, news circulated and community business was conducted.
Melbourne’s hotels became centres for food, leisure, entertainment and meetings. Their history was never wholly welcoming or harmless. Public bars were long shaped by male drinking culture, and alcohol-related harm, exclusion and temperance campaigns are also part of the record. The familiar Australian “local” grew from that complicated history, then kept changing with licensing laws, transport, suburban growth and social expectations.
The early roadside local
Maroondah’s heritage study records an inn on the Coach and Horses site from the 1850s. A stopping place was established in the 1870s as coach traffic moved between Melbourne and Lilydale. Hotels along Whitehorse Road offered travellers accommodation and became gathering places for amusement, leisure and meetings.
The post-war suburban local
As travel became faster and suburbs expanded, the model changed. Dorset Gardens opened in 1967 and the new Croydon Hotel in 1970. These larger complexes combined bars with restaurants, private function rooms and, in some cases, motel accommodation.
The Coach carries the oldest thread
The strongest connection between the present guide and Maroondah’s early hotel history is The Coach in Ringwood. Council’s heritage study traces an inn on the site to the 1850s and a Coach and Horses stopping place to the 1870s. The earlier hotel burned down in 1907 and was replaced with a brick building. The present Coach and Horses Hotel was built opposite in 1939.
The name still recalls the road and coach era, but the current venue describes itself as a family pub with dining, sport, functions and community grants. That shift is the larger Maroondah story in one place: a travelling stop became a suburban social destination.
What the current map shows
Five traditional hotels still anchor the guide: Bayswater Hotel, Castello’s Croydon Hotel, Dorset Gardens Hotel, Manhattan Hotel and The Coach. Their official sites emphasise combinations of dining, sport, functions, entertainment, accommodation and spaces for family or group gatherings.
Two brewpubs show how the local has moved into a newer setting. Hard Road Brewing occupies Bayswater’s industrial area and makes its beer on site. 8 Track Brewery operates a small-batch brewery and taproom in Ringwood near Heatherdale station. Both use events and functions to build the social side of the venue around the brewery itself.
The Suburban at Eastland openly calls itself a “new local”. Its public bar, restaurant, rooftop and live music sit inside a major shopping and entertainment precinct rather than on a historic roadside hotel site. The format is different, but the social promise is recognisable.
Five strong public-rating signals
Google ratings recorded 22 September 2026. Minimum 100 reviews; ordered by rating, then review count.
- Hard Road Brewing, Bayswater: 4.9 stars from 641 Google reviews
- 8 Track Brewery, Ringwood: 4.8 stars from 244 Google reviews
- Manhattan Hotel, Ringwood: 4.2 stars from 2,725 Google reviews
- The Suburban Rooftop & Dining, Ringwood: 4.2 stars from 1,208 Google reviews
- Bayswater Hotel, Bayswater: 4.1 stars from 1,950 Google reviews
These figures are public rating signals, not MX awards. They cannot compare the role each venue plays, the kind of visit someone wants, value, accessibility, menu range, family needs or the experience of a long-standing regular. Ratings also change, which is why the checked date matters.
Is there a pub at Eastland?
The Suburban is the Eastland venue included in this guide. Its public bar, dining and rooftop give you a named starting point for a catch-up within the centre. Check which space is available and the current dining or booking arrangements for the day you have in mind.
Explore this guide on the map
Choose a suburb or search for a business. Select a pin for its address and directions.
Use the business listings below if the map does not load.
Check current details and visiting arrangements with the business.
Mapped businesses
- Hard Road Brewing, Bayswater
- Bayswater Hotel, Bayswater
- 8 Track Brewery, Ringwood
- The Coach, Ringwood
- Manhattan Hotel, Ringwood
- Dorset Gardens Hotel, Croydon
- The Suburban Rooftop & Dining, Ringwood
- Castello's Croydon Hotel, Croydon
The current Maroondah pub directory
Select a venue name to open its Google location. Each official website is also linked so readers can check current menus, opening hours, events, bookings and access before visiting. Links open in a new tab.
Jump to: Bayswater · Croydon · Ringwood
Bayswater · 2
- Bayswater Hotel (Pub)
780 Mountain Hwy, Bayswater VIC 3153 · Website or ordering page - Hard Road Brewing (Brewpub)
31 Holloway Dr, Bayswater VIC 3153 · Website or ordering page
Croydon · 2
- Castello's Croydon Hotel (Bistro)
47 Maroondah Hwy, Croydon VIC 3136 · Website or ordering page - Dorset Gardens Hotel (Pub)
335 Dorset Rd, Croydon VIC 3136 · Website or ordering page
Ringwood · 4
- 8 Track Brewery (Brewpub)
8 Yallourn Parade, Ringwood VIC 3134 · Website or ordering page
✓ Dog-friendly: outdoor access (Google attribute recorded 2026-09-22) - Manhattan Hotel (Pub)
Heatherdale Road &, Canterbury Rd, Ringwood VIC 3134 · Website or ordering page - The Coach (Pub)
33 Maroondah Hwy, Ringwood VIC 3134 · Website or ordering page - The Suburban Rooftop & Dining (Restaurant)
Town Square Eastland, Shop R10/171/173 Maroondah Hwy, Ringwood VIC 3134 · Website or ordering page
✓ Dog-friendly: outdoor access (Google attribute recorded 2026-09-22)
Explore more local food stories in the MX Food and Drink guide.
Editorial updated 3 October 2026. Directory, menu and rating details retain their stated source dates; please check current details with the business.
Planning to bring your dog? Please check current dog access and any conditions with the venue or organiser before you go. A missing tick means we have no applicable positive evidence, not that dogs are prohibited.