About This Guide
A proper pub steak in Victoria is more than a meal — it's a ritual. Geelong has a strong tradition of mid-week steak nights, and a good one delivers a quality cut, chips, salad and sauce for a price that respects your wallet. This guide covers only verified deals — prices and nights confirmed via venue websites, eatdrinkcheap.com.au, Tripadvisor, and direct research. If we can't verify it, we don't list it.
One thing stands out: Wednesday is Geelong's steak night. Three of the four venues below run their steak specials on Wednesday evenings, giving you genuine choice depending on which side of the city you're on. If you find a deal that's out of date or know of a great steak night we've missed, drop us a line.
Geelong Steak Night Specials at a Glance
| Venue | Night | Time | From |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elephant & Castle Hotel | Wednesday & Friday | from 5:30pm | $25 |
| The Cremorne Hotel | Every Wednesday | 5:30pm – 9:00pm | $25 |
| The Grovedale Hotel | Every Wednesday | 5:30pm – 8:30pm | from $25 |
| Barwon Heads Hotel | Every Thursday | 5:00pm – 9:00pm | $28 |
1. Elephant & Castle Hotel — Best Choice (Wed & Fri)
The Elephant & Castle runs steak nights twice a week — Wednesday and Friday from 5:30pm — which makes it the most accessible option in the Geelong CBD. And unusually for a pub steak night, there are three cuts to choose from: a 250g grass-fed rump for $25, a porterhouse for $30, and a grass-fed eye fillet for $36. That range gives you a genuine decision to make, rather than one take-it-or-leave-it cut.
The E&C has been a Geelong institution since 1891, and the beer garden on McKillop Street is one of the best in the city. Wednesday steak night flows straight into the crowd-favourite Thursday Jackpot Trivia (7pm), so regulars often do both nights back to back. Booking is recommended for dinner; walk-ins are welcome at the bar.
2. Barwon Heads Hotel — Best Coastal ($28 Thu)
If the Wednesday rush doesn't suit you, the Barwon Heads Hotel runs a Thursday steak night — $28 for a 300g char-grilled Black Angus porterhouse, served with golden fried chips, garden salad and your choice of sauce. The price is slightly higher than the city venues, but the setting earns the premium: a coastal pub at the mouth of the Barwon River, 18km from central Geelong on the Bellarine Peninsula.
The drive out is worth it. Barwon Heads is a small coastal village with serious charm, and a Thursday steak pairs naturally with a Wednesday parmi the night before (also available here, $24). For those staying the night, on-site accommodation is available. The pub spans four spaces — bistro dining room, cocktail lounge (Bridge Bar), sports bar, and function room — so there's room for any size group.
3. The Cremorne Hotel — Best on Pakington ($25 Wed)
The Cremorne Hotel on Pakington St has been running its Wednesday steak night ($25, 5:30pm–9pm) for years — it's one of those Geelong specials that quietly builds a loyal following. The deal is a 250g centre-cut Angus rump or porterhouse, served with chips, salad and your choice of sauce. Solid value on a mid-week night.
The Cremorne sits at the river end of Pakington Street, Newtown — one of Geelong's most-loved pub strips. The three-space layout (dining room, beer garden bar with TAB and Fox Sports, and function lounge) makes it flexible for any group size. The boutique beer selection is genuinely above average for a traditional local hotel. Wednesday steak nights fill up — calling ahead is wise.
4. The Grovedale Hotel — Best Atmosphere (Wed)
The Grovedale Hotel's Wednesday steak night serves grass-fed porterhouse in the Pioneer Kitchen dining room — the most atmospheric of the four venues on this list. The Grovedale is a genuine destination pub: three distinct spaces (Pioneer Kitchen, The Juke open-air garden bar, and The Members End sports bar), a bottle shop, and live music in The Juke every Friday and Saturday. Wednesday steak night is the calmer midweek version of a pub that truly comes alive on weekends.
Located at 236–258 Torquay Road in Grovedale, the pub has been operating since 1859 and was fully refurbished to its current three-space format. It draws from the Grovedale and Belmont communities, and is the closest of these four venues to the Surf Coast. Check the current steak pricing directly with the venue before visiting — pricing can be updated seasonally.
Wednesday Is Geelong's Steak Night
It's worth noting: three of the four venues above run their steak specials on Wednesdays. That's not a coincidence — mid-week Wednesday is the established steak night slot across Victorian pub culture, and Geelong has embraced it fully. If Wednesday works for your schedule, you have real choices:
If Thursday suits better, the Barwon Heads Hotel is the clear choice — a $28 Bellarine porterhouse with a coastal pub drive that makes the evening feel like a genuine occasion.
Plan Your Steak Week
Also Worth Knowing
A few more options if you're chasing steak in Geelong:
- Belmont Hotel — Monday steak night from 5:30pm. Rooftop beer garden, art-deco pub. Confirm current pricing with the venue as it changes seasonally.
- Sawyers Arms Tavern (Newtown) — The upstairs restaurant Eileen's is one of Geelong's best steakhouses. Not a pub special, but worth knowing if you're on Pakington St and want a premium cut in a proper dining setting.
- Barwon Club Hotel (South Geelong) — No dedicated steak night, but the Monday $22 parmi and weekend live music events make it worth the trip for other reasons.