Where - 191 Grattan St, Carlton

Price - $23

Website - https://www.princealfred.com

Reviewers – Lee & Nikki

UPDATE 09/08/19 - WE GAVE PA’s A SHOT AT REDEMPTION! CHECK OUT HOW IT FARED HERE.

I lost sleep last night. Tossing and turning trying to work out the best way to write this review. A little bleary-eyed this morning, but the best way I think I can present it is to go in with an attitude of full disclosure from the get go.

This is going to be a little spoiler-y for the rest of the review, but last night, after the (fantastic and super friendly staff) saw the state in which our parma was presented and how much we had left of the plate as we were about to leave, they refunded our money on the spot - An unprecedented move, in over 336 parma reviews over the last 8 years we have never been refunded - A classy move and it really showed that the staff at the Alfred cared that we had a sub-par experience.

Which is why it pains me so much that I am sitting here writing this review right now, as I know it's not gonna go well and I really don't want to give them a bad review.

Anyway, lets start at the beginning. Back in 2011 we first visited the Alfred, and to be honest it was a bit of a dive. Well, dive is probably too strong of a word - It was the quintessential Uni pub. Pool tables, TV's, Barry machines ... sure it was a little dirty and the floors were tad sticky, but Uni students don't care about that. It was a little pub with great bones and a good heart. I was there a few times around 2011 as shortly after our review I tied the knot around the corner - In fact the Alfred is the pub at which I had my first drink as a married man (I think it was a Jäeger bomb ... Like I said, Uni pub).

Then it closed. Boarded up for quite a while as a new pub group took over and got to work fixing the place up. So, naturally when I heard that they had re-opened mid February (a month to the day from when we reviewed the parma) I made it a priority to head over and see how the old girl had scrubbed up.