![\"Exterior](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/zachary-griffith-the-southern-2-3-copy.jpg\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
The Southern replaced Belluci\u2019s in 2024. Photo: Zachary Griffith, Botanist Creative.<\/p>\n
With the welcoming feel of a country pub and a big-city atmosphere to match, The Southern strikes the right note in the heart of fast-growing Woden, and locals are flocking to be part of it.<\/p>\n
Opening their doors in late 2024, the new pub slipped into the imposing Irving Street premises that was home to Bellucci\u2019s for more than 20 years, and they have been going from strength to strength ever since.<\/p>\n
Some of that success may come down to continuity in ownership.<\/p>\n
While the makeover left few traces of the popular Italian restaurant, Frank Kochinos bridges the old and new, dropping the more formal restaurant setting to orchestrate a pub\u2019s greatest hits: good food, friendly service, a little sport and plenty of good times.<\/p>\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/the-southern-2-1200x800.png\")
<\/p>\n
The venue is anchored around a large central bar. Photo: Tenele Conway.<\/p>\n
Anchored by a central bar flanked by a mix of bistro, sports and open-air dining, the venue manages its spaces well, with partitioned sections that make it feel larger than it is.<\/p>\n
The clever layout also separates patrons with different interests, with sports lovers perched on high stools in front of big screens and families out back on picnic tables where little voices won\u2019t carry as far. Diners dotted throughout on low tables with the choice of QR code ordering or partaking in the time-honoured tradition of a trip to the bar.<\/p>\n
The QR code ordering is surprisingly fast, even with a full house, but a trip to the bar is worth it to be greeted by smiling faces keen to assist with drink selections, something that sadly isn\u2019t always a given in many venues these days.<\/p>\n
The menu straddles pub classics and more contemporary dishes nicely, ensuring that there\u2019s something for everyone, from extensive sharing plates to a large pizza menu, globally inspired mains and a good selection of desserts if you want to wrap up with something cheeky.<\/p>\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/the-southern-1-1200x800.png\")
<\/p>\n
The halloumi chips are next-level addictive. Photo: Martin Conway.<\/p>\n
On the Mt Rushmore of pub food, The Southern\u2019s halloumi chips with hot honey deserve a spot next to a parmi. Their intensely crunchy coating, gooey salty interior and drippy hot honey dip are next level on every level.<\/p>\n
The pulled pork tacos with their cheese-coated tortillas are a lesson in how far cheese can be browned before it\u2019s considered burnt. For me, this was a case of going a little too far, with the bitter notes overpowering the whole taco, but I appreciated the generous portion size for the price and the respect that, for many, deeply browned cheese can be nirvana.<\/p>\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/the-southern-1200x800.png\")
<\/p>\n
The pulled pork tacos are generous and aimed at lovers of darkly toasted cheese. Photo: Martin Conway.<\/p>\n
The parmi arrives like a golden UFO atop a bed of deliciously seasoned chips, its cratered surface showing the same commitment to toasted cheese as the taco, though the chicken\u2019s sweeter notes bring a little more balance.<\/p>\n
On the drinks front, the wines lean local, with drops from Eden Roads, Nick O\u2019Leary, Mada, Mount Majura Vineyard and Shaw Wines, alongside some national and international labels.<\/p>\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/the-southern-2-1-1200x800.png\")
<\/p>\n
The parmi is also committed to the deeply toasted cheese. Photo: Martin Conway.<\/p>\n
The extensive cocktail menu sees groups of women gathered around pretty numbers like strawberry and passionfruit mojitos, Aperol spritzes and mango margaritas. For a more pared-back cocktail, there\u2019s also whisky sour, negroni and a cosmo.<\/p>\n
As a footy match lets out from the nearby Phillip Oval, the venue is pumping despite the early hour. The convivial vibes are backed up by an upbeat 70s soundtrack, and with the lighting sitting somewhere between mood lighting and no lighting, I almost remember what it\u2019s like to be out of the house after 9 pm, half expecting Jimmy Barnes to belt out \u2018Khe Sanh\u2019 and a DJ to shout into the dim room last drinks at the bar.<\/p>\n
As we wrap up our dinner and make way for another round of patrons to dive into our place, I cast my eye back over the gathered crowds and am pleased that Canberra, no matter what anyone says about us, still knows how to do a pub.<\/p>\n