An article from today’s Sunday Mail laments the fact that pub meals are no longer cheap.

It seems that the days of a cheap steak, roast or parmagiana meal are gone and are instead replaced with $30 gourmet meals.

Some of my friends who rarely dine at fine dining restaurants often comment that they can’t afford a ’swish meal at a top restaurant’ because it’s too expensive yet quite often a steak meal will cost the same or have very little difference whether you’re ordering it at a pub, an American style steak chain restaurant or a fine dining restaurant. I’ve stopped going to pubs so often now becuase of this because I’d rather pay $33 at a top restaurant for an amazing steak with quiter, intimate surrounds and fine dining level service as opposed to a pub where it’s noisy and crowded with poker machines providing background music.

It’s a shame that pubs are losing touch with their target market such as students, families and people on a budget. When I lived in Melbourne it was common to see pubs displaying their daily special on a chalkboard outside such as: Steak night, roast night or pie night - all for $10 with a $2 pot of beer.

What are your thoughts? And where’s your favourite local pub to get a great cheap meal?

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