10 Melbourne Event Venues Which Allow External Catering Teams

Many venues require you to use their in-house catering services.

You may LOVE the venue, but want to bring in your own external catering, such as if your guests are vegan, Jewish or Muslim, or if you just have a favourite caterer.

Here's 10 fantastic venues in Melbourne which allow you to bring in an external catering team in return for a minimum room hire fee.

Neon Parc Brunswick
This is Australia's largest commercial gallery space at 350 square metres. 

The converted contemporary warehouse - doesn't that long stretch just look made for an elevated catwalk! -  lets you bring in your own external caterer to feed up to 150 guests at a sit-down event or up to 300 at a cocktail party.

Minimum spend: $1,000 (daytime) $1,200 (night)

One Roof
Billed as a female-centric co-working space, consider this City Road, Southbank venue as a blank canvas space to loosen your wildest decorating ideas (ahem - see us for themed event decor props and accessories)! 

Bring in your own caterer, and book it for sit-down events of up to 100 guests or cocktail parties for up to 350.

Minimum spend: $1,300

[update: permanently closed]
Not New York's elevated, landscaped ex-railway 2.3km long walking path, but rather, an old denim factory in Fitzroy.

It has been renovated into a polished, light-filled minimalist function space that lets you bring in your own external catering team.

It seats up to 80 in the Showroom, and up to 100 for cocktails.

Minimum spend: $1,500 

Ellis Street Studio
One of South Yarra's newest and airiest warehouse venues with in-built roof trussing for lighting designs or easy ceiling installations, Ellis Street Studio lets you bring in your own catering team for a banquet event seating for up to 100 people, or for a cocktail party for up to 150 guests.

Minimum spend: $2,300 

Club Pandora
A massive renovation of the old Marquee Club makes this Dorcas Street nightclub the venue to book if you want some serious dancing.

Hire your favourite caterer for up to 200 cocktail guests if you're planning some serious glamour in the Gold Room, or for a cocktail party of up to 400 in the Red Room.

Minimum spend: Gold Room ($2,000), Red Room ($5,000) 

Spirit Station Pier
Originally the thriving 1930s Port Melbourne pier kiosk, if you're planning a beach theme event, this iconic yet contemporary styled venue offers you absolute waterfront views as well as external catering flexibility for up to 100 guests at a sit-down breakfast, lunch or dinner, or a cocktail party for up to 400 people.

Minimum spend $3,000

Cargo Hall
Located directly opposite the Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre, Cargo Hall offers 19th century industrial warehouse charm on the Yarra with all the latest modern AV technological gizmos you'll ever need PLUS the freedom to bring in your own caterer, for product launches and corporate events of up to 220 people for a sit-down party and up to 600 for a cocktail function.

Minimum spend $8,000 (day), $10,000 (night)

GG Restaurant & Bar
This contemporary, light-filled venue, with its plate glass windows is ideal for a garden theme event, offering a clear view of leafy Fitzroy Gardens across the street in East Melbourne.

It gives you the flexibility to hire the entire restaurant with your own catering team for up to 200 seated guests, or for 250 people at a cocktail party.
                      
Minimum spend for daytime events: $15,000 (price on application for night-time events)

Mural Hall
This gorgeous, National Trust-listed, Art Deco-style venue is a European style ballroom featuring eight massive murals.

It caters for some of the largest society black-tie parties and five-star corporate events, offering banquet tables for up to 550 guests and up to 900 at a cocktail party. And you can bring your own caterer, too.

Minimum spend for night-time events: $25,000

Glasshouse by The Big Group
We've saved the biggest venue space for last to show you what's possible!

Right in the heart of Olympic Park is the Hecker Guthrie-designed glass-walled function venue Glasshouse.

What's incredible is that a venue space of this size and calibre also lets you have external caterers. You can hire the entire contemporary space for banquet functions up to 500 guests, or cocktail parties for 1,000 people.

Minimum spend: $30,000.

Check out our range of unique themed decor & props to buy and keep forever