Brunswick East: Home of hospitality guru Maz Salt’s The Beast live music venue for sale
78-80 Lygon St, Brunswick East, home of hospitality and live music venue The Beast – and where the annual Melbourne Chilli Eating Championship is held. Inset picture: Jake Nowakowski.
A Brunswick East building home to iconic hospitality and live music venue The Beast is amping up for a $3.4m+ sale.
Located at 78-80 Lygon St, the bar, burgers and bands’ business was established more than a decade ago by Melbourne hospitality whiz Maz Salt, who is also behind the CBD’s Ferdydurke and Section 8.
Since 2012, The Beast has hosted more than 1000 free shows; including Mexican wrestlers, drag troupes and even Australia’s largest chilli eating championship.
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Commercial real estate agency Fitzroys’ Chris Kombi and Ervin Niyaz have the listing, comprising two double-storey shops on a single title.
Featuring multiple seating zones, a bar and commercial kitchen, dance floor, stage and rear laneway access, The Beast sits on a 373sq m site.
“It’s definitely iconic, it has been there for more than 10 years,” Mr Kombi said.
“I think everyone around the inner northwest knows the venue, but it has broader appeal and attracts people from all over.”
Mr Kombi said the owners were currently completing a major renovation which would see bars installed on both levels and the band room relocated upstairs.
78-80 Lygon St, Brunswick East, is located in the world’s sixth-coolest neighbourhood, according to Time Out.
Ryan feels the heat at the annual Melbourne Chilli Eating Championships 2024, held at The Beast in March. Picture: Jake Nowakowski.
Street art features on the venue’s walls and ceiling.
The building’s owner, a Melbourne-based investor, has decided to sell as they are “rejigging their property portfolio,” Mr Kombi added.
The Beast has a 10-year lease of the address, with options. It returns $185,657 a year plus GST, with fixed annual increases.
“Lygon St, Brunswick East, is one of Melbourne’s famous buzzing inner-north night-life
and lifestyle strips, and The Beast has been a mainstay contributor to the area’s vibrancy for
more than a decade,” Mr Kombi said.
In 2023, Time Out named the area as the world’s sixth-coolest neighbourhood.
“The Beast is probably in prime trading position in that street, it’s where a lot of people gather,” Mr Kombi said.
He said that in addition to being a savvy investment, 78-80 Lygon St’s land value would likely rise into the future.
The site is 373sq m in size, while the combined building area is 620sq m.
The Beast’s menu includes meals named Clint Beastwood, King Khan and Holy Cheezus.
According to Fitzroys’ recent Walk the Strip report, Lygon St in Brunswick East has a 3.7 per cent vacancy rate.
“The surging location has in recent years seen a number of residential towers completed in
the proximity, which has boosted the immediate catchment and trade,” Mr Niyaz said.
“The precinct is set to benefit from yet further planned high-density residential development in the area.”
Tram routes 1 and 6 stop directly outside The Beast, while 22,000 cars pass by daily.
Salt and his wife Catherine Duggan sold their Black Rock house, designed by famous Australian architect Robyn Boyd, for $2.95m in December last year.
Number 78-80 Lygon St, Brunswick East, will be auctioned at 2pm on December 5.
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