The Humffray Street hotel, which is now run by the operators of the adjoining bottle shop, will retain a corner pub feel, new publican Dean Boyd said.

The pub has been repaired and repainted and also has a new chef, Mr Boyd said.

He said the reopened venue would play to the strengths of a traditional pub.

“No pokies, no TAB just cold beer, good service, good meals,” he said.

Mr Boyd and his wife, Kendall, have managed the drive-through bottle shop attached to the hotel for three years. 

Mrs Boyd said they planned to build up the reputation of the Queen’s Head the same way they had the bottle shop.

“When we took the bottle shop over it was just a little bottle shop just making ends meet - and in that three years we’ve turned that around and built up a really good reputation and that’s ideally what we’d like to do with the pub.”

Queen’s Head Hotel closed in October last year, with the former publican alleging a stoush with the hotel’s landlord. 

The venue opened under Mr and Mrs Boyd late last month.

The Humffray Street hotel was one of two historic pubs to close suddenly in Ballarat last year.

The Grapes Hotel ceased trading in December.