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What better way to get to know Melbourne than through its stomach. Across the city, local favourite eat streets buzz with chic wine bars, hatted fine diners, burger bars, dumpling dens, pizzerias and revamped pubs.
Roll in for brunch, fuel up before or after a show in the East End Theatre District, graze on a degustation, or grab a late-night snack with a well-mixed cocktail in hand.
Look up for rooftop bars, and past the street art for laneway secrets. You’ll discover Thai, Ethiopian, Cantonese, Italian, Greek, Israeli, French… the flavours are endless.
Our guide to gourmet Melbourne’s greatest hits
Feeling overwhelmed with choice? We hear you. To make it easy, we’ve compiled a list of culinary unmissables to help you plan your visit to Melbourne – from brunch to supper and beyond.
Gimlet
Cocktail bar
33 Russell Street, Melbourne 3000
The creation of star chef Andrew McConnell, Gimlet is both cocktail bar and dining room in one elegant package. Step inside the 1920s Cavendish House for a nostalgic hit of old-Europe glamour, sealed with a top-shelf martini and intimate dining above leafy streets. There’s oysters, seafood and wood-fired meats to share – caviar, too, if that’s how you roll.
Miss Katie’s Crab Shack
Southern
325 Smith Street, Fitzroy 3065
Location: Miss Katie’s Crab Shack, Melbourne, Victoria
Indulge in some good-old Southern-style feasting at Miss Katie’s easy-going crab house. Miss Katie serves up ‘darn good crabs’, ‘shack snacks’ and all kinds of Low Country goodness including oysters, fried chicken and a build-your-own Louisiana-style crab boil. Get your bib on and dive in.
Hazel
Modern farm-style
164 Flinders Lane, Melbourne 3000
This light-filled restaurant covers two floors of the historic Richard Allen & Sons building on Flinders Lane. Hazel is all about small-scale local producers and DIY – but leave your boots at the door: there’s no lack of elegance here. Tuck into house-made sourdough, charcuterie, fresh-curd cheese, ferments, meads and pickles, alongside some of Victoria’s best wood-grilled meat and fish.
Chibog
Filipino
553 Barkly Street, West Footscray 3012
Who doesn’t love a modern take on comfort food? Chibog’s Filipino dishes are just that: sizzling pork platters and a variety of delicately spiced dishes, bright with flavour, and served up in a contemporary space with banquette seating. Desserts dabble with a take on gelato, infused with coconut and pandan, banana leaf, or purple yam and blackberry, and cocktails are a flavourful match.
Gaea
Degustation
1/166 Gertrude Street, Fitzroy 3065
Having earned his cheffing stripes with some of Melbourne’s big names (Attica, Vue de Monde, The Press Club), chef Mo Zhou lets his experimental eye and love of foraging shine at this tiny 16-seater degustation restaurant. Prepare for an intimate and ever-changing six- to an eight-course menu filled with culinary inventiveness. A menu that’s deliberately coy with detail carries you along on the adventure.
Location: Manchester Press cafe, Melbourne, Victoria
Photo by Rebecca Newman / Visit Victoria
Poodle Bar & Bistro
European
81–83 Gertrude Street, Fitzroy 3065
Divinely art-deco Poodle is no ordinary pup. Pick a stool at the public bar or a seat in the intimate bistro to sup wet martinis, fancy prawn cocktails, spanner crab, snapper crudo or a juicy mortadella patio burger. The minimalist menu is classic but with a dash of creativity you’d expect from a kitchen with head chef Josh Fry (Marion, Cumulus Inc) at the pans.
Pinchy’s Co
Seafood, Vegan
Shop 101, 200 Bourke Street, Melbourne 3000
Lobster rolls, Champagne and Chablis. Pinchy’s is onto a winning combination in our book. This Spanish-influenced self-styled ‘seaside’ oasis in the city loads up the fun on the balcony and in the pretty-in-pink dining room. Bite-sized morsels and sustainable seafood are the main deal here, but vegans are treated to a delish plant-based menu of their own.
Bodega Underground
Mexican
55 Little Bourke Street, Melbourne 3000
Make it Mexican up late at this taco-loving bodega in the city. Black beans, pork, fish, chorizo, sweet potato – everything’s delicious, right? Go for the Feed Me set menu and pair it with your favourite drink: perhaps horchata, mezcal, a Michelada or a Mexican beer. Gluten-free and vegan buddies rejoice: you’re welcome here. Come back in the morning for a five-course bottomless Mexi-brunch.
Pizza Pizza Pizza
Pizza (well, umm…)
16 Meyers Place, Melbourne 3000
New York comes to Melbourne by the slice or by the pie at this emphatically named laneway joint. All your classic toppings are on the menu, with some non-pizza items – chicken wings, croquettes, sliders – for the rebels among you. Slip behind the curtain to uncover the small, unnamed cocktail bar and continue the age-old pineapple debate.
Bar Ampere
European
16 Russell Place, Melbourne 3000
Cocktails and cheese? Yes, please! Slip into gastronomic bonhomie with raclette, cheesy prosciutto croquettes, cheese Kransky and sophisticated cheese plates. There’s chicken liver parfait and the Ampere beef burger for meat-lovers, too. Drinks-wise, transport yourself to romantic Europe with an exceptional list of vermouth, pastis and absinthe. No need to rush; open till late.
Siglo
Rooftop bar
Level 2, 161 Spring Street, Melbourne 3000
Join the city sophisticates upstairs at beloved Siglo, where the charming terrace bar looks out over Parliament House and Princess Theatre – beautifully illuminated at night. Dress smartly to head up through the Melbourne Supper Club for a glass of bubbles, a whisky sour, a scattering of snacks – or a Cuban cigar, perhaps.
Location: Rooftop Bar in Melbourne, Victoria
Photo by Ain Raadik / Visit Victoria
Tipo 00
Italian
361 Little Bourke Street, Melbourne 3000
Aptly named after the fine-grade ‘tipo 00’ flour responsible for its oh-so-silky pasta, this hatted Italian pasta bar pays homage to Italy’s finest. Start with salumi or mozzarella before doubling down with the likes of house-made squid ink tagliolini; braised duck and porcini gnocchi; and celeriac and goats’ cheese paccheri. Go for mains, too, but don’t miss the signature ‘tipomisù’ dolce.
Butchers Diner
Diner
10 Bourke Street, Melbourne 3000
Whether you’re rolling out of bed early morning or rolling into it, Butchers has you covered, 24/7. This nod to the classic American diner does it all, from cheeseburgers to Japanese fried chicken, blood sausage and devilled egg rolls to steamed dim sum, chips and skewers. As the name suggests – and the meat cabinets confirm – this is one for the carnivorous at heart.
Longrain
Thai
44 Little Bourke Street, Melbourne 3000
Photo by Ain Raadik / Visit Victoria
Melbourne luminary Scott Pickett (The Estelle, Matilda) has joined this iconic Thai institution, where South-East Asian style cuisine beautifully fuses with top-notch Victorian produce. Pitch up with fellow foodies and share the buzz as aromatic plates arrive. Allow the Longrain flair to impress with the Royal Banquet, which shines with native Australian ingredients.
Supper Inn
Chinese
15 Celestial Avenue, Melbourne 3000
This no-frills Cantonese restaurant has been going since 1977. Loyal followers return for the stand-out suckling pig, and fortuitous foodies fall upon its hallowed 200-plus menu when searching for a late-night laneway feed. Head up the creaky stairs where the flavour-packed dishes pump out till 2.30 am. Fills fast, so prepare to queue.
Arlechin
Wine bar
Mornane Place, Melbourne 3000
Melbourne favourite Guy Grossi (Cellar Bar, Grossi Florentino) is the man behind this tucked-away laneway bar, ‘where food, drink and mischief meet’ – till late. The golden parquetry and vaulted cork roof set a cosy wine-cellar atmosphere for superbly mixed cocktails, local and European vino, and deft eats including bolognese jaffles, spaghetti aglio e olio, pâté, oysters and delightful dolci.
Goldilocks Bar
Rooftop bar
Level 4, 264 Swanston Street, Melbourne 3000
Hidden away atop the Denyers Building, Goldilocks would say this rooftop bar is ‘just right’. Cocktails with names such as Mumma Bear and Into the Forest draw on the eponymous fairytale, and there’s an emphasis on Victorian craft beer and wine. Feeling peckish? Forget the porridge: tantalising snacks include salt and chill tofu calamari, chicken ribs and piping-hot dumplings.
All across Melbourne, restaurants and bars season the very serious business of food with a flavourful dash of playfulness and creativity. No matter if you’re an expert in culinary style or a lover of cheap ’n’ cheerful atmosphere, you’ll find plenty that hits the spot – and there’s always something new to discover.
Book a flight to Melbourne today and taste your way around the city!
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