Restaurants in Melbourne
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A
Cavallero
A supersmart, subtle fit-out lets the charm of this grand Victorian shopfront shine. Served under the gaze of a deer's head, morning coffee and brioche make way for fancy toasties and Pinot Gris then shared plates galore and cocktails.
reviewed
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Commoner
If you need to be convinced of this off-strip restaurant's serious intent, the wood-fired goat or pork they offer up come Sunday lunch should do it. On Sunday nights there's no menu, you just get fed.
reviewed
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Abla's
The kitchen here is steered by Abla Amad, whose authentic, flavour-packed food has inspired a whole generation of local Lebanese chefs. Bring a bottle of your favourite plonk and settle in for the compulsory banquet on Friday and Saturday night.
reviewed
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Ray
Ray mashes up the flavour legacy of the neighbourhood with the tastes of the vanguard residents. The big communal table is the place to try labna (yoghurt cheese) and rose jam on toasted pide, tomato and bocconcini bread and really good coffee.
reviewed
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E
Ladro
Breathtakingly simple, just-right pizza, pasta and roasts pack in a diverse, if polished, crowd every night. Book ahead: believe us, the Lazio, smeared with an artichoke and anchovy paste and strewn with fior di latte, is worth getting organised for.
reviewed
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Panama Dining Room
The Euro-Fitzroy cuisine on offer in this cool, calm and collected dining room is impressive and inventive. The super-fresh and fine ingredients will knock your date’s socks off and the wine list, ersatz Manhattan views and charming ambience will do the rest.
reviewed
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Hooked
Great fish and chippery with decor that will make you change your mind on the takeaway and decide to eat in at the communal table. Old-school chips are made on-site and fish is either done traditionally or with light Asian accents. Also a branch in Fitzroy.
reviewed
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Jimmy Watson’s
Wine and talk are the order of the day at this long-running wine bar-restaurant. The fare is European, Middle Eastern and a dash of Mod Oz, with a nod to ingredients such as kangaroo.
reviewed
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Richmond Hill Cafe & Larder
Once the domain of well-known cook Stephanie Alexander, it still boasts its lovely cheese room and simple, comforting food like cheesy toast. There are breakfast cocktails for the brave. Wellington St in the CBD becomes Bridge Rd.
reviewed
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Borsch, Vodka & Tears
A fabulous Polish place serving around 100 strains of vodka and modern Polish food. The ambience is shabby-chic with low-lighting and lots of sincere conversation.
reviewed
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Café Scheherazade
Famed spinner of schnitzel and creamed spinach dinners. Continues to charm a faithful line-up of Eastern European émigrés and more recently devoted fans.
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Bistro Guillaume
Sydney’s famed Frenchman does bistro food with fine-dining flair, star local recruit Philippa Sibley is the pudding queen.
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Galleon Cafe
Friendly folk, a decent amount of elbow room and low-key music make this a cheery place to down a coffee and muffin in busy St Kilda.
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Retro
Relaxed, diner-style cafe with window and outdoor seating, and tasty, inexpensive nosh.
reviewed
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Il Solito Posto
A basement favourite serving sensational Italian staples.
reviewed
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Old Kingdom
The queues are here for three things: duck soup, Peking duck, and duck and bean shoots. The owner’s one-man show is a bonus, as is the classic no-style décor. You’ll need to preorder for Peking duck.
reviewed
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Q
Piadina Slowfood
Piadina fever took hold in Melbourne a few years back and still simmers away at this small, stealthily sited café. They make their own version of the Romagnan flat bread in house and fold them up with all manner of cleverly concocted combinations. A provolone and roast tomato one beats a regular breakfast toastie hands down (note that they open at 6am); at lunch, the meatball filling is a treat. They also do stews, curries and hearty bakes. Service doesn’t take its cue from the titles: it’s swift but the atmosphere cruises. There’s often Studio One or Fat Freddy tunes in the air and the clientele tends towards the creative.
reviewed
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My Dog Café
Station Pier holds many memories for generations of Victorian immigrants and it’s still a working passenger port today. There’s a clutch of swish mega-restaurants on the pier itself – including Waterfront, Campari and 3 Station Pier – serving up bay vistas and variable food to large numbers of visitors. The best view, however, definitely belongs to the diminutive My Dog Café, which has a human food menu as well as a selection of canine treats. And yes, pooches can, and do, eat from the table.
reviewed
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Press Club
Melbourne’s Mod-Greek scene is thriving, and George Calombaris’ grand city space gives it the glamour it deserves. There’s no fusion fussing, but rather a respect for the basics and a creative, playful sensibility. Think dolmades stuffed with roast quail, salmon cooked slowly in tzatziki and served with almond skordalia, or the ‘Santorini breakfast’ dessert (honey sorbet, yoghurt jelly and walnut biscuit). The separate bar area has a wonderful snacks menu that gives you a sense of the food without blowing the budget. Bookings required.
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Seamstress
Start off with a cocktail under a canopy of tiny qipao on the top floor, then make your way downstairs to the dining room for some contemporary Chinese cooking. The food – coconut and roe rice balls, curly-fried snapper or Onkaparinga venison with Szechuan pepper and a Chinese wine reduction – is as delicious as it sounds. The 19th-century warehouse, complete with rickety wooden stairs, is fabulously atmospheric. Their basement bar Sweatshop could be on the cards when you’re done.
reviewed
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Mr Wolf
Local celeb chef Karen Martini’s casual but stylish space is out of the action but always packed to the gills. The pizzas here are renowned (crisp with top quality ingredients) but there’s also a great menu of antipasti and pastas that display her flair for matching ingredients. Don’t let the groove factor put you off taking the kids; they have a couple of special bambini pizzas and lots of kid-friendly desserts. If there are no little ones in tow, the next-door bar is open late.
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Doc
DOC has jumped on the Milanese-led mozzarella bar trend and serves up the milky white balls – your choice of local cow or imported buffala – as entrees, in salads or atop fabulous pizzas. Toppings include creamy broccoli puree and prosciutto, bitter-sweet cicoria (chicory) and lemon, and the litmus-test margherita gets rave reviews. The buffalo milk gelato is a delight or they do dessert pizzas if you’re up for double dough.
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Kanteen
This rare alfresco riverside café morphed from an old ablutions block into a firm neighbourhood favourite (it’s also handy for Herring Island). It supplements its toasted pide selection with interesting breakfast options such as sticky rice with coconut, and lunch specials such as a Japanese-inspired noodle and duck salad. Fab as the location is, the service can be off-puttingly slow; loud commercial chill-out tunes don’t make the wait any easier.
reviewed
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Aux Batifolles
This French bistro does the trick for both big occasions or simple weeknight dinners. All the standards are here: duck confit, moules frites and steak tartare. Desserts too: crème brûlée and tarte Tartin just the way maman used to make. While you won’t be wowed by culinary innovation, you’ll love the delightful service, careful presentation, hearty serves and very modest prices. Bookings advised.
reviewed
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Y
Rumi
A fabulously well-considered place that serves up a mix of traditional Lebanese cooking and contemporary interpretations of old Persian dishes. The sigara boregi (cheese and pine-nut pastries) are a local institution and tasty mains like meatballs are balanced with a large and interesting selection of vegetable dishes. From Carlton, continue north along Lygon St into East Brunswick.
reviewed