Melbourne
Trunk's beer garden turns into a prime city-centre office-worker watering hole on Friday night, but don’t let Bryan from the marketing department put you…
Must-see restaurants in Melbourne
St Kilda, Elwood & Elsternwick
Housed in a former WWII barracks, dirt-cheap drinks and pizzas keep locals and visitors coming back to Banff. Happy hour is between 3pm and 6pm and 9pm…
Melbourne
Sandblasted oak stools, whitewashed timber and a wintry forest mural evoke Scandinavia at this contemporary cafe with smooth coffee and a smart, produce…
Melbourne
The southside branch of Fitzroy burger royalty, Huxtaburger is famed for its sweet brioche buns, grass-fed wagyu patties and crinkle-cut chips (best…
Melbourne
Reflecting Melbourne's current obsession with American cuisine, this dark, smartly fitted-out restaurant serves up the ol' American-Italian classic…
Melbourne
Fun, thumping Fonda serves Mexican-with-a-twist street food. Tacos are from La Tortilleria in Kensington and the crispy prawn version with guacamole and…
Melbourne
This wooden restaurant with sake bottles and Japanese lanterns is mostly casual and affordable, but what really gets people in the door is the $40 all-you…
Melbourne
Head down a laneway and up some stairs to step into this restaurant – and into another era. Opened in 1947, it still has 1950s drapes, wood panelling and…
Fitzroy, Collingwood & Abbotsford
This American-style burger joint is a hit for its crinkle-cut chips in old-school containers (go the spicy chipotle salt), tasty burgers (veg options…
Melbourne
If you eat with your eyes, White Mojo is your kind of cafe: the menu has been designed with Instagram in mind. The fitout – all blond wood and white…
HuTong Peking Duck & Dumpling Bar
Melbourne
This Prahran outpost of the city restaurant, known for flawless, made-from-scratch xiao long bao, also specialises in Peking duck. Other bite-size…
Melbourne
This enticing Italian deli has everything you need for the ultimate cheese and charcuterie board, as well as Italian groceries and affordable panini…
St Kilda, Elwood & Elsternwick
Around the corner from chaotic Acland St, this casually elegant Italian restaurant is loved for thin-based pizzas. At 5pm the venue next door, owned by…
Fitzroy, Collingwood & Abbotsford
From Russian blintzes to Georgian baked beans, European flavours infuse the lovingly prepared breakfast and lunch dishes at little local institution Babka…
Melbourne
Melburnians have long adopted the humble chicken parmigiana as their own, but Mrs Parma's takes things to a whole new level with 14 types of parma, of the…
Melbourne
In an Indian eating strip in West Footscray, this place specialises in crispy pancake-like filled dosas, biryanis (baked rice dishes) and a range of Indo…
Melbourne
The views of the city skyline are superb through this 35th-floor restaurant's floor-to-ceiling windows (there are even memorable views from the toilets!)…
Melbourne
The kitchen here is steered by Abla Amad, who arrived in Australia in 1954 and has since inspired a generation of local Lebanese chefs. The flavour-packed…
Melbourne
This down-to-earth meze bar might be tiny, but it's filled with big Greek flavours. Think cauliflower 'popcorn' and slow roasts, best shared and washed…
Melbourne
What's not to love about a 24-hour 'souva' joint? Especially when it's been doling out late-night lamb souvlakis in Melbourne for nearly 40 years. Located…
Melbourne
Gilson straddles the line between cafe and restaurant but misses the mark with snobby service. It's not a problem if you're just here to sip coffee and…
Fitzroy, Collingwood & Abbotsford
In a neighbourhood crammed with cafes, South of Johnston may not be trailblazing, but it stands out from the pack for its charming space in a warehouse…
Melbourne
Since 1892 patrons have been nibbling pinwheel sandwiches here, taking tea (with pinkies raised) and delicately polishing off a lamington. Hopetoun's…
Melbourne
It’s unclear whether you’re in a diner or trapped inside a video game at this popular takeaway, which serves the kind of juicy burgers in brioche buns…
Melbourne
For the best-value veg meal in town, you can't go past this humble Hare Krishna–run institution. The food is both tasty and cheap: the 'feast plate' gives…
Melbourne
This basement deli is true to its NYC name, with bagels schmeared with the traditional (cream cheese and smoked salmon) to the local (Vegemite). It also…
Melbourne
This bakery-cafe smells like warm bread and a comforting hug. Order a house pie (with a daily vegetarian and vegan option), panini, simple breakfast or…
Melbourne
Inhabiting one of those post-industrial spaces that Melbourne does so well, the Grain Store adds a touch of class to Melbourne's downtown cafe scene…
Melbourne
Wonderbao does only one thing – no prizes for guessing what. Its bao (steamed buns) range from the traditional sticky-barbecue-pork variety to oddities…
Melbourne
A casual neighbourhood taqueria that packs out on weekends, with people visiting as much for tequila in the courtyard as they are for tacos in the small…
Melbourne
Every imaginable variety of mock meat (generally made from wheat gluten or soy) is on offer here, served up in traditional Chinese style, from kung pao …
Melbourne
Part of the wonderful Curtin House complex, Mesa Verde does great Mexican food to a backdrop of Sergio Leone screenings. As well as street-food dishes,…
Melbourne
The traditional wisdom is that Sydney does Thai and Melbourne does Vietnamese, but this little neighbourhood restaurant bucks the trend, serving…
Melbourne
Start off with a cocktail under a canopy of tiny qipao dresses on the top floor, then make your way downstairs to the dining room for some contemporary…
Melbourne
Elegant Da Noi serves dishes from Sardinia, the island home of owner-chef Pietro Porcu, in a warm, white-tableclothed space. Offerings change daily and…
Fitzroy, Collingwood & Abbotsford
Set up by celebrity chef George Calombaris, this is not your ordinary souva joint – these are gourmet souvlakis, which you don't need to be plastered at…
St Kilda, Elwood & Elsternwick
Established in 1979 and a staple for the local Jewish community, takeaway-only kosher bakery Glick's sells bagels baked and boiled in-house, as well as…
Melbourne
Spongy injera bread serves as both platter and cutlery at this traditional Ethiopian restaurant. Choose from a range of beef, lamb, chicken and vegetarian…
Melbourne
For almost two decades Jock has been scooping made-on-site sorbets and ice creams for baysiders. Cult-status flavours include hokey-pokey and a star…
Melbourne
Tucked under the State Library, this eatery has cafe seating outside and a bistro vibe inside. During the day options include a range of toasted bagels…
