Must-see restaurants in St Kilda, Elwood & Elsternwick

  • Attica

    St Kilda, Elwood & Elsternwick

    Attica is Australia's only restaurant on San Pellegrino's World's Top 50 Restaurants list. Ben Shewry creates contemporary dishes with native ingredients,…

  • Stokehouse

    St Kilda, Elwood & Elsternwick

    Striking contemporary architecture and floor-to-ceiling bay views set the tone at Stokehouse, a top draw for its waterside setting and modern, seafood…

  • Cicciolina

    St Kilda, Elwood & Elsternwick

    This hideaway of dark wood, subdued lighting and pencil sketches is a St Kilda institution. The menu is Italian, with dishes that might see signature…

  • Tulum

    St Kilda, Elwood & Elsternwick

    With Nigella Lawson singing Tulum's praise during her Melbourne travels, this contemporary Turkish restaurant uses Australian ingredients and modern…

  • Matcha Mylkbar

    St Kilda, Elwood & Elsternwick

    'Eating Here Was A Huge Missed Steak', says the neon sign. This small, contemporary cafe is known for its creative, 100%-plant-based menu, as seen on its…

  • Penta

    St Kilda, Elwood & Elsternwick

    Penta might be all polished concrete and muted tones inside, but the food here is a rainbow of colours, textures and technique usually reserved for dinner…

  • Lau’s Family Kitchen

    St Kilda, Elwood & Elsternwick

    This polished spot with service to match offers beautiful, home-style Cantonese with a few Sichuan surprises. Start with delicate dumplings and spanner…

  • Ilona Staller

    St Kilda, Elwood & Elsternwick

    From the Cicciolina team comes this shamelessly '60s Italian diner (in a classic art deco bank building) with leather seating and undulating edges all…

  • Captain Baxter

    St Kilda, Elwood & Elsternwick

    This upstairs beachy-chic venue looks to the bay from the outdoor patio and floor-to-ceiling restaurant windows. Starters include coal-fired sourdough…

  • Radio Mexico

    St Kilda, Elwood & Elsternwick

    This colourful Mexican spot near the intersection of Carlisle and Acland Sts heaves on warm evenings, especially in the covered outdoor area and beneath…

  • Monarch Cake Shop

    St Kilda, Elwood & Elsternwick

    Family-owned Monarch is a favourite among St Kilda’s Eastern European cake shops and its kugelhopf (chocolate marble cake), plum cake and Polish baked…

  • Monk Bodhi Dharma

    St Kilda, Elwood & Elsternwick

    Down an alley off Carlisle St (next to Woolworths), this mostly vegan cafe doesn't get much foot traffic, but it has enough devotees as it is. A former…

  • Claypots

    St Kilda, Elwood & Elsternwick

    A local favourite, compact Claypots serves share-style plates of fresh seafood, with each day's fresh catch updated on chalkboards. Its namesake dish is…

  • Uncle

    St Kilda, Elwood & Elsternwick

    Uncle delivers stellar Vietnamese cooking in a space complete with colourful, upside-down baskets and a rooftop dining area. Pho (noodle soup) is fragrant…

  • Babu Ji

    St Kilda, Elwood & Elsternwick

    There's Sanskrit and pictures of father-figure Babu Ji on the walls, and you can smell the char of the tandoor as soon as you walk in here. Try prawn…

  • Ziggy's Eatery

    St Kilda, Elwood & Elsternwick

    This chef-owned burger joint uses Aussie produce and makes its own sauces. If you're up to the challenge, order the Recovery Burger: two 150g patties and…

  • Miss Jackson

    St Kilda, Elwood & Elsternwick

    The casual set-up and atmosphere here makes it feel like you've been invited to a friend's house for brunch – a friend with good enough taste to serve…

  • Plain Sailing

    St Kilda, Elwood & Elsternwick

    Why have granola when you can have hempnola? Brunch to your heart's content at Plain Sailing and still leave feeling righteous, thanks to wholesome plates…

  • St Kilda Dispensary

    St Kilda, Elwood & Elsternwick

    In what was the first dispensary in the southern hemisphere during the 1940s, this cafe continues the medical theme with tiled counters, test tubes and…

  • Si Señor

    St Kilda, Elwood & Elsternwick

    Si Señor is a bustling Mexican joint with pink neon signage and a sunny courtyard (although wi-fi doesn't reach out the back). Tasty spit-and-grilled…

  • Newmarket Hotel

    St Kilda, Elwood & Elsternwick

    This architecturally fitted out historic pub is all about upmarket pub grub, from burgers and pizza to larger share dishes from the wood-fired grill, like…

  • Combi

    St Kilda, Elwood & Elsternwick

    Cute-as-a-button Combi feels like a tropical holiday with its beach-shack vibes and colourful superfood smoothies (made with house nut 'mylk', no less)…

  • Turning Point

    St Kilda, Elwood & Elsternwick

    'Meet me here', reads the neon in all caps in this sleek cafe with pale, polished wood and concrete. You'll want to when the lunchtime beef burger comes…

  • Piccolina

    St Kilda, Elwood & Elsternwick

    Skip all inferior gelato offerings in the area and make a beeline for the traditional Italian scoops in this small shop, all white tiles and green-painted…

  • Mr Wolf

    St Kilda, Elwood & Elsternwick

    Local celeb chef Karen Martini’s casual but stylish space is renowned for its crisp Roman-style pizzas. There’s also a great menu of antipasti and pastas,…

  • Lentil as Anything

    St Kilda, Elwood & Elsternwick

    Choosing from the vegetarian menu is easy. Deciding what to pay can be hard. This not-for-profit operation provides training and educational opportunities…

  • Batch Espresso

    St Kilda, Elwood & Elsternwick

    Like a pair of well-worn slippers, Batch feels snug and familiar. Upcycled artworks by Melbourne-based artists Joost Bakker and Peter James Smith share…

  • Galleon Cafe

    St Kilda, Elwood & Elsternwick

    Affable and reassuringly worn, this '80s veteran is a true St Kilda institution, having pumped caffeine, grub and Bloody Marys into generations of local…

  • Banff

    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…

  • I Carusi II

    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…

  • Glick's

    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…

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