From the school of Melbourne wine bars with fantastic food comes Embla, a no-reservations spot favoured by the hospitality industry and city workers. Wines are unusual in a good way, while seasonal ingredients power the menu. Lesa upstairs is fancier, with set menus from $85 or pre-theatre bites before 6.15pm from $55.

Don't want to fight crowds? Book a set Sunday lunch at Embla, $50 per head.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Melbourne attractions

1. West Space

0.08 MILES

One of Melbourne’s oldest nonprofit, artist-run galleries, West Space has a varied exhibition schedule featuring young and emerging artists. Expect a…

2. Chinatown

0.12 MILES

For more than 150 years this section of central Melbourne, now flanked by five traditional arches, has been the focal point for the city's Chinese…

3. Collins Street

0.12 MILES

The eastern end of Collins St is lined with plane trees, grand buildings and luxe boutiques (hence its ‘Paris End’ moniker). Ornate arcades also lead off…

4. Melbourne Town Hall

0.15 MILES

Since opening in 1870, this grand neoclassical civic building has welcomed everyone from Queen Elizabeth II, who took tea here in 1954, to the Beatles,…

5. Tolarno Galleries

0.15 MILES

Tolarno was an integral player in Melbourne’s most famous midcentury artistic marriage: that between Georges and Mirka Mora. The gallery was once…

6. Century Building

0.16 MILES

Built between 1939 and 1940, this Streamline Moderne high-rise is an important Melbourne landmark. It was the first office block in the city to have air…

7. Manchester Unity Building

0.18 MILES

Built in 1932, this honey-coloured art-deco skyscraper brings a slice of Chicago (or possibly Gotham City) to Swanston St. It's worth popping into the…

8. Chinese Museum

0.19 MILES

The fascinating and often fraught history of Chinese people in Australia is showcased in this wonderful little museum in the heart of Chinatown. Start on…