What’s the best new restaurant in Melbourne? This is a question we’re often asked at Boss Hunting, and one we’ve almost certainly got the answer to. In that spirit, we’ve compiled a rolling list — updated on a quarterly basis — of all the best new Melbourne restaurants (all opened within a year) below.
Note that this list is not ranked.
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Baix, Brighton
Baix arrives in Brighton as the polished partner to Ian Curley’s 81 Bay wine bar, which opened doors earlier this year.
Offering 40 seats and a locked-in three-course menu that refreshes every few weeks, Baix promises shareable and seasonally-focused starters, mains such as Wagyu porterhouse or John Dory, and dessert dreamed up by pastry chef Jo Ward. The wine list isn’t overly long, but has been carefully chosen to match the menu, making for an ideal dinner date location for anyone living south side.
Opened: July 2025
Address: 81 Bay St, Brighton VIC 3186
Phone: (03) 9279 2820
Opening Hours: Thursday – Saturday (4 PM — 12 AM)
Champagne Problems, CBD
Champagne Problems technically opened in 2024, but closed for several months at the end of the year to undergo renovations and reopened its doors in January this year. Billing itself as “the city’s new fave bar” and promising plenty on the booze front, it’s also got an impressive kitchen that turns out mouthwatering dishes such as caviar on toast, lobster rolls, duck à l’orange, and even a hearty 300g porterhouse.
The cocktail list is impressively expansive, covering all the classics and a couple of fresh flavours you’re unlikely to have tried, while the wine list includes all your favourite Champagne options (as you’d expect from the venue’s name) and a curated selection of unfizzed winners. Tucked away in the heart of the CBD, the speakeasy-esque space blends playful kitsch and a touch of polished class, making it the perfect spot to enjoy a drink and a bite after work.
Opened: January 2025
Address: 238 Little Collins St, Melbourne VIC 3000
Phone: (03) 7002 4248
Opening Hours: Tuesday – Wednesday (4 PM – 12 AM); Thursday – Saturday (4 PM — 3 AM)
Ho Jiak, CBD
Melbourne’s Tivoli Arcade now houses Junda Khoo’s Malaysian trifecta, crowned by Ho Jiak: Junda’s Playground on the top floor.
Expect curry puffs filled with blue cheese and a matching dip, and asam laksa reimagined as a granita atop raw hiramasa kingfish, while signature dishes from Sydney’s original Ho Jiak include roast duck, Khoo’s famed laksa bombs and char kway teow crowned with mud crab. Across three levels, this isn’t fusion or fine dining, but spirited fun that takes you to Penang without getting your passport stamped.
Opened: June 2025
Address: Level/1 Rainbow Alley, Melbourne VIC 3000
Phone: (03) 8637 0888
Opening Hours: Monday — Wednesday (5 PM — 10 PM); Thursday — Sunday (12 PM — 3 PM, 5 PM — 10 PM)
The Pontian Club, Collingwood
Born as a Brunswick East pop-up, The Pontian Club has found a permanent home on Smith Street, founded by two friends and bolstered by ex-Gimlet chef Oscar Tan. Located in a casual space with exposed brick walls and plenty of repurposed furniture, it’s a venue that feels closer to your friend’s dining room than it does a Collingwood restaurant, which reflects its homespun origins.
As you’d expect from most good Greek menus, the line-up of dishes is protein-forward and channels regional Greek simplicity: crusty white bread is followed by flame-grilled lamb chops with red peppers, tzatziki and a lemon cheek, or plancha-grilled chicken steak with seasonal greens. A generous slice of vegetarian moussaka is a good way to finish off the meal, but only if you can resist the rotating olive oil cake.
Opened: June 2025
Address: 8 Smith St, Collingwood VIC 3066
Phone: (03)
Opening Hours: Friday — Sunday (12:30 PM — 5 PM)
Maison Batard, Melbourne CBD
Legendary Melbourne restaurateur Chris Lucas has done it again, opening the doors of Maison Batard to roaring enthusiasm from blue-blooded locals. Expect a lavish fit-out, a classic French menu designed by executive chef Adam Sanderson, and a 2,600-strong bottle wine list that draws from Lucas’s personal collection.
Maison Batard draws inspiration from Montmartre’s Hotel Particulier and covers four levels, with the main restaurant spanning two levels while diners also have the rooftop terrace to enjoy before or after their meal. Elevated, exclusive, and delivering all the pomp and ceremony you’d expect from such an establishment, it’s Melbourne’s new must-visit venue.
Address: 23 Bourke St, Melbourne VIC 3000
Opened: November 2024
Price Guide: $$$
Opening Hours: Monday — Sunday (12 PM — 3 AM)
Bookings: Essential
Kolkata Cricket Club, Melbourne CBD
Located within Crown Melbourne on Southbank, Kolkata Cricket Club takes its inspiration from India’s member club history, with a casual front bar and a 150-seat dining room to take you from after-work drinks to a post-dinner nightcap. Mischa Tropp is the owner and chef behind Kolkata Cricket Club and has crafted a menu of regional Bengali dishes that nod to his own Keralan heritage.
Expect menu items like tandoor-baked barramundi, coconut and turmeric curry-covered woodfired prawns, goat curry, and plenty more. The drinks list is designed by business partner Dave Mackintosh, filled with inventive house cocktails, as well as the venue’s own KCC lager (made by Pirate Life).
Address: Casino, Crown Melbourne, Level 1/8 Whiteman St, Southbank VIC 3006
Opened: November 2024
Opening Hours: Wednesday — Saturday (5 PM — 10 PM); Sunday (5 PM — 9 PM)
Bookings: Recommended
Reed House, Melbourne CBD
There aren’t many Melbourne hospitality couples with more impressive combined resumes than Mark Hannell and Rebecca Baker, who recently opened their first venue, Reed House. Hannell is the chef, having worked with Yotam Ottolenghi (where he met Baker working together at Nopi in London) and at Three Ducks Group, while Baker has worked locally at cocktail bars like The Everleigh and Bar Americano.
Unsurprisingly, Baker’s drinks list is equal parts creative and impressive, serving up cocktails the Nitro Espresso Martini and the Killer Kitty High Ball alongside a predominantly Australian wine list. Hannell’s menu focuses on classics from the UK, with dishes such as ox tongue skewer, Welsh rarebit crumpet, and whole John Dory.
Opened: September 2024
Address: Wesley Place, 130 Lonsdale St, Melbourne VIC 3000
Opening Hours: Tuesday (12 PM — 2:30 PM); Wednesday — Thursday (12 PM — 2:30 PM, 5 PM — 10 PM); Friday (12 PM — 2:30 PM, 5 PM — 11 PM); Saturday (4:30 PM — 11 PM)
Gigi, Prahran
A visit to Gigi’s website will promise you “the glamour and decadence of 1930s Paris,” and just from the decor alone, it’s a promise to be believed. Opened by the team behind the enduringly popular Entrecôte, Gigi is a wine bar offering a casual blend of French food and local staples — with menu items including party pies filled with beef bourguignon — as well as an excellent wine list.
Opened by restaurateur Jason M Jones and interior designer Brahman Perera, it’s immediately obvious Gigi isn’t their first rodeo (Jason has a career that counts no less than 32 venues in total). The 60-seat restaurant offers 60 seats and enjoys immaculate decor with Persian rug-covered floors, crystal chandeliers hanging from the ceilings and more than lives up to its description as the “sultry little sister of Entrecôte.”
Opened: October 2024
Address: 143 Greville Street, Prahran VIC 3181
Opening Hours: Wednesday — Sunday (5 PM — 12 AM)
Tombo Den, Windsor
The indefatigable Chris Lucas has announced the opening of his latest venture, Tombo Den, in Windsor, offering an elevated menu of Japanese cuisine, sake, and beyond. Lucas already owns and operates the power venue Kisumé, but Tombo Den takes a slightly edgier approach with walls covered by eye-catching contemporary artwork, an upstairs cocktail bar, and a karaoke room.
The main attraction is a long 26-seat bar serving up sushi, sashimi, and nigiri from a menu that’s updated daily, but there’s also a more varied menu with different-sized plates, including dishes from the hibachi grill. On the booze front, expect top-notch cocktails and sake, as well as an extensive whisky collection and a wine list that focuses on small producers.
Opened: September 2024
Address: 100a Chapel St, Windsor VIC 3181
Phone: (03) 9960 9702
Opening Hours: Monday — Thursday (5 PM — 10 PM); Friday — Saturday (12 PM — 11 PM), Sunday (12 PM — 10 PM)
Feeling like the tried-and-true favourites instead? Check out the Best Restaurants in Melbourne. If you’ve enjoyed this round-up of the best new restaurants in Melbourne, consider checking out these other locally based dining guides below:
