With some of Australia’s most productive regions clustered in and around Victoria, Melbourne sits as the country’s eternally dependable pantry. The state’s capital has maintained a reputation for culinary supremacy that has endeared across decades, which is why if you’re seeking out the very best restaurants in Melbourne, you’re going to have a great time.
Let’s get into it.
Melbourne’s CBD
Supernormal
I’m kicking off this list of the best restaurants in Melbourne with a Boss Hunting favourite, and a sure-shot that every Australian should eat through at least once in their lives. What Andrew McConnell has achieved with Supernormal is unrepeatable, even in a city that’s so deeply rich and gloriously hungry for new dining experiences.
The influences famously hop around Asia here, but as much as Supernormal’s kitchen worships seminal epicurean meccas like Tokyo and Hong Kong, some of the highlights sit outside of that well-worn Asian circuit. Order anything at this Flinders Lane favourite. It’s not possible to leave unimpressed, with Andrew McConnell’s food menu easily besting almost everything else you could eat in Melbourne’s CBD.
Address: 180 Flinders Lane, Melbourne VIC 3000
Contact: (03) 9650 8688
Opening Hours: Monday — Sunday (12 PM — 12 PM)
Tonka
Located down Duckboard Place, Tonka is a testament to Adam D’Sylva’s influence when it comes to defining (and constantly redefining) the culinary landscape of Melbourne.
What was once Melbourne’s CBD den of late-night hedonism, Tonka, is now an elegant modern Indian restaurant, violently ripping away the space’s seedy history and replacing it with three distinct but thematically connected dining areas. The once vigorous smell of cheap beer and residual cocaine is long gone, replaced by an aromatic palace of delicately layered Indian spices marching from the kitchen.
Most walk-ins opt for the bar, with inventive Indian-style bar snacks pairing nicely, surprisingly, with a very Italian-leaning wine list. Hop over to the banquette-laden dining room and you’ll be spooning signature curries over basmati, filling the table with all the tandoor highlights.
Address: 20 Duckboard Place, Melbourne VIC 3000
Contact: (03) 9650 3155
Opening Hours: Monday (5:30 PM — 9 PM); Tuesday — Thursday (12 PM — 3 PM, 5:30 PM — 9 PM); Friday (12 PM — 3 PM, 5:30 PM — 10:30 PM); Saturday (12 PM — 10:30 PM); Sunday (12 PM — 9 PM)
Di Stasio Citta
Moving to Melbourne’s CBD with Di Stasio Citta was one of the best decisions restaurateur Rinaldo Di Stasio has made in recent years. His classic St Kilda café has been refined and refocused at this ferociously energetic Italian restaurant and bar, with a menu that runs through Di Stasio’s storied history and celebrates the timelessness of fresh regional Italian dishes.
The exciting approach to classic Italian dishes should tell you all you need to know about how open the kitchen is the exploring regional Italian, mostly with a lean towards Milan and Lazio. The menu — and the entire dining experience — is a successful celebration of just how key Italy has been to Melbourne’s culinary identity.
Address: 45 Spring Street, Melbourne VIC 3004
Contact: (03) 9070 1177
Opening Hours: Monday — Sunday (12 PM — 10:30 PM)
Tipo 00
Ask anyone in Australia where to find the best Italian food in Melbourne and you’ll be so overwhelmed with options that you won’t know where to start. I’ll make it easy for you; start at Tipo 00 on Little Bourke St.
Is it a surprise that Head Chef Andrea Papadakis, a Greek man, can make some of the best pasta in Australia? No. Given the overlap of cultures and culinary techniques that define this country’s dynamic food scene, it’s absolutely no shock to the system to see Papadakis outperform his Italian peers.
Inches away from diners, Papadakis and his team reiterate pasta making as a fine art, showcasing what a tremendous difference texture can make. You won’t find a fine dining approach to Italian cuisine at this humble pasta bar, with Tipo 00 thriving on its casual charm to complete the home-style experience.
Address: 361 Little Bourke Street, Melbourne VIC 3000
Contact: (03) 9442 3946
Opening Hours: Monday – Saturday (11:30 PM — 4 PM, 5 PM — 9:30 PM)
Vue de Monde
Widely considered one of the best restaurants in Melbourne, Vue De Monde more than earns its place on this list (especially for its incredible steak offering). The acclaimed fine diner has just undergone a significant refit and is invariably best experienced with the chef’s menu, which changes so often that it’s tiring to keep up with Executive Chef Hugh Allen and his passionate expression of Australian native ingredients.
Address: Rialto Towers, 525 Collins St, Melbourne VIC 3000
Contact: (03) 9691 3888
Opening hours: Wednesday — Thursday (6 PM — 12 AM); Friday — Saturday (12 PM — 4 PM, 6 PM — 12 AM)
Reine & La Rue
Dramatic high ceilings and stained glass windows give an appropriately grand look to Nomad Group’s latest opening and one of Melbourne CBD’s best new restaurants. Reine, a generous 140-seater in the former Melbourne Stock Exchange, is the city’s most impressive new restaurant, transforming this heritage space into a kinetic, big-ticket diner complemented by a small eight-seat wine bar called La Rue.
Nomad Sydney’s Jacqui Challinor leads the kitchen through a world-class menu, weaving together flavours from Australia, France and America. Think lobster cocktails and seafood platters, whole fish, half ducks, beef sourced from the country’s top producers, and mushroom pithivier. That hard-working ironbark grill is responsible for many of the highlights while the 700-strong wine list rounds out the swanky offering.
Address: 380 Collins Street, Melbourne VIC 3000
Phone: (02) 9280 3395
Opening Hours: Monday — Thursday (12 PM — 10 PM); Friday — Saturday (12 PM — 10:30 PM); Sunday (12 PM — 10 PM)
Coda
Although Flinders Lane is well-regarded for its smattering of quality restaurants, from Lucas Group signatures Chin Chin and Kisume, to Andrew McConnell’s Supernormal and Gimlet, few can outshine Coda. Adam D’Sylva works with mostly Asian flavours for the food, but his flexibility is what makes the food here so exciting.
Set in a chic basement, the restaurant exudes a lively atmosphere with its industrial-inspired fitout, while the menu serves up standout dishes like crispy rice paper rolls, twice-cooked quail, and spicy yellowfin tuna tartare. You’ll eat well at Coda, as long as you take a multi-course approach and order as much as you to really maximise D’Sylva’s sense of adventure.
Address: Basement/141 Flinders Ln, Melbourne VIC 3000
Contact: (03) 9650 3155
Opening Hours: Monday — Thursday (12 PM — 3 PM, 5:30 PM — 9 PM); Friday (12 PM — 3 PM, 5:30 PM — 10:30 PM); Saturday (12 PM — 10:30 PM); Sunday (12 PM — 9 PM)
Sunda Dining
With a love of contemporary Southeast Asian cuisine, Sunda builds on a footprint left by Rene Redzepi when he temporarily transposed his acclaimed Copenhagen restaurant, Noma, for a Sydney pop-up back in 2016. Then, he worked with Chef Khanh Nguyen to bring what was once considered the world’s greatest restaurant to life in the harbour city.
During this time, Redzepi was famously stunned by Australia’s local produce. The ripple effect of that is Nguyen uses local ingredients to reinterpret the flavours of Malaysia, Indonesia, and Singapore. Once you visit, you’ll find yourself wanting to return again and again.
Address: 18 Punch Lane, Melbourne VIC 3000
Contact: (03) 9654 8190
Opening Hours: Tuesday — Saturday (5:30 PM — 9 PM)
Lee Ho Fook
Victor Liong’s extravagant, flavour-packed take on contemporary Chinese has been a hit from the very start, with Lee Ho Fook often held to the same standard as Flower Drum, despite being vastly different from the decidedly more fine-dining restaurant.
The buzzy eating house is a testament to what happens when fresh ingredients and kitchen know-how are applied to something as multi-faceted and complex as modern Chinese cuisine. Pepper some impeccable service on top of that and it’s absolutely no surprise to see Lee Ho Fook on this Melbourne dining bucket list.
Address: 11-15 Duckboard Place, Melbourne VIC 3000
Contact: (03) 9654 8239
Opening Hours: Monday — Saturday (5:30 PM — 10:30 PM)
Gimlet
Pulling people to the corner of Russell Street and Flinders Lane is the latest opening from Andrew McConnell, Gimlet at Cavendish House. Out of all the new restaurants to open in Melbourne across the past few years, this is arguably the most famous: having been named in the World’s 50 Best Restaurants longlist back in 2022.
Aside from the elegantly decorated interior and quick-footed service, the food and wine have drawn consistent nods across the board. One of the keys to this success is the protein that McConnell has turned into a cornerstone of the menu: in this case, a dry-aged O’Connor T-bone, weighing a mammoth 900g.
Address: 33 Russell St, Melbourne VIC 3000
Contact: (03) 9277 9777
Opening hours: Monday — Thursday (12 PM — 12 AM); Friday — Saturday (12 PM — 1 AM); Sunday (12 PM — 12 AM)
Cumulus Inc
Another Andrew McConnell venue that helped set the tone for Melbourne’s bustling hospitality scene, Cumulus Inc. doesn’t let any pretentiousness get in the way of its main focus: great food. The menu experiments to create surprising fusions of flavour and texture, but not to the point of being distracting or unfamiliar, while the 25-page wine list has been carefully selected to arm you with a perfect pairing no matter what your food order looks like.
Address: 45 Flinders Lane, Melbourne VIC 3000
Contact: (03) 9650 1445
Opening hours: Monday — Sunday (12 PM — 11 PM)
Flower Drum
A true Melbourne institution, Flower Drum is a family-run restaurant that has been serving some of the best Chinese food in the city (hell, the entire country) for nearly five decades.
Drenched in throwback grandeur — the restaurant has remained something of a time capsule, in the best possible way — you can expect all of the classics within the Cantonese canon. Wok-fried paspaley pearl meat and the ethereally thin seafood soup dumpling are all crowd pleasers, but whatever you do, don’t skip the Peking Duck: it’s incredible.
Address: 17 Market Ln, Melbourne VIC 3000
Contact: (03) 9662 3655
Opening hours: Monday — Saturday (12 PM — 3 PM, 6 PM — 11 PM); Sunday (6 PM — 10:30 PM)
Embla
I still remember the first time I went to Embla — almost entirely because of the smokey barbecued broccoli and house-made bread slathered in garlic butter — because it had all the hallmarks of a future institution.
A restaurant that also moonlights very successfully as a wine bar, there’s a distinctly Melbournian charm to Embla. That might have something to do with the friendliness of the staff, or the deceptively roomy dining room; but if you’re in the Melbourne CBD, it should definitely be on your hitlist.
Address: 122 Russell St, Melbourne VIC 3000
Contact: 0455 122 121
Opening hours: Monday — Tuesday (3 PM — 12 AM); Wednesday — Saturday (12 PM — 12 AM); Sunday (12 PM — 5 PM)
Kisumé
Lucas Group’s most famous restaurant may still be Chin Chin, but it’s Kisumé that’s often the well-dressed, studious scene-stealer. Thanks to a a strictly high-standard approach to fine Japanese dining, this luxurious sushi kingdom has risen over the years to become one of the best Japanese restaurants in the country, giving Minamishima (also on this list) some very good company.
There are several different ways you can enjoy the contemporary approach to Japanese cooking at Kisumé — from the private dining room to the New York-style sushi bar — but an experience you’re unlikely to find anywhere else in the city is the “The Chablis Bar” that pairs your choice of 80 different chardonnays with seafood.
Address: 175 Flinders Lane, Melbourne VIC 3000
Contact: (03) 9671 4444
Opening hours: Monday (5 PM — 11 PM); Tuesday — Sunday (12 PM — 3 PM, 5 PM — 11 PM)
Melbourne’s South/East
France Soir
If you ask around for the best steak in Melbourne, locals will invariably direct you to France Soir. As one of Melbourne’s best restaurants, the long-standing French steakhouse is as much a part of the city’s culinary identity as fine dining institutions like Vue de Monde and Attica. Consider it South Yarra’s most dependable player – consistency at its core, service a cut above average, and a wine list well worth the splurge.
A powerhouse since 1986, France Soir has been built on Melbourne’s favourite dishes like the classic entrecôte premium steak, served simply with fries and a salad. Other unmistakable French favourites include snails served in garlic butter, calamari with chorizo and jalapenos, and various other steak options ranging from a 600gb rib eye to a 330g porterhouse. With studious Head Chef Géraud Fabre driving it all home, dining at France Soir is a masterclass in consistency and elegance.
Address: 11 Toorak Rd, South Yarra VIC 3141
Contact: (03) 9866 8569
Opening Hours: Monday — Sunday (12 PM — 12 AM)
Attica
You won’t find a list of the best restaurants in Melbourne that doesn’t include a special tip of the hat to Attica. Eating is a meditative art at Ben Shewry’s ode to culinary immersion, and it seems like the rest of the food-loving world agrees; Attica, if you didn’t know by now, is considered one of the best destination restaurants in the world.
It’s fine dining for people who hate fine dining; a revelation for grumpy food critics in urgent need of inspiration. Shewry’s thoughtful way of translating entire regions into immensely clever dishes is something that will keep surprising, and satisfying, gourmands for years to come.
Address: 74 Glen Eira Rd, Ripponlea VIC 3185
Contact: (03) 9530 0111
Opening Hours: Tuesday — Saturday (6 PM — 10 PM)
Minamishima
The most well-regarded Japanese restaurant in Australia, and often the first venue that springs to mind when Australians claim they have the best Japanese food outside of Japan. It’s really not hard to believe such an ambition after dining at Sushi Master Koichi Minamishima’s eponymous masterpiece.
Much like Kisume, the 12-seater Chef’s Table is the ideal way to experience Australia’s finest sushi-ya, offering a 15-course omakase that’s typically booked out months in advance. Having been to Japan no less than 7 times in the past decade, I can confidently write that as soon as you step off that Richmond backstreet and into this kingly establishment, you’ve officially left Australia and found yourself in Tokyo.
Address: 4 Lord St, Richmond VIC 3121
Contact: (03) 9429 5180
Opening Hours: Tuesday — Saturday (6 PM — 10:30 PM)
Donovans
Now well into its third decade, Donovans is St Kilda’s pride and absolutely one of the top earners on this list of the best Melbourne restaurants. The commitment this family-owned restaurant has to its customers — mostly regulars — cuts straight to the heart of hospitality. You feel genuine warmth as soon as you step onto the floor, with Donovans easily endearing as one of the most welcoming, personality-led restaurants one can find in the city.
The menu reads like it could be replicated just about anywhere in Australia, although none have managed to mirror Donovans. Not since it first asserted itself as one of the best spots in town for a high-end showcase of top-shelf Australian produce. Even after one visit, it’d be tough to deny this beachside fine diner as one of the best restaurants in Melbourne, whether it’s for long lunch with bay views or a special occasion dinner.
Address: 40 Jacka Blvd, St Kilda VIC 3182
Contact: (03) 9543 8221
Opening Hours: Wednesday — Sunday (12 PM — 10 PM)
Matilda 159 Domain
Matilda 159 Domain is Scott Pickett’s tender ode to Australian produce, with a particular focus on fire and smoke. A very handsome restaurant, with a lot of interesting visual cues, the South Yarra dining room is built on the idea that nothing can quite compare to what well-sourced Australian ingredients add to a dish.
Pickett knows his way around the country, and he clearly has a knack for grabbing only the finest produce available. The menu is driven by produce completely, so always expect change when heading along for dinner. One thing that we hope never flies off the menu: smoked saltbush lamb ribs, dusted with harissa and macadamia.
Address: 159 Domain Road, South Yarra VIC 3141
Contact: (03) 9089 6668
Opening Hours: Monday — Thursday (6 PM — 10 PM); Friday (12 PM — 2:30 PM, 6 PM — 11 PM); Saturday (8:30 AM — 2:30 PM, 6 PM — 11 PM); Sunday (8:30 AM — 2:30 PM, 6 PM — 10 PM)
Melbourne’s North/West
Marion Wine Bar
Marion, sitting pretty on Gertrude Street in Fitzroy, continues Melbourne’s lustful love affair with approachable wine bars that avoid the pretentiousness historically attached to the genre. Marion is a reflection of modernity creeping into the wine industry, making it infinitely more approachable and enjoyable.
Fun is the key at Marion. The food pairings are playful and surprising, the wine list is top-notch, and the service is lively. And it’s the food that earns Marion a place on this list of best Melbourne restaurants — nothing wildly experimental or surprising, but everything is done exceptionally well.
Address: 53 Gertrude Street, Fitzroy VIC 3065
Contact: (03) 9419 6262
Opening Hours: Monday — Sunday (12 PM — 10 PM)
Smith St Bistrot
Scott Pickett’s head-turning Smith St Bistrot should surely win some design awards by now, with the beautiful classic French bistro reinterpreted with a great deal of modern flair and more than a few pops of colour. Relatively fresh on the scene, the stylish restaurant has already become a favourite for Melbourne locals who can’t get enough of their casual French dining.
The dining room is vintage Paris. Incredibly romantic and unlike anything the city has seen for quite some time, propped up by premium caviar service that, if you’re playing your cards right, should always precede some of that incredible yellowfin tuna tartare and the rich, moreish snails served with parsley, garlic and puff pastry.
Yes, Smith St Bistrot builds its own version of French cuisine, skewing the classics like moreish French onion soup, coq au vin and chocolate fondant so Pickett can add his own page to the ongoing story of Melbourne’s deathless love affair with fine French food.
Address: 300 Smith St, Collingwood VIC 3066
Contact: (03) 9419 2202
Opening Hours: Tuesday — Thursday (5:30 PM — 10:30 PM); Friday — Saturday (12 PM — 12 AM); Sunday (12 PM — 3 PM)
IDES
Former Attica sous chef Peter Gunn turned his Smith Street pop-up, IDES, into a permanent dining destination for Collingwood back in 2016. It’s been highly regarded ever since, constantly referenced as the single best restaurant in the area, with an adventurous kitchen clearly set out to push diner’s standards as high as they can go.
Gunn’s commitment to meticulous techniques and spontaneity means dining here is much like giving yourself over to an omakase. You’ll need to trust the chef with your hard-earned $160 set menu; fortunately, Gunn has already proven himself time and time again, working hard to give IDES a reputation for infallibility.
Address: 92 Smith Street, Collingwood VIC 3066
Contact: 0432 365 869
Opening Hours: Tuesday — Saturday (6 PM — 10 PM); Sunday (2 PM — 4 PM, 6 PM — 10 PM)
Cutler & Co.
A major player in the city’s all-star cast. Cutler & Co. is yet another powerful statement from Andrew McConnell and very much the origin story of his ambitious rise to the top. As the chef’s flagship fine dining experience, this powerful Fitzroy kitchen is constantly generating new and exciting ideas on how to best use Victoria’s famously rich produce.
Consider it a reference point for what Modern Australian means to the dining scene, and how fascinating local ingredients can be when they’re blessed with some of the city’s best chefs. The $150 Chef’s Selection menu is always the way to go here.
Address: 55/57 Gertrude Street, Fitzroy VIC 3065
Contact: (03) 9419 4888
Opening Hours: Thursday — Saturday (5:30 PM — 11 PM); Sunday (12 PM — 11 PM)
Capitano Carlton
A Carlton favourite and absolutely one of the best spots for fresh pasta and pizza that delicately juggles the desire for Naples classics with something fresh and creative. Capitano Carlton is your jam if a casual night out with a table full of wine, pizza, and pasta is your jam. Trust ex-Attica players Banjo Harris Plane and Michael Bascetta to offer up a defining moment for Carlton and its firm grip on the Italian dining scene of Melbourne.
Those pizza squares are always going to be the way to go here, although I can never seem to pull myself away from the pasta whenever I end up in this energetic space. When something as simple and conservative as spaghetti and meatballs can blow your mind each and every time, you know you’re onto something with true staying power.
Address: 421 Rathdowne Street, Carlton VIC 3053
Contact: (03) 9134 8555
Opening Hours: Wednesday — Thursday (5:30 PM — 9:30 PM); Friday (5:30 PM — 10 PM); Saturday — Sunday (12 PM — 5 PM, 5:30 PM — 10 PM)
Bar Liberty
Don’t mistake the serious cellar dossier or the sophisticated food menu as anything close to pretension at Bar Liberty. Service brings it back to ground level, with a sense of openness and exploration that was once missing from the industry.
While mixing and matching wine while typically listening to live music is the vibe of Bar Liberty, you’re going to want to make the most of the tight, to-the-point food menu, which is only overhauled every so often because favourites are established fast. If you’re not hungry, just get some of that delicious wholemeal sourdough flatbread, although if you are, there’s plenty to keep you satisfied, from barramundi with smoked potato, to lamb back strap with celeriac, pine nuts, and lemon thyme.
Address: 234 Johnston Street, Fitzroy VIC 3065
Contact: (03) 9415 9025
Opening Hours: Monday — Saturday (5 PM — 11:30 PM); Sunday (12 pm — 5:30 PM)
If you’ve enjoyed this round-up of the best restaurants in Melbourne, consider checking out these other locally-based dining guides below:
