Foodies will love Melbourne, as the city serves some of the best food in the country! Coffee lovers already know about the numerous independent coffee houses the city has, where there is little need to rely on huge coffee chains for a shot of caffeine. Simply walk down any street in the Central Business District and chances are you will be able to find a shop that serves good coffee.
Whether you crave Chinese, Vietnamese, or Japanese, you will take comfort in the fact that you can take your pick as you walk along the streets. Shops set up by Chinese, Vietnamese, and Japanese means you get the most authentic food without even needing to step into those countries. Want some pasta and gelato? Head to Lygon Street and choose one of the many Italian eateries available there. Want good ol’ Australian? Take your pick as you walk down the streets in Melbourne.
Simply put, there is just room for everyone in Melbourne, no matter where you come from. Check out our reviews below on all the restaurants we tried in Melbourne! We love them all!
For your convenience, refer to this list of places you should head to for a meal while in Melbourne!
1. Akachochin
2. Bowery to Williamsburg
3. Brunetti
4. Market Lane Coffee
5. Musashi Ramen & Izakaya Bar
6. Pidapipo
7. Rice Paper Vietnamese Street Food
8. The General Assembly
9. The Pancake Parlour
10. Tiamo
11. Pino's Trattoria (Phillip Island)
12. Bella Restaurant (Yarra Valley)
13. Meletos Cafe (Yarra Valley)
14. Yarra Valley Dairy (Yarra Valley)
1. Akachochin
One of the many restaurants located at South Wharf Promenade, this Japanese restaurant is a fantastic place to have a good Japanese meal.
When you realise the head chef is Japanese, you know you are in the right place for a real Japanese meal. If you are unsure of what to order, the server will usually offer you some suggestions. If he feels that you might be ordering too much, he will let you know too, such is his intention to let you have a nice meal at the restaurant.
Their sashimi is simply beyond fresh, and you should definitely get them. The chawanmushi and tempura prawns are good options to have as well, while the kani cream croquette comes recommended. The tuna tataki was really good, as the tuna was just lightly seared, with the salad perfectly complementing the dish.
The star of it all will surely be the Wagyu Yaki, all 150g of it. Grilled to perfection, it is lightly drizzled with teriyaki sauce. Each bite represents the hard work the chef put in for this dish, and you can almost take the effort into this dish. After it is all gone, you can order wish for more.
For desserts, remember to ask for the dessert menu as they are not on the main menu. Try their panna cotta and creme brulee, which taste really good. While unexpected since you are in a Japanese restaurant, they did the desserts justice.
While not the most affordable meal in Melbourne, the high quality of the ingredients means you are really getting good value for your money. Make Akachochin one of the stops in Melbourne!
Address: 33 South Wharf Promenade, South Wharf 3006, Australia
Opening hours: 12 pm till late daily
Website (includes menu): https://www.akachochin.com.au/
2. Bowery to Williamsburg
Located in a laneway near Flinders Street, this neat little deli is the ultimate to-go place if you crave some proper NYC breakfast.
Much like its name, which is really two train stations along the subway line in New York City (Bowery and Williamsburg), its breakfast fare consists of usual NYC food, including bagels and eggs. Think of a crispy crust on the outside, with a warm and soft texture on the inside.
Indeed, bagels are their thing, as there are 6 types of bagels for you to choose from, from the plain bagel to the blueberry-flavoured. Even for the schmears, there are 6 different flavours, with more unique options including lemon-vanilla and salted caramel. For those wanting a heavier breakfast, you will be pleased to know they also serve full breakfasts, where options like Brisket and Eggs and Corn and Sweet Potato Hash are available. Daily specials are also available so do check out their board, or simply ask them about it!
If you want something different and simply do not fancy something savoury in the morning, you will be delighted to know they offer sweet waffles, where you can choose either the Vanilla Berry or Grilled Banana. Feeling Southern? Try the Southern Fried Chicken, which is bound to bring you back to the Southern States!
Lunch is also served here, where once again, it pays homage to its NYC heritage. Sandwiches are on offer, where the usual suspects like the Pastrami on Rye and BBQ Bacon Cheeseburger are for sale. Yum!
While it may not be the easiest eatery to locate, no thanks to it being situated in a laneway, we promise you will want to come back after tasting their bagels!
Address: 16 Oliver Lane Melbourne VIC 3000, Australia
Opening hours: 7.30 am to 3 pm (Mondays to Fridays); 8.30 am to 3 pm (Saturdays and Sundays)
Website: https://bowerytowilliamsburg.com.au/
3. Brunetti
Brunetti is basically a Melbourne institution, where it first opened its doors in 1985. Since then, it has grown and now serves all types of food, from full meals to cakes to ice creams to afternoon tea to coffee.
It is always crowded with many people, and the servers are always shouting their orders and getting the customers the orders. Smartly dressed, the servers showcase the Italian style in their uniforms.
Pizzas, pasta, steaks, and other usual Italian fare are on offer and judging by the looks of the customers, they are all satisfied with their meals.
They serve good cappuccinos and lattes, while the scones are served warm, and tasted warm and fluffy. Of course, the highlight must be their gelato ice creams, with so many flavours to choose from. If you are adventurous, you can go for seasonal specials, such as the Nutella Hot Cross Bun. If not, we suggest the Cashew Caramelised Fig & Roasted Almond. Although a mouthful to speak out, the ice cream will leave you speechless. It is deliciously sweet, rich, and you just can't wait to take that next bite. We highly recommend this flavour!
If you are down there at Brunetti, try to go for a full meal, before indulging in some sweet treats and a cuppa!
Address (branch where we visited): 380 Lygon Street, Carlton VIC 3053, Australia
Opening hours (branch where we visited): 6 am to 6 pm daily
Website: https://brunettioro.com.au/
4. Market Lane Coffee
The place to drink some nice coffee in Melbourne is also a good place to people watch. With 7 branches spread out over Melbourne, our favourite branch is at Collins Street, where one can simply order a cuppa, sit down, and watch the world go by.
If you head down on a weekday morning, you will get to see executives rushing about to get their caffeine order, before walking off towards their offices. Some will be having their meetings right at the coffee joint, while the rest will be ordinary tourists (like us!) observing everyone.
Of course, it helps when the lattes we ordered were delicious, with strong espresso shots and piping hot steamed milk. Market Lane does it well, with the milk poured into the cup evenly without too much froth. We know some chains do Lattes with so much froth we thought we ordered Cappuccinos instead. And so, we cherish how Market Lane Coffee does proper Lattes. Come get a cuppa!
Address (branch where we visited): 8 Collins Street, Melbourne 3000 VIC, Australia
Opening hours (branch where we visited): 7 am to 2 pm daily
Website: https://marketlane.com.au/
5. Musashi Ramen & Izakaya Bar
A no-frills Japanese eatery that focuses on the food, Musashi Ramen & Izakaya Bar is a place that should be high on your to-eat places.
It offers a variety of ramen, from black, white, to red, ramen. This refers to the type of broth to cook the ramen in. Red ramen is usually spicy, while black ramen are generally cooked with black garlic. Both are fantastic ways to have ramen. You can also have a special dry sauce ramen, which has no broth but is instead served with a sauce. If you want more ingredients, feel free to add them, whether it be a braised egg, pork belly, or bamboo shoots. The prices are kept affordable and are quite fast to serve.
It also has robata served, which offers authentic Japanese options like chicken giblets, oyster mushroom, and ox tongue. Yum! Rice and tapas are also available, so it looks like this eatery has it all for customers to choose from.
Desserts are also pretty good at this eatery, and you should try their matcha ice cream. It does take a little longer after ordering it to arrive, but it really tastes good. Two scoops of matcha ice cream come with whipped cream and cereal, and it provides a sweet ending to your meal at this eatery.
This would be a nice place to have some affordable yet authentic Japanese food in Melbourne!
Address: Level 1/181 Russell St, Melbourne VIC 3000, Australia
Opening hours: 11.30 am to 3 pm, 5 pm to 1 am (Sundays to Wednesdays); 11.30 am to 3 pm, 5 pm to 3 am (Thursdays to Saturdays)
6. Pidapipo
Essentially a store that sells gelato ice cream, everyone who has a sweet tooth must head here for a treat! It is not surprising to see a queue when you are there, especially when people head for ice cream after completing their meal in a nearby restaurant.
Freshly made, it comes with many different flavours, although the most popular ones are milked based. A good recommendation is the Nutella Swirl, which has a huge portion of Nutella spread in the middle of your gelato ice cream. Honestly, how awesome is that?! The usual flavours are tasty, including Hazelnut and Salted Caramel.
They also sell takeaway tubs so you can always bring them back to your apartment or hotel if you are confident of finishing the entire tub in a couple of days. Which we do not think is that tough? For sure, you will head down here more than once, simply because they are really yummy!
Address (branch where we visited): 299 Lygon Street, Carlton VIC 3053, Australia
Opening hours (branch where we visited): 12 pm to 11 pm daily
Website: https://pidapipo.com/
7. Rice Paper Vietnamese Street Food
Vietnamese food can almost be considered a staple food in Melbourne due to the numerous Vietnamese eateries spread out over the city. You are likely to find a Vietnamese joint at virtually every street downtown.
Out of the many eateries to choose from, our favourite Vietnamese eatery in Melbourne is surely Rice Paper Vietnamese Street Food, located at Swanston Street. Run by Vietnamese, it already looks promising when we headed into the restaurant.
The menu consists of quite a few choices, but most will probably order the unmistakable pho. A mainstay of Vietnamese food, this eatery does the pho justice. Customers can choose the type of ingredients to be put into their rice noodles, but we recommend their beef & brisket pho, which comes with beef slices and chunks of tender beef briskets. The broth is so rich and sweet that you can drink it up in no time!
Being at a Vietnamese eatery, you would probably need to get some rice paper rolls to complete your meal. We suggest their prawn rice paper rolls, which comes packed with vermicelli noodles and fresh herbs. The peanut sauce is awesome, and you should definitely dip your paper roll in it first before eating. If you order this with pho, we suggest you share the rice rolls with your partner, as we don’t see how one can finish both the pho and rice rolls.
To complete your Vietnamese dining experience, go for their coffee. If you think they simply serve some local rendition of Melbourne coffee, you are totally wrong. Vietnamese coffee is special in its own right and is usually served with a generous amount of condensed milk. As you let the coffee filter through into the cup, smell the sweet aroma that is Vietnam! If you prefer, you can have it black too, although we suggest the white version to embrace the authentic experience!
Address: 245 Swanston St, Melbourne VIC 3000, Australia
Opening hours: 10 am to 10 pm (Sundays to Thursdays); 10 am to 11 pm (Fridays and Saturdays)
8. The General Assembly
Located along South Wharf Promenade, it has beautiful views of the city skyline, which also offers great views of the sunset. But enough of the amazing views this restaurant offers.
The General Assembly offers good food where its speciality lies in the drinks. It offers quite a few types of craft beers, where the Carlton Draught comes recommended.
If you happen to be in a group, try their South Wharf Platter. It comes with freshly shucked oysters, tiger prawns, salmon gravlax, and lobster remoulade. The seafood tastes fresh and it gives a refreshing feeling before you start your meal proper.
You should also try their Steak Frites, which comes with shoestring fries and your choice of sauce. The steak tasted good, and the fries with craft beer gives you the enjoyable feeling of chilling in a bar.
Speaking of which, The General Assembly is a good place to relax and have a casual meal with your friends and family. It gives the nice warm vibes of a chill-out place, where you just relax and order a few drinks to chat over. All in all, a nice place for dinner!
Address: 29 South Wharf Promenade, South Wharf, VIC, 3006, Australia
Opening hours: 11.30 am to 9 pm (Sundays to Thursdays); 11.30 am to 10 pm (Fridays and Saturdays)
Website (includes menu): https://www.thegeneralassembly.com.au/
9. The Pancake Parlour
The Pancake Parlour is really a family business that was set up by Australians, way back in 1965. First started in Adelaide, it has since expanded to more than 10 branches in Melbourne.
As seen in its name, this shop specialises in pancakes, and you can be assured of a fluffy pancake served that is suitable for any occasion. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, or just as an afternoon tea break. Sweet or savoury? They got it covered. The menu is pretty extensive, which also includes vegan options.
For breakfast lovers, we suggest going for the Farmers Breakfast. Served with two fat and fluffy pancakes, they are topped with a generous amount of whipped butter. The Farmers Breakfast comes with house-made hash browns, which are pretty unique that. Instead of the usual types you see at a commercial chain like McDonald's, Pancake Parlour does it differently. Thinly sliced and cut, the hash brown is almost like a rosti, and you can taste the crispiness of the potatoes. 2 free-range eggs are also served in any style you fancy.
Another good option is the Baron’s Breakfast. As its name suggests, the breakfast is fit for a baron! Besides the delicious pancakes, spinach, mushrooms, and a grilled tomato are also part of the meal to allow for a satisfying breakfast. Feeling hungry? Add 2 free-range eggs for only $2, and you basically get a really complete breakfast!
There are also many other options, and you should definitely try them! Tiramisu pancakes, chocolate chip pancakes, and hot buttered walnuts are just a few of the numerous sweet pancakes they offer! This place will be a fantastic option for families!
Address (branch where we visited): Melbourne Central, Swanston Street, Melbourne VIC 3000, Australia
Opening hours (branch where we visited): 10 am to 10 pm (Mondays to Thursdays); 8 am to 12 am (Fridays and Saturdays); 8 am to 10 pm (Sundays)
Website (includes menu): https://www.pancakeparlour.com.au/
10. Tiamo
Tiamo is an Italian restaurant situated in Lygon Street, which is famous in Melbourne for having the best Italian eateries in the city. So, you know it’s worth something when we say our favourite Italian place is Tiamo!
Most of their food options are so yummy that we actually have a hard time coming up with a few favourites. But we will try.
Pizza lovers should definitely go for their Zucca. Consisting of mozzarella, roasted pumpkin, and feta cheese, the result is a rich and creamy pizza to indulge in! Quite frankly, the food tasted so much better than how it looks in pictures. The picture simply does it no justice.
For those who enjoy pasta, we recommend their Spaghetti Don Giovanni. Cooked with mussels, clams, and spinach, in a Napoli sauce, it is sweet with just a hint of spice from the chilli added.
You should also definitely check out their specials on the board for any unique offerings not on the menu. We chanced upon this and they did not disappoint! The steak, served medium rare, was so juicy that it was finished up in no time. A huge portion of pumpkin was added, and vegetables including olives completed the set. All in, it was a very satisfying steak that sealed the deal for us.
To complete any Italian meal, it is paramount to finish it all up with a cuppa. Try their coffees, which are delicious in their own right. Cappuccino or latte, they’ve got it!
By the time you have finished your meal at Tiamo, you will start planning for the next time you head back here!
Address: 303 Lygon St, Carlton VIC 3053, Australia
Opening hours: 12 pm to 9 pm daily
Website (includes menu): https://www.tiamo.com.au/
11. Pino's Trattoria (Phillip Island)
Pino’s Trattoria is the go-to place for a nice warm dinner at Phillip Island. In fact, we noticed many visitors heading head for an early dinner, before moving off to catch the penguins in the evening. An Italian restaurant, it also pays homage to moto racing, where Phillip Island has a fantastic track.
Food-wise, it has many choices that can leave the customer unsure of what to choose. We recommend checking out their specials board to see what they got that day! We did so and got some mussels. It was simply fresh, juicy, and tasted really great with some lightly toasted bread. Yum!
Alternatively, go for their pizza, which has so many options. One good suggestion is the Calabrese that comes with mozzarella, tomato, calabrese salami and peppers. The combination is a perfect one with a generous amount of salami and a good portion of peppers. It is also good for sharing.
You definitely need to save some space for desserts, and we highly recommend their Tiramisu. It is an original recipe that dates back more than 12 years. Clearly, that is a smart move as this cake is so soft and melts in your mouth! Quite frankly, it was a struggle to stop at only one slice! Get it with some cappuccino and you are set! After your meal, head straight down to the Penguin Parade! Remember, head there early to get the best seats!
Address: 29-31 Thompson Ave, Cowes VIC 3922, Australia
Opening hours: 12pm onwards (lunch); 5pm onwards (dinner)
Website (includes menu): https://pinostrattoria.com.au/
12. Bella Restaurant (Yarra Valley)
If you are in the Yarra Valley region, be sure to head down to Bella at least once for a nice romantic dinner. Families are more than welcome too, although the ambience simply makes it perfect for couples!
Situated within Yarra Valley Lodge, it is the flagship restaurant of the resort, which is within Heritage Golf and Country Club. All in all, it is an amazing place to be in, and the resort feeling just makes the dining experience so much better!
A good tip would be to head down to the lodge before sunset, so you can view the many kangaroos roaming around freely on the golf course. They tend to be more active as the day comes to an end, so do keep a lookout for them!
For starters, you cannot go wrong with the seared sea scallops, as they are expertly cooked to perfection. Their steak comes recommended and it is easy to understand why, as the meat was so juicy and tender! Their fish, which depends on what is available in the market that day, is served with some delicious risotto nero. If you are a fan of fish, you should definitely try this dish. You will not regret it!
For desserts, it is always a necessary course to have, and we can only recommend the pistachio & olive oil cake. It comes with vanilla panna cotta as well, and you get oatmeal and orange crumbs to complete the dessert dish. It was just the right amount of sweetness, with good crunchy bits to complement the cake and panna cotta.
The entire meal was simply awesome, and the nice ambience made it that much better. Definitely, head over to Bella to enjoy a wonderful dinner!
Address: Yarra Valley Lodge, 2 Heritage Ave, Chirnside Park, Victoria, 3116, Australia
Opening hours:
Breakfast: 7 am to 10 am (Mondays to Fridays); 7.30 am to 10.30 am (Saturdays and Sundays)
Dinner: 6.30 pm to 9 pm daily
Website (includes menu): https://www.yarravalleylodge.com/dining/bella-restaurant
13. Meletos Cafe (Yarra Valley)
Meletos Cafe is the casual cafe set up by the same family that brought us Stones of the Yarra Valley and The Stables at Stones. It also offers unique accommodation via The Farmhouse, an exclusive property that offers only 22 guestrooms and one Tuscan suite. Overlooking rows after rows of vineyards, it is a remarkable place to stay and dine in.
For the rest of us who are not able to stay at this fantastic property, be sure to head over to Meletos Cafe to enjoy a wonderful meal.
If you are not in a rush, we suggest heading over for an early dinner, just so you can enjoy the daylight and admire the vineyards just as the sun sets over the horizon. It has a large open area, where we noticed children enjoying themselves and running about having fun.
If you are heading there in a group, we recommend going for some of their starters and mains to share. Their char-grilled Hervey Bay scallops are good, with a piece of dill meticulously added to each scallop. The pea puree works well with the scallop, and when eaten whole in one mouthful, we can only say it was awesome!
Be sure to try their Spring Bay black mussels, as the portion is quite generous, and the sauce is simply tasty. You should also get some pizzas, as all of their options are freshly made wood-fired pizzas. We had the Puttanesca, which came with huge amounts of mozzarella and quite some anchovies. This was one of the favourites of the servers there, and we must say she did not disappoint!
After you have completed your meal, be sure to take a walk behind the restaurant and have a stroll with your family. It is really therapeutic and helps in digesting your food as well! Who knows, you may be hungry again and have room for some desserts by the time you are back at the restaurant!
Address: Meletos, 12 St Huberts Rd, Coldstream VIC 3770, Australia
Opening hours:
Lunch: 12 pm to 4 pm daily
Dinner: 5 pm till late (Wednesdays to Sundays)
Website (includes menu): https://www.meletos.com/
14. Yarra Valley Dairy (Yarra Valley)
Yarra Valley Dairy is really a dairy store that many types of cheeses, and they also have a store within the shop that sells different merchandise that is good to use in the kitchen.
The building, believe it or not, is 100 years old and still standing strong! So whenever you head down to the place, you are actually stepping into history!
The place is not that big, but large enough to accommodate small groups. Be sure to head there early though to grab a seat! Get a good seat and you will have an awesome view of Yarra Valley.
Have their famous farmhouse cheese platter, which comes with four types of cheese, relish, and a plate of bread and crackers. It may seem a little too much for two people, but we try! They also serve other food options, including antipasto and cookies, so you might want to treat this as a full meal instead of just an afternoon tea meal. They serve delicious beverages and you should get a cuppa to go along with your cheeses. If you are in the mood, get some wine and you will have a ball of a time!
They have a large variety of wines available and it is not surprising to see customers get a couple of bottles of wine to bring home with. If you are in a group, consider buying a bottle and have it there!
If you loved your time there so much that you want to bring some cheese and wine home, do it! Their plain crackers, wine, and many varieties of cheese are available for takeaway, so you will be spoilt for choice! Be sure to head down to Yarra Valley Dairy when you are in the region!
Address: 70–80 McMeikans Road Yering, VIC 3770, Australia
Opening hours: 10.30 am to 5 pm (Thursdays to Sundays)
Website: https://yvd.com.au/
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