The city of Melbourne has become synonymous with fabulous food. It’s exciting, it’s vibrant and it is home to an immensely diverse range of restaurants that will transport you around the globe, one bite at a time. Gone are the days of uninspiring meals of meat and two veg. From the Insta-famous freakshakes, to the world’s best pizza, locals and visitors are now spoilt for choice. As naming all the noteworthy eateries in Melbourne would lead to the culinary version of Anna Karenina, we have chosen some of our very favourite haunts for you to enjoy in this local’s food guide to Melbourne, Australia’s foodie capital.
Whether the sun is shining or the rain is falling, it’s always the perfect time for a refreshing cocktail. Image © St. Cloud Eating House
ST. CLOUD EATING HOUSE
Situated in the foodie haven that is Melbourne’s inner east suburb of Hawthorn, St. Cloud Eating House is a far cry from the defunct bedding store that once inhabited its prime location. With Feast of Merit’s Franky Pham heading the kitchen, the menu is a veritable fusion of old and new, delivering vibrant, fresh Vietnamese fare to locals and visitors alike.
Upon first entering the two-storey establishment, it is the quintessential laid-back Melbourne styling that first strikes you. Designed by Therefore Studio and interior stylist Elle Critchley, the perfect pairings of wood, exposed brick and greenery provide the ideal backdrop to the delectable menu showcasing pork belly cooked more ways than you could ever imagine. From classic street eats to spring rolls and pho, St. Cloud offers the best of Vietnam with a classic Melbourne twist.
If trying to decide what to eat leaves you feeling more anxious than Macaulay Culkin on Christmas Eve, then look no further than the Feed Me menu. All the food. None of the stress.
Related: How to Spend 7 Days in Melbourne
Located in the city’s foodie hub of Hawthorn, St Cloud offers the quintessential Melbourne dining experience. Image © St. Cloud Eating House
SUPERNORMAL | 180 FLINDERS LANE, MELBOURNE
Melbourne has somewhat established itself as the city that makes you queue for hours upon hours for fabulous food. Right or wrong, it seems to be the way of the future. Fortunately for us, however, there are usually a plethora of bars in close vicinity to keep us occupied before it’s time to dine.
In short, Flinders Lane’s Supernormal is worth the wait. Plus, while you wait you can get comfy on one of the bar stools and catch all the action in the kitchen whilst sipping on a Prosecco cocktail.
Influenced by the restaurant scenes and cuisine of Tokyo, Shanghai, Seoul and Hong Kong, the menu is packed with modern Asian fare. Kick off the meal with the caviar, chives and dashi cracker. It is pure decadence and will leave you feeling oh-so-fancy. Since no meal is complete without dumplings, it would be wrong not to indulge in the prawn and chicken dumplings with chilli and vinegar sauce. Finally, treat yourself to the famous peanut butter parfait with salted caramel and soft chocolate. There are no words to describe just how good this dessert is…but there is peanut butter and chocolate. Enough said.
Bookings are available at lunch time so if you can sneak away from the office, or even better, are on holiday, lock in your lunch and then simply turn up.
Start your meal at Supernormal the right way with a delicious caviar, chives and dashi cracker. Image © Krish Srikanthan
Dumplings are a good idea. Prawn and chicken dumplings with chilli and vinegar sauce are the best idea. Image © Krish Srikanthan
THE MAYFAIR BAR AND RESTAURANT | 45 COLLINS STREET, MELBOURNE
If elegance and charm are what you are after, then look no further than Mayfair, Melbourne’s New York inspired supper club. Situated on one of Melbourne’s swankiest city streets, this elegant dining room and cocktail bar is the perfect place to sip on a martini and throw back some oysters. The dim lighting and warm glow of frosted lamps will make you feel like you’re somewhere between Melbourne and New York, with a little Paris thrown in for good measure.
Feast on the fanciest of fancy, like the steak tartare with smoked oil and egg yolk, or the pork shoulder sausage rolls. They will put the sausage rolls at every kids’ birthday in Australia to shame. If you’re feeling fancy but still find it hard to go past a classic toastie, Mayfair has you covered: noix de jambon and brie toastie. Convinced yet? If not, I’ll just say this: live jazz every night. Thank you and goodnight.
You’ll find decadence in spades at this Collins Street establishment. Image © The Mayfair Bar and Restaurant
I LOVE DUMPLINGS | 298 BRIDGE ROAD, RICHMOND
Fact: Melburnians love their dumplings. Whether it’s fine dining or budget bargains, Melbourne has a dumpling for every diner. I Love Dumplings is somewhat of a Melbourne institution, regularly feeding the residents of Richmond, Brunswick, Flemington, St Kilda and Fitzroy. What makes this place so good? No matter how much you wine and dine, you somehow never spend more than $20.
From steamed to fried, meat to vegetarian, dumplings abound at this charismatically chaotic venue. If, however, dumplings aren’t enough to satisfy you, there are rice dishes, noodles, pancakes and the best pork buns this side of the river.
This is also the kind of restaurant where you don’t have to ask for your wine glass to be filled to the rim. No judgement here my friends.
With an array of dishes to satisfy every culinary craving, this Melbourne institution has made a name for itself with its wallet-friendly offerings. Image © Krish Srikanthan
TONKA | 20 DUCKBOARD PLACE, MELBOURNE
To enter Tonka is to realise that Melbourne’s alleyways are hiding some of the city’s best dining destinations. A largely unassuming entryway in a laneway brought to life with colourful graffiti art, Tonka is moody from the outset. As you make your way through the restaurant, past the bustling kitchen, don’t forget to look up. The art installation adorning the ceiling is designed by Melbourne artist Naomi Troski and is a large amorphous work shaped by the space, transforming by the shifts in light and colour over the course of a day. It may also offer a welcome distraction should your Tinder date not bear any resemblance to their profile pictures…
If you’re after the quintessential Melbourne laneway experience, take a seat in the casual entrance Thali Bar, with a vast cocktail list dedicated to the colourful world of Indian spice. The bar offers a limited selection of Tonka’s modern Indian dishes, but I strongly recommend venturing further into the dining area. There awaits pani puri parcels with aromatic water, blue swimmer crab puttu betel leaf and hand dived scallop, to name a few. The dishes are packed with punchy flavours and truly capture the vibrancy of the subcontinent.
Tonka’s flavourful five spice calamari with ink boondi, pickled onion and avocado raita. Image © Tonka
SAINT CRISPIN | 300 SMITH STREET, COLLINGWOOD
Melbourne has a thing for converting old spaces and Collingwood’s Saint Crispin is no exception. Formerly a cobbler’s workshop built in 1865, the space is now home to yet another Scott Pickett success story. Pickett is also the man behind two-hatted ESP, Estelle Bistro and the Queen Victoria Market’s Pickett’s Deli & Rotisserie.
With its palette of dark woods and navy blues, Saint Crispin is certainly keeping up with the Joneses when it comes to Melbourne’s design scene. The stylish interiors make everyone feel welcome; from families on a night out to friends and dates, to birthday celebrations where you might just score a free dessert decked out with sparklers. Maybe.
The ever-helpful staff will likely steer you towards the famous Snap Crackle Pop; the flavourful pork crackling that is not to be missed. If inventiveness is your jam, Saint Crispin fits the bill, with dishes like the asparagus with mushroom ketchup, shimeji and hazelnut. The winner, however, is undoubtedly the Humpty Doo barramundi. I challenge you to find a dish with a better name.
Formerly a cobbler’s workshop, Saint Crispin now boasts a stylish palette of dark woods and navy blues. Image © Saint Crispin
HAWKER HALL | 98 CHAPEL STREET, WINDSOR
Hawker Hall in Windsor brings the best of Southeast Asia’s hawker centres to inner city Melbourne. Famed the world over for their variety, delicious fare at bargain prices and unique dining experience, Hawker Hall seeks to bring the best of Singapore and Malaysia to one convenient location.
This horse stable-cum-food and beer hall is a veritable haven for food lovers. Beer food, satay, noodles, rice, roti, dumplings, curries, stir fry and sweets, most of which will set you back less than $20! Your table will quickly be overflowing with options, possibly making you regret those skinny jeans.
It’s all about sharing and caring at Hawker Hall, so just say “feed me” to the helpful staff and then wait for the adventure to begin.
