Melbourne is our home-town, and our of our favourite cities in the world. While Melbourne may lack the visual “impressiveness” and older history of other cities around the world, it makes up for it with culture, liveability and food! After travelling almost 40 countries and trying amazing food all around the world, we can confidently say Melbourne has some of the best food around. In particular, the multi-cultural food in Melbourne is excellent!
We decided to put a little list together of our favourite restaurants around Melbourne. Please note these aren’t fine dining, but more the places we think offer excellent food and great dining experiences. We will continue to add to this list as we eat and explore more restaurants. If you live or have visited Melbourne and think we have left a few of your favourites off the list, please let us know in the comments below!
The Best Restaurants in Melbourne
(in our opinion)
This list is in no particular order, but is made up of places offering great food, unique experiences and are locations we think you should definitely check out. None of these restaurants are sponsored, it’s purely a list of our top picks!
Miznon
This Israeli street food restaurant sits along one of our favourite laneways in Melbourne’s CBD, Hardware Lane. We have visited on multiple occasions, and enjoy the food and experience every time! This isn’t fine dining, but the food is top quality, with meat, fish and excellent vegetarian options available. Make sure you order the whole roasted cauliflower.. it’s a must! We would recommend booking for weekends, especially during the warmer months.
Address: 59 Hardware Ln, Melbourne VIC 3000
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/miznonmelbourne/?hl=en
La Tortilleria
This little restaurant sits a little out of the heart of the city in Kensington, but is definitely our favourite Mexican around! Having both visited Mexico on separate occasions, we have fallen in love the with food, particularly Mexican that is ‘less Tex-Mex’ and more ‘authentic’. We have found La Tortilleria to be the closest to what we tried in Mexico! Additionally, the crew at La Tortilleria grind their own corn for the corn chips (which are incredible) and tortillas. This makes them fresh and so tasty. They are so good that La Tortilleria sells them to other Mexican restaurants around Melbourne. If you are going to head out of the city and visit, we recommend booking.
Address: 72 Stubbs St, Kensington VIC 3031
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/latortilleriaau/?hl=en
Shop Ramen
Shop Ramen is home one of our favourite bowls of Ramen! Situated a short drive north of the city in Fitzroy, Shop Ramen has a minimalist and simple aesthetic, but offers maximal flavour and satisfaction. The food comes quickly, but if you’re wanting an extra snack, the Bao Buns are an excellent addition. We recommend arriving shoulder side of “peak dinner” times due to the lines that gather here. It’s worth the wait!
Address: 329 Smith St, Fitzroy VIC 3065
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shopramen/
Hawker Hall
Melbourne has sensational Asian-fusion, and Hawker Hall is one of the best around! Situated in Windsor, one of the top ‘foodie areas’ of Melbourne, Hawker Hall is one of our favourite places for a nice dinner and excellent food. The interior is spacious, has a great atmosphere, and is always full! The food.. well it’s top quality! You will need to book, or otherwise can put your name down and grab a drink nearby while you wait. If you love Asian food, this place should be on your Melbourne list!
Address: 98 Chapel St, Windsor VIC 3181
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hawkerhall/?hl=en
Miss Chu
Miss Chu delivers delicious, health-conscious Vietnamese style food at great prices. These little restaurants have become some of our favourite places for consistently tasty food that we leave feeling good about. We initially started frequenting the South Yarra location, and after moving closer to the city, the South Melbourne store became ‘go-to’. Don’t expect fine dining, but the food for what you get is great!
Address: Multiple locations including South Melbourne, South Yarra and Brunswick.
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/misschu.tuckshop/?hl=en
Chin Chin
Seeing a theme yet? We love Asian food! And Melbourne has some amazing Asian restaurants! Chin Chin is your ‘fancier’ Asian dining option, however it isn’t exactly your standard ‘fine dining’. The portions are generous, and incredibly good! Chin Chin typically doesn’t take bookings for small groups, so get there early, or be prepared to wait. We generally save Chin Chin for special occasions, but it’s worth it every time we visit!
Address: 125 Flinders Ln, Melbourne VIC 3000
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chinchin/?hl=en
A few extras we also love:
- Small Print Pizza – this little Pizza bar in Windsor offers top quality food, and was a favourite of ours when we lived close by. They offer lawn games you can borrow and sit in the park across the road, perfect for a warm summers night!
- Soi 38 – Located in the heart of the CBD, this restaurant is a little different. Hidden inside a high-rise car-park, be prepared for authentic and tasty. No frills, but the experience is worth it!
- Paradai Thai – A family favourite offering some of the best Thai food around. Located a little out of the city in Carnegie, this trip is worth it.
- Hanoi Hannah – With multiple locations in Elsternwick and Richmond (New Quarter), Hanoi Hannah never fails to disappoint. We love the food and the experience! We are definitely repeat customers.
- DOC – Offering some of the best Pizza outside of Italy! Definitely a favourite of ours.
- Rice Paper Scissors – Another Asian favourite of ours located along the vibrant hardware lane.
- Vegie Bar – One of our favourite vegetarian restaurants around is located in the north of Melbourne in Fitzroy.
- Juana Taco – This charming little Mexican restaurant in St Kilda offers excellent tacos!
- Saigon Street Eats – Cheap, tasty Vietnamese food! This is one of our go-to local meals in Balaclava!
- Ca De Vin – A Europe feel in the heart of Melbourne. Located down a little alleyway just off Bourke Street, we have stopped here a number of times for a Pizza and vino.
- Butchers Diner – Located at the end of Bourke Street, this diner is one of our go-to late night spots for a tasty (but not so healthy) feed.
