Best restaurants in South Melbourne

What is it? Experimental fine dining at its most ambitious, mind-bending and delicious.

Why go? Admittedly, this isn’t the kind of restaurant that you go to a few times a week, you save it up for special occasions or when you want to impress that special someone in your life. Co-owner and former executive chef Shaun Quade may be setting his sights on LA, but he has promoted John Rivera to shake up the menu and offer shorter (and more affordable) 3, 5 and 7-course menus with dishes getting a soft, Filipino touch to them like the barbecue pork glazed in black banana or dessert of mango with soy milk.

What is it? A 12-seater tempura focussed restaurant, which has stood the test of time.

Why go? If you’ve ever wanted to receive the full, intimate Japanese restaurant experience but haven’t been able to afford a ticket to Japan, Tempura Hajime is your best bet. There are two temperature controlled copper cauldrons on either side of the room designed for perfect deep-frying of seasonal ingredients like baby corn in the summer, king oyster mushrooms in the autumn and scallops stuffed with shiso and sea urchin in the winter. 

What is it? A local’s wine bar with access to wines from the Prince Wine Store cellar.

Why go? You may be able to get an ice cold Peroni or a fortifying Negroni here with ease, but you’re really winning if you’re a huge wine buff. While the wine list changes often and encompasses a range of tastes and takes full advantage of a Coravin system, you’d be wise to walk into the Prince Wine Store and pluck any bottle off the wall to accompany the deliciously unpretentious Mediterranean dishes by Nicky Riemer.

What is it? A little osteria off Clarendon St serving hand-made pastas and Italian wines.

Why go there? Park Street Pasta and Wine keep a short and sharp menu for both its food and wine, changing fortnightly to reflect the fast-changing seasons in Melbourne. This is the kind of restaurant where you can wander in off the street wearing runners and a t-shirt and still be made to feel like the most important person in the room while diving into a bowl of hand-made mafaldine cacio e pepe or a Skull Island tiger prawn tagliatelle in a shellfish bisque.

What is it? One of South Melbourne’s oldest pubs and favourite local hangouts.

Why go there? Even though they opened their doors in the 1850s, Lamaro’s still feels fresh. Admittedly, it’s undergone a few facelifts, but the bones of the building is still there and the philosophy has always been to serve the locals rather than change the game. Geoff Lindsay is now in charge of the food, which means you’ll find one of Melbourne’s best steak sandwiches next to his signature red duck curry (which seems to follow him wherever he works).

What is it? A coffee nerd’s heaven hidden in a warehouse in the backstreets of South Melbourne.

Why go? For the coffee. St Ali is where specialty coffee tragics and baristas come to worship. This café has its own roastery, a wholesale business which supplies a lot of Melbourne with its coffee and serves up seasonal blends and single origin roasts in espresso and filter, even offering up ‘barista breakfast’ flights which are not for the faint of heart.

What is it? An ethical egg-centric eatery that doesn’t break the bank.

Why go there? Put your mind at ease when dining at Good Egg, they’ve done all the hard work in sourcing ‘open range’ eggs from Daylesford, nitrate-free pork from Western Plains and breads from St Kilda’s Woodfrog Bakery. As the name suggests, eggs are the name of the game here, but they’re not just fried, scrambled or poached (though, you can get those, too), you can also get yours Scotched - encased in pork and fennel sausage with a spinach and watercress salad. Better yet, they’re open every day.

What is it? A family-friendly eatery in a beautifully renovated old mill.

Why go there? This is a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it venue. This multi-zoned restaurant marries indoor and outdoor dining areas by connecting spaces with exposed-brick, timber and natural light by means of a restaurant-length skylight. Food is all kissed by woodfire whether it be oven-dried tomatoes in riff on a Caprese salad, whole fish, pizzas or dessert (think roasted pineapple with a yogurt sorbet).

What is it? A café-patisserie serving you more than just dessert.

Why go there? If you’ve fallen victim to worshipping at the church of Keto, Chez Dre is sure to cure you. Andrea (Dre) Reiss is a real-deal French pastry chef, straight out of Michelin starred restaurants who is proving bread (sourdoughs, fruit breads, baguettes) and laminating pastry (think housemade sausage rolls, lemon tarts, chocolate eclairs) off an inconspicuous alley in South Melbourne. Enjoy your carbs with cooked breakfasts or in filled baguettes on site, or buy loaves and whole cakes to take home. Get in early as they sell out fast.

What is it? Chez Dre’s all-sweets café filled with petit gateaux, macarons and other treats.

Why go there?
Why put up with the lines in a café when all you want is a cake to take home? Bibelot is the answer to Chez Dre’s critical mass, taking over the adjoining main street shop and opening up a glass-fronted retail store with only a handful of seats. You can still grab a coffee and a hazelnut praline crunch petit gateaux to eat in, but explore the experimental flavours like the plum and hojicha or jasmine and lychee alongside next time you need to impress at a dinner party.