The best BYO restaurants in Melbourne

Corkage: $30 per bottle (double for magnums), every Wednesday night

Located in a former metalworks factory on Gertrude Street in Fitzroy, Cutler (formerly Cutler and Co), is the flagship restaurant of Andrew McConnell and Jo McGann. While the venue may have somehow relaxed its sense of formality in line with current dining trends, crucial aspects of the experience remain: world-class service and a creative yet comforting menu that makes use of Australia's superb produce. Best of all, every Wednesday evening is ‘Cellar Night’ – where guests can bring a vino from their cellar to enjoy in the restaurant. The Cutler team know their stuff, so you can relax knowing that any bottle you bring in will be treated with the utmost care. 

Corkage: $20 per bottle, Tue-Thu

Añada is Spanish for ‘year’s harvest’, an apt choice of name for a restaurant with a commitment to seasonal ingredients and a constantly shifting menu. Established by a pair of Australian Hispanophiles, previously of London’s River Café and Melbourne’s much-loved Movida, this diminutive, warmly lit venue serves Spanish-style tapas and raciones.

Corkage: $12 per bottle, Tue

David’s has long been Melbourne’s go-to spot for Shanghai cuisine, first starting as a tea store on Chapel Street before becoming the place it is today. Found down an easy-to-miss lane in Prahran, it’s an unfussy setting for simple food steeped in tradition, whether you’re popping in for a quick meal or throwing a celebration. After a two-year hiatus, they've recently brought back their BYO Tuesday nights from 6pm until late.

Corkage: $8 per bottle of wine

Teta Mona is a boho-chic all-day restaurant where brothers Antoine and Bechara Taouk are serving simple Lebanese with plenty of pickles and very little fuss. This is everything a neighbourhood restaurant should be. There are street-side seats for locals with dogs, while inside you’re sitting in a room that looks like a cross between the share house of an anthropology enthusiast and a stall at the Dandenong markets: couches, plenty of intricately carved tables and a big display of those blown glass water pitchers (aka briks).

Corkage: $0 – beer and wine

Corkage: $4 per person – wine only

Corkage: $15 per bottle, Thursday only

Abla’s opened in 1979 in the same location it’s in today and upon entry you experience a pleasant time warp. The décor – white tablecloths, simple chairs and extravagantly framed paintings – hasn’t changed much since those early days, and the hospitality is instant: a warm welcome with olives and pita crisps already on your table. It's BYO on Thursdays, for wine only. 

Corkage: $0