The best late-night eats in Melbourne

What is it: Perennially popular hot pot destination
When does the kitchen close: Sat–Sun 2.30am; Mon–Fri 1.30am

Arguably the overlord of ma la tang in Melbourne, Dragon Hot Pot has franchised aggressively over the past few years, with 11 stores now open between Springvale and the city. Chief among them is this snug Russell Street outpost that's open till late every day – exactly how late depends on whether it’s a weeknight or weekend. Choose any combination of meat, seafood, noodles, tofu and vegetables to be cooked in broths ranging from the signature ma la tang to the 12-hour-steeped bone marrow broth to the vegan ma la tang. There’s a minimum spend of $12.80 – a steal after midnight.

What is it: A Cantonese institution
When does the kitchen close: 2:30am daily

There’s something to be said for constancy in the restaurant world. This venerable establishment perched aloft Chinatown built its reputation the old-fashioned way – with straight-up excellent Cantonese food served until 2.30am, making it a magnet for the city’s hospo crowd looking for a post-work feed that wouldn’t break the bank. The menu is long, but anyone who’s been a couple of times will know which dishes to beeline for. Chicken congee, flecked with ginger, accompanied by Chinese doughnuts. The soothing minced pork, eggplant and salted fish hotpot. Your pick of glistening roast meats – the suckling pig and duck are consistently popular.

What is it: A vibrant, subterranean Mexican restaurant
When does the kitchen close: Fri–Sat 1am; Sun and Tues–Thurs midnight

Descend into a basement plastered in posters from the golden age of Mexican cinema. The tables and stools are more cantina than bar, and the prime place to be is perched up at the counter. The kitchen is open all the way until 1am on Friday and Saturday – your coeliac and vegan friends will be happy as the menu is partial to both. Naturally, tacos feature heavily on the menu. Corn tortillas act as a foil for fried fish, battered zucchini, braised pork, frijoles negros and buttery potatoes layered with crisp chorizo. Introduced to many Melburnians’ consciousness by virtue of food truck Dingo Ate My Taco, the traditional Jalisco braised beef birria taco with a dipping consommé is also available at Bodega Underground.

What is it: New York-style pizzas by the slice

When does the kitchen close: Fri–Sat 1am; Wed–Thurs 11.30pm 

Pretend you’re in New York by venturing down Meyers Place at an unearthly hour to buy pizza by the slice at this bright, tiled hole-in-the-wall. You can’t miss the neon yellow lights blaring ‘pizza pizza pizza’ encapsulated within an arrow. What you may miss is the cosy cocktail bar nestled out the back, accessible by paring back a glossy black curtain – the perfect nook for a nightcap. The pizzas – available both by the slice and whole – range from the classic Margherita and pepperoni to the jazzier Magic Mushroom (think a double injection of mushrooms and truffle oil) and triple cheese (a trifecta of mozzarella, parmesan and bocconcini). 

What is it: New York-inspired French bistro
What time does the kitchen close: Fri–Sat 3am; Wed–Thurs 1am

Just because it’s past midnight, it doesn’t mean you have to compromise your dining standards. In sharp contrast to the fluorescent-lit convenience stores and fast-food offerings where you may be tempted to grab a bite, this moodily lit city basement bar offers a truncated late-night menu suitable for all manner of needs, whether it be a snack, sweet treat or full meal. Opt for Bar Margaux’s famed MGX cheese and bacon burger with golden crunchy frites, steak tartare or oysters. If you want to go all out, order the ironically named $99 beggar’s banquet that has it all: Champagne, oysters, steak tartare, frites. 

What is it: Fancily concocted drinks with a side of Euro snacks
When does the kitchen close: Daily 3am

Welcome to the Future, drinking fans – or a 1930s version of it anyway. Vernon Chalker, the quirky visionary behind Madame Brussels and Gin Palace, didn’t give himself an easy brief with Ampère: create a modern bar based on a past era that was obsessed with the future? Believe it or not, he's pulled it off. The tiny kitchen in the back of the bar serves up European-leaning fare like chicken liver parfait, cheese platters, croquettes, burgers and kranskies until 3am, seven days a week. 

What is it: Southeast Asian food in a club setting
When does the kitchen close: Fri–Sat 1am; Sun and Tues–Wed 10.30pm; Thurs 10.30pm

There’s a slightly otherworldly quality to this CBD favourite: groups huddle over cocktails beneath crimson lighting, chattering over thumping house music, and waiters in suspenders bob and weave through three levels packed with high seating. Given Magic Mountain belongs to the same family as Cookie, Boney and the Toff in Town, it’s no surprise these hospo pros had the savvy to create a venue that works equally well as a bottomless brunch venue as it does a late-night eatery. Depending on how early your first dinner was, you may want to munch on some chilli and lime popcorn chicken or fried calamari or opt for something bigger like the drunken noodles or the curried soft-shell crab.

What is it: Perhaps Melbourne’s most famous Greek restaurant

When does the kitchen close: Fri–Sat 2am; Sun–Thurs midnight

Whatever the size of your night, you really can’t go wrong with a late-night souva. What Stalactites lacks in sophistication it makes up with charm, and it doesn’t hurt that it’s open till the wee hours of the morning on Friday and Saturday night. The prep game is down to an art here: souvas (available now in gluten-free pitas and in vegetarian and vegan equivalents) arrive in five minutes or less. Each souva comes with copious amounts of crunchy lettuce, thinly sliced tomatoes and housemade tzatziki for just the hit of freshness you need. Get some chips, nicely seasoned with thyme, or snack on little vine leaf parcels of herbed rice in the form of dolmades and crispy filo triangles of housemade spanakopita. 

What is it: Good old-fashioned burgers
When does the kitchen close: Never – 24 Hours

You used to be able to get 24/7 ramen in Melbourne, but the pandemic has shifted things around. Not at Rocket Burgers and Fries though. Designed for take-away, with only seven stools and a slim table, this hole-in-the-wall eatery opened in 2015 and has been keeping those grills hot ever since. There’s a healthy selection of beef, chicken, vegetarian and vegan burgers. If you’re feeling so inclined, add the loaded cheesy bacon fries – a generous bucket of golden crunchy fries laden with sizeable chunks of crisp bacon for a smoky hit and American cheese – to your order. The Man Burger is terribly named, but it is the Noah’s Ark of burgers – there’s two of everything: two slices of bacon, two slices of cheese and two beef patties, made from Angus beef that Rocket grinds in-house.

What is it: Age-old Shanghainese sophistication 

When does the kitchen close: Daily 2am except Tuesday

With ‘steamed buns’ in the restaurant name, you can’t go past Yulongfu’s xiao long bao – an ancestral recipe passed down through co-owner Emily Liu’s family from 1904. Sure you could get the classic pork xiao long bao, or you could get it with the flourish of black truffle or the fanciful addition of crab – nearly every day until 2am. If you’re after something similarly light, get the pipis in XO sauce or go all out and share in on the drunken chicken, sweet and sour barramundi and deep-fried ice cream. Spacious and homely with lime green banquettes and birdcage light fixtures, Yulongfu is a calming pitstop to end your night. 

What is it: Hand-pulled noodles as long as your night’s been

When does the kitchen close: Daily 2am 

The addictively springy hand-pulled noodles and mouth-wateringly aromatic soup of traditional Chinese-Muslim Lanzhou noodles have gained a cult following in Melbourne. So, what better places than the three nondescript branches of Bowltiful (soon to be more) to satisfy midnight cravings? Piquant broths full of housemade chilli oil and slow-braised beef are the name of the game here, which is not to say there aren’t other options – dry noodle options exist, beef is swapped out with lamb in a few instances, and a healthy selection of vegetarian noodles pepper the menu. If you’re not in the mood for noodles, the Lanzhou spicy lamb burger is the perfect midnight snack. 

What is it: Fresh seafood that you can feast on like a king

When does the kitchen close: Daily 2am

Freshly cooked seafood straight out of the tank is what city eatery Seafood Street is best known for, and with a 2am knock-off time, you could be feasting on steamed barramundi, rock lobster and XO clams with Chinese doughnuts way past everyone’s bedtime. If you’re not into picking your way through the sea, Seafood Street’s fresh handmade dumplings – particularly its spicy pork wontons – come highly recommended. Seafood Street is somewhat of an enigma – it has no website, no contact details, no Zomato listing for you to cheekily have a gander at the menu and a sparsely populated Facebook page. If you know, you know though.

What is it: The heartiest halal snack packs 

When does the kitchen close: Fri–Sat 3am; Sun–Tues and Thurs 1am

Whether you’re at the top or bottom of Sydney Road, Rexy Kebab has you covered with perhaps everyone’s favourite late-night snack – a halal snack pack. Expect polystyrene containers heaped high with chargrilled meat fresh off the rotisserie and mountains of shredded cheese drizzled with the holy trifecta of sauces – barbecue, garlic and chilli. With sizes ranging from the raptor (small) to rexy (medium) to T-rex (large), Rexy has all appetites and group sizes covered. If you’ve not quite the appetite for chips and meat, opt for the kebabs or gozleme. 

What is it: If Her is the new the Toff in Town, BKK is the new Cookie

When does the kitchen close: Daily 1am

Ascend the multi-storey Her building to this L-shaped restaurant with a 70s futuristic feel on the third floor – brown leather seating and exposed brick walls sit alongside neon-light art and brushed copper. If you’re peckish but not famished, the entrées are a good place to start. The red curry-spiked Thai fish cakes, redolent of chilli and lemongrass, are fluffy with a pleasant spongey quality. The crowd-pleasing chicken curry puffs see curried minced chicken enveloped in flaky, melt-in-your-mouth pastry. BKK’s serving of chicken hearts threaded onto a skewer, dipped in an aromatic concoction of dark soy and lime, is a standout dish and the perfect drinking snack.

What is it: Caviar at midnight, anyone?

When does the kitchen close: Fri–Sat 1am; Sun–Thurs midnight

Everyone knows the lavish Gimlet, sitting in a heritage 1920s building on Russell Street, is well worth a visit for a fancy European lunch or dinner.  But what many may not know is its supper menu starts at 10pm and runs until 1am on Friday and Saturday nights. It’s not for penny pinchers – 30g of the house caviar comes in at $160, more than double that for the extra fine caviar of Giaveri Beluga. But if you don’t fancy spending a couple of hundred of dollars at the tail-end of your night, there’s the more affordable cheeseburger, cheese platter and the best late-night snack, a bowl of French fries.

What is it: $5 pizzas in the former Bimbo Deluxe

When does the kitchen close: Fri–Sun 3am; Wed–Thurs 1am

What symbolised to students everywhere $4 pizzas, the kewpie doll perched aloft Brunswick Street now commemorates something different, but not too different – $5 pizzas at Kewpie served until 3am three nights a week and 1am all other nights. The dim lighting remains, but the sunken dilapidated couches have been replaced by slick pink booths. Stock standard pizzas like Margherita, Hawaiian, Patate (potato, mozzarella and caramelised onion) and BBQ Chicken will only put you out by a fiver, but if you’re willing to spend $3 more, your options expand to include Bimbo’s famed Agnello (slow-cooked pulled spiced lamb with pine nuts), the Marinara and the Superveg. Enjoy your pizza while bopping along to beats curated by Melbourne’s finest DJs. 

What is it: Everything on skewers

When does the kitchen close: Daily 3am 

What better thing to snack on late at night than skewers, particularly ones freshly grilled for you? Think crackling chicken skin, salt-spiked pork ribs with green chilli, spiced mushrooms and shell-on grilled prawns – all threaded on to a skewer. That’s what the flamboyantly decorated Panda BBQ is known for. Rattan birdcage swing seats and huge fluffy pandas peppered around the restaurant meet purple neon lights and exquisitely adorned light fittings, while live music is often the backdrop if you’re looking for a jolly end to your night. Rest assured, there are also things that don’t come on skewers – the salted duck egg with prawns, spring onion pancake, sweet and sour pork and grilled eggplant have found favour with those hankering for something heartier.