The best restaurants in Docklands

The Docklands may still be a little bit ghost town-ish after dark, but Bar Nacional is pushing some tapas worth braving the concrete jungle for. If you work nearby, go for a killer lunch combo of tapas, a main and dessert. It's open until 9pm, so dinner (when there's more of a vibe) is also a prime opportunity to graze your way through the menu's best.

Thai street food comes to Docklands by way of Pok Pok. Try Thai classics like fresh papaya salad, roast pork belly with rice, and pad thai. Need something to warm the cockles? Opt for a steaming bowl of tom yum or a massaman lamb curry.   

A lively all-you-can-eat Korean barbecue restaurant has recently landed at The District Docklands, delighting curious visitors with its enormous buffet of spicy and savoury flavour-packed dishes and cook-your-own ingredients. Spearheaded by a team of master chefs with more than 20 years of traditional Korean culinary experience, a dinner at Seoul Garden is the next best thing to hopping on a plane to the South Korean capital itself. 

Fishbowl offers meals on gluten-free carbs such as glass noodles or brown rice and top them with Japanese-inspired flavours such as salmon sashimi, tamari almonds, nori flakes and wasabi mayo. If you like to be in control, you can even build your own bowl for a perfectly balanced lunch.  

The Hof Downtown, located right next to the Etihad Stadium, is your destinatin for fun Bavarian fare with a modern Aussie touch. The menu is made for casual dining with dishes made to share. Start with one of the small dishes like a warm pretzel and butter. Larger plates include takes on German classics like the hefty crisp pork knuckle served with sauerkraut, mash potato, jus and mustard, and a traditional crumbed chicken schnitzel. On the drinks front, you'll find plenty of Bavarian brews. 

From the outset, this unassuming eatery may seem like just another lunch spot catering for the corporate crowd. But step inside and you'll soon discover a wonderland of rainbow-hued juices, snacks and plant-based bowls. There's even vegan wine on tap, should a lunchtime tipple take your fancy. With tubular glass bottles of almond nut mylks and charcoal-infused mystery juice lining the fridges, there's no doubt this is the sort of place you'd find Gwyneth Paltrow. But you'd be mistaken if you wrote Home Vegan Bar off as another fad chaser. The kitchen here makes almost everything in-house, from the daily curry specials and salads to some very addictive kimchi – we'd eat it with everything if we could. 

When cracking Italian sandwich shop Saluministi opened up a second leg in Victoria Harbour, the people of Melbourne sopped it up. For Saluministi isn’t just a paninoteca serving delicious sandwiches – it’s a haven for serious salami and cured meats.

The Walker Evans Baker Restaurant Group who brought you Bar Nacional and Long Shot have expanded their Collins Square empire with an eccentric Italian entrance. Chiara – Italian by name and Italian by nature – is putting a contemporary twist on traditional pizzas and pastas. Head Chef, George Fowler, fresh off the boat from Michelin-awarded Pollen Street Social in London has rolled out Italian flatbread pizze, antipasti and good old bowls of sauce-soaked priest stranglers (twisted ropes of pasta otherwise known as strozzapretti, FYI). 

On the first level of Marvel Stadium, you'll discover the newly opened Friends of Fire – a restaurant where the grill is the star of the show. Think steaks, burgers and lobster rolls. Those avoiding meat can tuck into a 100% plant-based menu by renowned chef and plant-based fare whiz Shannon Martinez (Smith and Daughters, Lona Misa), with plenty of fully vegan and gluten-free options available. Dinner before a game, anyone?

Dohtonbori is Australia's first-ever DIY teppanyaki okonomiyaki restaurant. It's offering a unique Japanese experience, where you can cook your very own traditional savoury pancake (a famous Japanese dish, often comprised of cabbage, egg and meat or seafood) on the hot plate at your table. It's fun and communal, perfect for groups like families or teams of work colleagues. You can find the Docklands location on level 1 at The District shopping centre.