Melbourne restaurants open on the King’s Birthday long weekend

Whatever the size of your night, you really can’t go wrong with a late-night souva. Luckily, Stalactites' kitchen will be open all weekend (including the Monday). The beloved Greek institution is available for both bookings and walk-in from 11am-2am each day.

Stokehouse is known as one of the best seafood restaurants in Melbourne so if you're keen to get a spot this weekend, run, don't walk. The picturesque spot is open as usual from 11am-late with a 15 per cent surcharge.

At 9am on a Tuesday morning St Ali South is pumping like it’s spring break. Between the business chatter and weekend debriefs, the espresso machine, roaster and kitchen cacophony meshes with Mark Morrison’s Return of the Mac, Angel by Massive Attack and some East Coast hip hop care of Mobb Deep. It’s a hell of a soundtrack to your morning. This long weekend, the trendy spot for your caffeine fix will be open as usual from 7am until 5pm, with an 18 per cent surcharge.

If it’s been a while since you last headed upstairs to Lygon Street’s Johnny’s Green Room, you’re in for a surprise. The trendy rooftop bar reopened the summer just gone with a fresh Tuscan terrace-inspired look, menu and vibrant year-round music program in collaboration with Hope St Radio and some of Melbourne’s most sought after DJs. This long weekend, it'll be open every day (including Monday) from noon until late, with a 15 per cent surcharge.

Grill Americano was our top-rated restaurant last year, so it makes sense that it's the first on this list. The Manhattan-inspired Italian restaurant is open as usual all weekend long. On Monday, June 12, that means from noon-10pm, with a 15 per cent surcharge.

Yakimono is a bit Blade Runner 2049, a bit izakaya-in-outer-space and final proof that owner Chris Lucas is equal parts showman and restauranteur. There’s no escaping the pulse of energy humming through the joint, so visit between noon-10pm daily for fun long weekend fare, with a 15 per cent surcharge.

The Lucas Group certainly know how to nail a brief, and the eternally buzzy and bodacious Baby is no exception. Open all day (and all week) long, the restaurant is a stalwart neighbourhood favourite in Richmond for intimate dinners, celebratory occasions, lively gatherings with friends and sundowner cocktails and snacks at happy hour. This long weekend, it'll be open as usual from noon until 9:30pm, with a 15 per cent surcharge.

Hawker Hall is, in a word, dizzying, in that patented Lucas fashion: visually arresting, olfactorily pleasing thanks to the hard-working woks in the open kitchen, and packed to the rafters with a well-dressed sliver of humanity. And so to the menu. Once again the work of the group’s executive chef Benjamin Cooper, it flits from beer food and dumplings and buns, through to roti and satay, noodles and salads, proteins from the coconut barbecue and curries and stir fries. This weekend, you can grab a table as it'll be open as usual from noon until 10pm, with a 15 per cent surcharge.

Legendary purveyors of Greek food Stalactites know a thing or two about souvlaki. And after almost 40 years in the biz and a whopping 10 million souvas sold, they’ve opened a sister venue specialising in everyone’s favourite Greek sandwich. It'll be open all weekend long from 11am until as late as 9pm (depending on which space and day you want to dine in.) Just note there will be different surcharges across the weekend. 

If you’re looking for a guaranteed happening scene, straightforward Italian and Peroni in a can, join the queue at Baby pronto. Open from noon-10pm this long weekend with a 15 per cent surcharge.

Hawker Hall delivers everything from beer, dumplings and buns to roti, noodles and curries. The lively Windsor spot will be offering their flame-grilled Fired Up! feast (normally a weekend offer) from 12pm-4pm on the King's Birthday as a Public Holiday special. 

Chin Chin continues to do what it does best: zesty, exciting dishes set among a backdrop of vibey tunes, a buzzing dining space and an army of staff at your service. This Melbourne institution is open as usual from 11am-11pm on the long weekend, with a 15 per cent surcharge.

This self-serve frozen yogurt joint takes variation to a whole new level. As far as flavours go, Yo-Chi's rainbow of ingredients run the entire gamut – from melted Biscoff and Oreos to mochi balls, fresh fruits, apple crumble-like biscuits, chocolate 'soil' and a whole lot more. This weekend, most of its outlets will be open over their normal hours (around 11am until 10pm, give or take) so you don't need to go without your fro-yo fix.

Finding healthy and quick lunch options in this town can be like trying to find a needle in a haystack. Fast food shops line every corner, and there's no shortage of spots hawking hearty noodle soups, saucy kebabs and sandwiches bigger than your head. Thankfully, you won't need to resort to packing sad salads every day; Green Cup is here. This long weekend, its CBD store will be closed but all of its other outlets (Armadale, Carlton, Caufield, Hawthorn, Hawksburn, South Yarra) will be open from 8am until 3pm, with a 15 per cent surcharge.

Forget fine dining – Tokyo Tina is fun dining, and we're hungry for more. You'll find the vibing venue open on Monday, June 10 from 5-9pm with a 15 per cent surcharge.

Meet Rossi, a new Italian-inspired cocktail bar and restaurant, and the place to be at happy hour. If the sexy tunes don’t pull you in, the piazza-style seating under cosy heat lamps will. Rossi’s food menu runs the gamut of regional Italian specialties, covering pizza, pasta, antipasti and traditional dessert favourites. This long weekened, Rossi will be open from Friday until Sunday, noon until late, and on Monday, 4pm until late. 

Gosh, the Italians do glamour well. With notable exceptions (Silvio Berlusconi; Al Pacino’s shirts during the 1980s) it’s a nation that breeds good taste. And Bar Carolina exudes Latin charm from its terrazzo foyer to its bar clad in charcoal steel. And we haven’t even mentioned the quorum of liltingly accented waiters who marshal the crowds one ‘ciao bella’ at a time. This King's Birthday, Bar Carolina will be oopen from 1pm until late, with a 15 per cent public holiday surcharge. It's an ''Icons Only' $30 pasta special that night, a traditional Milanese risotto infused with saffron, grana padano and butter.  

Offering a sophisticated take on traditional Japanese barbecue, Yakikami pairs the expertise of chef duo Emily and Roy Yu (also the duo behind Wagyu Ya) with fine produce to create an elite dining experience in the heart of South Yarra. This King's Birthday, the restaurant will be open from noon until 2:30pm for lunch and from 5:30pm until 10pm for dinner, with a 15 per cent surcharge.

What’s the purpose of a neighbourhood wine bar? Should it be cosy and convivial? Exciting and challenging? Flexibile of options from a quick after-work drink to full-blown four-course meal? What about all of the above? Neighbourhood Wine is just that, and Fitzroy North wouldn’t be the same without it. The legendary wine bar will be open this King's Birthday from noon until midnight, with a 20 per cent surcharge.

Bahama Gold started out as a liquor delivery service in the dark days of lockdown, but has since transformed into a public bar and wine shop for the discerning explorer. The first thing you’ll notice upon walking into the cosy 12-seater is its warm golden lighting and generous outlook out onto the quietly hip Brunswick East end of Lygon Street. This lovely little spot will be open on the King's Birthday from noon until midnight, with a 20 per cent surcharge.

Have you ever dreamt of experiencing the grandeur described in The Great Gatsby? If so, that’s entirely possible by booking in for a dinner within the Art Deco-inspired halls of Luci. You’ll enter via the ground floor of the Hilton Little Queen Street and immediately be greeted by a double-height coffered ceiling, ornate plasterwork and decorated columns. The marbled tables, brass light fixtures and plush seating ensure your eyes will be feasting as well. This venue will be open on the King's Birthday for breakfast from 7am until 11am, with a 10 per cent surcharge.