Melbourne is known for its food culture, but the spotlight never seems to quite fall on the city’s western suburbs. It’s a shame really, because as locals know, Melbourne’s west is home to some of the best restaurants and bars in the city.
As part of the 2021 Melbourne Food and Wine Festival, you can discover the best restaurants in the west on one of the Westside Crawls food tours. There are 12 crawls in total, with each focusing on a different suburb (suburbs include Altona, Caroline Springs, Melton, St Albans, Seddon, Moonee Ponds, Werribee, West Footscray, Werribee Park, Ascot Vale, Sunshine and Spotswood). During each crawl you’ll be taken to three or four venues in the selected suburb, receiving either a drink or snack while you’re there.
Melbourne’s west has always had a strong food culture, something that the region owes to the many immigrants who have settled there, opened restaurants and shared their food with the city. Post WWII the west first became home to Italian, Greek and other European migrants, before Vietnamese families came to live there from the 1980s onwards (today Footscray is still home to some of the best Vietnamese restaurants in Australia). These days Melbourne’s west remains incredibly diverse, something that’s reflected in the hospitality scene. One day in the west could see you eating yesiga wat at Gojo Ethopian Café; bánh cuốn from Xuan Banh Cuon; and dolmeh and felafels from Salamtea café and Persian restaurant (the restaurant is run by asylum seekers).
You can discover all these restaurants on the Westside Crawls tours, as well as other favourite western jaunts like Harley and Rose pizzeria, Chibog Filippino restaurant, Two Birds Brewing (Australia’s first brewery founded by two women), and Zymurgy (a beer garden and dining room).
Westside Crawls are running from March 14 and 30, with tickets starting at $58. Visit the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival website for more information and to book your spot.