Quincy Malesovas

July 2024: 'Tis the season for melty cheese fondue goodness and mulled wines galore, cosy roast lunches (preferably in pubs with roaring fireplaces) and venturing out in our puffiest puffer jackets to bask in the wonder of Melbourne's seasonal light shows. But let's be real – all that winter fun can get a little exxy. So if your wallet needs a break, try one of these cheap eats instead the next time you're out and about in town.  The late and great respected chef Anthony Bourdain once famously said: “I'd rather eat in Melbourne than Paris." It goes without saying that Melbourne has long been revered as one of Asia Pacific's most exciting food cities, but that status isn't just attributed to our fancy restaurants – special as many of those upper crust institutions may be. Our laneaways and hidden alcoves are brimming with cheap street eats, smashable pub deals and dinner options you can enjoy for $20, $15 or even under $10, so you can stop counting your hard-earned pennies and start eating instead. Looking for a drink to wash it all down? These are the best happy hour deals right now. Curious about other yummy specials? Here's how to get a cheap meal in Melbourne every night of the week.

Vegans tend to get a bad wrap, but that shouldn't mean they only get to eat bad wraps. Melbourne continues to expand its plant-based options, with everything from vegan degustations to vegan cheap eats available across the city. While there are many dedicated vegan and vegetarian restaurants, some of Melbourne's most beloved and popular spots are also serving up excellent vegan fare. These restaurants won't leave you wanting for any meat.  While you're at it, check out the best restaurants for vegetarians in Melbourne. Explore more with the 50 best restaurants in Melbourne. 

A traditional bánh mì has bread with crunch, but not so much that it scrapes the roof of your mouth. It’s fluffy and light, but not so flaky it completely disintegrates into your lap. It’s the perfect vessel for liberal amounts of pâté, a Vietnamese condiment called egg mayo butter, fresh cucumber, pickled carrot (and daikon if you’re lucky), generous sprigs of coriander and chilli, plus the protein of your choice. On the sauce front, some shops will opt for a dash of Maggi seasoning and soy, others go the hoisin route or even a combination of more than one. Word of warning: you may encounter a holier-than-thou type on your bánh mì travels who insists your choice of sanga is "not the authentic way". But the truth is that 'bánh mì' literally translates to the short baguette itself. You can enjoy this freshly baked delight stuffed with any filling you like – crispy pork belly, nem nuong (grilled pork sausage), chicken, mixed ham, tofu, beef or just plain salad! We love the braised pork and duck confit options at Banh Mi Stand, but we're equally partial to the no-nonsense cold cuts at Phuoc Thanh. There are plenty of regional variances all across Vietnam, and some Vietnamese even like to enjoy theirs filled with ice cream. So how did we come up with this list? Well, we ate a lot of bánh mì. We kept a rolling document that helped us to compare each one. We considered the balance of condiments, the quality of the bread and the freshness of the meat and salad. And we washed it all

July 2024: Miserable as the weather may be (rain is hammering at the window right now as this writer hammers her keys..), there is reason to be joyous. For Melbourne is currently being blessed with a deluge of hot new restaurant openings. But that doesn't mean we forget about the legends: those venues that continue to wow us year after year and maintain their supremity over Melbourne's dining scene. Keep a note of this list to see which restaurants –both old and new – are thrilling us the most right now. The continually evolving and expanding dining scene in Melbourne is both a blessing and a curse: how do you choose between so many incredible restaurants? Well, that's where we come in. Stop endlessly scrolling, and commit to making your way through Time Out’s list of the best restaurants in the state right now. Our always-hungry local experts and editors have curated 2024's most delicious and divine, innovative and imaginative, comforting and familiar, memorable and magical dining experiences right here at your fingertips. From old favourites and culinary institutions such as Attica, Stokehouse and Flower Drum, to emerging standouts and instant icons such as Serai, Gimlet, Amaru and Reine and La Rue, we've got it all covered here. And as for the brand new restaurant and bar openings catching our eye? Check out this guide instead. Get out, and get eating! You've got a lot to get through!  Prefer a tipple-focused adventure? These are the best bars in Melbourne. Looking for a k

From the United States to Korea and Taiwan, fried chicken spans nearly every country and culture. Not everyone can meet their fierce standards, but these joints have come pretty damn close to perfecting the ancient art of battering and deep-frying poultry. Want more tasty bites? Check out Melbourne's best Korean barbecue joints. Looking for gut-friendly alternatives? These are the best gluten-free eateries in Melbourne.

Melburnians are curiously very emotional about their burgers. All you need to do is trawl a Reddit post on the subject to discover the furore and passion so many of us feel about this humble yet hefty two-hander. Debates run thick and fast about who does the best smash patty; whether potato, milk or brioche buns are better; if sloppiness (or unwieldiness) is a deal-breaker; and finally, which grill masters around town are dishing up the best.  For something budget-friendly and old-school, Southsiders swear by Andrew's in Albert Park, while Northsiders are devoted to Danny's in Fitzroy North. You could argue that Huxtaburger reinvigorated the craze when it first opened in Collingwood, but there's been a lot to love since then. From that famous cheeseburger at Gimlet you can only get two nights a week after 10pm, to cult fave suburban newcomers on the scene like Maidstone's Good Good Burgers and Dandenong's Rizin's, Melbourne's a haven for mouthwatering monstrosities.  So without further ado, here's our round-up of the best. We've sunk our teeth into multi-stacked beef and cheese situations, juicy chicken and fish options and equally decadent vegan alternatives across town to deliver you this list. We also appreciate that not all of Melbourne's best burgs come from burger-centric shops, so we've included a few wildcard options right at the bottom of this feature – you'll find these bad boys in unexpected places like local fish and chippies, pubs and bars. Read on and drool! Rat

In Australia, kebabs are often associated with a late-night ritual of shaved meat or falafel wrapped in some sort of flatbread. The meat in question is most commonly sliced off a vertical rotisserie commonly known here as a döner, the Turkish word for rotating spit. But these are just one type of kebab. Across the Middle East and parts of Europe, you’ll find countless variations based on the same concept, from the Greek gyro to the Arabic shawarma and even the Mexican al-pastor, a shaved meat taco introduced to the country by Lebanese immigrants. The term kebab can also refer to Middle Eastern and South Asian-style skewered and chargrilled meats, from the Turkish adana kebab (made from minced, spiced lamb) to the Indian seekh kebab (a similar style made with ground beef or lamb). For all intents and purposes, when we mention a kebab here, we’re primarily referring to shaved or skewered proteins wrapped in flatbread. But we've taken some liberty to also honour the countless iterations of kebabs that exist across Melbourne, because let's face it – all of these are just too damn tasty to ignore... So without further ado, here are our top picks for the best kebabs in Melbourne. For more tasty street eats, check out our fave food trucks around town. Hankering for hummus? Here's our guide to Melbourne's best Middle Eastern restaurants. 

Whether it's rain, hail or shine, when you've got a hankering for laksa, nasi lemak, roti, curry or some other soul-warming Malaysian dish, you've got to make a beeline for one of these eateries. And if you've got a sweet tooth, keep reading – we've popped some proper Malaysian dessert havens in this list, too. Still hungry? Check our list of the best Chinese restaurants in Melbourne, plus our guide to the top African restaurants.

While many restaurants offer solid vegetarian options these days, there are some spots that know how to elevate vegetarian food to the point that even carnivores forget there is no meat involved. From fancy dining to cheap eats, Melbourne serves up excellent vegetarian fare any time of the day, any day of the week. Here are the best restaurants dishing up plant-based meals. Want more? These are the best restaurants for vegans in Melbourne. Wanting to explore the town? Check out the best cheap eats in town. 

We have no doubt you've drunk plenty of the stuff, but how much do you really know about bubble tea? Tapioca is a variable and versatile ingredient thanks to its high starch content, which gives it a delightfully chewy texture when cooked. It’s used in many forms across many countries, in dishes such as Brazilian pão de queijo and Malaysian kuih, but one of its greatest applications is to make the soft, springy pearls found in your bubble tea. Invented in Taiwan in the 1980s, bubble tea has rapidly evolved from a trend to one of the globe’s most popular non-alcoholic beverages. Several decades since its inception, the bubble tea boom continues with more and more shops popping up in Melbourne each year, from international chains to locally owned iterations. The beauty of bubble tea is that each experience is different – at most stores, every step of the process can be customised from choosing your tea base and toppings to selecting sugar and ice levels. From chewy grass jelly to thick, cheese-flavoured foam and chunks of taro, options go far beyond your basic boba pearls, though they’re always a safe option.  No matter how you take your tea, you can’t go wrong with these top spots. Prefer a brew? These are Melbourne's top spots for a coffee in the CBD. And if you need something to eat on the run, try out the best cheap eats in Melbourne. 

Melbourne doesn't have a large South American food scene but what it lacks in quantity it makes up for in quality. Thanks largely to expats looking to recreate a taste of home in Australia, you can eat your way through Colombia, Venezuela, Chile and Brazil within 10km of the CBD. We've rounded up the city's best for when you want to go on a dining chair tour of the continent. From arepas to ceviche and even Brazilian sushi, you can find it all here. Prefer a Euro getaway? Try Melbourne's best Greek restaurants. Or for something spicier, these are the city's best Indian diners. 

Observed by Muslims across the globe, the holy month of Ramadan is a chance for participants to reflect on what they’re grateful for. And in the name of reflection, it also involves abstaining from all food and drinks from sunrise to sunset. Each day of Ramadan ends with Iftar, where families and friends come together to break their fast. Naturally, it’s a significant occasion that always involves good food – and lots of it. Here are some of Melbourne’s best spots to break your fast. On the hunt for Melbourne's best Middle Eastern restaurants? Check out our round-up of the city's best purveyors of hummus, falafel and charcoal meats.

Piccolo Panini Bar is a place whose reputation precedes it, its strong social media presence and blocks-long queues garnering a lot of hype. Despite entering the scene at the later end of the sandwich wave, Piccolo developed a chokehold on loyalists from the inner east and those willing to travel for a good panini. Needless to say, the bar was set high when we visited on a Friday at 8am. The venue was nearly empty save for a few takeaway coffee customers, allowing us to fully soak up the ambience (custom-branded soccer jerseys on display, cannoli at the counter, music pumping) before the lunch rush. The board behind the deli case of marinated vegetables, salumi and cheese, listed six filling options, only one of which was vegetarian and most of which fell around $16. Each sandwich could also be customised with additional accoutrements for an extra cost of $1.5 to $6 more. But a shop’s signatures are the best judgment of their quality so we went with the cotoletta and the salami, plus coffee. The latter came first, milk well-frothed and coffee strong but not bitter. The food was served around ten to fifteen minutes later. We denied the offer of a carry bag and regretted it once realising the sandwiches weighed what felt like a kilo each, but quickly found a sunny nearby park to dine at. There are only a few outdoor tables at Piccolo in clear line of sight of the staff and passersby, which is not ideal for those who prefer to dine with some semblance of privacy. Both sandwiches

Yarraville is a charming suburb that feels far more quaint and idyllic than its five stops from the city by train might suggest. Perhaps that's why it was named one of the coolest neighbourhoods in the world in 2020! And its dining offering is a reflection of the community – wholesome, familiar, and relaxed yet refined. While there are a few chains, owner-operated venues like Ms Botanica, the brainchild of friends Stacie Sinclair and Scott Rice, are what make the local hospitality scene so special. The menu was developed by prolific chef James Cornwall, and now Chris Krugal is looking after the offering, which was designed to suit the gin-led cocktail program. Though there are a few larger dishes on the menu, including a $45 wagyu special on Wednesdays and Thursdays, his offering is heavy on the snacks. They're very approachable at around $6 a pop. We start with the olive, pickled mussel and tuna gilda, a safe and delicious choice that is fairly similar to the one formerly offered at Gimlet. Ms Botanica’s is far more generous for the same price, but the quality of ingredients is a notch lower than the McConnell rendition.  The rest of our snacks are a series of smash hits and near misses.  Free-range pork slider? Hit. The mini brioche bun and creamy slaw combo might bring to mind function canapes, but the tender, crisp, not-too-fatty slab of pork belly and dash of blood plum proves that looks can be deceiving. It's fantastic. Steak tartare? Not quite there yet. The marinade o

Balwyn may not have the same culinary cache as some of its surrounding suburbs, but there are a few hidden jewels tucked around its leafy streets and relative newcomer Enoteca Boccaccio is one of the brightest. It opened last year above Boccaccio Cellars, a 60-year-old bottle shop and Italian grocer run by the multigenerational D'Anna family. Ascending the stairs, constructed from pale pink marble that perhaps intentionally resembles mortadella, feels like you’re being let in on a secret – push open the door to reveal a sleek, buzzy venue you’d never know existed from ground level.  We’re greeted cordially and seated towards the back with a full view of the space. With concrete walls, marble benches and tile floors, it's cool but not austere. Thanks to the talents of Mim Design in bringing the D'Anna family's vision to life, the space has already won an interior design award within its first six months of opening. The fact that it's full on a Thursday night helps enliven the vibe. It also reinforces just how small the space actually is, but with coats collected and bag stools provided, the team are conscious of eliminating any potential discomforts.  There’s a wine fridge on entry that’s reflected in the extensive (and not inexpensive) selection. By the glass, there are premium pours served via Coravin and available in tiered serving sizes hovering around $30, plus a standard offering starting around $15. Staff are well-informed to guide you through, with in-depth tasting not

With a portfolio made up mostly of pub-style venues, hospitality collective Kickon Group garnered due attention when they opened pan-Latin restaurant Pincho Disco last year. It’s not just a new concept for them but also for Melbourne, a city with very few Latin restaurants – particularly of this calibre. We have to credit Pincho for that. It's breaking boundaries, setting examples, doing what big hospo groups once did for “Asian fusion” and pushing all that innovation out into the Australian mainstream. Thankfully, Pincho is on track to age better than most of those groups did, even if the Dia de los Muertos-inspired art and cocktails with names like Chilli Cha Cha may feel a bit on the nose. The venue is recently-built and sprawling with beach ball-sized white orbs hanging from the ceiling, a split-level dining room and bar, and an open kitchen where you can watch the head chef Diego Cardenasin in action. He's from Colombia but the menu draws from around Latin America, spanning Mexico all the way down to the tip of Argentina. Naturally, we want to experience the vastness of the region so we sample items from across the menu. To start – one large octopus tentacle, tender and smoky. It's served on a spill of orange oil, plus a dollop of “Mexican mole mayo”. While it lacks the punch of a pure mole negro, it’s a clever trojan horse for what could be considered a confronting condiment for those new to it. The mussel tostada, while very tasty on its own, is generous with the cream

Kanh Nguyen’s departure from Sunda last July left many, myself included, wondering what would become of the once-lauded contemporary Southeast Asian-Australian restaurant. But former sous Nabil Ansari’s appointment as the new head chef (after a brief stint at Firebird) has ensured the venue remains in good hands. Sunda is not the same restaurant that opened on Punch Lane in 2018, but its next wave is a promising one. With formal service and a slight industrial edge, the venue embodies a high-low approach to upscale dining that emerged in the late 2010s and has permeated the industry ever since. Think doors held open and menus placed on laps by staff whose welcoming air and sense of character feel more important than their uniform. The food is similarly refined yet relaxed. Attention to detail is evident, though no dish feels too stuffy or serious. The pie tee has initial notes of creamed corn that give way to the sharp zing of salted black bean hiding beneath the surface, all encased in a delicate pastry shell. The tuna tartare donut, which tastes of deep-fried potato, is well-balanced with a generous dressing of sturgeon caviar, but perhaps could be elevated to even greater heights with a hint of acid or cream. In any case, it’s a delight. On that note, it's the smaller dishes that look more appealing on paper, and so we round out the meal with those. Crispy tempeh is an outstanding choice at only $12 with a sweet, smoky glaze and the bright crunch of lightly pickled cucumbe

Hamed Allahyari was a chef and restaurateur in Tehran, Iran until 2012 when religious conflict forced him to flee to Australia. His love for hospitality never left him. Upon arriving in Australia, he began working with Asylum Seeker Resource Centre Catering and Free to Feed, two social enterprises designed to support new migrants through food and dining. Then, seven years later, he opened Café Sunshine & Salamatea, a social enterprise restaurant designed to employ, train and mentor asylum seekers and refugees facing similar paths to him. It’s been a beloved local gathering place ever since – not just for its friendly, community focus but for its approachable Persian fare, which is hard to come by in Melbourne. Iranian food is not well represented here and when it does appear, skewered meats are often the focus. This is no doubt a core component of the cuisine but overshadows the fact that it's vegetarian-friendly and characterised by its use of floral, sweet and sour flavours, adding complexity and balance to each dish. (For context, Samin Nosrat, author of Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat, is also Persian.)  Salamatea, however, brings this back into focus. It’s like a best-of list of dishes and ingredients from the region, presented in a familiar Melbourne café format. The Campos coffee with Schulz milk (or your choice of non-dairy) is as good as any around, though the sharbat, cordials flavoured with either lemon and saffron or sour cherry, are better indications of what to expect fro

The strip of Little Collins Street between William and King has long been a hotbed for affordable work lunches with the food court at Exchange Tower being the pinnacle. The building is still home to a few of its long standing tenants but as of late last year, one end has been transformed into an upscale Korean-Australian diner called Doju, led by chef Mika Chae. It’s an unlikely use case and not the most seamless evolution, but the team have done a solid job of disguising their quarters. Sheer fabric panels cleverly conceal the interior office windows that look down into the dining room, a somewhat randomly-placed platform has been transformed into a mezzanine, and notes of olive green and marble give the space a sleek edge. The downside of a space repurposed in this fashion is that there’s little contingency plan for unwanted noise. High ceilings and a somewhat awkward dining layout make it hard to hear my dining companion or the waitstaff, who are friendly and enthusiastic but quite green. If the hallmark of great service is the elimination of uneasiness, Doju is not quite there. The wine menu is intriguing but we bypass it for cocktails. The preserved blueberry milk punch sounds and looks promising, topped with a meringue that dances on the ice as it melts, but offers few notable tasting notes besides sickly sweet and not very strong. The mango gimlet, on the other hand, is well-balanced and delightfully savoury thanks to lacto-fermented fruit, gin and hojicha. Snacks are

Solo dining is a radical act at the best of times. When faced with a 20-person communal table and a 98% chance of being seated elbow-to-elbow or worse, face-to-face, with a stranger, the stakes rise. But at a space such as Pretty Little (which is exactly as its name suggests), it’s worth walking through your fear as their offering is one best experienced alone. A small team and intimate setting foster a sort of meditative dining experience where you can devote your full focus to the offering, sans distraction. And a produce-driven menu with an air of Scandi minimalism means attention to detail is paramount. With a wall full of all Victorian wines, what to drink is one of the few decisions you’ll have to make over the course of the night – and the host will gladly guide you through. (We overhear her saying that she’s the sister of the former owner Myke Bard. He’s moved on from the business but she and chef Mike Harrison have stuck around, which is surely a good sign). While many establishments have transitioned away from mandatory set menus, Pretty Little is sticking to their guns with a 2 or 3-course option (for $69 or $89, respectively) plus a few a la carte add-ons. The only option is whether to go for a starter, dessert or both, though dietary-friendly alternatives are available. The first dish on the menu is asparagus and spring onion on a bed of briny gribiche, finished with a generous dusting of fromage de brebis (a firm, salty sheep’s milk cheese). Crisp and slightly w

Etta has been hot on everyone’s lips since it entered the Brunswick East dining scene –particularly since head chef Rosheen Kaul joined the kitchen in 2020. In the culinary world, countless awards and glowing reviews often breed scepticism but a recent Tuesday evening dinner proved the praise is just as warranted as ever. We were seated in a cosy corner nook decked out with decorative pillows, ideal for soaking up the scene (to the left, the bar and open kitchen; the right, Lygon street passersby; and to the front, a solo diner in for an early drink and snacks followed by a couple on date night – both common finds at this venue).  Though Etta is a restaurant, strictly speaking, it's frequently mistaken as a wine bar. Perhaps because it has a list to stand up among the best of Melbourne's wine bars. Bottles range in price, region and style with a largely Victorian focus. Whether you want old-world or new-age, there’s something for everyone. But it pays to look past the vino as the sake offering is equally thoughtful (albeit less extensive) with a few hard-to-find drops from around Japan.  Fitting in with a trend many restaurants and bars seem to be following as of late, the food menu is snack-heavy and designed to share. We start strong with a crab masala-stuffed zucchini flower – its thin, nearly translucent batter and bold spice putting cheese-filled numbers to shame. It's large enough to split between two while the quail egg is a one-bite wonder, served on a skewer with fri

August 10 2023 update: Which side of the city's famous waterway is better: northside or southside? It's a debate many Melburnians have had before and so it got the mixologists thinking... wouldn't it be better to settle this debate over a drink? The current cocktail menu pits the two against each other with a new range of cocktails inspired by Melbourne's proudest 'hoods. Whether it's the 'Fitzroy Garage Party' with butter fat-washed brandy and chocolate bitters or the 'Too Right it's Toorak' with gin, mead, sparkling wine and lavender that catches your fancy, there's no dispute on one thing: the Curious bar's creativity truly reigns supreme. It’s not very common (at least not in Melbourne) for a hotel bar to pop off but that’s exactly what happened to Curious, which opened at the W Melbourne in 2021. Joining Adam D’Sylva’s Italian-leaning Lollo and Japanese fine diner Warabi, the subterraneancocktail lounge is in good company, but it’s managed to pull a much younger audience than itsneighours. All signs point to the music program as the primary culprit. On Wednesday through Saturday nights the space hosts a rotating lineup of DJs, both established and on the up, and the place packs out accordingly. Earlier in the evening, however, there’s a calmer sensibility one would expect from a venue ofthis nature – hotel patrons grazing on cheese boards, office workers popping in for a knock-off. From our perspective, it’s in these quieter hours you can truly appreciate the bar’s best

Part of the small but mighty hospitality group behind Takeaway Pizza, Dexter, Kenny Lover andthe much-anticipated the Keys, Dom’s is the only venue to penetrate the inner-city bubble. And it’s so good, it may just trigger die-hard northsiders to do the same. Sure, there are plenty of other spots to grab a slice, but one worth venturing south of Thornbury for? That’s arguable. Very few straddle that elusive line of tradition and innovation quite like Dom’s – not even itssibling, which runs a close second but doesn’t boast the dynamic, three-level venue (rooftopincluded). Pies are available venue-wide, and much like Takeaway Pizza, have that classically Italian, woodfired vibe though the toppings like mortadella, thyme and fermented honey or ghost pepper salami and pineapple salsa set them apart from the pack. The veg options are almost as exciting; the roasted mushroom and truffle cream number is aparticular standout. On paper, it sounds like overkill (do you really need sour cream on a white base?), but it works seamlessly alongside a sharp orange wine to cut through the dairy. There’s also an ever-rotating wild card which, on our visit, has a Latin lean – see the creamedcorn base, finger lime and coriander salsa, and chunks of chorizo – that reinforce thesentiment that a restaurant is best experienced through its specials board. Thirty dollars a pop is a hard pill to swallow, especially once you tack on a few glasses of natural wine, but if you’re willing to sacrifice toppin

Everything about Bar Romantica nods to old-world New York – the Italian-leaning menu and plush banquettes, the warm wood walls, the simple drinks list. It obviously sets lots of expectations with the name, though that’s not entirely their fault (they inherited “Romantica” from the previous owners). The eatery may not scream romance – aside from the heart-shaped table – but it does evoke a certain lust towards the kind of hospitality it's hearkening back to.  This is particularly true when seated at the bar – perfect for pretending you’re cooling your heels at a Manhattan dive. Being in the hot seat has perks too, like having the waitstaff’s full attention. Service here is quick and cordial in just the right amounts with drink top-ups at the ready. The wine list is fairly traditional with a few new-school nattys by the glass and an even fresher, funkier extended offering (plus plenty of hard-to-find Euro pours). The food straddles a similar line between old-school and new, keeping things at once consistent and exciting even if a few dishes fall flat. The handmade pasta is one of the venue’s biggest claims to fame and the quality is there. If you’ve ever had hard, store-bought casarecce, you’ll delight in the soft bounciness of Bar Romantica’s fresh (and very, very long) versions, which come with “winter pesto” and stracciatella. If reviewing the pasta alone it would be an easy five stars but this particular dish lacks cohesion. The sauce is too oily and thin to stick to the sl