Sonia Nair

Mexican food used to be tough to find in Melbourne, but those days are no more – today, our city is blessed with everything from lively cantinas to late-night mezcal bars, and everything in between. If you're craving a taco (or several) and a spicy Margarita, turn up the heat with our guide to Melbourne's hottest Mexican joints.  Looking for Melbourne's best Italian, too? We've also got you sorted for Japanese and Korean restaurants as well. 

What is it with corporate cafes in the CBD and high-calorie focaccias the size of your face that somehow still taste like nothing? To love your lunchtimes again, let's liven it up a bit. Whether you’re watching your waistline or simply searching for a light and fresh meal that won’t plonk you into an afternoon slump, this is the list to bookmark. Looking for something lighter on the wallet? Check out the 20 best lunches in the CBD for less than $15. 

April 2024: With the weather cooling down in Melbourne (hello rain and random thunderstorms), we may be tempted to stay on the couch and order food in – but when that gets old, there's nothing quite like getting dressed up, heading out into town for dinner and making a proper night of it. Whether you're planning a special catch-up or simply curious about which restaurants are ahead of the curve in Melbourne right now, this guide is your trusty resource.  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 knock-out dining experience that won't break the ban

April 2024: As a month with two long weekends, Easter gatherings and chocolate eggs (plus gifts for the kiddies) and quick holiday getaways, April can get pretty exxy. If you're looking to cut back on your spending without compromising on your appetite for good food, you're in luck. Melbourne's a wonderland for cheap delicious eats and so here, we've rounded up the best of them. 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 under $25, 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 50 best bars in Melbourne. Want to kick on? These are the best late-night bars across the town. 

The increased prominence of Filipino food in Melbourne is largely a long overdue corrective – the third-largest Asian diaspora in Australia has always had a strong presence in the nation’s cultural fabric, but finally the culinary landscape is developing apace alongside the Filipino-Australian population’s growth.  Literacy around Filipino dishes is quickly growing among non-Filipinos – dishes like sisig, lechon kawali and halo halo are gaining a foothold in people’s food lexicons, while Filipino cuisine’s multifaceted influences – from Spanish to Chinese – are garnering heightened levels of appreciation.  Every corner of Melbourne has a go-to Filipino restaurant, from the CBD to Sunshine, Werribee and Dandenong. Below are a few of our favourites. 

The unmistakable smokiness and charry, rendered skin are the best things about charcoal chicken, and these qualities are what sets charcoal chook apart from its roasted relatives. It has to be moist and tender with concentrated flavour. But it’s not all about the chicken – no one goes to the chicken shop without ordering a few sides, whether it’s chips, salads or a potato cake. And we are here to judge it all.  We've rounded up our top picks below to ensure you're getting the best crispy, smokey chook that Melbourne has to offer. Prefer your chicken with cheese and passata? These are Melbourne's best chicken parmas. Like your meals cheap? Here are our favourite meals on a budget. 

Footscray is one of Melbourne's most famous foodie destinations, thanks to its globally diverse community, top cheap eats and eccentric bar scene. From hip American barbecue to Vietnamese fare, fish and chips and fine dining, here are some of our favourite restaurants in Footscray right now.  If you want to look further afield, here are the 50 best restaurants in Melbourne right now. Seeking a sea breeze? These are our top foodie picks for St Kilda.

To use the amorphous moniker ‘African food’ to describe the multifaceted cuisines of an entire continent is a misnomer – the food of east, west, north, south and central Africa differ greatly due to intersecting forces of colonisation, trade and landscape. Whether it’s in the ingredients used, the dishes these ingredients appear in, or the choice of carbs that accompany each meal (Ethiopians love their flatbread, Somalis prefer rice, while West Africans swear by their cassava, plantain, yam and rice), African food is hyper-regional. Dishes may bear the same name, but specificities abound according to where they’re cooked.   Melbourne diners are by now well-acquainted with Ethiopian food and the wonders of the iconic fermented flatbread injera – Victoria is fittingly home to the largest Ethiopian population in Australia – but more recent waves of migration from Ghana, Nigeria and Cameroon are culminating in a mushrooming of West African restaurants around Melbourne.  Yet there are a few commonalities that unite many African cuisines. The communal nature of sharing food is a key way of enjoying the continent’s most renowned dishes, while cutlery is often eschewed in favour of hands.  Below is the non-exhaustive list of our favourite African restaurants in Melbourne. Want more? Check out the best Malaysian restaurants in Melbourne, plus our guide to the 50 best bars right now.

Take your pick from the likes of Scandinavian feasts, masquerades replete with fancy French fare, jazz evenings complete with Argentinean tasting menus and multi-course Chinese savoury and sweet dishes to usher in 2024. Book your spot, don your fancy clothes and brace yourself for the party of the year.  Keen to kick on? These are the best New Year's parties and events to bring in 2024. Drank too much? Cure your hangover at one of these restaurants and cafès open on New Year's Day. 

The best 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 – either egg mayo is spread on one piece of bread and butter is spread on the other, or the two are spread on top of each other – fresh cucumber, pickled carrot (and daikon if you’re lucky), generous sprigs of coriander and chilli massaged into its crevices, a dash of Maggi seasoning and the protein of your choice.  The traditional bánh mì thịt nguội (bánh mì filled with cold cuts) was eaten as a control wherever we could alongside one other roll for variety, which has produced our rankings for some of Melbourne's top bánh mìs. Love things between bread? Here are the best sandwiches in Melbourne. Prefer those sandwiches toasted? These are the best toasties in Melbourne. 

South Indian, North Indian, Malaysian-Indian, Indo-Chinese, Indian fusion – Melbourne has it all. Australians’ perennial favourite butter chicken can be found at a lot of these restaurants, but so can ingenious, meticulously prepared spice-forward dishes hailing from every which corner of the subcontinent. Looking for budget-friendly meals? Here are the best cheap eats in Melbourne.

Like in all the best global cities, you can find a plethora of food options in Melbourne past midnight, if only you know where to look. Wander down laneways for pizza by the slice, unearth hidden cocktail bars for fancy cheeseburgers, and let the steam of piping hot bowls of noodles warm you when the temperature outside has plummeted. These are the best late-night eats in Melbourne to sate your hunger after a big night out. For more late-night antics, peruse our guides to Melbourne's best late night bars, nightclubs and bars for dancing.

Before Nina’s took residence at the base of Brunswick’s Nightingale Studios, it was a lively Bangladeshi restaurant and prior to that, a café that changed hands a few times. It’s the first time a wine bar serving food has popped up in the space and judging by residents’ warm reception, it’s being appreciated as much as its forebears.  Simultaneously cosy and industrial, Nina’s has retained the exposed pipes of yesteryear venues but where it stylistically departs the most is in its almost Hellenic light blue colour scheme, from the leather seats to the bright planter boxes bordering the outdoor space. The big windows bordering the bike track that runs in parallel to the Upfield line lends the space plenty of natural light, a sense of space and constant movement.  Service is both personable and personal, with a menu that speaks of the intimate network co-owners Shae and Hayley have built within their surrounding community – from the honey, a gift from a Nightingale resident, that features in a dessert to the curry leaves that garnish the king prawns, bounty from Hayley’s mum’s garden. Exemplifying this community spirit is their $35 Monday pasta nights – a godsend when most hospitality outfits are taking a much-needed day off – and their happy hour specials from 4 to 6pm four days a week. The menu leans heavily on seasonal produce and mostly comprises vegetables and seafood – a treat for pescatarians. Excitingly, there’s a compact specials menu below the regular menu, ranging fr

Much fuss is made about Collingwood eatery Commis’ connections to Gerald’s Bar, but even if you didn’t know its trio of co-owners’ were alumni at the Carlton North perennial crowd favourite, you’d be able to distinguish its pedigree.  Stepping into Commis’ warm confines is like crossing the threshold of a friend’s house – service is effortlessly affable, laidback and jovial without being effusive or overbearing. Framed artwork depicting fresh produce pepper the walls, and seating is ample – you can choose between leather booths, standalone tables and a generously proportioned courtyard in the event of good weather.  The playful drinks menu and the seasonally changing food menu reflect the wine bar’s joie de vivre. Open your drinks menu one way and be met with a ‘traditionalist’ selection divided by type, but flip it around and open the ‘expressionist’ section and you’ll encounter headings like ‘a quick drink while I think about what I really want’, ‘something old’ (remind me of my last trip to Europe’) and ‘something new’ (my drink is a fashion accessory). Wines are similarly demarcated into emotively labelled sections like ‘we f%#king deserve it’ and ‘slap me in the face and make me feel something’.  I enquire after the cocktail ‘Jessica Hates Everything’ and am told it’s named after an aunty known for abhorring every drink made in her honour. It’s a cocktail specifically concocted for its end user – I’m told I look as though I’d like a sour beverage that’s not too sweet (th

South Asian food – despite comprising complex, multilayered dishes that are painstakingly time-intensive to make – has garnered a reputation for being ‘cheap and cheerful’. No matter that it takes hours, nay days, to conjure up the depth of flavours diners often take for granted.  More recently, Melburnian restaurants like Enter via Laundry – no doubt building on the legacy of upmarket Indian restaurants like Tonka and Jessi Singh’s double threat of Horn Please and Daughter in Law – have done their bit to reconceptualise South Asian food in the mind of the Western diner: as a cuisine rich with the specificities of the subcontinent’s many distinct regions and something worth paying more than $20 for. Banish all thoughts of homogenous brown curries before you visit this raft of South Asian restaurants, which counts Ish among its legion.  Around since 2018 and occupying prime position on Gertrude Street, Ish contributes to this lineage with a menu that borrows from regions across South Asia – Kerala, Bombay, Bengal, Kashmir – and collates the old with the new. Expect to see lamb seekh kebab and samosa chaat sitting alongside the more fusion-flavoured roti duck tacos and cauliflower curried hummus, while the curry / mains are refreshingly devoid of your usual suspects. Yes, you’ll find butter chicken and it’s indeed one of Ish’s most popular dishes, but you’ll also encounter moilees, coconut-rich seafood stews from Kerala, and Kashmiri dum aloo, a yoghurt-based curry peppered wit

Whether you’ve heard of Coburg’s latest hatted restaurant may depend on how you feel about the rehabilitated Pentridge Prison.  While Olivine Wine Bar, which neighbours the restaurant, has repurposed claustrophobic prison cells into inexplicably cosy velvet-clad nooks, it’s less apparent that North and Common sits in what used to be Pentridge Prison’s mess hall. There are echoes of its brutal history – heritage bluestone walls and the 10-metre-high ceiling remain – but more than anything, the seclusion of the former prison complex tucked away off Sydney Road is what makes the tastefully repurposed North and Common feel most transportive, like you're somewhere far removed from the hubbub of Melbourne instead of in an inner north suburb less than 10km from the city. The trademark Melbourne architectural flourishes of exposed beams and brick walls are present. Ornate archways and gargantuan light fittings culminate in in a light, bright and airy space that's an immensely beautiful backdrop to an unfolding dining experience.  Assembled by Mark Glenn who has a glittering CV that includes the likes of head chefdom at Cumulus, North and Common’s menu leans heavily on seafood and seasonal vegetables. Apart from locally sourced meat like Paroo kangaroo, Hazeldene’s chicken, O’Connor’s sirloin and Flinders Island lamb which are namedropped throughout the menu, you’re likely to be eating Sydney Rock oysters, Jerusalem artichoke, Corner Inlet calamari and zucchini flowers. A curious adju

Whatever iteration Marion’s menu is in, one can never go past the flatbread with fromage blanc, a staple so universally adored it’s never left. Salt-speckled, garlicky wedges of dough give way to the most pillowy interiors, which go a treat when dipped in fresh cheese so smooth and spreadable it’s akin to a yoghurt.   Housemade seed-studded rye crisps are the standout accompaniment to the smoked trout rillette, a rich and creamy mixture that’s more textured than a pâté but just as indulgent. Be rewarded with chunks of fresh smoked trout layered within the rillette and fresh pops of roe atop, with the radishes doing a great job of cutting through everything with its mild pepperiness.  Every wine bar in Melbourne has a crudo, carpaccio or tartare on its menu and though Marion’s raw tuna goes by a simple name, it evokes the same feeling. Light, summery and zingy, the tuna is enlivened by a light soy dressing and the crunch of coriander seeds.  A smokiness assails our senses as soon as the baked pipe rigate is placed in front of us. Lightly charred snail shells soaked in a spicy vodka sauce so lustrous there’s cheese pull is what’s on offer, and it’s a worthy addition to Marion’s menu. A Father’s Day special when we visit is the immaculately crumbed veal cotoletta in a crispy sage butter with zucchini pickles. The veal within is tender and medium-rare pink. For a green side to your mains, the Ramarro Farm leaves sweetened by bursts of pickled wild figs is a highlight.  It’s hard

The heady smell of incense is apparent as soon as you walk into Flint’s dark confines. Charcoal walls surround a centrepiece open kitchen where sous chef Yukio Endo works his magic on the night we visit. Through an alcove is a private mezzanine dining area that overlooks the restaurant while perched aloft. Flint combines the no-waste fermentation ethos of the since-closed Parcs with a healthy respect for flames and a penchant for wood-fired grilling, which is all the rage at restaurants like Matilda 159, Cutler and Co and Grill Americano. There are no ovens at Flint – only ‘fire, smoke and charcoal’.   Service is congenial, prompt and un-hierarchical – owner and chef Nicki Morrison herself waits on tables, while Yukio handles the cooking. Flint’s approach to fermentation is a through-line in the menu – the water in which carrots ferment is used in the Carrot Sour cocktail (a spin on a Whisky Sour) to great effect, while the fermented carrot themselves feature in Flint’s famed ‘carrot carrot’ dish.  Stepping away momentarily from fermentation and carrots, Flint’s cocktail menu is short but sweet, boasting classics like Negronis and Espresso Martinis alongside the must-try Yuzu Sour, the latter akin to a liquified bright and zesty mandarin spiked with gin. Meanwhile, the concise wine list combines European varietals with local ones.  There are only two entrees on Flint’s menu priced by individual serves, and the seeded sourdough with bone marrow-koji butter is one of them – we’

Restaurant and wine bar Lene, pronounced Lenny, doesn’t take itself too seriously. It’s a veritable gallery with wall-to-wall expanses of bold and colourful paintings, but there’s no stiff tablecloths or opaque dining codes to abide by here – unlimited sparkling water is available for only $5, off-menu items are rattled off with an easy nonchalance. The narrow space, all timber, has a relaxed feel.  Which is not to say the food isn’t serious. Like the assorted playlist in the background which runs the gamut from hip-hop to indie rock to classical music, wunderkind owner-chef Cameron Williams’ menu is an eclectic one, borrowing influences from India, China, Italy, France. The culmination is, if not particularly cohesive, novel and exciting.  Mains tend to veer towards bistro-style dishes – expect a steak, fish, chicken – and while they’re more than noteworthy, it’s in the appetisers where Lene’s spirit of experimentation truly shines.  One of the off-menu drinks is Lene’s special Jalapeño Margarita and we see why it’s earned that moniker. The spiced salt on the rim has a heat that radiates to the back of your mouth with each sip and leaves your lips tingling. There’s a brief cocktail list and a more extensive wine list, with certain bottles in the cellar collection of the latter climbing to the multi-thousand-dollar mark.  Kicking off our entrees is the immaculately fried bhaji, a crisp nest of corn encased in a light, incredibly airy batter. The accompanying, self-labelled bo

Untitled, sister restaurant to adjacent cocktail bar Ugly Duckling, is the latest in a slew of restaurants to resuscitate Swan Street’s aspirations to be a dining destination.  Shades of brown, orange and beige lend the multi-level Untitled a distinctly early '70s feel, accentuated by the bright splashes of art, leather swivel stools framing the bar, wooden blinds and textured walls. The current menu on offer is distinctly Italian with some flourishes from around the globe – harissa is present in more than one dish, while the beef tartare, pommes puree, and fennel and potato gratin point to French influences. The snacks come in individual servings, the entrees are designed to be shared, and while you could choose to share a few mains among you, who wants only a spoonful of pasta and the corner of a steak? No, these dishes are best enjoyed solo.  Complimentary bread with smooth and velvety whipped butter kickstarts our meal. The first of two snacks we try, the cacio e pepe croquette is a thick melange of cheesiness spiked with black pepper. Encased in crisp batter, the filling is paste-like. If you’re not the biggest truffle fan, don’t be scared off by the menu’s description of truffle pecorino – the discernible hints of it are negligible.  The rounds of pickled cucumber garnishing the oblongs of potato rösti topped with creamy lobster cuts through the richness of this dish, while the dollops of horseradish and tendrils of pickled onion perform the same function in the beef ta

Moody, intimate and tastefully lit, Black Kite Commune is the latest addition to the illustrious Russell Place – joining sister bars Gin Palace (a Melbourne institution), its lively adjunct Bar Ampere, and until earlier this year, Con Christopoulos’s celebrated all-day wine bar Neapoli.  But fret not – Black Kite Commune has stepped into Neapoli’s shoes, ticking all boxes and then some. Spread across two levels, the mood is '70s bar meets French bistro – wooden panelling and low ceilings meet black walls and dark carpeted floors. Take your pick between black leather banquettes upstairs where a gold button garners you immediate service, round high tables surrounded by stools upon entry, or a seat by the golden backlit bar. A birdcage contraption on the far corner of the first floor adds a playful energy, while the purple hues of a lightbox night sky installation overlooking the entire venue creates an ethereal feel.  The drinks menu is expansive. Expect to see bottles of wine delineated by their texture, fragrance and mouthfeel rather than variety (‘bright and perfumed’, ‘juicy and full’, ‘dense and rich’). The wine list blends the classics with the new-fangled – old-world reds sit alongside a meticulously curated Champagne selection off the beaten track and skinsy and lo-fi wines, though the last is only represented by the bottle. Wine by the glass treads the more predictable route of sparkling, whites, rosé and reds.  The spirits are highly localised, though you'll find glob

If 3 Idiots is an exercise in fusion, Burger Shurger in Elsternwick and Williamstown turns the dial right up. Started up by couple Payal Bisht and Prasuk Jain who moved from New Delhi to Melbourne in 2008, Burger Shurger was conceived out of a desire to feed their parents a burger they would actually eat – enter Indian burgers. Choose from patties such as paneer tossed in a buttery sauce and topped with raita and mint chutney in the Say Cheese Burger to curried mashed potato in a tamarind sauce in the Vada Pav Burger. Entrees are equally inventive with the chicken Chettinad bao, butter chicken fries and lamb keema bolognese complemented by cocktails that have an Indian twist, like the Masala Chai Whisky Sour and the Aam Panna (raw mango) Margarita. Colourful murals of Indian gods and goddesses are the backdrop to the diners’ voyage through the experimental menu. So you like great food on a tight budget? Us too! Here's our list of the best cheap eats Melbourne has on offer.

Earlier in 2022, Bar Americano shuttered to give way to Bar Sabbatico – less a new venue, more a new concept from founder Matt Bax and bartender Matty Packham where the ability to order individual cocktails was passed over in favour of experimental, reservations-only cocktail tastings ranging from $95 for three courses to $165 for five. (To be clear, these are strictly alcohol-only courses – there are snacks included, but not enough to be fed.) Bax, who’s behind the bar when we visit and fields our many cocktail-related questions with utmost patience, lets us know Bar Sabbatico is winding up. In a few weeks, the space will be reverting to Bar Americano where you can, once again, order a standalone Negroni instead of having to opt in for a tasting. The tastings will remain but will only run three to four times a month instead of all the time. We’re lucky to get in for a three-course tasting when we do. Starting out as a standing room-only cocktail bar, Bar Americano now has stools shunted along a copper bar top and a small outdoor area for seating. The bar from which Bax concocts his delicious creations looks like an alchemist’s lab, complete with new-fangled contraptions and an impressive selection of different alcohols. Dark timber panelling and a black-and-white chequered floor brightened by white tiled walls are part of the bar’s old-world charm. Compounding this feeling of being in another time is a ‘do not spit’ sign emblazoned on the wall – mimicking Flinders Street Sta

Despite visiting on a wintery day with torrential downpour, Florian is packed to the rafters. Crowds spill out of its tiny entrance on both sides, customers waiting for a table are indistinguishable from locals ordering takeaway coffee, outdoor tables are shunted towards the shelter of the footpath. Making headlines in recent weeks for the consternation it’s attracted from nearby residents doesn’t seem to have affected trade for Florian in the slightest, only made it more popular if anything. Everyone is respectful and careful to steer clear from crowding the adjacent Rathdowne Street Café and nearby houses. One only has to look at Florian’s immediate surroundings to understand its immense appeal. Occupying the space formerly inhabited by similarly popular café Small Victories, Florian’s Allpress beans and expertly curated, European-inspired menu sets it apart from the nearby mom-and-pop cafes with menus scarcely larger than a few select pastries and stock standard favourites. Fenton, Tanaka’s new fresh produce-forward venture, is perhaps the most similar operation in the vicinity but it lies a kilometre away. Which is not to say Florian is a slick, soulless venture. Waitstaff are warm, friendly and accommodating despite having to deal with rain-soaked outdoor tables and customers jostling for space – testament to the community-minded, local favourite childhood friends Dom Gattermayr and Rose Richards have built in the beautiful building they inherited from hospitality ventur