I don’t think there’s been a more exciting year to eat out in Melbourne this decade. Looking at our list of 2025’s best dishes, it seems that the city’s restaurants, bars, bakeries and everything in between have pared things back, turning out seemingly simple dishes with expert precision. Here are the 26 best things we ate this year.

Ricotta tortellini and Bloody Mary tomato salad, Daphne 

I love what Hannah Green and chef Diana Desensi are doing at Daphne. It’s a roll call of dishes that are familiar at first glance but reveal savvy, often unexpected, twists upon closer examination. Case in point, Desensi’s ricotta tortellini, paired with artichoke and radicchio in a light, silky milk sauce and given the most elegant lift. Heirloom tomatoes in a bright, tangy Bloody Mary-style dressing. I can’t split these two. – Katya Wachtel, editorial director

Venezuelan cowboy cheese, Clara Luna at Jamsheed, Preston

Half the reason I ordered this dish was the mysterious promise of “cowboy” cheese. Because what kind of cowboy aligns with cheese? John Wayne? Timothy Olyphant? Woody from Toy Story? In retrospect (with news just through that Clara Luna’s Frankie Hadid is finishing their run at Jamsheed), it might be more akin to Brokeback Mountain: gorgeous, tender and tragically short-lived. Fresh to the table, you can believe this smoky concoction came straight from a campfire on the open range. Tangy, salty, squeaky-soft cheese smacked with char and balanced with wine-poached pears. The unexpected star, though, is the crunchy walnut accompaniment, which is quickly coated in cheesy-fruity goodness. I challenge any diner not to eat up every last nutty crumb. – Jo Walker, contributor

Sunshine bun, Butter Days Bakery, Malvern

For me, there’s no better way to start the day than popping into Butter Days Bakery and picking up my favourite sunshine bun. The fine layers of pastry are buttery and flaky, with crispy edges that shatter delicately with every bite. Inside the ring of pastry is a pool of silky-smooth creamy custard that has flavours of fragrant cinnamon and lemon. My hot tip is to come in when the bakery opens – the pastry is at its crispiest and the custard is still warm and gooey. – Irene Zhang, contributor

Crispy leaves, Yiaga, East Melbourne

Hugh Allen and Michael McAuley artfully weave their way through Australian produce both recognisable and rare at Allen’s new fine diner Yiaga. There are a number of outstanding dishes on the menu, but a bite-sized mille-feuille served early in the meal is emblematic: layers of dehydrated kale, cabbage and silky herb emulsion, meticulously constructed, exquisite in presentation and utterly delicious.  – Katya Wachtel, editorial director

Chicken kebab, Zareh, Collingwood

At Zareh, chef Tom Sarafian marinates thigh fillet with fenugreek leaves, turmeric and onion juice, which tenderises the meat and gives it extra umami. Then it’s butchered, skewered and fired over charcoal with the fat cap facing up so it renders and bastes the meat to ultra juicy effect, and brushed with creamy, garlicky toum. Smoky, fragrant, deeply savoury and straight-up delicious. I’ll be back for more just as soon as I can get another booking. – Daniela Frangos, contributor

Batata harra, Zareh, Collingwood

Do not leave Zareh without ordering this dish of potatoes fried until golden, tossed with toum, harissa and fresh coriander, then roasted in a wood oven. Tom Sarafian, Zareh’s head chef and owner, says the secret to these spicy, crunchy, smoky Lebanese-style potatoes is using the best potatoes (Blue Moons from the Spud Sisters in this case) but it’s also his gift for flavour and texture.  – Katya Wachtel, editorial director

Signature tori shio chintan ramen, Ramen Ako

Some bowls feel like restaurant food; Ako’s noodles taste like someone is taking care of you. This is a clear, feather-light chicken soup noodle that still carries depth, comfort and warmth. And it’s the only bowl this year I’ve followed to the very last drop – revealing a “thank you” note at the bottom. Sho Iijima traded corporate life for the comfort of his mother’s recipe. His springy house-made noodles, the slightly charred, melt-in-your-mouth pork, the soft egg and bamboo shoots all play their part and are anchored by a gentle sheen of chicken oil. And if you ask for it, a sheet of high-grade nori completes the bowl. Proof that even a three-item menu can leave a big impression. – Harvard Wang, contributor

Mortadella skewer with pickled pumpkin, Daphne, Brunswick East

It’s funny how the tiniest tweaks can make old feel new again. Mortadella nearly always shows up diced or very thickly sliced. Not so at Daphne, where the pork loaf is shaved into wide ribbons, threaded onto skewers and blasted on the grill. More surface area equals more browning equals more smoke – quite a departure from morty’s usual mellow nature. The pumpkin’s bright acidity plays foil in a way that’s oddly reminiscent of the Thai-Lao dish crying tiger, another pairing of grilled meat strips and acid. We were upsold this snack, and damn if it wasn’t the highlight of the whole meal. – Nick Connellan, Australia editor

Ichigo Highball, Atsu, CBD

It’s been a huge year for cocktails, but the Ichigo Highball from Reki Reinantha’s Atsu might be the most underrated in the city. The drink is a simple mix of five things: fresh strawberry coulis, house-made strawberry syrup and freeze-dried strawberries combined with imo shochu (a Japanese spirit made from sweet potatoes) and soda water. The result is a refreshing fruity, but not sweet, relatively low-alcohol cocktail that I find myself craving just about every Friday. – Audrey Payne, Melbourne food & drink editor

Banana fish curry and mango sticky rice, Boon Choou, CBD

I’d never think to put starchy green banana in a grilled-fish curry, but I’m very glad Boon Choou chef Poowadon Pothiprasert’s mum did and passed the recipe down to him. It’s a perfect medley of unexpected flavours, all wrapped in turmeric-y, coconutty heat. I was equally glad to cool my mouth off with mango sticky rice – some dishes demand a soft landing. – James Williams, creative solutions manager

White asparagus, white miso, Suze, Fitzroy North

“It’s just a bit of asparagus. How good could it be?” I find myself thinking this about almost everything on the menu at Suze, and the answer is always the same: much better than you can imagine (honourable mention for the duck). The kitchen cooks Tasmanian white asparagus oh so gently and serves it in a puddle of white miso, a milder cousin of the brown stuff. In general I like assertive, maximalist flavours, but this dish is a masterclass in simplicity and restraint that makes a case for increasing your intake of beige foods. – Nick Connellan, Australia editor

Mary's Scramble, Mary's, Collingwood

Melbourne is no stranger to a chilli scramble, but the West African-inspired folded eggs at Mary’stakes the cake for me this year. Soft, fluffy eggs wrapped around sautéed mushrooms sound familiar enough until the ata dindin hits. It’s a fiery Nigerian pepper stew made from tomatoes, capsicum, chillies and onions cooked down until they’re rich, smokey and almost jammy. That depth, paired with Mary's crispy chilli oil, turns a brunch staple into something far more layered and expressive. – Sebastian Pasinetti, contributor

Durian puff, Shunde Cuisine, CBD

I’m one of the lucky ones who happen to love durian, but many durian desserts fall short, relying on artificial flavourings or fillers to offset the fruit’s high price tag. The durian puffs at Shunde are an exception. Their filling is made from real durian flesh, blended into a smooth, sweet, slightly funky cream and wrapped in thin strands of house-laminated dough – inspired, the team says, by a Lune croissant. Durian lover or not, it’s hard to deny the flawless execution. – Quincy Malesovas, contributor

Rib eye taco, Taqueria Sin Nombre, CBD

Three words: Aldi. Meat. Slicer. That’s what helped to craft perhaps my favourite bite of the year. At Taqueria Sin Nombre, the slice of grilled rib eye arrives shaved impossibly thin, from said slicer, on top of a warm corn tortilla, with crisp julienne potatoes and glossed with a peanut-forward salsa macha. It’s three bites of pure joy. I recommend eating it standing at the terracotta-tiled counter, washing it down with an aggressively carbonated Topo Chico and lime. – Claire Adey, contributor

Sachi don, Sachi, CBD

I’ve previously written about my love for chirashi. Something about this dish – with its scattered pieces of various sashimi, artfully plated on a bed of sushi rice – makes me want to try any and every iteration out there. And the best I’ve had this year was at the Sachi pop-up at Leonie Upstairs, but you can now get it at the permanent Sachi restaurant in the CBD. 

Cuts of raw tuna, salmon, kingfish and scallop are joined by cooked prawn and unagi over akashari, or rice seasoned with aged red vinegar. You can eat each piece on its own followed by a scoop of rice, or pile whatever you want onto cut sheets of nori that serve as vessels for your bespoke bite. The pickled vegetables and fish broth – made from roasted fish bones and topped with wild garlic oil – are a thoughtful extra touch, too. “It’s been on the menu since day one,” the team tells me, “and will stay until forever.” – Chynna Santos, deputy branded content editor

Mango G&T, Three Horses, CBD

This sgroppino-style blend of Four Pillars x Caretaker’s House Gin, tonic and house-made mango sorbet, served in an icy stainless steel coupe, is just the right balance of sweet and tart. It’s difficult to stop at just one. What a drink for summer from the Three Horses team. – Katya Wachtel, editorial director

Mussels escabeche, Daphne, Brunswick East

The menu at Daphne reads like my VIP party list of favourite foods – mortadella skewers, ricotta tortellini, chocolate cremeux. So, I was surprised to be most dazzled by the mussels escabeche. The little molluscs are steamed, then plunged into a hot pickling liquid infused with saffron, fenugreek and mustard seeds. The heat is the trick – it locks in the moisture so they stay juicy, plump and a little springy. They’re tossed with chopped guindillas, wasabi leaf and tender celery heart. The escabeche is the crown atop a generous smear of creamy, garlicky cod roe – delicately piped onto a pudgy round of potato flatbread. That potato dough is fermented for 48 hours, pan-cooked, then finished in the woodfired oven so it arrives warm and softly chewy. It’s the perfect savoury anchor for the bright and briny mussels. – Steph Vigilante, head of social media

Laksa bombs, Ho Jiak, CBD

Growing up in Singapore, I thought I knew what laksa tasted like. Then I met chef Junda Khoo’s laksa bomb at Ho Jiak. When the dish – four wonton dumplings bobbing atop a milky coconut curry broth – arrived at the table, I didn’t expect it to be one of the most honest laksas I’ve had.

The dumplings proved to be a thoughtful delivery system: the wonton skin didn’t break or feel too bulky, yet packed the punch of an entire bowl of laksa into a single mouthful. Laksas typically come with a wide range of add-ons, but the laksa bomb filling is pared back to the basics: house-made prawn paste, finely minced chicken and chopped vermicelli bound by an extra-concentrated laksa soup. – Haymun Win, contributor

Cauliflower cheese pie, Frankie’s Pie Shop

As a Kiwi I take pies seriously, and Francesca Giorgi Monfort’s cauliflower cheese pie is next level. Inspired by a Tesco recipe, she’s made it her own with charred cauliflower, good vintage cheddar and the best puff pastry I’ve had in years. You can find a couple of her other pies and sausage rolls (also glorious) now at her residency in Superette in Brunswick, and the OG cauliflower cheese is always at the Carlton Farmers Market on the first and third Saturday every month. Keep an eye out for a Frankie’s Pie Shop pop-up soon. – Jo Rittey, contributor

Butterflied Mooloolaba king prawns, The Pontian Club

While I’ve eaten countless prawns (and their tails – don’t come for me) in my time, nothing compares to the butterflied Mooloolaba king prawns at Greek newcomer The Pontian Club. These beauties are cooked over a smoky hibachi. The butterflied cut makes it easy to scoop out the meat, which arrives smoky and juicy. Each time I’m left licking my fingers, mopping up the extra oil with bread and immediately considering another round, prawn juice still dripping down my hands. – Holly Bodeker-Smith, newsletter editor

Salami Pizza, Pizza Luna

I’ve followed Pizza Luna’s journey from pop-up to pop-up, so when I saw Simon Cassar, who’d gone from writing about food to making it, open a permanent spot across from the lighthouse in McCrae on the Mornington Peninsula, I felt both proud and eager to try the new menu. Normally I love salami pizza for its salty fatty richness and the way it practically invites you to do absolutely nothing afterwards. But Cassar’s version is surprisingly light and incredibly moreish. He doesn’t skimp on the salami and he adds generous dollops of stracciatella to each slice and finishes it off with a touch of lemon zest. The cheese’s creaminess and the citrus lift cut straight through the meatiness. – Tri Nguyen, group strategy manager