Sunda

Restaurant · Vietnamese · $$$$ · melbourne

At this cool laneway diner, you’ll find many Southeast Asian flavours in thoughtful, nuanced, high-definition dishes. Creations like Sydney rock oysters with tomato sambar and moringa beans add an unmistakeable local accent.

18 Punch Lane

Anchovy

Restaurant · Vietnamese · $$$ · richmond

Thi Le and Jia-Yen Lee’s dynamic diner is where you’ll find modern spins on deep cuts and rarities from Vietnam’s regional cuisines. The team’s current focus is noodles, snacks and single-origin fish sauce.

338 Bridge Road

Pour Diane

Bar · $$ · north melbourne

An eclectic, ’70s-inspired wine bar by the team behind La Cave, Melbourne’s only wine shop in a car park ticket booth. Nab the rotating tiger-print bed inside and enjoy lo-fi drops from boutique wineries with simple snacks.

472 Victoria Street

Stokehouse

Restaurant · $$$$ · st kilda

Seafood and stunning ocean views – it's no surprise this is such an institution. It's been the final word in St Kilda fine dining since it opened in 1989.

30 Jacka Boulevard

Leonard’s House of Love

Bar · burgers · $$$ · south yarra

If you’re really into burgers, tick Leonard’s off. This ’70s cabin-themed spot serves some of Melbourne’s best, in a rollicking rock’n’roll house party environment complete with pool table and bathtub lager on tap.

3 Wilson Street

Ca Com

Restaurant · Vietnamese · $$ · richmond

Inside this banh mi bar from the Anchovy team, a woodfire hearth turns out turmeric chicken, jungle pork sausage and Manchurian pumpkin to fill the crusty baguettes.

336 Bridge Road

Good Measure

Cafe · $$ · carlton

Find yourself a second home at this cool neighbourhood cafe by a team of hospitality veterans. It serves coffee and sangas during the day, then cocktails and snacks at night – all within a space decked out like a living room.

193 Lygon Street

Juniper

Cafe · $$$ · south melbourne

This daytime hangout from the team behind north-side favourite Florian offers fresh sandwiches, nourishing salads, a next-level mushroom congee, and a no-fuss takeaway menu.

269 Coventry Street

Grill Americano

Restaurant · Italian · $$$$ · melbourne

Venetian elegance, New York energy and Melbourne nostalgia collide at restaurateur Chris Lucas’s lavish brasserie and grill. Settle into the grand dining room for charcoal-fired bistecca, and quintessentially Italian cocktails.

112 Flinders Lane

Entrecote

Restaurant · French · prahran

After seven years in South Yarra, this well-loved brasserie found a new home in Prahran. Alongside the restaurant’s signature dishes, you’ll find a roving caviar trolley, a raw seafood bar, and a late-night supper menu.

142-144 Greville Street

Le Splendide

Bar · French · $$$$ · south yarra

Put a supplied sticker over your phone’s camera and you’re allowed into France-Soir’s romantic wine bar, where top-tier French cuvées, caviar and comté take the spotlight.

9 Toorak Road

Flower Drum

Restaurant · Chinese · $$$$ · melbourne

If you’re after the gold standard for Cantonese cuisine in the city, look no further. Flower Drum’s been serving it since 1975. Its low-lit, seductive ambience and consistently impeccable service are reasons to visit alone.

17 Market Lane

Doju

Restaurant · Korean · $$$$ · melbourne

Here, owner-chef Mika Chae (a distant relative of chef Jung Eun Chae) draws inspiration from top Korean restaurants and mod-Australian fare. Come for marron with garlic butter, or Korean hwae (a Jeju Island-style raw fish dish).

9/530 Little Collins Street

NGV International

Gallery · southbank

Martin Benn is one of Australia’s most feted chefs – and he’s in residence at the NGV Garden restaurant until February 16, 2025. Book now to experience avant garde takes on Japanese cuisine from a true master.

180 St Kilda Road

The Walrus

Bar · Seafood · $$$ · st kilda

A local couple worked at some of Melbourne’s top wine bars before opening this laid-back, homey spot. Come for freshly shucked oysters, rotating pintxos, lesser-known wines and its eclectic record collection.

9 Inkerman Street

The Sporting Club Hotel

Bar · $$$ · brunswick

This corner pub is from some of the crew that revamped the Royal Oak Hotel and The Marquis of Lorne. Visit for a retro menu filled with fun takes on pub staples – plus an outdoor bar with a retractable roof.

27 Weston Street

Bar Bellamy

Bar · $$$ · carlton

Is it a cocktail bar? A wine bar? A bistro? It’s all of that, depending on your mood and the occasion. Visit for standout Martinis with creative house twists, plus devilled eggs, veal schnitties and an always-excellent vibe.

164 Rathdowne Street

Inuman

Bar · Filipino · $$$ · melbourne

Filipino fine diner Askal’s upstairs counterpart combines excellent snacks with an experimental drinks roster that highlights Filipino ingredients such as lambanog (distilled palm tree sap) and tapuy rice wine.

167 Exhibition Street