16 Dine Out Specials To Try This Weekend

Broadsheet’s second Dine Out festival kicked off in Melbourne on Monday. So far we’ve partied at 1 Hotel, enjoyed Lebanese fish’n’chips at the Zareh and Baba’s Place collab dinner, and snacked on coconut creamed lentils with tomato and curry leaves served on crackers at the Isobel Whelan-Little and Old Palm Liquor collab.

There are still plenty of opportunities to make the most of Dine Out before the Melbourne leg ends on Sunday July 26. Drop into the Kori Konbini for onigiri and fried chicken reimagined as ice-cream, stop by Collingwood Yards for Dua and Nimbo’s night-time dessert pop-up, and book a table for former Gymkhana chef-director Sid Ahuja’s takeover of Mischa Tropp’s Kolkata Cricket Club. Plus, there are 16 walk-in specials that you can still take advantage of this weekend. 

Miso hojicha layer cake, Tori’s – $12.50

Drop into Tori’s on Niagara Lane or Exhibition Street for a slice of miso hojicha cake. Layers of roasted hojicha, miso caramel sauce and toasted cream are built into a delicate sponge cake. The result is a smoky, nutty dessert that’s sure to warm you up. Available until Sunday.

Giant cookies, Butter Days – $22

Since Tuesday, John Demetrios of Butter Days has been making a different batch of giant cookies, with flavours spanning malted milk and honeycomb and brown butter triple choc-chip with smoked salt. Drop into the Malvern bakery on Saturday for apple pie with miso caramel cookies, and on Sunday, for a Banoffee cookie pie.

Baked vanilla-custard tart, Tarts Anon – $12

Gareth Whitton can do it all, but he excels in the classics. The Dessert Masters winner is the culinary brain behind Tarts Anon. For Dine Out, the team is making individually portioned baked vanilla-custard tarts topped with freshly grated nutmeg and served with a lightly whipped crème fraîche. Available at both Tarts Anon locations in Richmond and Collingwood until Sunday.

Thai-inspired bagels, Yang Thai x Masses Bagels – $9 to $19

Hot Listed venues Yang Thai and Masses Bagels are collaborating on a Thai-infused menu for one day only, blending the St Kilda chicken shop’s menu with some of the city’s best bagels on Saturday from 8am. Get in quick for open-faced biryani chicken bagels; fermented-chilli and garlic bialys; and fermented kumquat oolong and butterfly pea iced tea.

Truffle and Korean black garlic spaghetti, Alt Pasta Bar – $55

For the past three years, Mino Han’s CBD pasta bar Alt has been turning out some of the most creative and unusual pastas in Melbourne. For Dine Out, he’s sticking to the theme with a spaghetti special served with black Western Australian truffles and Korean black garlic. Available until Sunday.

Birria burrito, Dingo – $22 to $25

On Saturday from midday until sold out, the team at Dingo Ate My Taco’s new permanent space in Abbotsford, will hand-roll 40-centimetre flour tortillas and stuff them with cheese and slow-cooked brisket to make birria burritos. Vegetarian and vegan versions will be available too. 

Char siu pork jerky and nori pork floss slider, Ho Liao – $18

Junda Khoo’s casual Malaysian restaurant is serving a special slider made with bakkwa (Chinese pork jerky) glazed in char siu sauce, plus nori pork floss, cucumber achar (pickles), kewpie mayo and Lingham chilli sauce on a toasted brioche slider bun. Available until Sunday.

ABC mee pok, Gai Wong –  $24.80

Swing into Gai Wong for ABC (ah, bak, chui) mee pok, a hearty bowl that sees mee pok (flat egg noodles) piled with a six-hour pork and shiitake ragu (bak) and spring onion. Fried shallots and ikan bilis (crisp dried anchovies, or chui) add some crunch and a burst of umami, before the whole bowl is finished off with tender slices of smoked duck (ah). Available until Saturday.

Youmian yuyu, Dao Noodle – $25.80

Youmian yuyu (hand-rolled oat noodles) is a traditional dish from the Shanxi province in northern China. Naked oats are ground to a flour, mixed with water, then hand-rolled into slim fish-shapes to be stir-fried with vegetables and meat – in this case, pork belly for an extra $3. The resulting noodles have a chewy, firm texture and a mildly nutty flavour unlike most you’ll find in Melbourne. Available until Sunday.

Braised pork belly lunch set, Good Days Collingwood – $29

Good Days Collingwood is making the Vietnamese lunch set of our dreams. Available 11am–3pm, it includes tender braised pork belly, rice, pickles (bean shoots and mustard greens) and broth. Plus, a blood plum and calamansi nitro tea to carry you through the afternoon. Available until Sunday.

Wine-and-cheese ice-cream, Billy van Creamy x Minimum Wines – $6.50

Billy van Creamy and Minimum Wines have transformed a wine waste product into a wild, limited-edition dessert. The star ingredient is lees – the natural sediment left at the bottom of wine vessels that usually gets thrown away. Minimum Wines salvaged sangiovese lees from its 2024 vintage, before maturing it in aged oak barrels for two years with zero additions or sulphur. Billy van Creamy has taken those lees and incorporated them into a rich, cheese-based ice-cream. The result is a take on a classic wine-and-cheese pairing, topped with a crunchy, house-made cracker. Available from Billy van Creamy’s locations in Fitzroy North, Albert Park and Brunswick until Sunday.

Moskol and mulled wine, Eat Pierogi Make Love – $29

Eat Pierogi Make Love is serving a limited-time food and drink trio. Get moskol (a potato pancake stuffed with smoked cheese and cranberries) and a serve of the restaurant’s braised lamb and rosemary pierogi, plus a glass of mulled wine. Available until Sunday.

Guinness sticky date pudding, Pidapipo x North Fitzroy Arms Hotel – $16

Pidapipo Gelateria and cosy local pub the North Fitzroy Arms have collaborated on a Guinness sticky date pudding. The collaborative effort sees the Arms’ popular sticky date pudding recipe served alongside a limited-edition Guinness gelato, developed by the creative minds at Pidapipo. The pudding and gelato are topped with whipped cream, butterscotch and a nut crumble. Available at North Fitzroy Arms and all Pidapipo locations until Sunday. 

Buffalo blue cheese hot chocolate, Mork – $14

Mork Chocolate is serving a limited-edition 70 per cent dark hot chocolate with Berry’s Creek Riverine buffalo milk blue cheese. It comes with a cacao buckwheat crisp for dunking. Available until Sunday.

Croissant-infused hot chocolate, Monforte – $10

The Monforte team is embracing the winter weather with a croissant-infused hot chocolate. It’s made with full-cream milk and ganache that’s been infused with toasted croissants. The drink is topped with whipped cream, powdered cocoa and served with a toasted croissant wafer. Available until Sunday.

Guillaume Brahimi special items, Baker Bleu – $8 to $14.50

Baker Bleu has teamed up with Sydney chef Guillaume Brahimi to create three French specials. There’s a savoury French onion pastry that nods to the classic soup; and a coq au vin pie filled with chicken, red wine, mushrooms and bacon, and topped with rich Paris mash. Plus, on the sweet side, a St Honore choux pastry bun filled with crème diplomate (a mixture of Chantilly cream and crème patissiere) drizzled with golden caramel. Available at Baker Bleu stores in Cremorne, Caulfield North, Hawksburn and South Yarra until Sunday.