Snack Bar: The 35 Best Dishes in Melbourne and More Local Food News This Week

What’s happening around town

• Clara Luna, Frankie Hadid’s Venezuelan- and Syrian-inspired restaurant at Jamsheed, has its last service on Sunday December 21. So there are only three more weekends to get her “cowboy cheese”, woodfired barramundi wings and Caribbean fried chicken.

• Ophelia, the Terror Twilight team’s Northcote cafe, has launched a series of $20 weeknight specials for summer. Head down for pasta night on Tuesdays and Thursdays, roast chicken on Wednesdays and bowls of mussels on Fridays. 

• Welcome Merchant – a platform that highlights businesses run by refugees and asylum seekers – is hosting a Christmas market at Brunswick’s Balam Balam Place this Saturday, December 6, from 11am to 4pm. Stop by to shop crafts and get lunch from chef and food writer Sebastian Pasinetti and Colombian caterer Donde Mama. 

• Then, make your way to Fenton Farmhouse to help raise money for those impacted by the recent hurricanes in Jamaican. From 4pm on Saturday December 6, there’ll be cocktails, patties by Island Crust chef May Heinz and music from DJ Folarin.

 What we covered this week

• The 26 best things we ate in Melbourne in 2025.

• The food and drink trends that defined 2025.

• The 19 best Melbourne dishes of 2025, according to top chefs.

• First look: At Hector’s Deli number six, nothing is new.

• Garfield is opening in the King & Godfree building, blending the best of Italian and Japanese pizzerias.

• Coming soon: Buy seafood prepared by chefs from top restaurants at Stephen Nairn’s new fishmonger.

• DineSmart is ending. For Alejandro Saravia, it was more than just a fundraiser.

• After suddenly closing in October, Kikanbo is back.

• Where chefs eat: Osteria Ilaria head chef Jett Alexander loves this underrated suburban pizza spot.

• 16 bars, bakeries and restaurants that opened or closed in November.

• Where chef-turned-knife-expert Kazuki “Kaz” Hanzawa goes for a taste of Japan in Melbourne.

You might’ve missed

• The best new Australian restaurants of 2025.

• How to host a breakfast party at home, with food writer Becca Wang.