31 Melbourne Bars, Bakeries and Restaurants That Opened or Closed in March

The Melbourne hospitality scene is always in flux. Here are the new venues we got excited about in March.

Openings and new coverage

• First look: Cobb Lane’s “grown-up” CBD bakery is here.

• First look: three AFL players team up to open Prahran diner Aftermath.

• First look: Mediterranean restaurant Onda opens inside Sorrento’s grand new ferry terminal.

• First look: Brunswick’s new diner Patris is all about homey Greek and Cypriot cooking.

• First look: Nico’s Deli has installed a retro-futuristic vending machine for hot late-night sandwiches.

• First look: it’s McMuffin-style rolls and double cheeseburgers at Nouns Hamburgers in South Yarra.

• First look: at Bernie’s Bar in Fitzroy North, owner Liv Flanagan created the queer space she was missing.

• First look: a new generation makes Richmond’s 28-year-old Burmese House its own.

• First look: get chilli crisp Margaritas at casual new Abbotsford Bar Mikey’s. 

• First look: Prahran Market’s tiny new Japanese spot Matsuyama has yakitori and Wagyu sandos.

• Chef John Chinsami’s late-night spot Munchies is reborn in Brunswick.

• Seven to try: new coffee shops and cafes for specialty drinks and house-made bakes.

• First look: Macgregor’s brings smash burgers to an old Abbotsford milk bar.

• First look: Italian restaurant Made in Casa finds a new home in Toorak Village.

• First look: Hoppy Dumpling in South Yarra pairs dumplings with local beers.

• Lebanese restaurant Sama is hidden inside Fairfield’s Grandview Hotel.

• Collingwood’s Molly Rose goes “beer hall chic” with a new menu and a new head chef.

• Ragazzi in Fitzroy is autumn’s hottest pop-up.

• Steak frites are priced from $28.50 to $395 at CBD steak restaurant Common Cuts.

• Two new doughnut shops inspired by Japanese and Korean chains.

Closures

• One of the city’s best Thai restaurants, Thai Tide, is now closed.

• Peter Gunn’s Ides closes after exactly 10 years.

• Esteemed Northcote wine bar Vex Dining closes in May – but it’s not bad news.