Three To Try: St Kilda’s Best New Seaside Eats

At the end of 2025, St Kilda became one of the most exciting places to eat expertly made, unfussy food in Melbourne. From a vertical seafood tower on the sand to charcoal-grilled Thai chicken and a Mediterranean pop-up from one of the city’s most-watched chefs, here are the three spots to try this summer.

El Columpio

Ricardo Garcia Flores’s restaurant El Columpio in Fitzroy is a strong contender for Melbourne’s best Mexican food. At the end of October, he opened a second location in the former Claw & Tail beachside kiosk at South Beach Reserve in St Kilda. A handful of bestsellers, like the suadero beef brisket tacos, have come down from the Fitzroy original. But the takeaway-focused El Columpio St Kilda is all about seafood. There’s the torre de mariscos seafood tower, which sees a mix of cooked and raw seafood, combined with piquin and chiltepin chillies, arrive in a steel tube that’s removed tableside (it was Zareh chef Tom Sarafian’s favourite dish of 2025). The mar y tierra (sea and land) taco combines porterhouse steak with prawns on a taco loaded with Oaxacan cheese.

Ellie’s Kiosk

Eighteen months after leaving her role as opening chef at Hope St Radio, Ellie Bouhadana opened a temporary seaside restaurant, Ellie’s Kiosk, taking over Stokehouse’s Beach Box kiosk for the summer. 

The Ellie’s Table author’s constantly changing menu draws influence from her North African heritage and recent travels around the Mediterranean. Sit in the sun and enjoy a fritto misto of fried prawns, vegetables and fish with preserved lemon aioli. Plus, fries with fennel salt, confit tuna, and Moroccan kofta made from a mix of sardines, prawns and cod belly that’s charred on the grill and pressed into pita. Bouhadana worked with the Stokehouse team on a wine and beer list that has affordable by-the-glass pours and some bottles fit for special occasions. Everything is available to take away, so if you can’t snag a table, you can always eat on St Kilda Pier, about a 15-minute walk away. 

Yang Thai

St Kilda locals became the envy of many Melburnians when Waxflower co-owner Jimmy Pham and former Earth Angels head chef Narit Kimsat opened their Hot Listed charcoal chicken shop Yang Thai last year. Birds are salt-brined for five hours then marinated overnight in black pepper and turmeric sauce before they’re cooked over charcoal and finished in the oven. 

From midday to 3pm daily, they’re served as $15 lunch packs with a quarter chicken, sticky rice, som tum (shredded green papaya salad, pounded to order in a large Thai mortar and pestle), and a punchy green sauce made with coriander, green chilli and lime. Diners can also order half or whole chickens, plus chips served with sweet-and-sour tamarind ketchup – Kimsat’s nod to classic Aussie chicken shops. The menu also includes vegan options which may be oyster mushrooms cooked over charcoal. While Yang Thai has some seating, everything is packed up to go, so it’s easy to transport your chicken to the beach or nearby St Kilda Botanical Gardens. 

Additional reporting by Callum McDermott and Quincy Malesovas.