The Best Restaurants in South Melbourne

by Holly Bodeker-Smith

Updated 1 month ago

Much like Richmond, South Melbourne mixes bustling shopping strips (Clarendon Street), slumbering industrial areas (Montague Street) and dense residential zones (Park Street). You’ll find restaurants scattered throughout all these areas. The superb Tempura Hajime is semi-hidden under an office building, Half Acre lives in a former warehouse and Lamaro’s Hotel occupies a stunning corner site with 150 years of history. Here’s where to find them, and plenty more, curated by Broadsheet’s expert food and drink editors.

Half Acre
Restaurant
This multifaceted space couples the drop-in spirit of a pub with the food of a more polished eatery.
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Park Street Pasta & Wine
Restaurant
Housed within a 19th-century building, this spot freshly extrudes pasta shapes such as macaroni and penne in-house – an expensive process rarely seen in restaurant kitchens. Try them in the cosy dining room, or pull up at the al fresco terrace on warm Melbourne days.
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Tempura Hajime
Restaurant
This intimate restaurant – with a nondescript entrance under an office building – specialises in the Japanese tradition of tempura: a battering and frying technique that leads to surprisingly light and refreshing dishes.
Komeyui
Restaurant
Take a seat at the stone counter for a 10-course sushi degustation, or order fish-skin crackling, miso-marinated black cod, and savoury steamed custard topped with foie gras à la carte.
Bambu Asian Eating House
Restaurant
Take a break from market shopping with a hit list of filling dishes from across South East Asia.
Lamaro’s Hotel
Restaurant
Lamaro’s is a love letter to long lunches and refined pub dinners. A woodfired grill lends Lamaro’s steaks their smokiness and char, while the rest of the menu blends classic pub fare with Southeast Asian and French flavours.
Wayside Inn
Restaurant
A pub with a softer side.
Claypots Evening Star
Restaurant
Claypots romance: live music, seafood and drinks every night of the week.
Meatworksco
Restaurant
A smoke and meat-driven restaurant inspired by a chance encounter at a market in Spain.
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Peko Peko
Restaurant
This playful Taiwanese-Japanese restaurant in South Melbourne (no relation to Fitzroy's Peko Peko) is a fun eatery that doesn't take itself or its delicious menu too seriously.
Woods Yard
Restaurant
Wood-fire sourdough pizza is the star at this wine bar, which pours natural wine, wild brews and coffee. Plus, grab sourdough rolls for lunch loaded with fillings such as mortadella, or a fancy omelette on the weekend.
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