The Best Restaurants in South Melbourne

Updated 8 months ago

Share

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.

  • This multifaceted space couples the drop-in spirit of a pub with the food of a more polished eatery.

    Book a Table
  • Housed in a 19th-century building, this spot freshly extrudes pasta shapes such as rigatoni and bucatini in-house – an expensive process rarely seen in restaurant kitchens. Try them in the cosy dining room, or pull up at the parklet.

    Book a Table
  • 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.

  • 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.

  • Take a break from market shopping with a hit list of filling dishes from across South East Asia.

  • Lamaro’s is a love letter to long lunches and refined pub dinners. A woodfired grill lends the steaks their smokiness and char, while the rest of the menu blends classic pub fare with Southeast Asian and French flavours.

  • The Wayside’s front bar is for drop-in cheesy parmas and pints. The beer garden out the back is for parties and brews in the afternoon sun on Melbourne’s warmer days. And the smoky baby back ribs keep locals coming back.

  • Claypots romance: live music, seafood and drinks every night of the week.

  • A smoke and meat-driven restaurant inspired by a chance encounter at a market in Spain.

    Book a Table
  • 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.

  • 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.

    Book a Table
  • While the atmosphere draws from California’s breezy glamour, the seafood-forward menu takes cues from Latin American and Filipino cuisine. And it’s all about the music – a late dinner reservation here might finish on the dancefloor.

//