The Best Restaurants in Windsor
Over the last decade, Windsor has undergone something of a renaissance. If anyone can lay claim to reviving the compact block between High Street and Dandenong Road, it’s the team behind Hanoi Hannah, Tokyo Tina and Neptune. They took a punt when it was mostly a smattering of two-dollar stores and bars. These days, locals and sojourners alike have plenty of dining options in the southern end of 3181. Find Middle Eastern fare in handsome surroundings at Maha East. While pizzerias like Small Print and Farro offer something for most of the dietaries on your dinner table. And diner-distillery Galok gives gin the attention it deserves alongside pan-Asian dishes. These are the best restaurants in the area, carefully curated by Broadsheet’s food and drink editors.
Restaurant
Firebird
This spot from the Hanoi Hannah and Tokyo Tina crew is all about spicy birds: with a Vietnamese take on duck à l’orange and charcoal chicken with burnt chilli. Plus, there’s cocktails made with charred grapefruit and burnt plums.
Restaurant
Maha East
A sleek wine bar and restaurant serving up Middle Eastern-inspired dishes, some borrowed from its elder sibling Maha. Tuck into share plates of Armenian beef dumplings, lamb cutlets and taramasalata fried buns. There’s also a 120-strong wine list.
Restaurant
Tipico
A strong player in the city’s crop of sharp, contemporary Italian joints. Find classic dishes with subtle twists, and a wine list that picks from the country’s premier growing regions. The commanding terrazzo bar is the best place to take it all in.
Restaurant
Hawker Hall
A buzzing food and beer hall inspired by Singaporean and Malaysian hawker halls. Work your way through a hit-list of hawker market dishes. Expect various dishes of noodles, rice, roti and curry (from the trusted team behind Chin Chin, Society and Baby Pizza). Plus, order lots of easy-drinking beers.
Bar
Galok
A gleaming 100-litre still sits at the centre of this red-accented bar and restaurant. It’s where distiller (and chef) Carlo Tran makes the gin you’ll find in your Asian-inspired cocktails – most of which are on tap. Pair them with pan-Asian dishes such as chargrilled prawns, beef rendang, deconstructed bao and karaage chicken.
Bar
Lover
A late-night dining spot with a playful but serious cocktail program.
Restaurant
Tokyo Tina
Enjoy Japanese-inspired food at this moodily lit diner, from the team behind Saigon Sally and Hanoi Hannah. The stars here are crisped-up sticky eggplant, karaage chicken, miso-baked cauliflower and tender duck breast in brothy udon.
Restaurant
The Railway Hotel Windsor
This beloved pub, around since the 1920s, lets you choose from two bars or an upscale restaurant. Pile in for elevated pub classics, such as juicy steak with chips stacked like Jenga. Plus, there’s a deck for sunnier days.
Restaurant
Studio Amaro
Pop into this warm, retro-feel restaurant for weeknight dinners of 72-hour-fermented focaccia, handmade pasta and woodfired meats. On weekends, party in the basement with amaro cocktails and DJs spinning Italo disco.
Restaurant
Lah Bros
The Kathmandu-born chef behind Lah Bros is showing that Nepali food is more than just momos. Enjoy regional specialities including bara, a crisp-fried lentil pancake, and a Nepali-style crème brûlée spinoff.
Restaurant
Freddy’s Pizza
A traditional Italian restaurant in the heart of Chapel Street.
Restaurant
Mr Miyagi
Colourful, neon-lit and always a party. Go for Japanese fusion including salty edamame, crunchy karaage and the ever-popular salmon and nori taco. Plus: frozen and fruity cocktails, sake and umeshu, and a tight Japanese whisky list.
Restaurant
Small Print Pizza
Short for “small eco-footprint”, this pizzeria is mostly vego – but when there is meat, it’s locally sourced. It’s also completely glass-free (all drinks are poured from a tap), and staff can deliver your pizza to nearby Victoria Gardens.
Restaurant
Farro Pizzeria Windsor
This is the third Farro pizzeria, and it delivers the same level of polish as its siblings. Step inside for great Italian cocktails, an extensive range of pizzas – all of which can be made gluten-free or vegan – plus pastas and antipasti.
Bar
Borsch, Vodka & Tears
An old-world Polish vodka bar and restaurant.
Restaurant
Henrietta
Henrietta is not a “grab your chook and go” situation. If the $2.5 million fit-out doesn’t draw you in, the garlicky aroma of toum, fresh bread and fire-grilled chicken surely will.
Restaurant
Tombo Den
Dining at Chris Lucas’s third Japanese restaurant is an immersive experience. There’s a daily sushi, nigiri and crispy rice menu; sake-based cocktails; and neo-noir AI-generated images on the walls.
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