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The Best Restaurants With a View in Melbourne

Updated 11 months ago

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There’s just something about eating in front of a view. It could be the sense of romance and occasion that a sweeping vista offers. Or the way nature’s grandiosity welcomes silence between courses (especially when you’re enjoying ocean views at Stokehouse or Pipis Kiosk). Unlike Sydney or Brisbane, Melbourne doesn’t have as many restaurants where the vista is the main draw. But if you know where to look, there are still plenty of spots making the most of the city skyline and twinkling Port Philip Bay. Here are the best places to take it all in, curated by Broadsheet’s expert food and drink editors.

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  • Vue de Monde

    Restaurant

    Vue de Monde translates to “worldview” in French – and that’s just what you’ll get at this celebrated fine diner. Perched 55 floors above the city on the Rialto Building’s former observation deck, it boasts an impressive 360-degree vista from Docklands to the Dandenongs.

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  • Atria

    Restaurant

    Led by a former Vue de Monde chef, the Ritz-Carlton Hotel’s glamorous 80th-storey restaurant eschews a set menu for the flexibility of à la carte. Come for vegetables cooked with love, a focused wine list, sharp cocktails and, of course, the views.

  • Stokehouse

    Restaurant

    There’s nothing quite like eating seafood by the ocean, and Stokehouse is one of the best places in Melbourne to do it. The dining room is wrapped in floor-to-ceiling windows, so there’ll be uninterrupted views no matter where you sit.

  • Farmer’s Daughters

    Restaurant

    On top of Alejandro Saravia’s three-storey love letter to Gippsland and its produce, there’s a rooftop oasis with a cracking vantage point over the Paris end of Collins Street. It’s flanked by skyscrapers and planted with a vertical garden whose abundant native herbs go into the dishes and cocktails.

  • Mya Tiger

    Restaurant

    Up the ornate stairs at the Hotel Esplanade, this Cantonese spot has incredible city and bay views over the tops of palm trees. If people-watching is more your thing, then high tables offer a view down to the stairs and bar below.

  • Silks

    Restaurant

    Working with top-grade produce such as green lip abalone, snow crab and full-blood Wagyu, Crown Casino’s in-house Cantonese restaurant is largely geared towards visiting high rollers. But the luxurious dining room and its sweeping Yarra views are within reach of the average punter, provided they order wisely.

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  • Her Rooftop

    Restaurant

    Five storeys up, this compact open-air bar offers fruit-forward cocktails and punchy, barbeque-driven Thai food from downstairs sibling BKK. With glass balustrades and dual retractable awnings, it’s the perfect all-weather spot to enjoy city views.

  • Donovans

    Restaurant

    This personable institution has been around since 1995 and retains a huge base of regular customers who love its classic, consistent menu.

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  • Pipis Kiosk

    Restaurant

    Swing past Pipis’ takeaway window for fish’n’chips and potato cakes, or hit the elegant restaurant for a reimagined spaghetti vongole and beachy, pét-nat-spiked cocktails.

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  • Naked In The Sky

    Restaurant

    Naked In The Sky is where you bring friends from out of town. Sure, there’s always a crowd, not to mention the added uncertainty of actually getting a seat. But this place has some truly gobsmacking panoramas of the city that are absolutely worth showing off. The excellent food and drinks are just a bonus.

  • Captain Baxter

    Restaurant

    Upstairs at the St Kilda Sea Baths, Captain Baxter sits as a ship’s captain would, staring out over the open waters of Port Phillip Bay. It’s set within a space that feels like a 1920s bungalow in the Bahamas – with a fun drinks list and a seafood-centric menu to match.

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  • Bomba

    Restaurant

    You can choose your own adventure at Bomba. Come for tapas and imported Spanish wines at the restaurant downstairs, or escape to the fifth-floor rooftop for cocktails and DJs every weekend. Either way, you can’t go wrong.

  • Easey’s

    Restaurant

    Fancy a no-nonsense burger served five storeys up inside an old-school train carriage? This place – and only this place – is for you. Easey’s doesn't coast by on its looks alone, though. These are some of the best burgers you’ll find anywhere in town. The view is pretty great, too.

  • Panama Dining Room and Bar

    Bar

    It’s only a few floors up, but this fun loft inside a former 1900s textile factory feels completely removed from Smith Street below. Arched windows offer serene skyline views above the hustle and bustle – made better with a cocktail and some refined dishes.

  • Elwood Bathers

    Restaurant

    Settle in for coffee on the terrace, classic bistro fare, and Margaritas by the carafe so close to the beach you’ll feel like you’re hovering over the sand.

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