Plenty of places are open for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Save the Easter eggs for dessert (if you can).
Where to while away the dog days of summer.
Whatever you’re doing on your day off, there’s plenty of food and drink to fuel it.
Showing 63 results
Descend a dark spiral staircase into this basement cocktail bar wrapped in a cocoon of timber, where you’ll find theatrical drinks with smoke, bubbles and art.
This three-storey love letter to Gippsland and its produce is by Alejandro Saravia, the chef behind CBD classic Pastuso. There's a deli with house-made pastrami rolls; a suave restaurant with a focus on cooking with flames; and a greenhouse-like rooftop oasis.
Star chef Andrew McConnell's signature is evident on every Eurocentric plate here, from the clam-topped flatbread to the anchovy Danish to the wood-fired rhubarb cheesecake. You’ll find us at the black-and-gold marble bar, Martini in hand.
A charcoal-fired rotisserie turns out hasselback potatoes like you’ve never had before, succulent Milawa chook and more. Plus, a majestic dessert trolley with unmissable cakes, Ben & Shewry’s Cherry Ripe-inspired ice-cream and smashable reisling slushies. Your average camp cuisine this is not.
This three-level spot, from the guys behind Dexter and Takeaway Pizza, bears little resemblance to its former self (Peaches, Dexter). Go for focaccia-like pizza with house-made mortadella and garlic-fermented honey, chevre-stuffed potato skins, plenty of Aussie spirits and a pool table.
This rustic diner from the Mulberry Group is roughly halfway between Geelong and Torquay. The classic Italian menu uses produce grown at Common Ground, the onsite community farm and social enterprise.
An Indian(ish) wine bar on Flinders Lane, where cheesy flatbreads star.
The follow-up to Neighbourhood Wine is cool and comfortable. Take a seat at the bar or in front of an open fire and feel the tension melt off your shoulders.
This lavish, split-down-the-centre space was designed with the spirit of 1920s Paris and New York in mind. Have a cheese trolley wheeled to your table, sip Ernest Hemingway-inspired cocktails, or settle in for a long lunch with free-flowing magnums.
Two French bakers are making classic sourdough, fruit loaves and three-ingredient baguettes and getting creative with banana-split croissants and blood-orange doughnuts in an airy, mint-green space.
A converted 1950s holiday home on a working vineyard with three bedrooms, a roomy bathtub and an outdoor firepit.
Everything you love about fresh Japanese cuisine and Australian seafood in a calm, casual room.
After years running lasagnes around town in a ’91 Holden Barina, Joey Kellock has moved into a former pizza shop. On the menu: lasagne, maybe a dirty Martini and little else.
Under the watchful eye of a 1.5-tonne steel dragon, Australia’s first outpost of international chain Panda Hot Pot is serving fiery DIY soup with a choice of 80 ingredients.
All-vegan kebabs, halal snack packs and boreks in Brunswick. Plus, there are gluten-free options, colourful salads, dukkah-dusted chips and cardamom-spiked Turkish coffees.
A light-filled all-day European bistro, bar and deli stocking fresh pasta, fancy tinned fish and other staples.
This huge 500-person pop-up beer garden and big screen will be around until March 2021, before the actual brewery and beer hall open.
At Hobsons Bay Hotel, a three-level neighbourhood pub in Williamstown, you'll find a rooftop with sweeping ocean views, a largely woodfired menu of flame-licked steaks and rotisserie chooks, and cocktails on tap.
A 24-hour nightclub with its very own bandroom.
The Covid-19 pop-up Marion Grocer has found a permanent home. Enter for a very impressive salad sanga, $6 Baker Bleu pizza squares, and fancy picnic hampers. Plus, shop for topnotch pantry staples, fruit and veg, tomato seedlings, fresh blooms and more.
Most of the menu here is vegan (including the baklava), with one notable exception: deep-fried haloumi fries. And the Lebanese-style falafels are served like an open souvlaki on pita with hummus and four types of salad.
A spot from the team behind some of the city’s biggest cafe hits. They’re making brunches with damper, Vegemite, Kakadu plums, wattle-seed bacon and Milo mascarpone.
A former McConnell chef is behind this intimate bar serving Texas-style brisket, pork belly, jalapeño kransky and four types of taco. There’s also a tidy selection of tequila, mezcal and bourbon.
Get pantry staples such as salted egg cakes and durian crisps, or grab seat among 200 other punters for charred pork skewers, tom yum soup, boat noodles and beer towers.
From the team behind Small Axe Kitchen, this spot has a seven-metre terrazzo bar and floor-to-ceiling shelves stocked with Italian cold cuts, cheeses, pickles and take-home meals such as gluten-free lasagne.
Located on Lorne Beach, this ’70s-inspired taproom and beer garden offers views of the surf, cocktails, lobster rolls and plenty of easy-drinking beers.
Japanese-inspired dishes in a modern space replete with marble tabletops and beige leather booths.
It’s like a summer barbeque in your mate’s backyard – but with a charcoal-fired menu by a top Melbourne chef, 10 Hop Nation beers (and Negronis) on tap, and more.
An Abbotsford taproom from one of Brisbane's most popular breweries. The team ships its most in-demand beers twice weekly, fresh from Brisbane. Pick one of 12 pours, then order some food from local favourites, including Rita's Cafeteria and Kelso's Sandwich Shoppe.
An all-day diner at Tullamarine’s surfable wave park from the popular cafe chain. Get spanner-crab scramble and a Bloody Mary for breakfast; pizzas, Portuguese-style chook and tomato-and-chilli mussels with garlicky Baker Bleu sourdough after midday; and non-alcoholic cocktails and beers pre-surf.
This compact 25-seater flips beef and plant-based cheeseburgers, and serves southern fried chicken and vegan Cocowhip sundaes.
Yarn to the bartender over a cocktail, hot bird and vegan snacks while listening to ZZ Top.
Channel the charm and chaos of Vietnam’s street stalls with banh xeo, fried chicken with fish-sauce caramel, and DIY Vietnamese barbeque. All best enjoyed with a “beer tower” on the side.
This corner cafe specialises in modern takes on traditional Japanese sandwiches and excellent filter coffee. For dessert, grab a Mochinut (a mochi doughnut) or a black tea creme brûlée.
Get a seat at the bar for a view of the woodfire grill, its flames darting into your peripheral vision or reflected in your Negroni glass. On the menu, there’s flame-cooked barramundi and steaks big enough for two.
A pasta and focaccia bar of venerable mention on Lygon Street in Carlton.
This casual offshoot of Charlie Carrington's acclaimed restaurant Atlas Dining focuses on healthy Mediterranean street food.
This historic gastropub (now owned by the owners of North Fitzroy's the Recreation) serves elevated takes on duck pie, schnitzels and smoked trout salad. Get yours on the expansive deck overlooking the Puffing Billy Railway line.
Classic flavours made with the highest-quality ingredients possible are the draw at this ice-creamery. Pop in for scoops of house-made honeycomb, mint and milk chocolate, and more. Plus: milkshakes, sundaes, ice-cream sandwiches and good coffee.
Former sommelier Campbell Burton is behind this smart store, where 200 bottles of organic, sulphur-free wine rest in temperature controlled cabinets.
Although it's just a stone's throw away from the original, this Laksa King spinoff brings plenty to the table.
A slick eatery serving bagels and brioche from 7.30am, and $2 oysters later on.
Find out how gin is made in the distillery, then test it out at with classic G&T; or Martini. If you're feeling more adventurous, there are cocktails that draw on rhubarb, pineapple, pear and cherry.
This classic St Kilda pub was reintroduced to the public at the end of 2019. Now, you’ll find classic pub counter meals – alongside more refined fare – to enjoy in the swish new interiors or outside in the sun.
Sit on a milk crate and enjoy caramel-filled Argentinian pastries, updated escargot and slow-fermented bread.
A low-key neighbourhood cafe with unique decor and great play options for kids.
This deli and sandwich spot is inspired by New York's old-school delis. The team behind the slick white-and-green spot includes co-owners of Leonardo's Pizza Palace, and Frankie's Tortas and Tacos. Go for 5 & Dime bagels smeared with whipped ricotta, cheesy pork-and-fennel-sausage muffins and a hefty eggplant-parm sandwich.
To find this dimly lit Italian bar and eatery, look out for a flashing red neon hand in the window. Inside, you’ll find old-school breadbaskets (loaded with carbs to salsa-verde-doused burrata); garlicky spaghetti vongole swimming in oil; a cocktail list centred around Vermouth; and more.
An Italian standing-room-only espresso bar.
A relaxed pub bar in an old art deco building with a varied crowd the heart of St Kilda.
