Right on the Yarra, in Hamer Hall’s riverfront precinct, Pawa Cafe & Bar is an Indigenous-owned venue with a name that means “to cook” in the language of the Gunditjmara people. It’s by Aboriginal woman Niyoka Bundle, of the Yuin people of Bega and the Gunditjmara people of south-west Victoria, and her husband, chef Vincent Manning.

The riverside location and cityscape backdrop are enough of a draw (we recommend grabbing a table outdoors), but it’s really the menu – focusing on native flavours from around the country – that takes centrestage.

By day, Pawa offers pastries, salads, sandwiches and more peppered with native ingredients – think strawberry-gum brownies, lilly-pilly croissants and kangaroo meat pies. By night, enjoy a cheese plate or grazing platter laid out with meats and cheeses such as kangaroo-and-red-wine salami, green-ant brie, mountain-pepper cheddar, caperberries, bush-tomato relish and pepperberry olives, served alongside cocktails crafted with Pawa’s very own Taka Gin or a glass from the all-Australian wine list.

Working with a wide network of Indigenous food growers, farmers and foragers, Pawa has a focus on ethical and sustainable practices. It also regularly collaborates with top local artisans and makers including Cobb Lane, Seven Seeds Coffee, Home Grown Drinks and The Everleigh Bottling Co.