Need a Table at One of the City’s Top Restaurants Last-Minute? Here’s Where To Go

One thing seems to unite the best restaurants – it’s not the price, the location or even the food itself. It’s that they can be really hard to get into. Bookings often fill up months ahead and getting a table isn’t easy, no matter who you are. For those hoping to secure a last-minute celebration at Embla or a date-impressing reservation at Lottie, it’s almost certainly not going to happen. But that might be about to change.

Doordash – which, until now, has been mostly associated with food and grocery delivery – is introducing a new feature called Reservations. The feature will give diners exclusive access to tables at the country’s best (and, naturally, most booked-out) restaurants, directly through the app – even when they’re already full-up. So far, the list of participating restaurants already includes several Hot Listed venues in Melbourne and Sydney, with more to come as Reservations continues its rollout to additional cities and towns across Australia. And with each booking earning credit toward future Doordash orders, there’s an added nudge to secure a table.

Looking for some inspiration? Here are our picks for where to snag a last-minute booking tonight.

Sydney

Lottie

Lottie head chef Joe Valero makes some of the best tortillas around, which explains Lottie’s popularity. The menu focuses on spiced, slow-cooked fillings for those tortillas, while the extensive selection of agave spirits and lush, holiday-style fit-out make it worth booking a table, too. 

Attenzione

The core of Attenzione is very much Italian, but the whole experience stretches far beyond the Mediterranean, weaving South American and Asian ingredients and flavours into the classic pasta, risotto and secondi.

Bar Julius

Bar Julius – the airy, light-filled lobby bar in Redfern’s Eve Hotel – is as much of a draw as the rest of the impressive precinct. It’s an all-day space but, honestly, the bar really shines from late afternoon when cocktails, champagne and caviar become the focus.

Melbourne

Embla

Embla is all about the wine list, which might feel obscure at first glance but it just reinforces the thrill of discovering something new. The Russell Street wine bar pairs its extensive cellar with a menu that often features dishes cooked in a woodfired oven.

Harriot

From the team behind Tipo 00, Osteria Ilaria, Figlia and Grana, Harriot trades Italian flair for a refined, French-influenced menu focusing on Victorian ingredients. The central bar is perfect for a quick snack or martini, and a wine list of over 500 bottles makes it an ideal spot for a special occasion.

Di Stasio Carlton

In 2019, Rinaldo “Ronnie” Di Stasio returned to Melbourne with Di Stasio Citta, followed shortly by Carlton’s Di Stasio Pizzeria. The latter has a limited number of tables for Reservations from Wednesday to Sunday evenings, while both venues serve considered menus built around Italian classics honed over decades.

This article is produced by Broadsheet in partnership with Doordash. For a limited time at launch, Doordash is offering customers $10 in credits back for every reservation they book and attend through the app, while Dashpass Members receive $12 back in credits after attending their booking. T&Cs apply. Learn more here.