The elegant city in South Australia is a paradise for lovers of good food. Melbourne is the city of the fickle eater, the boiling pot of so many cultures. And it offers some of the best gastronomic delights in the world.
So, after much deliberation, experimentation, and research, I’ve created a comprehensive list of the best restaurants in Melbourne. Haute cuisine or not, if the place will make your taste buds go wild, it’s on this list!
Dinner by Heston Blumenthal
The first of legendary chef Heston Blumenthal’s restaurant to open outside of the UK. A little less “Alice in Wonderland” than Fat Duck, but this place will blow your mind with its stunning location, incredibly stylish decor, and attention to small details. The menu is a delicious walk through the history of British gastronomy. And as always, Heston does not disappoint one iota, making it one of the best restaurants in Melbourne.
Cuisine: European
Address: 130/8 Whiteman St, Southbank VIC 3006, Australia
Telephone:+61 3 9292 5779
vision of the world
Shannon Bennett’s culinary wonders are located on the 55th floor of the Rialto. Vue de Monde is a powerhouse, another one of Melbourne’s best restaurants. The dark and elegant interiors of the restaurant complement the impressive 360-degree view.
Great views are not only what Vue de Monde has to offer, the dramatized food will be one of those experiences that will leave a great taste in your mouth afterwards.
Address: 55, Rialto Towers, 525 Collins St, Melbourne VIC 3000, Australia
Phone:+61 3 9691 3888
Cuisines: Australian, Contemporary
Minamishima
“The best sushi in Melbourne,” as Time Out’s Larissa Dubecki says. Another candidate for our list in the best restaurants in Melbourne is Minamishima. Minamishima is the restaurant that serves chef Koichi Minamishima’s omakase. There is no a la carte menu; the omakase means that the chef will take you on a gastronomic journey. And boy is Koichi Minamishima great at it. The place is very intimate with a long bar, where the chef individually serves the seats at the long bar. If you want to imagine Minamishima, think elegant and understated decor, think traditional, think sake, and think delicious.
Address: 4 Lord St, Richmond VIC 3121, Australia
Telephone: +61 3 9429 5180
Cuisines: Japanese, Sushi
Attica
There is a very understated and humble atmosphere in this unassuming building that serves some of the best food in the world. By far you can’t say this is one of the best restaurants Melbourne has to offer, but Attica goes one step further. It is classified as one of the 50 best restaurants in the world. The entire restaurant resonates with warm earthy tones. The intimate space, Tuesday night chef’s table and Ben Shewry’s attitude are testament to the fact that even after all this fame, food comes first in Attica.
Address: 74 Glen Eira Rd, Ripponlea VIC 3185, Australia
Telephone: +61 3 9530 0111
Cuisine: Australian, Contemporary.
move
Frank Camorra’s MoVida is the restaurant responsible for the city’s fascination with modern Spanish tapas. What was once a casual tapas bar has now become one of Melbourne’s best restaurants, requiring reservations, often months in advance. The gap left by the casual bar is now filled by brother MoVida Next Door. The tapas and portions menu is designed to share, but don’t get carried away so easily. Save room for dessert too, they are just as amazing.
Address: 1 Hosier Ln, Melbourne VIC 3000, Australia
Telephone: +61 3 9663 3038
Spanish Cuisine
flower drum
The alluring atmosphere, extremely efficient and seemingly choreographed service, and Anthony Lui’s timeless presentation of Cantonese have appealed to this 40-year-old institution with changing times, two recessions, the digital age, and the Flower Drum remains one of the best restaurants around. from Melbourne. . And, of course, the Peking Duck is one of the best in the city and its presentation is second to none. The restaurant has been revitalized, thanks to the efforts of Jason Lui, putting it online and revising the menu.
Address: 17 Market Ln, Melbourne VIC 3000, Australia
Telephone: +61 3 9662 3655
Chinese cuisine
modern pei
Pei Modern is the brainchild of Mark Best, one of the country’s most respected chefs. Pei Modern, housed in a former post office, oscillates between formal and informal. The Post Office has been redecorated to resemble the American West Coast of the 1970s, with lots of wood, stone, marble, and glass. The menu is based on fresh market and seasonal ingredients. Pei Modern is open every day and has a bar area, which they don’t let you reserve; and there is a dining room for lunch and dinner which you probably should.
Address: Sofitel Forecourt, 45 Collins St, Melbourne VIC 3000, Australia
Telephone: +61 3 9654 8545
Cuisine: Modern European
kappo
Time Out ranked Kappo as one of the best new restaurants in Melbourne. This intimate affair of around 30 seats, clustered around the bar is another omakase restaurant. Led by chef Kentaro Usami, Kappo is all about non-prescription food and the interaction between chef and customer. The menu focuses on vegetable mountain cuisine, fish and very few red meats and is broken down into five, seven or nine dishes. Kappo is all ritual and restraint, precision and humility and not a single scratched board.
Address: Ground Floor, 1 Flinders Ln, Melbourne VIC 3000, Australia
Telephone: +61 3 9639 9500
Cuisine: Japanese, Contemporary Australian
Cutler and company
Cutler and Co. is the brainchild of dynamic duo: chef Andrew McConnell and architect Pascale Gomes-McNabb. They’ve converted a former ironworks factory into an elegant and understated fine dining restaurant, one of the best in Melbourne, where the decor never fails to please and the food never fails to amaze. McConnell’s passion for exceptional and unusual products is well reflected in the essence of the restaurant. And although the restaurant is elegant, it is very accessible; you will find a whole spectrum of people dining next door.
Address: 55-57 Gertrude Street, Fitzroy VIC 3065, Australia
Telephone: +61 3 9419 4888
Cuisine: Modern Australian
type 00
Andreas Papadakis, last seen in the kitchens of Vue de Monde, has unveiled “another pasta bar in Melbourne”. But is Type 00 “just another pasta bar”? It certainly topped Time Out’s list of the best new restaurant in Melbourne. Wading through the crowd of naysayers, this place has become a prime example of how pasta is done right. But it’s more than just a pasta bar. The menu also has a divine collection of hands. This little spot on Little Bourke Street will draw you in again and again.
Address: 361 Little Bourke St, Melbourne VIC 3000, Australia
Telephone: +61 3 9942 3946
That’s all for now, but remember that this list is not in any particular order. We’re excited to hear your experiences at the restaurants on this list, as well as your suggestions on which of your favorite restaurants you need to see on this list! So be sure to comment and rate these places so we can continue to update the status of the best restaurants in Melbourne!