Great Eats in Greater Melbourne (Post-COVID Era)

[NameAlreadyTaken]

I've been meaning to start this post for a while.
Lockdowns in Melbourne (Australia) sucked, and we lost an astonishing number of great eateries and bars. Now that the lockdowns are behind us, in addition to the stoic places that struggled through COVID successfully, we're also starting to see a number of new eateries and bars open up, so I wanted to hear from you about your favourite places to grab a bite to eat or a bevvy in greater Melbourne or the surrounding suburbs. Anything is welcome, cheap eats to fine dining, restaurant to takeaway, brunch to dessert, pub to cocktail, if you have been there post-COVID and loved it, I want to hear about it!

Standard format:
Name of venue
Address / Location
Details / Menu / Links
Menu recommendation(s)

 

[NameAlreadyTaken]

Botswana Butchery Melbourne
66 Flinders Ln · (03) 8375 7300
https://www.melbourne.botswanabutchery.com.au/menusAbsolutely awesome place, kind of like a flashy steak joint. Pretty pricey, but worth it. Great wine list.
Best dish that I strongly recommend: the Wagyu Hanger Steak. Phenomenal.

 

[NameAlreadyTaken]

Morpha Cafe
Fulton Lane, shop3-4/155 Franklin St, Melbourne VIC 3000
https://www.instagram.com/morpha.cafe/An Asian Fusion brunch cafe, great menu, good coffee and drinks.
There's heaps on the rotating menu that's great, like okonomiyaki benedict

 

[NameAlreadyTaken]

Kisume
175 Flinders Ln, Melbourne VIC 3000
https://kisume.com.au/Phenomenal modern Japanese restaurant.
Highly recommend the standard bento (the deluxe is just way to much food), and if you are booking, try and ask for a bench stool in front of the sushi counter, as it’s a pleasure to watch the masters work.

 

[NameAlreadyTaken]

Miznon
59 Hardware Ln, Melbourne VIC 3000
https://www.miznonaustralia.com/Israeli restaurant with food that makes you smile. Highly recommend the hilariously named “sac de coq”, and the pitas are awesome.

 

[northside]

Sichuan House
22-26 Corrs Ln, Melbourne VIC 3000
The cumin pork ribs are sensational. Big servings, so much better suited to bigger groups 4+.

Shanghai Village
112 Little Bourke St, Melbourne VIC 3000
Super cheap and cheerful. BYO. Perfect for a late-night feed after a show or a few drinks.

The Waiters Restaurant
20 Meyers Pl, Melbourne VIC 3000
Melbourne Institution. Late night. No frills, classic Italian.

The Napier Hotel
210 Napier St, Fitzroy VIC 3065
Classic Inner North pub. The roo is amazing. Very solid pub food. Great vibes. Footy on tv. Fireplace.

Abla's Lebanese
109 Elgin St, Carlton VIC 3053
Old School Lebanese.

Capitano
421 Rathdowne St, Carlton VIC 3053
Top level pizza and pasta. The vodka pasta is the stuff of dreams.

Leonardo's Pizza Palace
29 Grattan St, Carlton VIC 3053
One of many Neapolitan style pizza places in Melbourne's North. Hipster, not cheap but backs it all up with fantastic pizza. The Jalapeno pizza with ranch dipping sauce is the ticket.

Lazer Pig
343 Smith St, Fitzroy VIC 3065
As above. Probably the most hipster place in this list. Sometimes infuriatingly 'cool' wait staff but the pizza and burgers are top drawer.

Hell's Kitchen
20A Centre Pl, Melbourne VIC 3000
Iconic Melbourne bar. Tucked away in the city. This place has been a mainstay. Great vibe. Perfect for a quick drink before dinner.

Bar Liberty
234 Johnston St, Fitzroy VIC 3065
Higher end wine bar. Fantastic food. Amazing wine list.

Marquis of Lorne
411 George St, Fitzroy VIC 3065
Elevated pub food. Fantastic venue. Perfect for a beer after work or an intimate date upstairs in the dining room next to the fireplace.

A1 Bakery
643-645 Sydney Rd, Brunswick VIC 3056
Lebanese Bakery. Puts a lot of the hip falafel places to shame.

 

[NameAlreadyTaken]

Love it! I'd forgotten about Shanghai Village. That's the hot pink one, yeah? From memory, they did a bamboo shoot dish in sticky soy sauce, which was amazing when one was half cut.

Talking of dumplings:

Hutong (City)
14-16 Market Ln, Melbourne VIC 3000
https://hutong.com.au/city#menuAwesome up market dumping place, but you've got to book in advance.
All the classics are great there, chilli wantons, spring onion pancake, red bean pancake, special shout out to the gelatinous duck meat dumplings, which taste amazing once carefully peeled off the bamboo steamer.

Mr Huang Jin
24 Katherine Pl, Melbourne VIC 3000
Taiwanese restaurant that is one of my favourite Asian restaurants in Melbourne.
Best dishes are pretty much everything, but the dumplings are pretty special.
I highly recommend: chicken lemongrass dumplings, the Taiwanese Fried Chicken (TFC), the duck fried rice.
Special shout out to the vegetarian tofu, which, to this day, I have never tasted better tofu in my entire life, and special shout out to the best dumpling creation ever made: the laksa xiao long bao, only available when you book and order at least 1 day in advance, but absolutely the best dumpling. Scolding hot soup that's thick and rich, and then the wave of laksa inside just napalms your mouth. Sound intimidating, but man, they are awesome (always order 8, not the 5, you'll thank me later).

 

[NameAlreadyTaken]

Rice Paper Scissors
city | 03 9663 9890
15 hardware lane, melbourne 3000
https://ricepaperscissors.com.au/Awesome (fancy) Vietnamese inspired food. It’s a lovely restaurant that also caters for groups (if you book in advance), and usually has a set menu option that’s a great way of trying the favourites. The drinks list is not too shabby either.

 

[NameAlreadyTaken]

Red Spice Road
141 Queen St, Melbourne VIC 3000
https://redspiceroad.com/menus/Modern South East Asian inspired restaurant. Only recently moved to their new location (which used to be a Buddhist vegetarian restaurant and art gallery). A bit of a Melbourne institution that can cater for groups (if you book in advance), although the post covid prices aren’t cheap.
Best dish is definitely the pork belly, crispy fried with a sticky sweet and slightly sour sauce with refreshing apple slaw. Or better yet, have a banquet (which will include the pork belly).

 

[NameAlreadyTaken]

Nico’s Sandwich Deli
HEALEYS LANE, MELBOURNE CBD
https://www.nicos.melbourne/A reminder of what Melbourne used to be before covid. This hipster joint is literally a hole in the wall out the back of the Magistrates court car park, and every lunch there will be a queue of people waiting to order (get there before 12noon if you don’t want to wait).
I highly recommend the chicken schnitzel sandwich, which is elevated to a new level by the combination of fresh and juicy still warm thigh fillet schnitzels, soft but still chewy sourdough bread and the thoughtful addition of dill in the shredded lettuce and mayo mix.

 

[northside]

Nico’s Sandwich Deli
HEALEYS LANE, MELBOURNE CBD
https://www.nicos.melbourne/A reminder of what Melbourne used to be before covid. This hipster joint is literally a hole in the wall out the back of the Magistrates court car park, and every lunch there will be a queue of people waiting to order (get there before 12noon if you don’t want to wait).
I highly recommend the chicken schnitzel sandwich, which is elevated to a new level by the combination of fresh and juicy still warm thigh fillet schnitzels, soft but still chewy sourdough bread and the thoughtful addition of dill in the shredded lettuce and mayo mix.

Somewhat coincidentally, I was eating one of these when I compiled my list above!

Hectors Deli is well worth a visit too.

 

[NameAlreadyTaken]

Nice, I’ll have to check out Hectors next time I’m in the area.

I’m on a quest to try and find the best egg and bacon sandwich (or muffin or roll). There was a tiny cafe that didn’t make it through covid that did awesome old school egg and bacon sandwiches, but now it’s closed down I’m back in the hunt. Any suggestions?

 

[northside]

Nice, I’ll have to check out Hectors next time I’m in the area.

I’m on a quest to try and find the best egg and bacon sandwich (or muffin or roll). There was a tiny cafe that didn’t make it through covid that did awesome old school egg and bacon sandwiches, but now it’s closed down I’m back in the hunt. Any suggestions?

Hectors do a mean one!

 

[JayGee]

Hua Lu - new Peking Duck place in the CBD is banging:
https://inline.app/booking/-MtvKndGQAKeI1ySJL42:inline-live-2/-MtvKnq5IVMmcCDYfiVf

 

[NameAlreadyTaken]

Hua Lu - new Peking Duck place in the CBD is banging:
https://inline.app/booking/-MtvKndGQAKeI1ySJL42:inline-live-2/-MtvKnq5IVMmcCDYfiVf

Oh cool! I walked past that on my way back from Morpha (which is in the next block).
If it’s good I’ll have to check it out!

 

[NameAlreadyTaken]

Ramen options for you to try on the colder days (you know, like the December summer that we had recently), in no particular order:

Hakata Gensuke Tonkotsu Ramen
168 Russell St, Melbourne VIC 3000
https://gensuke.com.au/Really popular tiny restaurant that can have a queue at busy times. I recommend the signature tonkotsu

IPPUDO QV
18 Artemis Ln, Melbourne VIC 3000
http://ippudo.com.au/menu/#ramenA global chain located in one of the QV laneways. I really like the “modern” akamura shinaji.

Ikkoryu Fukuoka Ramen
27 Russell St, Melbourne VIC 3000
http://www.ikkoryu.com.au/menu-ikkoryu-on-russell/Customise your ramen however you like. I’ve tried the yuzu ramen (green) which was interesting but it’s probably not my most favourite (which are probably the classic tonkotsu - white, and the garlic - black)

Mensosai Mugen
11 Bligh Pl, Melbourne VIC 3000
http://www.mensousaimugen.com/read-meFunky little Japanese basement. It’s sadly only open for dinner service since covid, but it’s still good. Their signature is dipping style ramens, and I recommend the Curry Tsukemen.
Mr Ramen San
12a/200 Bourke St, Melbourne VIC 3000
https://www.mrramensan.com.au/menusI recommend the charsiu ramen

I’ve also heard rumours of a joint in South Yarra that does a breakfast egg and bacon ramen, where the charsiu is a slab of kaiser fleisch. If you know where that is, let me know as I’m well keen to try that.

 

[northside]

Izakaya Den
Basement/118 Russell St, Melbourne VIC 3000
Great first date venue

Whisky and Alement
270 Russell St, Melbourne VIC 3000
Excellent whiskey and cocktail bar

Slow Beer
351 Smith St, Fitzroy VIC 3065
Beer snob Mecca.

Beermash
1/306 Smith St, Collingwood VIC 3066
Great beers, more approachable menu list and venue than Slow Beer.

 

[NameAlreadyTaken]

I’ve been meaning to try that basement Izakaya! Is it too romantic to take mates to after work?

 

[northside]

I’ve been meaning to try that basement Izakaya! Is it too romantic to take mates to after work?

I guess it depends on how you feel about each other!

 

[NameAlreadyTaken]

I guess it depends on how you feel about each other!

Haha! Maybe just the good ones then!

 

[NameAlreadyTaken]

The outer suburb edition:

Holy Basil Thai
1/66 Maroondah Hwy, Croydon VIC 3136
https://holybasilthai.com/dine-in-menu/Bookings highly recommended, this ain't your bog standard suburban Thai. Celebrity chefs Duncan and Julia (former contestants on Iron Chef Thailand along with their own cooking show on Channel Nine) serve thoughtful and classy versions of Thai classics. An emphasis on vegetables and sustainable seafood, but enough meat options for any hesitant partner.
I'm not going to list my recommendations because honestly, everything on the menu is great, although I will mention the Longan Sticky Date pudding is my wife's favourite dessert. Talk to the wait staff about how spicy (or not) you want your dishes.

The Independent Gembrook
79 Main St, Gembrook VIC 3783
https://www.theindependentgembrook.com.au/copy-of-menu-2Absolutely fantastic Argentinian inspired cuisine, well worth the drive (which is quite a scenic route through the Dandenongs). Book in advance, and if the Asado is on the specials menu, do yourself a favour (although it's not cheap) and enjoy. You'll have the meat sweats for hours after. To this day the softest, most tender beef short ribs that I have ever tasted (or may ever do).

 

[NameAlreadyTaken]

Bowery to Williamsburg
16 Oliver Ln, Melbourne VIC 3000
https://www.bowerytowilliamsburg.com.au/menuNew York inspired laneway cafe. No bookings, limited seating but awesome food.
Highly recommend the southern fried chicken and waffles (if you haven't tried it, you'll be glad you did), Shukshuka baked eggs, brisket and eggs, and the bacon and egg sandwich is surprisingly good too.

Delhi Streets
22 Katherine Pl, Melbourne VIC 3000
https://www.delhistreets.com.au/A step up in the Indian curry take away stakes that pervade the King St end of town. Limited seating, and I don't think you can book, so come early if you want to eat in. Really tasty Indian food, made for Aussie clients (i.e. no bones in the curries, good quality meat, etc). Since covid they've reduced their lunch time hours to I think only Thursdays and Fridays now, but still open for dinner service.
Try the pani puri, or chicken frankie wrap, or the special thali if you're looking for something more substantial.

 

[Michi]

Miznon
59 Hardware Ln, Melbourne VIC 3000
https://www.miznonaustralia.com/Israeli restaurant with food that makes you smile. Highly recommend the hilariously named “sac de coq”, and the pitas are awesome.

Went there tonight. Very simple place, quite cramped and noisy. But the food was excellent. We had the Sac de Coq (roasted chicken with tons of herbs, fried potato, and toum), the Abu Kamal (lamb kebab, tahini, chili, pickles, onion and tomato), and the spinach and potato plate. Will definitely go there again if I get the chance.

 

[NameAlreadyTaken]

Went there tonight. Very simple place, quite cramped and noisy. But the food was excellent. We had the Sac de Coq (roasted chicken with tons of herbs, fried potato, and toum), the Abu Kamal (lamb kebab, tahini, chili, pickles, onion and tomato), and the spinach and potato plate. Will definitely go there again if I get the chance.

That’s great to hear. Glad you liked it.
Yeah, noisy and “rustic”, but the food makes one smile. Catching any tennis while you’re in town?

 

[NameAlreadyTaken]

Because it’s summer:

Pidapipo
https://pidapipo.com/locations/Phenomenal gelato. The attention to detail is impressive. The texture, the mouth feel, the balance of fat and sweetness, the flavours that complement it all, without being over the top.
It’s really very good, and worth the long wait in a queue on a sunny day.
My favourite is the hazelnut, that’s the bomb, but all the other milk based flavours are spectacular.

 

[Michi]

That’s great to hear. Glad you liked it.
Yeah, noisy and “rustic”, but the food makes one smile. Catching any tennis while you’re in town?

No, no tennis. Just here for the weekend before going down to Apollo Bay for a week of badly needed holidays.

 

[Michi]

Because it’s summer:

Pidapipo
https://pidapipo.com/locations/Phenomenal gelato. The attention to detail is impressive. The texture, the mouth feel, the balance of fat and sweetness, the flavours that complement it all, without being over the top.
It’s really very good, and worth the long wait in a queue on a sunny day.
My favourite is the hazelnut, that’s the bomb, but all the other milk based flavours are spectacular.

As it happens, we went there for desert after we had dinner at Miznon. It's just a few hundred meters from Hardware Lane. I agree, that was really good ice cream!

 

[Michi]

Rice Paper Scissors
city | 03 9663 9890
15 hardware lane, melbourne 3000
https://ricepaperscissors.com.au/Awesome (fancy) Vietnamese inspired food. It’s a lovely restaurant that also caters for groups (if you book in advance), and usually has a set menu option that’s a great way of trying the favourites. The drinks list is not too shabby either.

Had dinner there tonight. Very nice. Interesting food that was creative and well presented. Prices are somewhat upmarket, but tolerable. I enjoyed the meal!

 

[NameAlreadyTaken]

Had dinner there tonight. Very nice. Interesting food that was creative and well presented. Prices are somewhat upmarket, but tolerable. I enjoyed the meal!

Awesome! Great to hear you enjoyed it. Yeah, every dish in Melbourne seems to be at least $10 per dish more than it was before covid which really adds up.
“Cheap” cheap eats are harder to find now.
But I’m very relieved that it’s not just me who likes these places
Given how variable tastes and food preferences are between people, I was worried this thread might become too one sided (because I really just started it to hear other people’s recommendations for places I need to try, and offer up a few of my own).
Hope you made the most of the great weather over the weekend!

 

[Michi]

Spent the morning hanging out at South Melbourne Markets. That was good fun. Bought a selection of cheeses and charcuterie for next week