9 uniquely Melbourne venues that are a must-visit if you’re new to the city

Local gelato purveyor and one of the leaders of the gelato revolution in Melbourne, Pidapipo blessed us with the opening of Pidapipo Laboratorio in 2022, a fabulously fun and Willy Wonka-esque destination for dessert devotees. Coming a long way from its pop-up Test Lab on Faraday Street in 2013, Pidapipo’s Laboratorio pays homage to its radical roots, leading the way in ice cream innovation with a healthy dose of collaborations, limited-edition flavours and artisan chocolates to go round.

Free to Feed is a social enterprise based out of Melbourne's inner north, creating employent opportunities for refugees and asylum seekers through shared food and cooking experiences.

Whether it's individuals, families or colleagues and groups, participating in Free to Feed's feasts is an opportunity to connect, learn and build better cultural understanding while supporting refugees and people seeking asylum on their journey to independence.

It’s glaringly clear that during times of trouble, Melburnians tend to turn to one of life’s simplest pleasures: the humble sandwich. Skid your knee as a kid? Here, have a sanga. Attending a wake? Perhaps a finger sandwich might help. Enduring the midst of a pandemic? Eat a sandwich to ease your woes. 

One of Melbourne’s finest sandwich connoisseurs, Hector’s Deli, is a prime example of Melbourne's sliced bread love-affair with its ever-growing domination of this city (you can find one in Richmond, Fitzroy and South Melbourne). So it's no surprise then that this exquisite sandwich joint is constantly in our best sandwich list.

Originally established in Sydney, Victor Churchill has cemented itself as Melbourne's most bougie butcher. With floors made of deep green Verde marble and fine copper arches, the space pays homage to the owner's Croatian heritage and bears almost no resemblance to your local butcher shop. 

The multisensory, theatrical-like space features a dry ageing room with floor-to-ceiling Himalayan salt bricks, a charcuterie counter displaying top quality cured meats, and a million more things to surely make your mouth water and eyes glisten in delight.  

With origins dating back further than 1875, the Caretaker’s Cottage is now a bustling, albeit pint-sized public bar where you can feel part of Melbourne’s history, and its future, all at the same time. In fact, last year it was named number 23 on the world's best bars list.

It's also Victoria's smallest pub, but definitely not small in spirit. While the outside of the cottage may say "Gothic Revival architecture", the inside says "intimate house party at your parents’ cool friend’s house". It's warm and cosy, lively and jovial, modern and fresh – but grounded in yesteryear.

Spoiler alert: you don’t enter via laundry anymore. The success of Helly Raichura’s tiny at-home Box Hill restaurant has precipitated her move to more “serious” Carlton North digs,
although the laneway entrance retains the enticing air of mystery (as does finding out the actual address only after booking).

Raichura pays homage to her Indian heritage, with a diverse and delicious menu that showcases the many regions of India. Prepare to step outside your typical expectations of Australian Indian cuisine to a menu intent on reviving the region's rich history.

In an ideal world, you could walk into any bar and they'd be playing a loop of Rage Against the Machine, System of a Down and The Smashing Pumpkins. But alas, that's not the world we live in anymore. However, one bar that might convince you that you've stepped into a dive bar from the '90s is Cherry Bar.  

Cherry Bar doesn’t need to be convinced of its status as a legend. This is a venue that refers to itself as “pretty much the best rock’n’roll bar in the world”; a venue that an infatuated Noel Gallagher once offered to buy; that turned away Lady Gaga’s request for an after party because a local band had already been booked.

Looking for a bar that encapsulates Melbourne and will leave you with a sore neck from headbanging too much? Then look no further. Cherry Bar is your new watering hole. 

Melburnians all know that the Black Pearl is where you go for a bloody good cocktail. This family-run bar in the trendy inner north is the place to be if you consider yourself a bit of a cocktail aficionado, and let's not forget the perfect location. Melbourne newcomers will have a field day galivanting around the streets of Fitzroy, before putting their feet up and enjoying a delightful beverage at the acclaimed cocktail bar.

What's could be more Melbourne than the alluring smells of star anise, galangal, chilli and lime wafting from a Wilson car park in the heart of the CBD? That's Soi 38, the not-so-hidden gem off Bourke Street that specialises in regional variations of Thai food.

Don’t go thinking this cheap-eat champion is big on the novelty and low on the substance. The brightly coloured haunt in the middle of the urban jungle can claim to have introduced Melbourne to authentic Bangkok-style boat noodles.