Time Out Melbourne Food & Drink Awards 2025: Relaxed Dining Nominees

After a two-year hiatus, Richmond locals and broader Melburnians alike can rejoice – Anchovy is back. So, what refinements has Anchovy undergone during this brief intermission? The fit-out is much the same – dimly lit, intimate and slightly austere, but when bustling with patrons, with the thrum of unassuming R'n'B and blues, this austerity shifts to cosy and pacifying. With seats for just 26 diners, it has the ambience of a relaxed after-party or just chilling at a mates' house vibe. And the food? Oh, the food. Exploring the concept of 'Viet Kieu' (the term for a Vietnamese person who lives outside of Vietnam), Anchovy simultaneously represents provenance and metamorphosis, in the most gloriously edible way. 

It was one of the world’s best-selling cookbooks, 50 Great Curries of India, that fully opened our eyes to the science behind Indian cuisine’s lovability. Author Camellia Panjabi explains in her introduction how Indian food’s mastery of balance is rooted in the ancient healing system of ayurveda. And if you want to taste the complexity and diversity of this cuisine first-hand, we can think of no better place in Melbourne to visit than Babaji’s. It was founded by chef Max Kamil Hassan as a sort of love letter to Kerala, a region in India famed for its lush landscapes and fascinating culinary heritage – think fragrant seafood curries, tender biryanis, street food snacks like idli and dosa, and a variety of vegetarian dishes that showcase local ingredients with an Indian twist.

Good, honest food. Sometimes, it’s the only thing you crave. Like the type of meal your grandmother prepared for you when you were a child. Or freshly rolled pierogi. Having already tasted the latter from the famous Melbourne market stall Pierogi Pierogi, this is exactly the type of experience we anticipated at a popular new Brunswick East restaurant that’s run by the same owners: soul-warming, humble and tasty. The couple at the helm, Guy Daley and Dominika Sikorska, are known for bringing some of the most authentic Polish cuisine to Melbourne, and the hype had risen to a point where we were hearing about Eat Pierogi Make Love on the daily. 

Kafeneion (a play on the Greek term ‘kafeneio’, which refers to a traditional coffee house) aims to serve Melburnians a taste of true, traditional Greek comfort food. Think homestyle soups and hearty meat and vegetable dishes made from authentic village recipes you’re unlikely to find outside of the Hellenic motherland. The place itself has a touch of taverna about it, too, with basic white tablecloths and Supper Club’s home-y wood panelling. It’s easy to imagine merrily hanging out here until long after dinner as the Athenians do – and you absolutely can, for it serves supper and drinks most nights until 3am.  

Started up by Ezard trio Ned Trumble, Keat Lee and Chris Lerch, Lagoon Dining is consistently tantalising our taste buds with some of the most considered and punchiest contemporary takes on classic dishes. If you’re fixated with labels, Lagoon would be best categorised under that all-encompassing moniker ‘pan-Asian’. Very few dishes hew to the traditional. Yet true Southeast and East Asian influences are apparent everywhere, from the dishes Lagoon chooses to spotlight to the condiments they incorporate into said dishes – think sambal belacan, white pepper togarashi, gochujang, Chinkiang vinegar.

Lagotto is not a new restaurant by Melbourne standards. It was 2019 when it opened as a contemporary Italian café-slash-deli on the bottom floor of a Fitzroy North apartment complex. What followed was the hellscape we grimly remember as 2020 – year of the Black Summer bushfires and the first wave of pandemic lockdowns. A tumultuously timed opening is perhaps one reason why the venue went so unnoticed by those outside its five-kilometre radius for so long. Or perhaps, simply, the offering took a little while to find its feet. But as we come to discover one Sunday afternoon, Lagotto is now in a golden era.

Situated in the Manse Building that once housed the minister of the nearby Wesley Church, Reed House is a nod to architect Joseph Reed, who designed the church in the 19th century. Pairing rock and roll in a refined setting won't be for everyone, but this irreverence is the hallmark of Reed House. The food is playful, and the service is friendly and laid-back. Toeing the line between tradition and invention, Reed House feels like the epitome of next-gen hospo. The cool kids have grown up, got real jobs and now run your favourite restaurant. 

It feels ironic, almost cruel, that it’s a blistering 40 degrees when we visit Tzaki, which translates to “fireplace” in Greek. The Yarraville newcomer is named for the blazing hearth at its centre – the tool chef-owner Alex Xinis uses to prepare nearly every dish on the menu, roasting octopus and smoking saganaki as 15 diners sit around him and watch. Despite the heat, the restaurant is packed. Perhaps it’s the warmth radiating from within that attracts people. When the hostess hesitated over whether there was space for two walk-ins, Xinis stepped in to personally usher us in with front-row spots at the counter.