The best Lygon Street restaurants and bars

Into the Carlton kingdom of carbs and cheese comes fine diner Kazuki’s, and winner of our Best Fine Diner award in 2019. Most of this restaurant's magic is thanks to a great chef – Kazuki Tsuya from Akita in Northern Japan, who blends classic French culinary techniques with Japanese flavours and top Aussie produce. The result? Dishes that are well worth the dosh. 

There are two ways to tackle Kazuki’s, starting at the option of five courses for $180 per person and heading northwards to the menu of seven courses for $220. Kazuki’s tasting menus have been thoughtfully designed so you can experience the kitchen’s complete offering in a curated way, alongside optional wine and saké pairing series, respectively titled “Classic” ($150 per person) or “Fancy” ($250).

Ever since it started operating out of Rathdowne Street, Khabbay has gained a devoted following for its large range of marinated meats cooked over hot charcoal – from its fish and chicken seekh kebab to its six different varieties of chicken boti kebab, soaked in a mixture of yogurt, aromatics and spices before they’re skewered and grilled to perfection. Its move to larger premises on Lygon Street has only made it even more central for lovers of Pakistani-Indian cuisine.

If charcoal-grilled meats aren’t to your liking, there are plenty of other dishes you won’t typically find in Indian restaurants around Melbourne, from the cheesy handi (sliced strips of chicken cooked in a creamy, cheesy, spiced sauce) and beef nihari (a slow-cooked meat stew made with bones and marrow) to the lahori channe (a thick, flavour-filled chickpea curry hailing from the Pakistani city of Lahore). We can also recommend the grilled charcoal fish, goat karahi and barbecue supreme platter.

If you’re a fan of comedy trio Sooshi Mango and their ‘ethnic dad’ videos, here’s an immersive new eatery in Carlton that will transplant you straight into their world in living, breathing colour. Replacing the former café St Charly that previously occupied the site, the traditional Italian restaurant is named – you guessed it – Johnny, Vince and Sam’s, after the three iconic characters created by Australian-Italian brothers Joe and Carlo Salanitri and their best friend Andrew Manfre. 

Their bustling restaurant draws on the lovably daggy charm of traditional nonno and nonna-style deco (think floral carpets, crystal cabinets and art prints depicting Jesus and the Last Supper) and unpretentious old-school Italian recipes. Anticipate Neapolitan-inspired light crust pizzas with names such as ‘You Like’A My Salami’ or ‘Capricciosa From’A My Town’, plus a generous selection of crowd-pleasers like spaghetti and meatballs, arancini, sugo-drenched gnocchi and, of course, the classic parmesan-crusted cotolette. 

It's a bit uncomfy to admit, but everyone knows it: there's a lot of not very great "Italian" food on Lygon Street. We're not in the business of naming names, but almost every Melburnian you meet can recount an awful pizza or pasta they've had at one of Lygon Street's infamous tourist trap restaurants. Family-owned Donnini's is not one of them. Renowned for its handmade pasta amongst those in the know, the restaurant keeps it simple with an elegant fit-out, sharp, knowledgable service and a crowdpleasing roll-call of authentic Italian dishes. Sure, it's pricey but you get what you pay for.

Could this restaurant have the best carbonara on Lygon Street? We think so. Instead of buckets of cream, the chef here makes it the authentic way with Donnini's cured black pig guanciale, pepper and a free-range egg. Don't miss a long lunch at this underrated gem.

Asian-inspired, Asian fusion, modern Asian restaurants – whatever you want to call them – are familiar to Melbourne diners. Longrain and Gingerboy were early adopters way back when the focus was on rendering these cuisines ‘approachable’, Chin Chin and Supernormal inspired queues around the block in the 2010s, and the Hotel Windsor empire of Sunda, Aru and Parcs further upped the ante. But one of our reviewers reckons Lagoon – outlier in a sea of Italian restaurants – is the best of them. 

Make a booking and enjoy inventive dishes like salted fish fried rice, ox tongue crepes, charcoal-roasted char siu and some of the most delicious double-fried chicken bites in Melbourne.

A Lygon Street institution if there ever was one, Tiamo still attracts the same queues it did when it first opened some 50 years ago as Tamani (it rebranded as Tiamo in 1977). After Tiamo 1 started outgrowing its space, Tiamo 2 opened in 1996 as an extension of the original restaurant – these days, you’d be wise to make a booking for either one if you have any hope of getting in.

Specialising in old-school Italian favourites like minestrone, veal palermitana, margherita and maccheroni della zia – served up on wooden tables surrounded by faded posters of Italy, checkerboard flooring and interiors that haven’t changed much in its decades of ownership by the same family. Tiamo is where you’d take a friend from out-of-town – it’s cosy, it’s homely and it’s a slice of Melbourne.

We don't care what anyone else says: Brunetti Classico, that famous family-friendly pasticceria in Lygon Court, is a freakin' Melbourne institution. Sure, the "I-only-like-hole-in-the-wall-hipster-digs" crowd will tell you it's just a chain, but this place is a survivor for a reason. 

A quadruple threat with a café, piazza, restaurant and gelateria onsite, you can while away the hours here with some surprisingly good pasta, coffee, pizza, pastries and even one of the best and most authentic Italian hot chocolates in town. A bonus: indie darling Cinema Nova is housed in the same building. So why not catch a flick and make a day of it? 

Kura Robata came to sit in the spot where the critically acclaimed Faye used to be (RIP), joining the many esteemed dining venues found along the Brunswick East end of Lygon Street. Executive chef Ken Ibuki, who has previously worked at Nobu and Kisumé, has put together a menu offering a modern take on Japanese flavours and techniques.

Much of the menu is centred around the age-old method of cooking over binchōtan (Japanese charcoal) encased in stone, and dishes are centred around fresh seafood and premium protein. Think butterflied local fish dressed with fiery yuzu kosho butter and capers, and charcoal-scorched skewers of giblets and chicken heart. The delicacy of Japanese cuisine is paired with punchy flavours and bold ingredients, all served in an inviting space where guests can witness first-hand the magic of the robata grill.

Etta has been hot on everyone’s lips since it entered the Brunswick East dining scene – particularly since head chef Rosheen Kaul joined the kitchen in 2020. In the culinary world, countless awards and glowing reviews often breed scepticism but a recent Tuesday evening dinner proved the praise is just as warranted as ever.

Though Etta is a restaurant, strictly speaking, it's frequently mistaken as a wine bar. Perhaps because it has a list to stand up among the best of Melbourne's wine bars. Fitting in with a trend many restaurants and bars seem to be following as of late, the food menu is snack-heavy and designed to share. Start strong with a massive crab masala-stuffed zucchini flower or enjoy a quail egg to begin; it's a one-bite wonder, served on a skewer with fried tofu, pickled radish, feferoni and a generous drizzle of Sichuan chilli oil.

If you're a Turkish food lover, check out Halikarnas! Head chef Sibel Koyu is a master of traditional Turkish village-style cuisine, and her rustic dishes are prepared with love, finesse and a touch of aesthetic elegance.

Here, your tastebuds can take a trip across Turkey's various regional specialties, from succulent shish kebabs to comforting aromatic stews. The flavours are inspired by the communal nature of mealtimes in Turkish culture, so it's worth bringing family or a group or friends along. The atmosphere is always welcoming and on Sundays, you can even stop by for brekky or lunch and a cup of freshly brewed Turkish tea. 

Did you really think we'd talk about a great Turkish restaurant on Lygon Street and not mention Yakamoz? Now, that'd just be sacrilegious in our books. While relatively new on the scene, Yakamoz has already become a red-hot hit, thanks to its fun, contemporary take on Mediterannean cuisine. 

Tuck into tasty wood-fired pides, cold and hot meze and large carnivorous offerings like the half-charcoal chook with currant and pine nut pilaf or the wood-roasted whole snapper. Crack open a bottle of good wine and your night's set. 

The lively, slightly grungy, always fun B.East is a Brunswick East banger – hence the name – with burgers that gained cult followings long before vegetarian and vegan burgers became mainstream. 

There’s fun to be had with burger names on the B.East menu – Ron Swanston invokes the Parks & Rec character’s predilection for meat with its Wagyu beef patty, while the Clint Beastwood supplements its Southern-fried (real) chicken fillet with honey mustard barbecue sauce and jack cheddar. More than a meeting place for food, B.East is also a live music venue with free entry for all.

In a town where Italian food reigns supreme with endless pizza and pasta restauarants, whole streets dedicated almost exclusively to the cuisine, old-school eateries that have been serving regulars for decades and new modern spots showcasing refined culinary options, it's hard for a pizzeria to stand out. Lucky for 400 Gradi, winning the title of the best pizza in the world went a far way to making it one of Melbourne's most beloved Italian joints. 

The Gradi empire may have grown, but Di Francesco has maintained his devotion and dedication to creating truly traditional Neopolitan pizza. 400 Gradi was the first Australian pizza restaurant to be certified by the Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana (the True Neapolitan Pizza Association) and Johnny is also the principal of Australasia for the association.  

Teta Mona is a favourite neighbourhood local, a boho-chic restaurant where brothers Antoine and Bechara Taouk are serving home-style Lebanese fare with plenty of pickles and very little fuss. It’s loud and it’s BYO, with friendly service in an intimate space. There are streetside seats for locals with dogs, while inside you’re sitting in an elongated room with couches, plenty of intricately carved tables and a big display of blown glass water pitchers.

Out the back is a big shady courtyard perfect for big groups. The menu vibrates with freshness and pep – the falafel are soft, fragrant balls made with a green and yellow split pea base for a sweeter spin on the chickpea classic, and you can’t go past the honeyed pastry parcels of samboosek bi jebne with halloumi and feta. On the meat front, the buttery wild rice and quinoa dish of rez wa djaj layered in with flaked almonds, pulled chicken tenderloins and verdant leafy spinach is a highlight.

Bluebonnet Barbecue has had a nomadic journey around Melbourne. It first opened in Collingwood in 2014, lost that venue to a fire, moved to temporary residences in Carlton’s Curtin, finally found a permanent home at the North Fitzroy Star and then when that didn’t work out, it set up shop on Lygon Street and hasn’t looked back.

Smoked meats are texturally perfect at Bluebonnet, and like most barbecue places, they come by the 100-gram portion. Enjoy the likes of barley-fed beef brisket, smoked lamb ribs and crisp pork belly alongside the best sides in town, ranging from smoked mash potato blanketed in brisket gravy to good old-fashioned mac and cheese. It works best when you’ve got a big group to divide and conquer the menu.

At this old-school restaurant that’s well and truly a Lygon Street stalwart, the atmosphere is lively, the food is reasonably priced, and the menu showcases the best of Sicilian cuisine, made for sharing. It’s best to visit alongside hungry dining companions to make the most of the menu and litres of house wine. You’ll want to book nice and early – there’s not a day Bar Idda isn’t packed.

Don’t leave without trying the mulinciani – melt-in-your-mouth layers of baked eggplant layered with passata, buffalo mozzarella and pecorino. The pastas are always excellent, but a main we can never go past is the pisci m’panattu – pan-fried barramundi fillets with almond flakes and the most herbaceous, zingy salsa verde.

Modern Japanese cuisine doesn’t come to mind straight away when you think of Lygon Street, but Kumo Izakaya is a must-visit spot for fans of fine sake and sochu. Housed in a cavernous space that is industrial yet cosy, with large window frontage out onto the street, Kumo’s izakaya menu is made for sharing and tends toward fresh, protein-heavy Japanese offerings. Just the thing to soak up all that sake.

If you’re familiar with Mr Miyagi’s infamous salmon nori taco, Kumo Izakaya has its own rendition in the form of a spicy tuna taco with the luxurious addition of avruga caviar. Kumo Izakaya does the classics – Japanese fried chicken, aburi salmon and agedashi tofu – with aplomb, but be sure to try its inventive dishes that blend Japanese cuisine with European influences: cod roe pasta, octopus pepperoncini and deep-fried spaghetti sticks with a nori seasoning.

This popular Brunswick East restaurant is run by the same owners of Pierogi Pierogi, and like their food truck, it's 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 (a Polish friend of mine can attest to this).

One thing that’s impossible to ignore at Eat Pierogi Make Love is the unbelievably positive energy that seems to flow like an endless feedback loop between patrons and staff. Sure, there’s a solid injection of rosy vibes from rivers of liquor, but there’s more to it than that. Here’s a team who love the food they create and are passionate about serving it, and it makes a huge difference. Is there anywhere else in Melbourne like it? Absolutely not.

This Brunswick favourite churns out homestyle Middle Eastern food with provenance stretching from Iran and Iraq to Morocco and Tunisia. Mankoushe first opened as a bakery, milling Victorian wheat on site to turn out spinach and feta pastries, cult-status halloumi pies and vegetarian ‘pizzas’, before it took over the space next door and started offering sit-down meals over lunch and dinner.

Standout dishes are any of their woodfired pides – the batingen (roasted eggplant) and 3 abjen (Mankoushe’s answer to the Italian three-cheese pizza with halloumi, kasseri and Turkish feta) are our favourites – as well as the fava dip, the pearl couscous tossed around in an oily vinaigrette and chickpeas, and braised mussels in arak.

One of the newer kids on the Lygon Street block sits on is the highly vaunted Figlia, brought to you by the same people behind Tipo 00 and Osteria Ilaria. While pasta is the name of the game at its forebears, pizza is what you come to Figlia for.

Taking its cues from the famed Brooklyn pizzeria Roberta’s, Figlia (pronounced with a silent ‘g’) expands beyond margherita and funghi pizzas to include the lingua, where ox tongue finds itself on a base alongside roasted garlic, pecorino and endive, and crostaceo, where true to its shellfish-inspired name, Moreton Bay bug is allowed to shine surrounded by the complements of marjoram and heirloom tomato. Unlike its sister restaurants, you can walk in and expect to find a seat at Figlia – but this may not last for long.