Cafés and restaurants open on New Year's Day in Melbourne

CBD

The following CBD restaurants are open on New Year's Day.

This massive outdoor eatery and beer garden sandwiched between two Melbourne icons (the Yarra River and Flinders Street Station) stretches for 120 metres along the river bank and is officially Melbourne’s longest bar. If you're keen to snag a table on New Year's Day, make a booking via the website.

Formerly known for its long queues that used to snake around the block, things have since calmed down at Chin Chin – mostly because it now takes bookings. Open from 11am-11pm, it offers Southeast Asian favourites like wagyu beef rendang, caramelised sticky pork and green papaya salad. Book online. 

A café housed in a heritage-listed former powerhouse with exposed brick walls and enormous street-art murals around the corner. Queues out the door, an almost-alarming number of plants, riffs on avo toast and other highly ‘grammable dishes. A focus on quality coffee so meticulous that it necessitates a separate coffee menu (including a barista’s breakfast tasting board of Five Senses coffee and several pour-over and batch brew options). Things don’t get much more Melbourne than everything about Higher Ground café, and better yet, it'll be open on New Year's Day this year. Make a booking at the website.

Nestled within Garden State Hotel is the dreamy, pastel-hued Tippi-Tay – an homage to the coastlines of Italy, so what better place to spend a summery New Year’s Day? Open from noon-10pm, Tippi-Tay has an expansive antipasti section perfect for snacking on – think white anchovies, calamari fritti and cacio e pepe arancini – a curated selection of pasta including spanner crab fusilli and lamb ragu pappardelle, and a smaller selection of pizzas. Book online. 

Searching for Sichuan dishes in a neon-lit atmosphere? Chef David Li is your man if you don’t want the party to end. Open from 5.30pm-midnight, Chef David has dishes that will tickle your tastebuds with an immense concentration of flavour and spice – the tomato sauce barramundi is greater than the sum of its parts, while the charcoal barbecue section, from which you can take your pick of chargrilled seafood, vegetables, meat and offal is a highlight. Book online.

Seafood haven Claypots Barbarossa on Hardware Lane – and sister restaurant to Southside institutions Claypots Seafood Bar and Claypots Evening Star – always guarantees a good time. Its lively atmosphere, aperitivo hour and fresh array of seafood will have you dancing more than the night before. Check it out from 11am-10pm and make your reservations online.

North

The following northside restaurants are open on New Year's Day.

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Part of Andrew McConnell’s Trader House group that includes Cutler & Co, Marion and Cumulus Inc, the Builders Arms is one of the more unassuming venues in the Melbourne-only collection. The Melbourne favourite is open on New Year’s Day and its courtyard is the perfect place to while away a sunny public holiday. Its bistro is where the gastronomic action happens – think Sunday roasts with trimmings and cult favourites like the fish pie. Book online.

400 Gradi has won awards in the past for its margherita pizza, so if you’re looking for something hearty yet simple, look no further than this Italian joint. It’s open from noon-11pm and you can make a booking – either for its Brunswick, Crown, Eastland or Essendon stores – on the website. 

Fitzroy North stalwart the Empress Hotel is open to meet your eating and drinking needs from noon-late. The front bar is walk-in only, but make a booking for the leafy beer garden or its light-filled dining room via its website. 

Pubs are often a good reliable option when looking for something open on New Year’s Day and the Great Northern is no different. Sit within the confines of the timber-panelled front area or take a seat in the expansive courtyard. The fare is standard but consistent – expect chicken parma, burgers and steak. Book online.

Perennially popular neighbourhood Collingwood brewery Stomping Ground will be open on New Year's Day from 11.30am. Take your pick from over 25 beer taps and a varied food menu with pizzas and snacks like herb-crumbed sardines, halloumi fingers, and potato and goat’s cheese croquettes. Book online. 

East

The following restaurants in Melbourne's east are open on New Year's Day.

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Love pizza and pasta in an unfussy, modern setting? The Lucas Group certainly know how to nail a brief, and the eternally buzzy and bodacious Baby is no exception. Open all day (and all week) long, the restaurant is a stalwart neighbourhood favourite in Richmond for intimate dinners, celebratory occasions, lively gatherings with friends and sundowner cocktails and snacks at happy hour. It's keeping its doors open this New Year's Day and you can make a reservation at the restaurant group's online booking portal under 'Baby Pizza'. 

Ringwood locals can head to Eastland on New Year's Day and dine at steak house, Hunter and Barrel, known for its smoky flavours owing to its coal and spit rotisserie as well as its barrel-aged cocktails. It’s open from noon-10pm and reservations can be made via the website.

Boasting a newly revamped leafy rooftop space, 44 tap beers and rotating parma specials, plus a dedicated Spritz menu, Skinny Dog Hotel offers a whole lot more than your average classic inner-suburban pub. Gorge on freshly shucked oysters with prosecco foam, fried sesame and garlic tofu chips, among other fun new additions to the menu. You can make a booking online here.

Internationally renowned Chinese hot pot chain Haidilao has come to Glen Waverley and Box Hill. It’s also open on New Year’s Day if you’d like to kick off your 2024 with a bang. Book online.

South

The following southside restaurants are open on New Year's Day.

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Stokehouse has been a bastion of traditional hospitality and serene comfort since the early 1990s, our official crowned Legend of the Year at our recent Food and Drink Awards. During the day, Stokehouse’s broad, floor-to-ceiling windows overlook the glistening beach, flooding the dining space with rays of sun. At night, however, it’s a moodier setting, with warm lamps and designer chandeliers elevating the interior decor – a theatre for food and sea under the moonlight. Both Stokehouse and Stokehouse Pasta and Bar will be open on New Year's Day this year. You can make a reservation at the website.

On this chilly  evening, the beach is roaring as loudly as the wind is howling, and my partner and I are feeling cosy and romantic by the window. The only word for it is cinematic. After placing our orders, we’re paid a visit by the sommelier. He’s got drink suggestions to pair with our menu choices if we’re interested – of course, we are. A dry Tasmanian brut and a bright Veneto pinot grigio are the chosen allies for our incoming oysters and saltbush and vinegar potato cakes.

The premium oyster service offers a selection from various coastal locations across Australia. On recommendation, we’ve opted for the petite Merimbula oyster, which is cool and briny on the palate, and the heftier Coffin Bay oyster. It’s got that throat-stretching feel as it goes down, a whole mouthful of intense creaminess. A sea breeze shudders through me. The simple freshness and delicacy of both is uplifting, and washed down with our whites, it’s total perfection.

Now, the potato cakes around here are famous, but they’re a far cry from what you’d get at your local fish and chippie. Plated upon rustic hessian pillows, the crispy batter caves in like tender tempura on its earthy root vegetable filling. It tastes so naturally complex, it really doesn’t need much enhancement, but the vinegary saltbush topping proves a delightfully tangy, lip-smacking complement. It’s a Cupid’s arrow bulls-eye straight to the heart.

As far as bread goes, Stokehouse’s offering is wonderfully satisfying; a dimpled country loaf arrives with a round of cultured butter as shiny and yellow as an egg yolk. Tearing the warm fluffy bread with our hands, the steam rising from it carries aromas reminiscent of croissants or Jewish challah, those butter-enriched doughs with a gentle sweetness. It’ll be our undoing if we don’t hang steady until our next course.

My dish is the yellowfin tuna, as fresh as you can get it, exceptionally balanced by an aged tomato dressing that swims in the mouth alongside smoky eggplant and a kick of horseradish. An invigorating beginning. My partner’s entrée is also a showstopper. Soft films of raw Jerusalem artichoke blanket roasted artichoke and parsley, with sweet raisins folded within like hidden treasures in the bowl.

Our sommelier has recommended a German riesling with this course , and its dry, rich fruitiness two-steps expertly with the bold vegetal flavours. But the mains call for more vino, and so we dip headlong into the delights of a Margaret River cabernet. 

A lamb tomahawk from Gundagai blushes a tender pink hue and is bursting with the fatty juices that only lamb can render. The bitter greens do a good job at cutting through the slow-cooked meat and sweetbreads. Does it get tastier than this? It does, I find out, when I move my fork to a plate of steamed wild barramundi. It’s draped with globe artichoke, a zesty barigoule sauce and pickled dill blossom. You beauty, you! The melty, buttery-soft fish has to be some of the best seafood I’ve tasted all year. 

Even our rainbow of heirloom beetroots sings with the integrity of thoughtful ingredient sourcing and preparation. Every bite throughout our meal has been superb. And though we’re full, we can’t resist trying at least one dessert each. A sunny strawberry Eton mess is a stunning pairing with an apple-scented Pink Lady Spritz, while my partner enjoys a rich pecan tart with caramel ganache. Again, outstanding. 

By the end of the evening, my mind is made up. Stokehouse’s historic acclaim is well-deserved, that much is for sure. When the dishes are so mindfully mastered, you want to just keep on eating, and it certainly makes you rue having but a single stomach.

Buoyed along by the creative and sustainable bent of head chef Jason Staudt at the helm in the kitchen, and smooth service to guide you along the way, Stokehouse’s legendary status continues to stand strong. It’s dining on the edge of the world, yes, but it also cuts right to the very heart of what makes eating out so special. So cheers, Stokehouse. A toast to you. 

The menu at this lively Windsor institution flits from beer food and dumplings and buns, through to roti and satay, noodles and salads, proteins from the coconut barbecue and curries and stir fries. Two people can barely scratch the surface, which is why this rowdy no-bookings joint is best tackled with a sizable crew nestled into one of the booths. Make a New Year's Day booking here.

A hop, skip and jump away from Chelsea Beach, Edithvale General offers all-day brunch – music to one’s ears on New Year’s Day. Think a Reuben benedict, Nutella waffles, chilli scrambled eggs and burgers from 10.30am. It’s open from noon-5pm and bookings can be made via the website.

Blossom Thai will open its doors for you to sit back with zingy larb gai or a comforting bowl of green curry on New Year's Day. It’s open from 5-10pm and bookings can be made via The Fork.

This old-timey pub located in Port Melbourne will grant you beers by the growler and classic pub meals. Think Melbourne’s most iconic pub dish: the chicken parma. It’s open from 11am-10pm and you can book via its website. 

West

The following restaurants in Melbourne's west are open on New Year's Day.

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Pub fans of the west love Station for its friendly, relaxed atmosphere, great craft beer and wine lists, and of course – the famous steaks. Locals and steak aficionados can select from a menu that offers premium grain- and grass-fed steaks from Australian beef, including 300g Great Southern Pinnacle porterhouses to 200g Sher Wagyu. To book a table on New Year's Day, head to the website.

Much-loved West Footscray café Dumbo is open to sate all manner of brunch needs on New Year’s Day. The seasonally changing menu borrows influences from every which corner of the globe, culminating in dishes like XO folded eggs with prawns and fermented chilli, Moroccan zaalouk (a popular cooked tomato and eggplant salad stuffed into a caramelised onion focaccia) and shoyu ramen. Book online.