The best restaurants in St Kilda you should be booking

Donovans feels like it doesn't belong in Melbourne (in the best way possible). It's the beautiful and high-quality seaside restaurant that you often search for when on holiday, but forget to look for in your hometown. Perched right on the sand, it's no surprise the seafood offerings shine, such as the daily crudo selection, the spanner crab ravioli and the crispy skin barramundi. However, the grass-fed T-bone cooked over charcoals is always a winner. Donovans has also been around long enough for its bombe Alaska to become the stuff of legends. This chocolate dessert topped with hazelnut ice cream and a lightly torched soft meringue is a must-eat. This is a special place, for a special occasion.  

When you first step into the stylish airlock entrance at Stokehouse, the transportation to another world is immediate. Suspended in the liminal space, the door behind you closes and the noisy buzz of St Kilda’s busy streets fades to a calming hum. A journey begins. 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.

After closing for renovations in 2022, Pontoon – the downstairs beach club of St Kilda’s Stokehouse restaurant – returned to its roots, re-emerging as casual Mediterranean eatery, Stokehouse Pasta and Bar. The commitment to sustainability throughout the refurbishment has seen the entire venue be awarded a five-star ‘Australian Excellence’ Green Star Design and As Built Rating earlier this year. Though the menu is led by pasta – including a classic spaghetti with crab and chilli – there are snacks and share plates aplenty. Munch on gnocco fritto served with jamon, mortadella, salami and pickles, or feast on a 600g whole Murray cod with a rich pepperonata sauce and crispy chips. 

Cicciolina is an indispensable bastion of southside dining. St Kilda may have changed since it opened in 1993, but the restaurant itself has remained true to its sultry roots. Start with the housemade focaccia with stracciatella cheese and Olasagasti anchovies, followed by the chicken liver parfait with pickled cherries and rye to set yourself up for a great night out. The spaghettini vongole with pippies, lemon, chilli, garlic, olive oil and parsley is a local favourite for good reason, and acts as the perfect precursor to a Premium Espresso Martini nightcap. 

Rinaldo 'Ronnie' Di Stasio’s mainstay Italian has been nailing St Kilda dining for many decades. With white-jacketed waiters at your beck and call, you will be keen to get stuck into the bougie offerings such as crayfish risotto, crab deluxe pasta and duck breast with fennel salad. Even with shiny new outposts in the CBD (Di Stasio Citta) and Carlton (Di Stasio Pizzeria), the St Kilda location continues to attract locals, regulars and newcomers alike. 

The revamped Espy didn’t ruin the historic Gershwin Room (three generations of Melburnians breathe a sigh of relief), and the fitout is spectacular. The grand room now houses Mya Tiger, the dining jewel in Espy's crown. It’s serving up a big-flavoured parade of Cantonese favourites – think lamb spring rolls, sesame prawn toast, spicy pork chilli wontons, caramel eggplant and duck fried rice. 

Radio Mexico has been around for many years now, but continues to bring in the crowds seeking tasty tacos and fresh Margaritas. Totopos (white corn chips) with housemade salsa and guacamole are a must-order to share for the table, as are the elotes (street-style corn on the cob). There are many tacos to choose from but we can't go past the baja (beer-battered fish with pico de gallo and slaw), the barbacoa (slow-cooked lamb shoulder with tomatillo) and the frijoles (black beans with jalapeno, avocado and pico de gallo). Radio Mexico has a dedicated Margarita menu to wash it all down: try the Margarita Negra, the Pineapple Tommy's or the Hibiscus Mezcalrita.

Meet Rufio: a new player in the St Kilda dining scene bringing Latin-fusion food, an extensive cocktail list and rooftop vibes to Carlisle Street. Oh, and Rufio also happens to be 100 per cent gluten-free. 

Claypots is something of an establishment down in old St Kilda town. The lantern-strewn courtyard is where it's at on long summer nights, especially when the staff are spinning records in the front room. We highly recommend group dinners here: nothing bonds like the all-hands-in ripping apart of crustaceans, especially when you've ordered the famed chilli crab.

Until now, Southsiders would have had to venture north to Carlton's Little Italy precinct to enjoy the tip-top panini, pasta and pizza from D.O.C Espresso or DOC Pizza and Mozzarella Bar – but those days of hungry commutes are now over. St Kilda has just been graced with its very own D.O.C restaurant in the Saint Moritz residences on the Esplanade, just in time for the culinary juggernaut's 20th anniversary.

In India, Babu Ji is a term you’d use for an older male, say your dad or grandfather, and since opening on St Kilda’s Grey Street in 2014, the original Babu Ji has earned the respectful title. The original owner Jessi Singh packed his bags, along with the Babu Ji concept and took it to New York and Southern California. But that whole time the St Kilda outpost, alongside sister restaurant Horn Please, continued to tick along, serving their modern take on Indian cuisine.

This oyster bar and seafood restaurant is highly rated by locals, shucking and serving fresh Blackman Bay oysters and Mooloolaba prawns to order and eat on the spot or take home for dinner. Pick up a dozen to enjoy on St Kilda Beach at sunset, with your drink of choice from St Kilda Cellars next door.

If you love proper homestyle Thai, Charlong needs to go to the top of your visit list. Co-owner and chef Alex Kaew (who brings with her experience from kitchens at Longsong, Hochi Mama and Rice Paper Scissors) opened Charlong as an ode to her grandmother's food stall in eastern Thailand. Expect plenty of charcoal and wok-licked flavour, a bit of fusion pizzazz here and there and insanely good king prawn dumplings. 

We’ve had patchy luck trying to import European dining traditions down under, especially when it comes to the art of tapas. But your holiday memories are in safe hands with Javier Pardo-Vinals (ex-front of house at France-Soir), who migrated from Barcelona to Melbourne in 2001, and brought with him the true spirit of a tapas bar. He carved out a little slice of home with his St Kilda East eatery, Las Tapas, whose bright yellow façade and dimly lit, intimate interior can transport you to the cobblestone plazas of Barcelona faster than you can say ‘jamon’.

This multi-award winning restaurant in St Kilda (with an additional location in Moonee Ponds) is widely beloved for serving up some of the tastiest and most authentic tandoori and North Indian cuisine in Melbourne. It's also a truly special place to dine in, feeling like a cosy and comfortable restaurant with warm lighting and exeptional service – perfect for family occasions.