Gemima Cody

December 2024: Summer in Melbourne is the time to shimmy out of those trackpants, off the couch and into a shiny new world. There's been a ton of exciting new restaurant openings to celebrate, while plenty of old favourites are still merrily thrumming along – all ready to welcome you with open arms. So put on something cute, grab a date and check out the best eating and drinking the city has to offer.  The continually evolving and expanding dining scene in Melbourne is both a blessing and a curse: how do you choose between so many incredible restaurants? Well, that's where we come in. Stop endlessly scrolling, and commit to making your way through Time Out’s list of the best restaurants in the state right now. Our always-hungry local experts, including Time Out Melbourne's Food and Drink Writer, Lauren Dinse, have curated 2024's most delicious and divine, innovative and imaginative, comforting and familiar, memorable and magical dining experiences right here at your fingertips. From culinary institutions like Attica, Stokehouse and Flower Drum, to emerging standouts and instant icons such as Serai, Gimlet and Amaru, we've got it all covered here. And as for the brand new restaurant and bar openings catching our eye? Check out this guide instead. Get out, and get eating! You've got a lot to get through!  RECOMMENDED READ:  Don't want to break the bank? Check out Melbourne's best cheap eats.

December 2024: "It's the most wonderful time of the yeeear" goes that old classic Christmas croon. But let's be real: it certainly doesn't feel that way when you're staring at a rapidly dwindling bank balance. The festive period in Melbourne can quickly rack up unexpected expenses, which is where our handy cheap eats guide comes in – a monthly-updated list to help you fill your social calendar with more affordable dining out options. The late and great respected chef Anthony Bourdain once famously said: “I'd rather eat in Melbourne than Paris." It goes without saying that Melbourne has long been revered as one of Asia Pacific's most exciting food cities, but that status isn't just attributed to our fancy restaurants – special as many of those upper crust institutions may be. Our laneways and hidden alcoves are brimming with cheap street eats, smashable pub deals and dinner options you can enjoy for $20, $15 or even under $10, so you can stop counting your hard-earned pennies and start eating instead. Lauren Dinse is Time Out Melbourne’s Food and Drink Writer, and has spent an impressive time scouting for the city's tastiest cheap eats – from her early student days spent wandering around Carlton and the CBD in search of a pocket change lunch, to the present day covering fun new openings for Time Out.  For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines. If you'd rather not spend any money at all right now, we've got you covered with our guide on the best things to do f

Since the 1960s, Lygon Street has been known and loved as Melbourne's Little Italy precinct. Locals and tourists alike flock to the leafy strip – abuzz on weekends with the roaring of fancy cars and roaming of uni students, teens and families – for proper espresso, pasta and cake, and a true taste of Italian-style al fresco action.  Sure, you might get a bit of hassle from the sales-y footpath waiters trying to lure you in, but true Melburnians know that's a part of the street's charm. And though much has changed in the last decade, there's no doubt that if you want to sit out on a terrace with a pizza bigger than your head or sip Spritzes on a rooftop, Lygon Street is still the place to be.  In 2024, there's a much larger and more diverse culinary offering in this area than ever before. Particularly on the southern end of the Carlton stretch, you'll discover incredible eateries for Egyptian, Japanese, Indian, Thai, plus a variety of other cuisines. No longer just the domain of spaghetti and salumi, Lygon Street is now also worth heading to for a bangin' biryani or world-class Asian fusion. And that's not all. Take a stroll up towards Brunswick East and you'll discover trendy wine bars, pubs with live music, American barbecue, Polish dumplings, Sicilian food and one of the best taco joints in town. Hungry yet? Let's go for a wander! We've listed Lygon Street's best restaurants in Google Maps-checked order so you'll know where to find them. Looking for the cream of the crop?

It's probably the top question we get asked at Time Out – where to go on a Tinder date. And fair enough, because fun fact about the Tinder meet up: it’s not a date. Not yet, anyway. You don’t even know if they’re a casual racist or a Nickelback fan yet – why would you tarnish your favourite restaurant with disappointment? First meets have special requirements, so save the romantic restaurant for round two and get the grilling done somewhere fun – and full (safety first, frisky friends). Below, we’ve laid out our suggestions and the golden rules to help you pick better for yourself. If things are going well, you might want to consider stretching things out to involve a late-night dinner or a glass of something special at one of these cosy wine bars. You’re welcome. 

It should be compulsary to own a custom pair of boots, heels or sandals at one point of your life. The feeling of wearing a shoe that is exactly fitted to your foot is unlike anything else – as is the awe you'll encounter from your friends when you tell them where you got your prized shoes.  One-of-a-kind wares can be found everywhere in Melbourne; we suggest visiting one of the city's best lingerie shops or weird and wonderful shops.

Gosh. We’re all a bit worried about being seen as pretentious lately aren’t we? Well, the restaurateurs about town seem to be anyway. Fearful of being even slightly associated with starch, the newest and hottest joints (Golden Fields, Chin Chin, Dandelion) seem to have gone on the Atkins diet of design, making sure that whilst their food and drinks are continuing to raise the proverbial bar, the actual drinking bar is being relaxed to the point that we could feel comfortable sitting at it wearing a poncho. To be fair, being an izakaya, which by loose definition is a drinking den with snacks, Andre Bishop has an excuse for wanting Kumo to sit on the fun side of formal, but despite his attempts to play it cool, the 80 plus varieties of sake and shochu make it impossible not to take this place at least a little bit seriously. Heard of Robot Bar? Nihonshu? Izakaya Chuji? All great, and all Bishop. It’s no surprise then that his latest addition to Bunswick East has all the hallmarks of being outlandishly successful. Enter through the wooden door of castle proportions and note the veritable Coney Island of seating options. Booths; bar; 8 metre long communal table; private tatami room for vulgar or secretive parties of 10 and upstairs lounging area for perving on the street below. The ex-bank, wrought iron, wood and stone establishment is a date place, party venue, and even a shop thanks to the array of teas and trinkets artfully arranged in the entrance. Too much? Not at all. It wo