Sonia Nair

February 2025: We reckon February actually marks the official start of the year, which means even if you've already broken all your New Year's resolutions, this is your second chance to refresh and reboot. If being more budget savvy was something you wanted to focus on, our guide to Melbourne's top cheap eats can help you out – from tacos and bánh mì to falafels and noodles, nothing on this list will empty out your wallet. 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. Don't want to spend a cent? We've got you covered with our guide to the best things to do for free in Melbourne.

Given how close we are to China, good Chinese food isn’t hard to come by in Australia. But great Chinese food? That’s where local knowledge makes all the difference. Our Travel & News Editor, Melissa Woodley, grew up eating congee for breakfast, barbecue pork buns for school lunch and Sunday yum cha as a weekly tradition. She and her team of expert local writers across the country have curated this list of Australia’s best Chinese restaurants, so no matter which capital city you’re in, you can feast on the finest flavours. At Australia’s top Chinese restaurants, you won’t just find wonton noodle soups or prawn har gow (though we’re big fans of both). Prepare to be wowed by live lobsters dressed in spicy Sichuan sauce, Peking duck expertly carved tableside and crystal-clear prawn dumplings so good you wish you didn’t have to share. Here’s our pick of the best places for Chinese food in Australia right now. 🥘 Must-try Indian restaurants in Australia🍣 Australia's best Japanese restaurants🍽 All the best restaurants in Australia

February 2025: It's the last month of summer (can you believe it?!), which calls for wines in sunny courtyards, Spritzes on rooftops and ice-cold pints in beer gardens. Lucky for you, this list is chock-full of spots where you can do exactly that. Plus, it's also Valentine's Day this month, so if you're looking impress that special someone in your life with a hot date in a slick and sexy bar, keep reading for some excellent inspo. You're welcome. Melbourne has some of the greatest bars in the world, whether you're looking for the laser-like focus of 16-seater Above Board or the rock ‘n’ roll ‘she’ll be right’ spirit of Lulie Tavern. You can find temples heroing whisky and palaces dedicated to gin; you can sip naked wines or suited-and-booted cocktails, grab a craft beer and a parma or a late-night Gimlet and a Euro-leaning cheese platter. Or how about a prawn club sanga and a bottle of Champers from tiny charmer Apollo Inn?  If you're looking for a bar to head to, we've rounded up the top 50 bars that we're really loving right now – and we're sure you will, too. RECOMMENDED READ: Hungry? We've got you covered  with the 50 best restaurants in Melbourne right now.

February 2025: Love is in the air this month, and we all know the way to a person's heart is through their stomach – which means it's time to get eating! Whether you're after a special date night restaurant, somewhere to slurp pasta with the girls or just want to treat yo' self to a solo dining sesh, this guide has you covered with options galore. Melbourne and food – it's a match made in heaven, if you ask us. 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 2025'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.

The 2025 nominees in the Best Cheap Eat category are well-loved restaurants or takeaway joints that offer up great-value meals. Our nominees in this category represent a broad diversity of cuisines and locations, and are treasured within their respective neighbourhoods for consistently delivering on quality, value, service and flavour. The winner will be announced on March 17. To see nominees for all categories, click here. Time Out Melbourne never writes starred restaurant and bar reviews from hosted experiences – Time Out covers restaurant and bar bills, and anonymously reviews, so that readers can trust our critique. Find out more here.

The Relaxed Dining Venue nominees for 2025 recognise exceptional restaurants in the mid-price-range bracket – the sort of places you could go for a celebration, but also a mid-week catch-up with a mate. All nominees in this category have relaxed and inviting environments, well-curated drinks lists and dishes that set them apart from the rest.  The winner will be announced on March 17. To see nominees for all categories, click here. Time Out Melbourne never writes starred restaurant and bar reviews from hosted experiences – Time Out covers restaurant and bar bills, and anonymously reviews, so that readers can trust our critique. Find out more here.

January 2025: What a thriling year of hosp openings we were treated to in 2024! If you haven't had time tick them off your bucket list just yet, make sure you check out ritzy French restaurant Maison Bâtard, trendy CBD newcomer Reed House and the relaxed fine diner that's got everyone talking right now, Lucia. Stay tuned for more to come...  Here's your ultimate guide to Melbourne's most exciting recent restaurant and bar openings, updated monthly for your reading (and tasting) pleasure. With this list on hand, you'll be the first to know where to find the hottest brunch spot, vino bar or fine diner – all sussed out by our fastidious team of writers and critics. Note: we generally include venues that are only twelve months (give or take) young in this list.  Ready to make a booking somewhere spesh? Read on. Still hungry? These are the 50 best restaurants in Melbourne right now. Fancy a tipple? Check out the 50 best bars in Melbourne. Lauren Dinse is Time Out Melbourne’s Food and Drink Writer. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines.

There’s just something superior about sipping an Aperol Spritz high in the sky rather than on solid ground. Maybe it’s the stellar skyline views and the magic of golden hour, or perhaps it’s just the alcohol talking – either way, we can’t resist the temptation of a top-notch rooftop bar. Luckily, Australia is spoiled for choice with spectacular spots to drink and dine in the sky. Our expert local writers have risen (quite literally) to the occasion to bring you this list of the best rooftop bars across the country. From a trendy terrace with an infinity pool to an open-air oasis with 360-degree skyline views, these are the trendiest spots to be seen or not be seen by the revellers down below. 🍹 The best bars in Australia🍺 Australia's greatest pubs for a pint🍷 The best wineries to visit Down Under

Melburnians are almost as passionate about their cocktails as they are about their coffee. What's the proper way to make a Martini? Gin or Vodka Gimlet? And should a cocky ever be on tap? Though if there's anything we love more than these heated debates about drinks, it's putting an end to all that nonsense and simply enjoying them – whether alone, with friends or sitting opposite a lovely date. Wondering where to try next? We've sipped our way around this great city to find the bars with the best atmosphere, the most creative (or at least, the most welcoming) bartenders and of course, the finest drinks. Go forth, dear readers – you may just discover your new signature tipple.  If you're keen on exploring the world of vino instead, head to Melbourne's best wine bars. 

Take your pick from the likes of Scandinavian and German feasts, boozy rooftop parties with snacks galore, punchy Asian-style banquets, seafood spreads and an ultra-glamorous subterannean soirée to usher in 2025. Book your spot, don your fancy clothes and brace yourself for the party of the year.  Keen to kick on? These are the best New Year's parties and events to bring in 2025. Drank too much? Cure your hangover at one of these restaurants and cafès open on New Year's Day. 

One fell madly in love with a sumptuous sundae-style dessert at a new French restaurant, another just couldn't get enough of a pop-up's fried chicken burgers. But no matter what dishes sent the Time Out team into a scrumptious spin, one thing's for sure: it would be selfish to keep them a secret! So read on for a hit list of everything we tried in 2024 that had us swooning, so you can go and have a taste, too. Still hungry? Check out the 50 best restaurants in Melbourne right now. And if you're thirsty, these are the 50 best bars in Melbourne right now.

Like in all the best global cities, you can find a plethora of food options in Melbourne past midnight, if only you know where to look. Wander down laneways for pizza by the slice, unearth hidden cocktail bars for fancy cheeseburgers, and let the steam of piping hot bowls of noodles warm you when the temperature outside has plummeted. These are the best late-night eats in Melbourne to sate your hunger after a big night out. Looking for something sweet? Many of these dessert bars have the best vibes after dark. For more late-night antics, peruse our guides to Melbourne's best late-night bars, nightclubs and bars for dancing.

Time Out Melbourne never writes starred reviews from hosted experiences – Time Out covers restaurant and bar bills for reviews so that readers can trust our critique. Askal’s cocktail destination Inuman is the latest in bar ventures from restaurants – think Maha’s opulent art deco bar Bar Jayda, Vue de Monde’s rooftop marvel Lui Bar, Longrain’s cocktail bar Longsong.  Ascending three flights of stairs from within Askal – enough to elevate you to a handsome view of Melbourne, not so many you completely lose your breath – will bring you to the bar and casual rooftop courtyard decked out with colourful striped cushions and tables.  It’s apt that the Tagalog word ‘inuman’ roughly translates as ‘to drink’. It’s a delightful mishmash of people frequenting Inuman when we visit – an older group of Filipino men, a couple, a contained trio of friends. Unlike other rooftop bars in Melbourne, Inuman remains somewhat undiscovered and the vibe, as a result, can be quiet. But what’s worse than dragging yourself up a perilous number of stairs to find a place completely full? And surely it's only a matter of time before this hidden gem is noticed.  The drinks list at Inuman is forever evolving, but it always has a distinct Filipino twist. The Southeast Asian grass jelly dessert cendol is given the cocktail treatment in the Hennessy-based Ais Cendol, while the gentle funk of durian is the lingering aftertaste of the calamansi-rich Tito Ray, an homage to Filipino bartending legend Ray Buhen. Gi

Time Out Melbourne never writes starred reviews from hosted experiences – Time Out covers restaurant and bar bills for reviews so that readers can trust our critique. Until recently, Sydney Road and its surrounding backstreets weren’t known for their wine-forward bars and restaurants. This has gradually started to change – there’s now laidback yet classy French bistro Bar Magnolia, neighbourhood wine bar Nina’s alongside the Anstey Station bike path, and intimate 35-seater Gemini further north.  You’d be forgiven for thinking Bar Magnolia is a lot stuffier than what it actually is, with its pressed white linen tablecloths and fastidiously attentive service. The more-than-a-year-old wine bar has retained the bones of the historical 1920s building it’s in – exposed red brick walls, stained-glass detailing in the upper windows. What you’ll find is a bistro fancy enough for a special date or notable occasion, but so warm and friendly it’s more akin to a neighbourhood wine bar.  There are tables out the front on the footpath, a sun-filled front room and then a cosier, darker nook out the back. There’s the option to perch by the wraparound bar, sit on stools overlooking the street, or settle into one of several tables with a view of the open, bustling kitchen where animated exclamations of “yes chef” are commonplace.  At $85 per person, the chef’s three-course seasonally rotating menu that includes nearly everything on the regular menu, bar dessert, is well worth the price tag.   S

Time Out Melbourne never writes starred reviews from hosted experiences – Time Out covers restaurant and bar bills for reviews so that readers can trust our critique. Nestled in the leafy backstreets of Fitzroy, Carnation Canteen is an elegant cornerside 20-seater restaurant. Inside where unembellished walls reign supreme, it feels like a modern rustic French bistro. In the white rear courtyard beneath the unfiltered rays, you almost feel like you’re in the back alleys of a Greek island.  At the risk of sounding older than I am, the loopy cursive scrawl on Carnation Canteen’s weekly rotating menu isn’t easy to decipher. The food continues in this vein – ever stylish, if not always the most satiating.  In any case, there are some noteworthy moments throughout the meal. A wedge of baked ricotta, presumably cut out of the impressive ricotta cake on the display counter, is pleasantly salty, luxuriant and crumbly. Spreading it on the accompanying slice of black kalamata olive crostini further ups the savoury ante. The small serving of al dente spears of baby asparagus infused in the flavours of an oily pistachio crumble heaped on top is moreish, though credit to its addictive salt crunch, we wish there was a bit more of it. And the charcoal-grilled prawns with chilli and garlic, while not extraordinary, have a beautiful char and saltiness reminiscent of the sea.  The saucisson (thick, dry-cured sausage) is pleasingly paired with fava, mint and the salty, sharp tang of pecorino rom

Time Out Melbourne never writes starred reviews from hosted experiences – Time Out covers restaurant and bar bills for reviews so that readers can trust our critique. Tucked away in the residential backstreets of Abbotsford is Molli, a neighbourhood bar and bistro just a stone’s throw away from stalwart café Three Bags Full. Funnily enough, the perennially popular brunch destination is an earlier venture of Nathan Toleman, owner of Molli and founder of hospitality conglomerate the Mulberry Group, the same establishment behind CBD restaurants Hazel and Dessous.  Molli is a warm and inviting space, belying its expansiveness as a 100-seater. Clad in dark timber and light-filled, with sage green walls adorned by still life oil paintings and vintage furnishings, Molli is simultaneously classy and cosy. Seating can range from tables and banquettes to a wraparound bar overlooking the open kitchen, where one can witness firsthand the flames of Molli’s prized Josper charcoal oven. Get there between the witching hours of 5 and 6pm on weekdays to capitalise on Molli’s aperitivo hour, a delightful window in time when oysters are $4.50, select beer and wines are $10 and a curated list of cocktails are $14 each. Molli excels in reasonably priced daily specials, whether it’s their $30 pasta and vino lunch on Friday and Saturday or their $60 Sunday set meal. Adjacent sister venue Little Molli is a daytime café and deli.  Kayla Saito brings her extensive experience as bar manager at Dessous t

Update October 2024: This review was originally written in 2023, so please be aware that some elements may have changed since. Time Out Melbourne never writes starred reviews from hosted experiences – Time Out covers restaurant and bar bills for reviews so that readers can trust our critique. Moody, intimate and tastefully lit, Black Kite Commune is the latest addition to the illustrious Russell Place – joining sister bars Gin Palace (a Melbourne institution), its lively adjunct Bar Ampere, and until recently, Con Christopoulos’s celebrated all-day wine bar Neapoli.  But fret not – Black Kite Commune has stepped into Neapoli’s shoes, ticking all boxes and then some. Spread across two levels, the mood is '70s bar meets French bistro – wooden panelling and low ceilings meet black walls and dark carpeted floors. Take your pick between black leather banquettes upstairs where a gold button garners you immediate service, round high tables surrounded by stools upon entry, or a seat by the golden backlit bar. A birdcage contraption on the far corner of the first floor adds a playful energy, while the purple hues of a lightbox night sky installation overlooking the entire venue creates an ethereal feel.  The drinks menu is expansive. Expect to see bottles of wine delineated by their texture, fragrance and mouthfeel rather than variety (‘bright and perfumed’, ‘juicy and full’, ‘dense and rich’). The wine list blends the classics with the new-fangled – old-world reds sit alongside a met

Time Out Melbourne never writes starred restaurant and bar reviews from hosted experiences – Time Out covers restaurant and bar bills, and anonymously reviews, so that readers can trust our critique. Find out more here. 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 I’d argue Lygon Street stalwart Lagoon Dining – outlier in a sea of Italian restaurants – is the best of them.  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. The vibe is contemporary '70s with whitewashed exposed brick walls, black granite and lush curtains demarcating one space from the next. Co-owner and front-of-house manager

Time Out Melbourne never writes starred reviews from hosted experiences – Time Out covers restaurant and bar bills for reviews so that readers can trust our critique. The Lygon Street space that once housed the Alehouse Project is now home to expansive cocktail bar Maggie’s. Exposed brick walls adorned with French-style art deco posters and a candle-lit shrine that looks like something out of The Craft form the cosy backdrop to your visit. Despite floor-to-ceiling windows, the space retains a pleasant warmth in cooler weather and the din of nearby people is absorbed by perfect acoustics – this is a place you can bring your parents.  Maggie’s has a laidback enough quality that it beckons you in for dessert and a drink as much as it’s ideal for an hours-long meal. The menu is eclectic, with a strong Polynesian influence coming through in dishes like the Māori fried bread, the Cook Island ceviche and the hangi potato smashies – owing to New Zealand-born chef Scott Blomfield. Apart from a few outliers, the dishes are rich and indulgent, so order wisely or conserve some much-needed stomach space. Divided into ‘nibblish’, snackish’, ‘peckish’ and ‘famished’, it’s a menu designed for sharing.  Beers, ciders and wines on offer spotlight Australian producers, while the sophisticated cocktails are fashioned from byproducts of the kitchen. When we visit, the horchata for the horchata fizz cocktail has run out, but the pistachio orgeat used in its place nevertheless culminates in flavour

Time Out Melbourne never writes starred restaurant and bar reviews from hosted experiences – Time Out covers restaurant and bar bills, and anonymously reviews, so that readers can trust our critique. Find out more here. Ras Dashen has been sating the appetites of inner westies for more than a decade, and it shows no signs of abating. The colourfully eclectic interiors are as inviting as they were when Ethiopian refugee Wondimu Alemu first set up shop on Nicholson Street in 2011. Having since moved to Barkly Street in 2017, paintings and scarves striped in the green, yellow and red of the Ethiopian flag hang from terracotta-coloured walls alongside ornate bowls and woven hats – if you look closely, you can even see Alemu’s beaming face memorialised in one of the paintings.  Alemu and his wife Alemitu Aberra are the heart and soul of Ras Dashen. Alemu is as friendly to first-timers as he is to seasoned visitors, full of such mirth it’s impossible not to smile in his presence as he punctuates each sentence with a merry cackle. Ras Dashen’s Ethiopian fare has something for everyone (vegans included), but what you do need to be is someone who’s comfortable eating with your hands. There’s no better way to enjoy torn off bits of injera – the fermented flatbread that's one of Ethiopia’s most famed exports – laden with your favourite curries.  The best thing to do is order several dishes, all of which will arrive on two different kinds of injera: a white sorghum one and a brown sorghu

Time Out Melbourne never writes starred restaurant and bar reviews from hosted experiences – Time Out covers restaurant and bar bills, and anonymously reviews, so that readers can trust our critique. Find out more here. First making a name for itself as a food truck in Preston, Wazzup Falafel set up a permanent outpost earlier this year along High Street in Northcote – excellent news for lovers of the Palestinian-Jordanian outfit, now able to enjoy their famed falafels even in the most extreme of Melbourne’s weather conditions.  Wazzup Falafel owner Ahmad Al Alaea swapped a career in fitness with cheffing after he couldn’t find equivalent falafels to what he’d enjoyed growing up in Jordan as a Palestinian refugee. Training with the best falafel chefs back in Jordan, he opened his food truck in the fateful month of March 2020, soon garnering an ardent following within a five kilometre-radius. Thankfully, more people are now able to enjoy Wazzup Falafel’s fare. With a view of the kitchen where everything is made from scratch, the restaurant is sizeable without being huge and clad in warm timber – a perfectly cosy spot to enjoy a falafel or ten. The playfulness behind Wazzup Falafel’s name extends to its service – staff are smiley, jovial and only too happy to make recommendations on what you should order.  Falafels are, unsurprisingly, the name of the game here, but you get to decide how they’re served up to you – in a box alongside a medley of other ingredients, threaded on to

Time Out Melbourne never writes starred restaurant and bar reviews from hosted experiences – Time Out covers restaurant and bar bills, and anonymously reviews, so that readers can trust our critique. Find out more here. Sparsely decorated with bright pops of colour synonymous with the Mexican flag and jaunty Latin music playing from within its confines, new Johnston Street eatery El Columpio is bringing a slice of homestyle cooking to an oft-underappreciated quarter of Fitzroy.  Tortas and Tacos has livened up a strip traditionally associated with late-night shenanigans – think live music institution Old Bar and afrobeats club Laundry – but things remain tough for restaurants bold enough to set up shop in a stretch that can only be described as having bad ‘feng shui’. Vegan pinchos bar Follies shuttered after only a year and a half, citing the cost of living crisis. Doncaster Chinese vegetarian import Vegie Mum survived a far bit longer, but it too is shutting its doors at the end of this month. But not all is lost for those looking for a bite in the vicinity – not if El Columpio has anything to do with it.  Established by chef Ricardo Garcia Flores as part of a dream to introduce Melburnians to the family heirloom Mexican dishes he grew up with, El Columpio has a short but sweet menu. If you arrive before midday, you’ll be treated to a breakfast menu that comprises tamales and chilaquiles. Arrive after midday and the menu is identical, no matter if you arrive at 1pm or 8pm –

The co-founding team of John Rivera, Carlos Consunji, Ralph Libo-on, Michael Mabuti and Dhenvirg Ugot – proud Filipinos themselves – are also some of the names behind Kariton Sorbetes and Serai, ensuring bold and vibrant Filipino flavours are front and centre at Askal.  Think sizzling pork jowl and abalone sisig, ox tail kare kare doughnuts and torched scallop adobo. The showstopper dish making the rounds on socials is the roasted bone marrow, sitting in a claypot of crispy confit garlic rice and caramel-braised wagyu oyster blade for the grand total of $100. But it’s by far the most expensive dish on an otherwise reasonably priced menu of ‘pulutan’ (snacks and bites), ‘meryenda’ (entrees), ‘ulam’ (mains and sides) and ‘matamis’ (dessert). The moody yet otherwise nondescript space is a semi-industrial one with textured charcoal walls and simple shell chandeliers – sit by the bar to enjoy a peek into the bustling kitchen. Curate your own experience by ordering off the ala carte menu, or if you have choice paralysis as we did, opt for the $95 ‘feed me’ menu, that features a representative cross-section of the menu, though you may still want to add one or two must-order items.  Askal’s inventiveness extends to its cocktails – the same Tanduay rum in the leche flan appears in the banana-reminiscent Pahanocoy Dream, the nostalgia of childhood is revisited with the Hard Sarsi, and pineapple rum coupled with blackstrap rum and Campari are natural counterparts in the Ibong Adarna, As

Before Nina’s took residence at the base of Brunswick’s Nightingale Studios, it was a lively Bangladeshi restaurant and prior to that, a café that changed hands a few times. It’s the first time a wine bar serving food has popped up in the space and judging by residents’ warm reception, it’s being appreciated as much as its forebears.  Simultaneously cosy and industrial, Nina’s has retained the exposed pipes of yesteryear venues but where it stylistically departs the most is in its almost Hellenic light blue colour scheme, from the leather seats to the bright planter boxes bordering the outdoor space. The big windows bordering the bike track that runs in parallel to the Upfield line lends the space plenty of natural light, a sense of space and constant movement.  Service is both personable and personal, with a menu that speaks of the intimate network co-owners Shae and Hayley have built within their surrounding community – from the honey, a gift from a Nightingale resident, that features in a dessert to the curry leaves that garnish the king prawns, bounty from Hayley’s mum’s garden. Exemplifying this community spirit is their $35 Monday pasta nights – a godsend when most hospitality outfits are taking a much-needed day off – and their happy hour specials from 4 to 6pm four days a week. The menu leans heavily on seasonal produce and mostly comprises vegetables and seafood – a treat for pescatarians. Excitingly, there’s a compact specials menu below the regular menu, ranging fr