Best restaurants in Melbourne northern suburbs
From Brunswick East’s Etta to Northcote’s Estelle and North Fitzroy’s 25-years-young Matteo’s, here are Melbourne’s best restaurants in the inner north.
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ETTA
Lucky Brunswick East. For not every suburb has such a warmly welcoming local.
But at Etta, owner Hannah Green greets newcomers and regulars alike with such easy, welcoming humour, you’ll want to return even before she’s poured the first glass of the elegant house Blanc de Blanc.
And new chef Charley Snadden-Wilson (ex Ramblr) is serving such a knockout version of bread and butter, it ruins almost all others and is the best $4 you can spend on carbs.
This handsome, two-year-old one-time fish and chip shop has been transformed into the perfect neighbourhood restaurant, where the playlist is as carefully curated as the cellar.
Flavour-first plates abound through the short, share-friendly menu.
Stracciatella with charred leeks served under a tumble of brown butter breadcrumbs is as lick-the-plate good as a perfectly treated piece of meaty skate swimming in a butter-finished stock with chard and chickpeas.
CUTLER & CO
A decade on and Andrew McConnell’s sleek and sexy flagship fine diner remains a candlelit vision of arty and artful Fitzroy in all its glory, with the choice of a la carte or full chef’s menu a welcome offering.
While the front bar is now a destination in its own right – where martinis and cheeseburgers, platters of fruits de mere,champagne and steak tartare created tableside cater to all moods – the dining room is where most head to impress.
Whether delicate King George whiting brightened with brown butter, watercress and pickled onion, or albacore tuna teamed with a hit of Tasmanian wasabi heat, seafood at Cutler remains a strong point.
The wine list remains a dense worldly work of considered beauty that’s aware of trends without being enslaved by them.
Ten years young and still going strong, Cutler remains one of the best Big Nights Out.
READ THE FULL CUTLER & CO REVIEW
CARLTON WINE ROOM
There’ll always be something different and exciting to swirl in your glass at Carlton Wine Room.
Like funky orange wine made from ancient falanghina grapes near Naples or an organic nebbiolo from Italy’s Lombardy region.
Co-owner Travis Howe has no shortage of homegrown hits from the Yarra Valley or Mornington to suggest.
His approachable wine list is a drawcard, but so is the parade of home-style cooking by chef John-Paul Twomey.
There’s an irresistibly crisp potato focaccia square for dunking into oozy stracciatella, while the two-bite anchovy toast is downright delicious.
READ THE FULL CARLTON WINE ROOM REVIEW
MATTEO’S
Twenty-five years young, Matteo’s remains a shining light in Melbourne’s restaurant firmament.
That’s because owner Matteo Pignatelli knows the true meaning of hospitality.
If he’s not there to greet you at the door, his sterling staff are, eager to take your coat, mix a martini and guide you through a wondrous wine list, with plenty of top drops by the glass.
Matteo’s offers multiple menus. Five courses for vegetarians, two courses for weekday workers, even children’s dishes.
Go a la carte – preferably at night when this lovely dining room glows with buttery light – and it’s elegance all the way, often with a twist.
Rannoch Farm quail is presented in the style of cotechino sausage; tortellini comes packed with braised wallaby tail; and sesame-glazed Balmain bug tail bunks down with veal sweetbreads and jellyfish.
BAR LIBERTY
Bar Liberty’s famed sourdough flatbread lures all to the stylish Fitzroy bistro-bar. This toasty, wholemeal crowd-pleaser comes with whipped cured butter for slathering and scissors for cutting – but it’s too good to share. New bar manager Josh Begbie’s refined drinks list complements the Euro-inspired snack food.
There’s pate-style blue cod between two ultra-fine potato crisps, best washed down with a skin-contact vermentino that alsoteams well with head chef Zackary Leon Furst’s smoked razorback prawns.
The IDES alumni injects Aussie native flavours into dishes; see the crisp saltbush that tops a fluffy brown ale cake. Can’t decide what to eat? There’s a great value $65 set menu and $45 Sunday lunch.
READ THE FULL BAR LIBERTY REVIEW
CONGRESS
A cool glass of water, a comfortable chair and “something delicious to eat” ... that’s the Congress promise and, boy, does this Collingwood wine bar deliver.
Owners (and siblings) Michael and Katie McCormack know the real meaning of hospitality. From the moment you open your tab with whole wheat sourdough and malt butter, gently informative staffers help you marry wickedly good wines with marvellous morsels: impeccable oysters, duck hearts on a skewer, and the soft bread ‘sanga’ loaded with a pig’s head croquette.
All brushed concrete and perforated white brick, Congress is supremely comfortable, with high tables, flattering lighting and folded grey napkins.
No wonder apartment-dwelling locals have made it their second home.
THE RECREATION
Part bottle shop, part bistro, part neighbourhood hangout… three years in and The Recreation has settled into a comfortable groove, offering big flavoured hits-with-a-twist that complement the terrific selection of worldly wines on the shelf to drink in or grab-and-go.
A densely meaty and gamey foie-gras studded pâté en croûte gives the best French restaurants a run for their money, while a plate of crunchy veg with creamy bagna cauda is an equally on pointe opener.
Approachable, amenable service keeps the busy dining room humming, while hefty cutlery and elegant stemware speak to an offering at once casual yet perfectly precise.
Add a wine list that’s a true joy and you have the perfect local that’s worth a visit from afar.
READ THE FULL THE RECREATION REVIEW
ESTELLE
Scott Pickett has transformed what was his ESP fine diner and bistro next door into the one seamless space. There’s a wine bar-snack vibe on one side, and a more substantial, if still casual, offering in the handsome dining room that keeps the large open kitchen as a focal point.
It’s perfectly formed to keep locals on repeat who drop in for Earl Grey negronis and wagyu toasties, a post-movie plate of cheese and saying “yes, please” to another glass of pinot. But there’s still enough high-end smarts to make a big night out of multi courses and the worldly cellar (with several drops available by the glass).
TRANSFORMER
Don’t be spooked by Transformer’s commitment to “innovative plant-focused dining”.
What it simply means is they work wonders with fruit and vegetables. Grilled persimmon with saffron, whipped ricotta and grains of paradise. King oyster mushrooms with pine nut puree and smoked shallot... Transformer can really turn a carnivore’s head.
Start with the snacky chickpea panisse, showered with parmesan, or nicely charred flatbread for dunking in a spiced pumpkin dip. Both will sit well with one of Transformer’s exotic elixirs. The purple glowing G&T is a doozy.
READ THE FULL TRANSFORMER REVIEW
FITZROY TOWN HALL HOTEL
Cold beer and a warm welcome are assured every time you approach the front bar of the Fitzroy Town Hall Hotel.
But owner-chef Sean Donovan invites you to explore a whole lot more in the dining room.
Steak and seafood, hot off the wood-fired red gum barbecue, is Donovan’s signature.
Pair grain-fed bavette with beetroot remoulade and hand cut chips, or charred octopus tentacle with confit potatoes and parsley salad.
Then order a top drop from the seriously good cellar.
Word to the wise: you really should try the pineapple cake with vanilla yoghurt and ginger syrup.
READ THE FULL FITZROY TOWN HALL HOTEL REVIEW
CAPITANO
Tony Soprano would have felt right at home at Capitano but the meatballs, pizza and salumi they sling at this Italian-Americandiner in deepest Carlton are a cut above anything that TV’s mob boss might have enjoyed in New Jersey.
Same goes for the juice.
Capitano is by the Bar Liberty team, so diners are assured of seriously good (Italian) wine.
Cocktails, too, are mixed with flair at a fabulously long bar – the celery gimlet’s a killer.
The bone-in veal parmigiana is Capitano’s big show-off dish, but, for our money, nothing beats the thrillingly rich ‘Chittara’ where guitar-string spaghetti – cooked al dente – snuggles down in a classic clam sauce.
LEONARDO’S PIZZA PALACE
South Yarra’s Ramblr may be no more (RIP), but executive chef Nick Stanton’s terrific, tingling Sichuan bolognese that topped noodles there lives on in pizza form at the team’s equally rollicking new pizza joint, Leonardo’s Pizza Palace.
It’s just one of the genre-mashing delights on offer at this retro-cool Carlton restaurant that’s pumpingly busy with brilliant staff that keep the place running smoothly with style.
It’s a simple offering of pizza and pasta that looks to Wise Guy Noo Yawk rather than Italy’s deep south for inspiration,and does carb loading with rarely seen class.
Pizza is the main game and they are big in size and calorie count – especially when you dunk the crusts in the creamy-sharp ranch sauce served to the side.
Every other table has ordered the pepperoni, so you’ll want to, too.
It’s a monster topped with a plethora of tiny spicy slices of American-style salami, the light, charry, blistered base providing ballast for the cheesy excess atop.
That lip-tingling bolognese is equally more-ish.
READ THE FULL LEONARDO’S PIZZA PALACE REVIEW
GIRO D’ITALIA
At Giro d’Italia, owner/chef Domenico de Marco is taking North Carlton locals on a ride through Italy, one dish at a time.
And don’t they race in for his tortelli – sunshine-vibrant plump packets of sweet roasted pumpkin sprinkled with Amoretti crumbs – and equally memorable gnocchi tossed through a rich duck ragu with a clever spritz of orange.
From the focaccia he serves with a side of Napoli for dunking, to the pork and fennel sausages he makes, Domenico is kneading and baking, rolling and making, toasting and roasting in the kitchen, including the cotoletta alla valdostana, a hefty crunchy-crumbed puck of veal that’s stuffed with fontina cheese and smoky ham.
To finish, don’t miss the excellent tiramisu – made to de Marco’s nonna’s recipe, it’s a cream-heavy version with a tickle of coffee and firm-but-fluffy sponge.
READ THE FULL GIRO D’ITALIA REVIEW
SMITH & DAUGHTERS
There’s trippa alla Romana and meatballs in vodka red sauce and you’ll find pots of squid and saffron stew bubbling away alongside beef ragu in the kitchen.
For the past five years Shannon Martinez has been changing what plant-based dining looks like in Melbourne and her merry band of meat-free believers have packed out her Brunswick Street restaurant since day dot, here for 2019 takes on those old classics and serious cocktails shaken with intent.
A punchy, pungent “bagna cauda” accompanies broccolini and cauliflower smoky and charred from the grill while other simple veg pleasures, such as chickpeas with cima di rapa on polenta, abound.
That “tripe” is cloud mushroom braised until tender yet still textural and tossed through maccheroni topped with salty parmesan,and that beef ragu with pappardelle is rich and comforting. To finish, there’s the tiramisu that’s as decadently creamy as Nonna’s finest.
It’s super cool and loads of fun and staff are seriously good – polished and professional but warm and always welcoming.
KAZUKI’S
Kazuki’s – Daylesford’s delightful high-end Japanese – has relocated to the gingham-clad heart of Lygon Street.
Beautifully, considerately lit, there are smart design touches throughout the new restaurant. The ceramics are gorgeous, the chairs supremely comfortable, the cutlery refined.
Kazuki Tsuya himself delivers dishes that make up the five- or seven-course degustation served on Friday and Saturday nights(a la carte available other times) that starts with a handful of snacks that sets the bar high.
While portions are supremely generous, watch out for the expensive, Euro-centric wine list.
But for a special occasion in refined surrounds, Kazuki’s offers Japanese tranquillity in the heart of boisterous Lygon Street.
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