The ultimate places for a business lunch in Melbourne’s CBD
From the top end of town to the basements of Collins St and Flinders Lane, escape the office for some of the best lunches in the city. Here are nine of the best spots in Melbourne’s CBD for a business lunch with style.
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From the top end of town where lawyers lunch and deals get done, to the basements of Collins St and Flinders Lane, escape the office for some of the best lunches in the city.
Here are nine of the top spots in Melbourne’s CBD for a business lunch with style.
DELICIOUS.100: OUR TOP RESTAURANTS REVEALED
Philippe
Philippe Mouchel has long been giving this city lessons in French, but his eponymous basement bistro feels as fresh as ever.
Everything is correct and proper, but never stuffy or stiff, largely thanks to a pro front-of-house team who work the room with care and flair.
And then there’s the man himself, ever present at the pass, finessing each plate as it leaves the kitchen.
So Frenchy, so chic, and so very good.
PHILIPPE
115 Collins St, Melbourne
Ph. 8394 6625
Must-eat dish: Tarte flambee
Cuisine: French
Chef: Philippe Mouchel
Wine list: Tim Sawyer
Price: $$
Bookings: Yes
Open: Lunch Mon-Fri, dinner Mon-Sat
BYO: No Licensed: Yes Separate bar: No
Maha
Maha has been Melbourne’s favourite Middle Eastern dining den since 2008 and, ten years on, Shane Delia’s twinkling sub-basement diner feels more assured — and affordable — than ever.
A choice of three set-course menus is offered.
The eight-course degustation ($140) is where Delia cuts loose with modish flourishes, but the more relaxed, almost rustic four-course ‘soufra’ ($85) casts its own spell.
MAHA
21 Bond Street, Melbourne
03 9629 5900
Must-eat dish: Slow roasted lamb shoulder, garlic, cumin, green olive tabouleh
Cuisine: Middle Eastern
Chefs: Shane Delia & Daniel Giraldo
Price: $$
Bookings: Yes
Open: Lunch daily, 12-3pm; dinner daily 6pm-late
BYO: No Licensed: Yes Separate bar: No
Saxe
Up the top end of town, where lawyers lunch and deals get done, Saxe is a wonderful surprise.
For here in a handsome two-storey diner decked out in royal blue, Joe Grbac is serving up a celebration of homegrown produce transformed into technical yet approachable and undeniably delicious fare.
It’s food that’s made for wine, with a beautifully considered list delivering much love in the glass by smart staff who know what they’re doing.
Add an unbeatable lunch deal, where two courses are just $45, and you have a package that’s full of Saxe appeal.
SAXE
211 Queen St, Melbourne
9089 6699
Must eat dish: Salmon with soba
Cuisine: Contemporary
Chef: Joe Grbac
Wine list by Jack Nolan
Price: $$
Bookings: Yes
Open: Lunch Mon-Fri, Dinner Tues-Sat
BYO: Special bottles only, corkage fees apply
Separate bar: Yes
Lello
Tiny pillows of the lightest gnocchi served with a saffron-tinged lamb ragu disappear in a dream.
Pizzas, on-theme entrees such as ricotta-filled zucchini flowers and grilled calamari, and a few changing mains round out a menu joined by a tight wine list that holds local interest and Italian traditions in equal esteem.
Add a newly renovated dining room that’s quietly handsome, service that comes with owner-operator care and that lasagne, and Lello is the essential destination for every Italiophile.
LELLO
150 Flinders Lane, city
Ph: 9654 6699
Must eat dish: Vincisgrassi lasagne
Cuisine: Italian
Chef: Leo Gelsomino
Wine menu: Paul Mitchell (manager)
Price: $$
Bookings: Yes
Open: Breakfast Mon-Fri; lunch and dinner Mon-Sat
BYO: No Separate bar: Yes
Bar Saracen
The food is excellent and keenly priced and the interesting wines — locals, plus a few from “wherever the Arabs have been” — are chosen for diners’ enjoyment not a sommelier’s ego.
It’s cheeky, delicious fun, as welcoming for a quick sip and snack as it is for making a full night of it — a night that will likely end with arak, either in shots or splashed over pineapple sorbet.
BAR SARACEN
22 Punch Lane, Melbourne
Ph 03 8639 0265
Must-eat dish: Hummus
Chefs Tom Sarafian & Joseph Abboud
Price $$
Bookings: Yes
Open: Tues-Fri 12pm-late; Sat 5.30pm-late
BYO: No Licensed: Yes Separate bar: Yes
Coda
In the restaurant world, the word ‘fusion’ has more often than not meant collision.
Not at Coda.
This raffish basement diner, now in its tenth year, continues to meld Asian and Euro influences with aplomb, expressing executive chef Adam D’Sylva’s quest for “balanced flavours, seasonality and innovation.’’
As for the vibe, it’s still industrial chic but the lights have dimmed, the sharper edges have been softened and Coda feels very good indeed.
CODA
Basement, 141 Flinders Lane, Melbourne
03 9650 3155
Must-eat dish: Cone Bay barramundi with jungle aromats
Cuisine: French-Vietnamese; Modern Asian
Chef: Adam D’Sylva & Henri Budiman
Price: $$
Bookings: Yes
Open: Lunch daily 12-3pm; dinner Fri-Sat 5:30pm-late, Sun-Thu 6pm-late
BYO: No Licensed: Yes Separate bar: No
Collins Quarter
Long the hangout for city suits networking over coffee and knocking off over drinks, smart CBD pub Collins Quarter is now also a top spot for lunch and dinner.
In fact, there’s seriously good food coming out of the Luke Headon-helmed kitchen here that puts his time spent in London’s Michelin-starred Restaurant Story to excellent use on the plate.
In the glass, Vic-dominant taps look after frothies, while a nicely tended cellar celebrates the local while picking up good stuff from afar.
COLLINS QUARTER
86 Collins St, Melbourne
650 8500
Must-eat dish: Dory with cucumber and desert lime
Cuisine: Contemporary
Chef: Luke Headon
Price: $$
Bookings: Yes
Open: Mon-Thurs breakfast-dinner 7:30am-11pm; Fri breakfast-dinner 7:30am-late; Sat dinner 4pm-late
BYO: No Licensed: Yes Separate bar: Yes
Long Chim
This lively Thai restaurant on the Yarra Promenade has all the heat and hustle of a street canteen in Bangkok.
And with David Thompson (Nahm, Bangkok) at the helm, a man who understands Thai food better than any other Australian chef, you’re assured of an authentic, uncompromising experience.
Long Chim’s offer is backed with swift, knowledgeable service and a fun fitout.
With lots of nooks and crannies, this high-ceilinged space decked with streamers is just made for partying. Things are even more festive on the terrace.
Out there, with a Singha beer in one hand and a chicken satay in the other, it’s quite possible to imagine you’re in another world.
LONG CHIM MELBOURNE
Yarra Promenade, Crown Melbourne, 8 Whiteman Street Southbank
03 9292 5777
Must eat dish Soft shell crab, chilli, black pepper and coriander
Cuisine: Thai
Chef: Steven Ngo
Drinks list: Matthew Brooke
Price $$
Bookings: Yes
Open: Wed-Sun lunch and dinner
BYO: No Licensed: Yes Separate bar: No
Becco
When you’ve had it up to your ears with smears, groan at another foam and yearn for plate that you don’t have to share, make tracks to Becco.
This stylish Italian CBD stalwart remains impervious to culinary fads and stands out from the crowd by remaining true to its vision of classics delivered with class.
There’s a reason the city’s suits return time and again for the simple pleasures of chilli-dusted calamari, beef carpaccio, veal saltimbocca and tiramisu. It’s comfort writ large.
Pastas remain a highlight and Becco’s spaghetti vongole is hard to beat.
BECCO
11-25 Crossley St, Melbourne
9663 3000
Must eat dish: Spaghetti vongole
Cuisine: Italian
Chef: Carmine Mari
Wine list: Simon Hartley
Price: $$
Bookings: Yes
Open: Lunch Mon-Fri; dinner Mon-Sat
BYO: No Licensed: No Separate bar: No
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