Melbourne’s new restaurants in 2020
From Melbourne’s biggest rooftop playground to a food truck park for families, farm-to-fork fare at a Tullamarine surf park and counter meals at a reborn St Kilda icon, here are the best spots we’ll be eating and drinking in 2020.
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Crofter, Brunswick East
It’s out with the lamb and halloumi and in with salads and roasted veg and classic British ham when Matt Wilkinson (Pope Joan) takes over the original Hellenic Republic and turns it into “a modern-day inn”.
Crofter will have two spaces — a bar with room for 45-50 in the front and an 80-seat dining room at the back – where Matt will cook a menu of salads and vegetables teamed with sides of meat, when it opens in January.
Hellenic Republic will serve its last moussaka and taramasalata on December 31.
Wild, Castlemaine
Toby Waite and Brendon Jones (both ex Riverland Group) have taken over Castlemaine’s old fire station and turned it into their first venue, Wild.
Jones’ menu makes the most of central Victorian produce served across a range of approachable small plates — parfait with fig jam; devilled eggs with bacon — and larger proteins (roast chicken, wagyu scotch), while Waite’s wine list is an equally proud celebration of the region.
Now open Thursday-Sunday from noon at 26A Templeton St.
W MELBOURNE, CBD
Melbourne will get its own hip W hotel in 2020, and along with its 294 guest rooms and Wow suites, there will be three restaurants and a bar for diners and revellers alike when the hotel welcomes its first guests in late June/early July.
Moke, Flinders
Current Australian Professional Chef of the Year, Australia’s representative in this year’s Bocuse d’Or global culinary competition and longtime Flinders Hotel chef, Michael Cole has struck out on his own around the corner.
At Moke (from Flinders’ one-time name, Mendi-Moke) he’s offering Mornington Peninsula produce in a shared dining experience in an intimate 30-seat dining room.
Now open at 60 Cook St.
33 Russell St, CBD
Melbourne will get another Andrew McConnell restaurant this summer, with the restaurateur adding to his successful Trader House stable (Supernormal, Cutler&Co, Builders Arms, etc) at 33 Russell St. Currently transforming the historic Cavendish House into a clubby European bistro and cocktail bar, expect the timeless McConnell flair for style with substance and side serve of glamour when it opens late February.
Carter Lovett, Elsternwick
The daytime dream team from Brighton’s much-loved Saint Martin’s has turned their eye to after-dark delights.
Carter Lovett offers grab-and-go espresso and a quick brekky on the run for Elsternwick commuters, but it’s the more sophisticated bistro menu served lunch and dinner with wine bar charm that marks an evolution for the team and will have lucky locals taking pause over glasses of Laurent Perrier and ox tongue cheeseburgers.
Now open at 329 Glen Huntly Rd.
Summertime Social, Fed Square
Federation Square’s Skyline Terrace will be transformed into Melbourne’s biggest rooftop playground this summer, with custom-built lane games, drinks, food, picnic baskets, huts and retro caravans for hire along with a communal area with free lawn games.
With DJs on the weekends, bottomless brunches on Sunday, this promises to be a whole lot of fun in the summer sun.
From January 3.
80 Collins, CBD
The landmark development 80 Collins, which includes 40 storeys of office space and a 255-room boutique Next Hotel, will also feature some of 2020’s biggest restaurant openings.
Chris Lucas has teamed with Martin Benn and Vicki Wild from Sydney’s acclaimed Sepia restaurant with the ambition to create “a truly international restaurant”.
In the building they’ll be joined by Alejandro Saravia (Pastuso) who will open Farmer’s Daughters, which celebrates the produce of Gippsland, as well as a champagne and cocktail bar by The Speakeasy Group (Eau de Vie, Mjolner, Boilermaker House) called Nick and Nora’s.
Charlie Carrington’s Colours Bowls, Christy Tania’s flagship Glace dessert restaurant, Maverick cafe and Handpicked Wines urban cellar door round out the hospitality offering.
Expect progressive openings from mid next year.
Three Blue Ducks, Tullamarine
Tullamarine will be the first Melbourne home of the Three Blue Ducks’ acclaimed farm-to-fork fare when Australia’s first surf park, Urbnsurf opens in January.
The Three Blue Ducks’ signature easy, breezy, beachy produce-first fare will be served to hungry surfers and friends from breakfast through dinner in the 350-seat restaurant that has a has a wood-fired oven and grill as its heart.
Falco, Collingwood
They know how to do good booze, now the Madewell Group (Bar Liberty, Capitano) has turned its head to bread.
Falco is bringing the smell of freshly baked cardamom buns and pies and slow-ferment sourdoughs to Smith St, with baker Christine Tran (Loafer Bread, Tivoli Rd) joining with chef/co-owner Casey Wall to serve a range of sandwiches and salads along with the danishes, fruit bread and a good line in cookies.
Falco is open daily from 8am at 288 Smith St.
PRINCE PUBLIC BAR, ST KILDA
It’s been a long time since it’s hosted dollar pots on a Monday night, but on Friday St Kilda’s legendary loved home of louche and loose good times, the Prince Public Bar will pour its first pint.
While the makeover at the hands of IF Architecture is in keeping with next-gen St Kilda, colourful locals will still be welcomed for beers and counter meal burgers and breakfast, too, in the reborn pub.
29 Fitzroy St
Nomad, CBD
It’s been a feature on every delicious.100 in NSW and remains a Surry Hills hotspot after more than six years, acclaimed for chef Jacqui Challinor’s no-fuss fare cooked over flames.
Next year, Melbourne will get a taste of Nomad’s signature style when it opens at 189 Flinders Lane.
Also called Nomad, the new venue will share DNA — and Jacqui as exec chef — with its Sydney sibling but will offer a new look, feel and menu when it opens in June.
Batard, CBD
It looks like a mid-year timeline for restaurateur Chris Lucas’s Gallic addition to his Chin Chin/Hawker Hall/Baby/Kong and Kisume empire.
Batard, up the top end of Bourke St, was originally slated to transform a two-storey Victorian building into four-levels of French bistro but will now also incorporate the space next door — the original Society restaurant.
Using the great French bistros of Paris and New York as inspiration, expect an oyster bar, a focus on steaks and charcuterie, with a wine store and roof terrace also planned.
Firebird, Windsor
Commune Group — Hanoi Hannah, Tokyo Tina, Neptune — will add to their signature fun and funky restaurants in February with Firebird.
Offering just 20 dishes cooked over fire and coals with a focus on the flavours of northern Thailand, Firebird promises cool cocktails, eats and beats opposite the group’s Neptune wine bar on High St.
MORE FROM DAN STOCK
AND HERE’S A FEW MORE …
Brunswick’s Railway Hotel is getting a whizzbang makeover at the hands of the Riverland Group, Domenico De Marco is moving his North Carlton ItalianGiro D’Italia to the CBD in January and Healesville’s Giant Steps will become Matilda Bay pub and brewery on Boxing Day.
Richmond’sPublic House will get a new rooftop, Sydney’s cult burger joint Mary’s is opening a 140-seat city spot, Spotswood will be home to a permanent 10,000sq m weekend food festival called Grazeland and Jessi Singh will add another “unauthentic Indian” in the CBD whenMrs Singh joins his acclaimed Daughter in Law.
Torquay will get some Latin lovin’ when Miami opens next week, CBD stalwartIl Bacaro will get a mid-year makeover and Mordialloc will be home to fruit-based distillery Saint Felix within the Urban Ground cafe and gardens.