Coming soon: Melbourne’s hottest new restaurants opening late 2024

From a posh Indian diner to a flame-powered Greek tavern — mark your calendar, as these hot new Melbourne restaurants are launching this winter and beyond.

Nine new Melbourne restaurants are set to open later this year

You don’t need to hibernate this winter, with these hot new restaurants opening soon.

Sydney hospo figures Ross and Sunny Lusted are opening two venues in Melbourne this spring.

Marmelo

Sydney hospo giants Ross and Sunny Lusted will open their first Melbourne restaurants at the top end of town this spring. Both will live inside new boutique hotel, Melbourne Place, on Russell St. The first, Marmelo, strikes a divide between Ross’s South African upbringing and Portugal and Spain obsession. He’ll charge the wood-fired kitchen with a bounty of seafood, rice dishes and larger shares, such as steak and suckling pig. The second, basement bar Mr Mills, will look to the Iberian Peninsula, shaking up bright cocktails and native Portuguese and Spanish wines.

130 Russell St, Melbourne

Restaurater James Klapanis opens the long-awaited Orlo on Friday. Picture: Josie Hayden

Orlo

Young’s Wine Room boss James Klapanis’s long-awaited Mediterranean restaurant and bar is finally opening. Orlo and basement bar Cordial Club launches Friday June 28 inside Collingwood’s heritage Dyason & Co Cordial Factory. Italian chef Matteo Tine will lead the kitchen as executive chef, with Carlo Grossi brought on as a consultant. The 50-seater will boast an open, flame-fuelled kitchen while cocktail king Joe Jones (Purple Pit) will shake up “not sweet” cordial-spiked drinks.

44 Oxford St, Collingwood

Sommelier Xavier Vigier is opening Circl Wine House soon.

Circl Wine House

Hotly anticipated laneway wine bar Circl boasts more than 150 wines by the glass and 1500 rare bottles from around the globe (talk about decision fatigue). Venue manager and ex-Ten Minutes By Tractor sommelier Xavier Vigier is behind the exclusive list, which will give the drinking public access to hard to find wines. Elias Salomonsson (Scott Pickett Group, Vue Group) has been appointed as executive chef, cooking traditional French cuisine with Aussie produce such as Yarra Valley caviar and Blackmore wagyu.

22 Punch Lane, CBD

Tzaki owner and chef Alex Xinis is finally opening his first Greek restaurant in Yarraville Picture: Wayne Taylor

Tzaki

George Calombaris’ protegee Alex Xinis is firing up the wood-grill for his new Greek restaurant, Tzaki, in Yarraville Village. The Athenian kitchen, named after the Greek word for fireplace, will bake breads and pastries by day with smart snacks and larger shares by night.

Expect sweet and savoury bougatsa (custard-filled pastry) and lagana (focaccia) in the mornings, with air-dried octopus, hung on rails over the woodfire oven — the restaurant’s sole cooking source —, “the best ever” smoked cow’s milk cheese imported from Greece, and flatbread plastered in feta butter for dinner. Both Aussie and Greek wines will be on pour, including cult faves retsina and assyrtiko. Expected to open late July.

31 Ballarat Street, Yarraville

Adam D’Sylva is opening Decca this October. Picture Rebecca Michael.

Decca

TV chef Adam D’Sylva is months away from launching his new European restaurant in Alphington. After construction delays, the 80-seater will live inside the shiny new YarraBend resident hub. D’Sylva, with the help of rising-star chef Kay-Lene Tan (Tonka, Ritz-Carlton Melbourne), will sling dozens of traditional pastas alongside Italian-themed snacks and larger plates. Decca will also be home to a lively wine bar and function space. This is D’sylva’s latest project, after hanging up the apron at Coda, Tonka and Lolo. Expected to open in October.

Decca, 55-57 Parkview Road, Alphington

Nathan Toleman and Tom Sarafian will open Zareh together.

Zareh

Cafe giant Nathan Toleman (of Lune, The Kettle Black fame) is on a restaurant-opening spree. Fresh off the launch of Abbotsford’s Molli and Little Molli, appointing ex-Matilda chef Aleksis Kalnins at the helm, The Mulberry Group has united with condiment king Tom Sarafian to launch two venues — daytime eatery Sarafian and Middle Eastern restaurant Zareh. The “city” location of both venues and launch dates remain shrouded in secrecy, though it is expected to open by the year’s out.

TBD

Melbourne restaurateur Jessi Singh has three venues in the works. Picture: David Crosling

Aanya, You My Boy, The Daughters Arms

Restaurateur Jessi Singh’s upscale Indian diner Aanya finally has a launch date. Singh, of Daughter-in-law fame, has installed former Dinner by Heston chef Janos Roman and Nishant Arora (ex-Society, Cutler and Co) at the Smith St restaurant’s helm. The intimate 20-seater will give diners a full view of the kitchen and direct access to chefs. Roman and Arora will also oversee Singh’s other Collingwood pub project, You My Boy; which will rock Indian-style pizzas. The pub is set to open next door. Meanwhile, Singh is planning on opening another pub on Little Bourke St, British Indian gastropub The Daughters Arms on August 5. Aanya is scheduled to open September 15.

Aanya, 368 Smith St, Collingwood