Herald Sun food editor Kara Monssen reveals the top 25 restaurants in Victoria
A posh Bayside Italian eatery, western suburbs brewery slinging Tex Mex pub grub and a poky secret Healesville restaurant have been named among the best places to eat in Victoria.
Food
Don't miss out on the headlines from Food. Followed categories will be added to My News.
After 12 months of eating, drinking and thinking, here is ‘The List’ of my favourite places to visit in Melbourne and Victoria.
This was the year of the tiny and mighty venue, led by swarms of “cosi-living conscious restaurateurs” who love the game but not excessive overheads.
It was also saw the reinvention of established restaurants and marked the 2.0 era, either through a new breed of kitchen talent, large-scale renovation, relocation or pivot to a more sustainable existence.
New flavours from all parts of Latin America, the Philippines, southern India, Greece, Korea and the Middle East became part of our “dine out diet”.
Need I mention those places with serious snack cred?
And while 2024 sadly saw the closure of many of beloved legacy restaurants, it also welcomed several, next-gen venues as we enter this brave new world of eating.
NEW AND NOTEWORTHY
Reed House, CBD *Winner*
Chef Mark Hannell (St John, Ottolenghi) and life and business partner Rebecca Baker nail the “dinner at our house” brief in their first city project. They have meticulous attention to detail in all they do and charming staff you’ll want to make your besties. Plus the food isn’t stuffy, pretentious or overpriced — it may be among the best things you eat all year; especially that roast chook.
Must-try dish: Ramen scotch egg
The Manse Building, 130 Lonsdale St, Melbourne
Lucia, South Melbourne
Lucia may be fancy with a capital ‘F’, but it still delivers where it most counts: flavour town. Owners Anthony Silvestre and Frank Ciorciari dial up posh Italian vibes as they edge their suburban restaurant empire closer to the city: marble, velvet, $1200 bottles of Dom and caviar over ice. But it never loses its sensibility (Hello, $11 Peroni Red, $9 snacks), with chef Jordan Clavaron delivering an encore-worthy Mediterranean-menu with immense skill.
Must-try dish: Yellowfin tuna, anchovies, romesco, tomato
11 Eastern Rd, South Melbourne
Askal, CBD
The city’s Filipino food obsession is still running hot. Askal chef John Rivera injects the foreign, familiar and downright fun into his cooking. Maybe you’ll OD on ox-tail kare kare doughnuts: stress-ball squishy bao buns spewing peanut, oxtail and bagoong (fermented shrimp paste). Or fat-cut pork belly skewers sizzled over coals. Or larger hits such as the market fish or cauldron of oyster blade steak, claypot rice and bone marrow. Eat outside your comfort zone, indulge in the spoils.
Must-try dish: Kare Kare doughnuts
167 Exhibition St, Melbourne
Bistra, Carlton
Bistra is the neighbourhood bistro Carlton never knew it needed. Owners Henry Crawford, Alexei Taheny-Macfarlane and Joseph Ho display a new level of kitchen cred and behind-the-bar know-how. Plus there’s a genuine love for cooking delicious food that’ll put large smiles on dials. Think chicken liver pate schmeared over crusty sourdough toast, potato rostis dappled in creme fraiche with trout roe, perky mussels bubbling in a parsley and Dijon spiked broth — and a glorious cheeseburger with a hulking pickle and fries. Food is by ex-Attica chef, Alex Nishizawa, drinks are by seasoned wine industry pros. You’re in good hands.
Must-try dish: Cheeseburger
57 Elgin Street Carlton
Saint George, St Kilda
St Kilda’s Saint Hotel (ahem, Fitzroy St in general) needed a hero, so in swooped celebrity chef Karen Martini and co to save the day. Along with head chef Diana Desensi (Byron Bay’s Pixie) and husband Michael Sapountsis in toe, she cooks a familiar tale of European comforts that are unashamedly classic, rich in flavour and texture. The thrice-cooked potato cakes, adorned in white taramasalata (whipped cod roe) and caviar have a cult following. And the borderline burnt meringue is so good it can’t be taken off the menu. Roast chook, flame-kissed steaks and pastas are also on show.
Must-try dish: Burnt pavlova
54 Fitzroy St, St Kilda
TINY AND MIGHTY
Toddy Shop, Fitzroy *Equal winner*
Chef Mischa Tropp’s tiny hole-in-the-wall is known for its seriously good southern Indian cuisine with cracking curries that rotate weekly, cold beer and clever cocktails. Squeezing in 20 punters at a time, Toddy Shop delivers everything we could ask for in a restaurant right now: affordable, rightly delicious, with cool drinks, friendly staff and seriously fun vibes.
191A Smith St, Fitzroy
Tzaki, Yarraville *Equal winner*
This Greek tapas bar seats 15 people, has 11 menu-items and nothing costs more than $24. Chefs Alex Xinis and Shehan Setunga are dispensing authentic Athenian eats with a twist using a custom-built, wood oven as their only flame source. My picks are the flatbread plastered in taramasalata, chubby octopus and the chickpeas al la Diport.
31 Ballarat St, Yarraville
Carnation Canteen, Fitzroy
Fitzroy’s backstreets are a little richer thanks to this unfussy, produce-championing 20-seater by owner-chef Audrey Shaw (River Cafe, Tedesca Osteria) and husband Alexander Di Stefano. Lunches or dinner may see a simple spread of pan-sizzled halloumi with red chilli, or Thai-style baby snapper fish cakes or white wine-braised rabbit with borlotti beans.
165 Gore St, Fitzroy
Emerald City, Healesville
Only four people can call chef Joel Alderdice’s Healesville posh fine diner home — for a few hours anyway. Hiding behind the dark green curtain inside Cavanagh’s Whisky and Alehouse, the multi-course degustation fangs through the Yarra Valley, showcasing the technicolour spoils of region’s finest. Prepare for special occasion fancy.
207 Maroondah Hwy, Healesville
VIBEY
Tombo Den, Windsor
Chris Lucas’s buzzy Izakaya restaurant is full of surprises. Club vibes, hunky footballers and supermodel-status hotties? That’s expected, but seriously good snack mash-ups will blow minds. The duck hamburg riffs on Tokyo’s tsukune chicken meatball, corn fritters take on Japan’s savoury okonomiyaki pancakes, and the sashimi and sushi is solid.
100 Chapel St, Windsor
Hopper Joint, Prahran *Winner*
Entrecote power-couple Jason M. Jones and Brahman Perera’s new Sri Lankan joint is a fast-moving fever dream of colours, delicious curry smells and twinkling of schoolteacher hand bells when you require more hoppers (Sri Lankan egg pancakes). Eat as much as you can, beat the record. Drink and be merry.
157 Greville St, Prahran
Bossa Nova Sushi, CBD
Choo choo. All aboard Con Christopoulos and Victor Liong’s Brazilian sushi train. Stopping all stations to flavour town. Wallet-friendly plates range from $4.80 to $12. Think seared bonito, tuna nigiri, fried eggplant and miso soup, washed down with Brazillian Caipirinhas. Let the good times chug along.
70 Bourke St, Melbourne
instagram.com/bossanovasushi_train
Moon Dog Wild West, Footscray
Keen on sinking beer, watching sport on telly and riding a bucking bull? Then craft-brewery Moon Dog’s western suburbs hangout is for you. Expect 48-drinks on tap (beer, mixers, seltzers) and pub grub with a Tex Mex twist of tacos, nachos and ribs that’ll line the tum ahead of bucks and hen’s dos and serious weekend sessions.
54 Hopkins St, Footscray
TOP-TIER COOKING
Babae, Ballarat
Strike fine dining gold at regional chef Tim Foster’s farm-to-fork restaurant inside the swanky Hotel Vera. The sensibly priced lunch and dinner menus celebrate homegrown hits. You may start with a two-bite mushroom cannoli, gorge on Castlemaine’s Long Paddock blue cheese filled gougeres or double-down on duck. Pair with local wines and beer.
710 Sturt St, Ballarat
Circl Wine House, CBD
Sommelier Xavier Vigier’s new city wine palace isn’t just a haven for rare or expensive pours. Exec chef Elias Salomonsson punches above on snacks, shares and everything in between. I still swoon over the smoked eel tart, pickled mussels, beetroot and goats cheese eclair and the duck. For wine? Try top-tier champagne, Burgundies and back-vintage beauties.
22 Punch Ln, Melbourne
Vue de Monde, CBD *Winner*
Star chef Hugh Allen takes the Rialto’s legacy restaurant to wildly exciting heights post-million dollar reno and kitchen revamp. Each course glimmers with shiny European Michelin-star magic and with a soulful beat of Australiana. The native XO marron curry, macadamia, caviar and kelp oil and choccie souffle are standouts. At $360 a head, it’s worth every penny.
55 Rialto Towers, 525 Collins St, Melbourne
Samesyn 2.0, Torquay
It’s Samesyn, but different. Chef Graham Jeffries reprogrammed his Torquay restaurant into a profit-for-purpose enterprise earlier this year, taking inspo from London’s zero-waste restaurant Silo. All landfill-bound produce is turned into mind-bogglingly delicious meals, and drinks are house made or hyper-local to close the loop.
3/24 Bell St, Torquay
GLOBAL TASTES
Hacienda, Southbank
Don’t be scared off by the creepy-crawlies or milk-themed drinks. Aussie chef Ross McCombe wants his Mexican street eats to be inoffensive and delicious. Tortillas are made from scratch daily, some filled with pork belly and other trimmings, while the crab tostada is a journey of texture and temperature. As for the bug salt chippies, made from powdered roasted grasshoppers? That’s nothing to squirm about.
3 Southgate Ave, Southbank
Doju, CBD *Winner*
Retired dairy cow beef on seaweed chips, “adjusted” watermelon cocktails, red bean flavoured ice cream. Eating at Mika Chae’s punchy Korean restaurant is a rollercoaster, so strap in for the ride! The cousin of tiny restaurant queen Jung En Chae makes a mark with hot-from-the-oven gochujang sourdough rolls, “farm leaf” calamari tacos, washed down with wine (funky, fine and aged) and a mix of clever cocktails.
530 Little Collins St, Melbourne
Morena, CBD
Peruvian chef and Farmer’s Daughters star Alejandro Saravia’s ambitious third Melbourne restaurant is a love letter to Latin America. It’s truly unlike anything we’ve seen in this city. Pisco sours, suckling goat, prawn doughnuts, venison tarts and the unofficial potato three-way (olluscos) will do the trick nicely.
71-73 Little Collins St, Melbourne
Papelon, Footscray
Take a trip to Venezuela via Footscray Market, with larger than life serves, fat sandwiches and a sunny seafood soup you never knew you needed. Home cook Reveka Hurtado stomach-stretching meals include a patacon of shredded beef and chicken, cheese, root veg, golden fried tequenos, dough-wrapped halloumi squiggles, and that coconut-milk based cazuela de mariscos soup.
190/81 Hopkins St, Footscray
instagram.com/papelonmelbourne
SNACKS AND BOOZE
Rocket Society, Brunswick East
Rumi’s neighbouring Middle-Eastern snack bar slings fries and tahinaise, breaded barra wings swiped in chunky toum’tare and sobering HSP (halal snack pack) croquettes, alongside grown-up pina coladas and heady margarockets (mescal and fresh lime) to fuel your night.
2 Village Ave, Brunswick East
Elio’s Place, CBD
Brother-sister cafe pros Adam and Elisa Mariani are behind both a gorgeous dining space and an impressive snack game. Think burrata with artichokes and crispy chilli oil, trout mousse piped over potato rostis and charred oxtongue skewers. On drinks, take your pick from spritz, martinis, vermouth or a chilled glass of vino.
1/238 Flinders Ln, Melbourne
Barra, CBD
Morena’s snack bar son doubles-down on seriously impressive Latin bevs and bites. Colombian doughnuts, oxtongue skewers, torched parmesan cream and aji amarillo butter scallops and a jolly-good Happy Hour spruiking $8 wines and beer. Hola!
73 Little Collins St
morenarestaurant.com.au/barra-melbourne
Bar Olo, Carlton *Winner*
Bar Olo (geddit?) is far more than a wine dispensary and Scopri’s younger sibling. Living a few doors from the iconic Carlton Italian restaurant, Anthony Scutella and Alison Foley’s latest venue holds its own, doing snacks, drinks and dinner a solid. Start with a boozy cocktail to set the mood (I’ll take a Boulevardier), order some proper Italian snacks (vitello tonatto, tuna tartare, fritto misto) before working your way up to the namesake drink.
165 Nicholson St, Carlton
More Coverage
Top chefs head north for tropical takeover
Victoria’s loss will be Queensland’s gain next month when some of the state’s top chefs head north to the tropics for the food festival.
Roll up, roll up: The tastiest scrolls taking over Melbourne
Sweet, salty or stuffed with cheese — scrolls are spinning back into our lives in a big, buttery way. Here are five baked beauties we can’t stop craving.