Best of the new openings in Melbourne’s south
FROM South Melbourne to Mentone, Albert Park to Braeside, these are the hottest new restaurant and cafe openings to add to your weekend eating list.
Best of Melbourne
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IT’S been a busy start to the year for foodies in Melbourne’s south, with a spate of new restaurants, cafes and bars opening everywhere from South Melbourne to Mentone. Here’s the best of the south’s hottest new hospitality recruits.
HOTTEST NEW OPENINGS: SOUTH EDITION
INNER SOUTH
— THE HACK (1 Crockford St, Port Melbourne), a craft brewery with Instagram-ready good looks, lounge vibes and the best American barbecue in town, has just fired up in a Port Melbourne corner pub that’s had more name changes than hot dinners. thehack.com.au
— South Melbourne welcomed a wine-bar-meets-mini-pub with the opening of EASTERN ROAD BAR (74 Eastern Rd, South Melbourne). A keenly priced food offering, with “nothing over $20”, is predominantly made up of stone-baked pizzas along with pub classics including bangers and mash and baked fish and chips. easternroadbar.com.au
— KOOKOO BURGERS (4/249 Clarendon St, South Melbourne) has started flipping juicy patties in South Melbourne. The bustling burger joint come hot-dog dealer is all about indulgence, as evidenced by their loaded dogs and towering burger stacks. #getinmybelly
— Albert Park this week welcomed it’s newest addition, FAT ALBERT (381 Montague St, Albert Park), which has taken over from the now-closed Truman Cafe. instagram.com/fatalbertcafe
WHERE TO GET YOUR VINO ON IN MELBOURNE’S SOUTH
HIGHETT TIPPED TO BECOME MELBOURNE’S NEXT HOT SPOT
INNER SOUTH EAST
— Scott Pickett, of Saint Crispin and ESP fame, will open his first venture south of the river with the launch of MATILDA 159 DOMAIN (159 Domain Road, South Yarra) in June. The all-day eatery will be part of the new boutique United Spaces hotel. #staytuned matilda159domain.com.au
— Nearby, on Chapel St, six-year-old MORRIS JONES (163 Chapel St, Prahran) has reopened with a new look and new food direction. Matt Butcher is still in the kitchen but is now serving up a breezy “Cali-Jap” fusion. morrisjones.com.au
— Prahran newcomerCOLOURS BY ATLAS (202 Commercial Rd, Prahran) is keeping things fresh, with grand plans to become the first zero waste fast-casual restaurant in the world. With a compost bin for rubbish and no single-use plastic in sight, it’s fab fast food that’s guilt free to boot. Never has saving the world tasted so good. colourskitchen.com.au
— Commune Group, the arbiters of taste responsible for Impala, Hanoi Hannah, Tokyo Tina and Neptune Food and Wine, has just flung open the door’s to its delicious new Thai-inspired high-end restaurant concept, ALTER DINING (2 Duke St, Windsor), which is taking over from where Saigon Sally and BKK left off. Expect good things. alterdining.melbourne
— Also keep an eye out for REBEL BLUE, which is coming soon to 127 Chapel St, Windsor. rebelblue.com.au
OUTER SOUTH
— A cafe with its own takes on Coco Pops and cornflakes? Why the heck not. The 75-seat Ripponlea newcomer, TURNING POINT, (8-10 Glen Eira Ave) is from the same crew behind Camberwell’s Collective Espresso and Short Straw in Hawthorn, taking over the space opposite Ripponlea train station vacated by Hawk & Hunter. turningpointripponlea.com
— THE TAMPER TRAP (181 Bay Street, Brighton) is one of the newest specialty coffee haunts to pop up on Brighton’s bustling Bay Street. The honey hot cakes are next level. And they come dusted with rainbow sugar. Yep. thetampertrap.com.au
— Nearby, in Bentleigh, the retro GOOD TIMES MILK BAR (83 Tucker Rd) has been slinging silky Small Batch Roasting Co beans and Szechuan chilli scramble on toast (with the optional extra of Mooloolaba crab) since mid-March. goodtimesmilkbar.com.au
— If you’ve got food allergies or intolerances, Moorabbin’s new ALLERGY TRAIN cafe and wholefoods store (922 Nepean Hwy) has your gluten-free and vegan lifestyle needs covered. allergytrain.com.au
LOCAL TRADERS, REAL ESTATE AGENTS SAY HIGHETT IS THE PLACE TO BE
BEST CAFES IN BAYSIDE MELBOURNE
OUTER SOUTH/SOUTH-EAST
— From the same creative folk who last year brought you Highett’s AM:PM comes Cheltenham's newest watering hole, THE GROUNDSKEEPER (9-11 Station Rd). The sprawling all-day eatery has Dukes coffee on pour in the AM, espresso martinis in the PM, The Oakleigh Doughnut Co goodies all day and a pretty epic beer garden. Try the sauteed wild mushrooms on brioche toast with cashew cream, salsa verde, truffle pecorino, hazelnut gremolata and a poachie. Drool. thegroundskeeper.com.au
— Over the road you’ll find another Cheltenham newbie, THE CAT BIRD SEAT (14 Station Rd), which is pouring quality coffee and plating up seriously generous house deposits (that’s smashed avo, for those playing at home).
— And keep an eye out for KIN CORNER STORE (shop 5, 321 Charman Road), a plant-based cafe and artisan produce/grocery store opening this weekend in Cheltenham. instagram.com/kincornerstore
— A little further along Nepean Hwy, Mentone’s latest coffee baby, SWEET EPSRESSO (8/27-29 Nepean Hwy), is already smashing breakfast out of the park with sah-on-trend poke bowls, Buddha bowls c razy shakes and seriously decadent Oreo pancakes. Oh, and their cold drip comes served in skull-shaped shot glasses. Because #melbourne facebook.com/SweetEspressoMentone
— HAPPY AS LARRY (106 Charman Rd, Mentone) opened last week on Charman Road and its smashed avo is already in contention as one of the best. happyaslarrymelb.com.au
— For dinner (and 180 degree sunset views), SUNNYBOY BEACH CLUb (212 Bay Trail Bay, Mordialloc) is bringing fresh beats, delicious eats and serious nostalgia vibes to the Mordy foreshore. Taking over the old Windows on the Bay restaurant, this is the latest offering from the local hospo heroes behind Main Street Cafe, Side Street Bar, The Cornerstore Cafe and Asian-fusion restaurant Bang Bang. sunnyboybc.com.au
— Italophiles, listen up. You will definitely want to get down to Braeside’s newest Mediterranean eatery, MEAT FLOUR WINE (248 Boundary Rd, Braeside). The southern Italian-influenced cafe and restaurant (whose mouthwatering brunch menu includes too-delicious-to-be-true options such as open omelettes with pork and fennel sausage served on toast with roast tomato, buffalo mozzarella and rocket leaves) is brigning some serious fresh-Med vibes to Braeside’s industrial precinct. And don’t get us started on the dinner menu. Prawn linguini with saffron and chilli, penne with a wild mushroom and truffle oil ragu, slow-roasted lamb shoulder. — you can go for breakfast and just never leave. They also offer cooking classes and aperitivo hour. #newfave meatflourwine.com.au
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