Winter doom and gloom begone: Melbourne is soon to welcome a slew of new places to eat, drink and be very, very merry. Here are some of the places we’re most excited about.

Dodam (soft opening July 25)

“Our slogan is: a joy shared is a joy doubled,” says manager Jacky Kim of Dodam, the new Korean restaurant she’s launching at East Brunswick Village with husband and head chef Jin Jung and sous chef Mars Kim. The concept is “janchi” (or feast food) with sous vide pork cheek and spicy braised pork hock among the staples. Makgeolli (a fermented rice drink) will be made in-house and served in traditional pottery. One-dish lunch highlights include omelette-rolled bibimbap.

2/7 Bluestone Way, Brunswick East, instagram.com/dodammelbourne

Otakoi Ukrainian Restaurant (late July)

Hanna Kachura arrived in Australia three years ago as a refugee from Ukraine. Now she’s opening Melbourne’s only Ukrainian restaurant. “Otakoi” roughly translates as “wow!” or “seriously?!” and hints at the cheeky atmosphere. “There’s food here you haven’t seen in Melbourne,” says Kachura, who is alongside her Aussie partner, chef Michael O’Hanlon. Vareniki (dumplings) will be stuffed with liver and heart “to give a sweet taste”, and there’s banosh, soft polenta topped with cheese and crunchy pork fat. Desserts will include sour cherry cake and crepes with poppyseed and cottage cheese. “It’s simple food but super tasty,” she says.

34 Chapel Street, Windsor, otakoi.com.au

Kokoras (early August)

Chef Alex Xinis is opening a charcoal chicken shop two doors down from his Greek bar, Tzaki. “There’s a wave of chicken shops, but this one has a Greek influence,” he says, noting that “kokoras” means rooster. Butterflied chickens will spin over coals, then be dunked in a lemon and oregano dressing, joined by flatbreads and salads such as pearl barley with roasted carrots. There will be a few stools but takeout is the thrust, with Xinis bypassing delivery platforms. “I’ll have my own dudes on scooters,” he says.

27 Ballarat Street, Yarraville, kokoras.com.au

Yang Thai (August)

Another charcoal chicken shop is coming, this time southern Thai-inspired and nestled in the cute cluster of food spots in a pedestrianised pocket between Acland Street and St Kilda Botanic Gardens. It’s by Jimmy Pham (Waxflower) and Narit Kinsey (ex-Earth Angels). “Yang means ‘grill’ in Thai,” says Pham. “We’re offering mostly charcoal-grilled chicken, local seafood and vegetarian options, with classic and obscure southern Thai side dishes.”

49 Blessington Street, St Kilda, instagram.com/yang.thai__

Butter Days Bakery (late August)

Get ready for a new cult croissant. Pastry chef John Demetrios’ new bakery will channel the skills and dedication he showcased at Omnia and Vue de Monde, and the composure that saw him win reality-TV show Dessert Masters. “I’ve been hyper-analysing and tweaking classics,” he says. “The croissant recipe is unique.” Butter Days will mostly be grab-and-go with a signature Sunshine Bun kicking off the day. “It’s Danish dough but richer, and a salty custard filling with icing on top. It’s something you’ll want to eat all the time.”

209 Glenferrie Road, Malvern, butterdaysbakery.com.au

Three Horses (late August)

The trio behind award-winning city bar Caretaker’s Cottage has taken on the old Troika site. “We fell in love with the tiny warehouse space with a steel roller door, bare brick and concrete beams,” says owner Rob Libecans. The concept is inspired by old sherry bars in Madrid. “There’s a thread of sherry through everything, so when we do a margarita, say, there’s house-made mandarin sherry, lime sorbet and tequila.”

106 Little Lonsdale Street, Melbourne, instagram.com/threehorsesbar

Zareh (late winter)

We’ve been existing on his jarred hummus and stalking his pop-ups but Melbourne will soon have a permanent place to eat Tom Sarafian’s food. “It will be intimate, 40 seats, with an open kitchen where the chefs cook with charcoal then turn around and serve people,” says Sarafian. The sound system is a focus. “I’m excited about barbecuing and playing records.” Food-wise, expect Middle Eastern favourites that recall Sarafian’s stint at Bar Saracen plus new dishes that lean into his Armenian heritage.

368 Smith Street, Collingwood, instagram.com/zareh.melbourne

Orson Dining (September)

Chefs Sarah Cremona (Moke Dining) and Ryan Spurrell (The Ledbury, Estelle) are turning the foyer of Rosebud’s 1928 Broadway Theatre into a restaurant that offers fresh takes on classics. “We are drawing on history and restoring the terrazzo flooring,” says Cremona, who recently undertook leadership training at the MAD Academy in Copenhagen. Orson is named after Orson Welles, whose famous last line from the 1941 film, Citizen Kane, was “Rosebud”, a fitting tie-in to the history of the building.

1017 Point Nepean Road, Rosebud, instagram.com/orson.dining

Yiaga (October-November)

Vue de Monde executive chef Hugh Allen is sure he’ll never become tired of arriving at Yiaga, the 40-seat tasting-menu restaurant being constructed in the CBD-fringe Fitzroy Gardens. “There couldn’t be a better spot for a restaurant,” he says. The building, its artefacts and the food will celebrate Australia. “Every single item in the place has a story, a craftsperson behind it: the natural stone is all Australian, the tiles are made in Melbourne from local clay, and that detail in sourcing will carry through to the food. The hope is that guests have an experience at Yiaga they could only have here.”

Fitzroy Gardens, Melbourne, yiaga.au

And what else…

Brisbane import Blackbird will open in August at Collins Place (66 Flinders Lane), under Victorian chef Jake Nicolson.

The team from two-hatted kaiseki counter Ishizuka is working on a new venue, Oden, focused on an entirely different strand of Japanese cuisine. Opening second half of 2025.

Con Christopolous and Matt Wilkinson are opening Roma (101 Collins Street) towards year’s end.

Prahran Market (163 Commercial Road) is finally awakening the long-dormant restaurant space that was Wilson & Market. Tenants including Pacho Taqueria and yakitori specialist Matsuyama move in from August.

Trader House will relaunch the old Becco site (Crossley Street) in 2026.

We know beloved Gerald’s Bar is leaving its Rathdowne Street home for the old Enoteca Sileno site (920 Lygon Street, Carlton North), but they don’t yet have news to share.