Talk to any restaurateur in Melbourne and they are likely to lament decreased spending by their customers: they may have bums on seats, but the wallets in those back pockets aren’t providing much padding.

In Werribee, 32 kilometres south-west of the CBD, the situation is a bit different. Expenditure on dining and entertainment in Werribee’s vibrant Watton Street precinct is up 24 per cent compared with pre-COVID levels. The City of Wyndham, which has Werribee at its heart, is one of the fastest growing regions in Victoria, predicted to swell from a population of 324,000 now to more than 500,000 in 2040, which will make it bigger than Canberra.

“What a place,” says food personality and 3RRR radio host Cam Smith, who recently hosted a tour of Werribee for the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival. “Watton Street is a delight.” Many venues on the northern side of the street back onto the Werribee River. “It’s transportative and evocative, with lovely gum trees,” says Smith.

The street’s multicultural offering is a huge selling point. The locals speak more than 183 languages, with almost half born overseas. “It’s one of the most diverse regions in Australia,” says Wyndham City mayor, Cr Jennie Barrera. In the 1920s, the Werribee region was a draw for southern Italian immigrants, many of whom worked on dairy farms before transitioning to the market gardens that have fed Melbourne.

“While the street still retains a strong Italian influence, you’ll also find authentic Filipino, Sri Lankan and South-East Asian restaurants,” says Barrera. “Watton Street is bustling by day and night, with city-quality brunching spots, restaurants, bars and nightlife. People are often surprised by the depth and quality of our foodie scene.”

“Watton Street is a delight. It’s transportative and evocative, with lovely gum trees.”

Cam Smith

Chiran Hemadasa co-owns Fusion Ceylon, a Sri Lankan restaurant on Watton Street. “People around here love food,” he says. “All seven days of the week, it’s a busy street.”

Andrew Christou opened his craft beer store Old Habits two years ago but has lived in the area for 30 years. “The street used to be a bit run down but it’s been refreshed with a lot more restaurants, a lot more variety, and it brings a huge range of people. It’s a really good vibe.”

In the past year, 10 new hospitality and accommodation businesses have opened locally. “There are so many new cuisines coming in too,” says Bubby Luxford, owner of Casa Cantina, a Mexican restaurant with a river-view back deck. “You can park in one spot and do a pub crawl or restaurant crawl. There are plenty of places to visit, things to drink, people to meet, it’s really lovely around here. The week is a bit more cruisy, but on the weekends, it really heats up. I love it. We have pretty much everything you could want on one street.”

Fusion Ceylon

Brothers Chiran Hemadasa and Isuru Madusanka both have a background in five-star hotels but they’re cooking traditional food from their native Sri Lanka in this little canteen. The most popular dish is kothu roti, a stir-fry of chopped roti with vegetables and your choice of meat − the goat is excellent. Other great options are the biryani and the Sri Lankan-Chinese wokked dishes. There’s also an in-house bakery that does eclairs, butter cakes and a signature chocolate Swiss roll. If you’re like me and need to try every chilli oil you see, you’ll be leaving with a jar of the house-made spice potion, too.

27 Watton Street, Werribee, fusionceylon.com.au

Tocca

The Baker family has experience running restaurants all over Melbourne but there’s something very special about their 120-seat pizza and pasta place in Werribee: it’s bustling, efficient and delivers a simple menu with care and flair. Go for the house-made fettuccine with meatballs, the sticky pork ribs and the generous, luscious tiramisu. Book ahead or be prepared to queue on weekends.

33 Watton Street, Werribee, tocca.melbourne

Manoushi

The daytime offering on Watton Street is quite distinct from the options in the evening. This Lebanese bakery opens early till about 2pm for signature manoush, a flatbread topped with fragrant zaatar, minced lamb or kisht, a fermented wheat and yoghurt mixture. Also worth trying is the kaak, a sesame-sprinkled roll that has Werribee’s ooziest, stretchiest cheese pull. Locals get excited about the halva-and-honey pide too.

54 Watton Street, Werribee, 0451 240 282

Old Habits

Just as Manoushi closes for the day, Old Habits is opening its doors. When Andrew Christou launched this friendly little brew hangout, it brought something different to a strip where most of the drinking happened in three old-school pubs. Old Habits is dog-loving and people-friendly, with a couple of rotating taps and a craft selection from the fridge. Inside is chatty, but there’s also a deck out back overlooking the river.

7/70 Watton Street, Werribee, oldhabitscbw.com.au

Terry Bakery

Terry recently moved into new premises just next door and is very spruce. It stays open till about 6pm and has a slightly wider Lebanese offering than its near neighbour Manoushi, including take-home frozen falafel and other provisions. The platters are excellent value with three big kofte or kibbeh, plus salad, labneh and pide for $17.

3/70 Watton Street, Werribee, terrybakery.com.au

Casa Cantina

There are half a dozen Mexican options in Werribee but I can’t go past Casa Cantina. Brother and sister chefs Israel and Luz Meza are from Mexico City, and it’s their family’s secret pork recipe that makes the tacos al pastor so good. Owner Bubby Luxford shakes a mean margarita and there’s seating in the den-like interior, the colourful side laneway and the rear deck with leafy river views.

1/70 Watton Street, Werribee, casacantina.com.au

Wolf on Watton

Werribee’s best place for a cafe brunch and third-wave coffee is this smart operation with a spacious rear deck. The PB&J chia pudding is a healthy way to kick off a day – or diners can go in the other direction with red velvet hotcakes. This venue used to open as a wine bar in the evenings, and the drinks list still punches above its weight. Afternoon calamari and pinot grigio overlooking the river is a mighty fine way to do Werribee.

90a Watton Street, Werribee, wolfonwatton.com.au

Three Little Pigs

This sweet takeaway caravan is just off the strip on a plaza dominated by a majestic gum tree. There’s great coffee, an on-trend line of build-your-own acai bowls plus salads and jaffles for lunch. My melt of choice is the prosciutto, brie and red pesto, though I’m also looking hard at the banana, strawberries and Nutella.

Wedge Street South, Werribee, instagram.com/three.little.pigs.cafe

Tuckers Sandwiches

New, fresh and pumping, this tuckshop keeps it simple with sandwiches, shakes and coffee, all done well. Hot sangers include a stonking pastrami melt with sweet sauerkraut on rye and a hot-honey fried chicken with ranch dressing. You’re right by a river deck if you want to eat in the fresh air, but there are a few seats to stay in and get messy within easy reach of extra napkins. If you’re here at night, Tuckers will be closed but the adjacent food truck park will be kicking.

92 Watton Street, tuckerssandwiches.com

Ploy Thai

This spacious and pleasant Aussie Thai restaurant has been refreshed after storm damage. The menu is standard but suburban favourites are done well and there’s a bit of excitement on the desserts list: sticky rice balls are cooked in coconut milk, and the restaurant is very proud of their coconut custard steamed in banana leaf.

1/102 Watton Street, Werribee, ploythai.com.au

Corked

Werribee’s hidden wine bar is worth the hunt. Down a corridor and through a secret entrance (look for the red button hidden in a wine rack), you’ll eventually find your way to a spacious lounge with cosy fireside couches and a deck for fine weather. The wine list is extensive, with plenty by the glass and there’s a good snack menu as well. Ask about guided tastings in the cellar room.

116 Watton Street, Werribee, corkedwb.com

Teddy Picker

An all-round classy operation, Teddy does excellent thin-crust pizzas – I love the margherita “next gen” with sun-dried tomato − and has a great cocktail list, too. The Mrs Teddy Elderberry (Taylor’s Version) is a mouthful to order, but it all makes sense when you’re ensconced in the huge rear deck with this raspberry shrub concoction in your hand.

5/116 Watton Street, Werribee, teddypickerwerribee.com

Bridge Hotel

What a great pub. Given a retro reno in 2020, this 1926 art deco beauty is the very model of a local hub. The staff are friendly, the beer is icy, and the parmas are fresh, juicy and served with excellent chips and salad. Find a perch on the spacious deck, watch the footy in the front bar, or snuggle up on a banquette in the main dining room with its exuberant Australiana carpet – you can’t go wrong.

197 Watton Street, bridgehotelwerribee.com.au