Best local eateries outside Melbourne's CBD

The food in Melbourne’s laneways is legendary, but there is a whole world of lesser-known culinary delights tucked away in the nearby neighbourhoods.

From the top of Mt. Wellington looking down into Hobart.

The food in Melbourne’s laneways is legendary, but there is a whole world of lesser-known culinary delights tucked away in the nearby neighbourhoods.

You wouldn’t be the first person to be gobbled up by Melbourne’s culinary labyrinth. The CBD is brimming with eateries of every description tucked away down the laneways, and unfortunately, there is a limit to the number of meals and snacks you can squeeze into a day (apparently).

But if you do all your grazing in the CBD, you’ll miss out on the unique local haunts that have helped shape Melbourne’s vibrant inner-city postcodes. The neighbourhoods around the city are a culinary choose-your-own-adventure and the best streets are just a short tram ride away.

For a foray into the delicious dining of the north, a quick ride on the 86 tram will whisk you out of the city and see you gliding down Gertrude Street, Fitzroy in a matter of minutes.

Gertrude Street is a vibrant strip lined with cafes, restaurants, bars and well-loved little shops. It’s a little slide of South America, with plenty of delicious morsels to enjoy with your amigos. Hop off at the Melbourne Museum stop and stroll to Sonido for an arepa, a corn flour pancake filled with marinated chargrilled chicken, fall-apart Cuban-style beef or something equally delectable. And if you’re extra-snacky, don’t hesitate to throw an empanada into the mix at Trippy Taco!

Gertrude Street is great for both all-day brunches and late-night cocktails, with a wide mix of bars including The Everleigh and the brand new Tamura Sake Bar.

Keep riding and you’ll snake around the corner onto Smith Street, Collingwood. Smith Street is one of Melbourne’s best feasting precincts, densely and deliciously lined with all kinds of cuisine. On this stretch, you can dine on experimental Modern Australian dishes at the widely renowned and respected Broadsheet Kitchen at Saint Crispin, double down on smack-in-the-face flavour at American-inspired eatery Rockwell and Sons or slurp up a darn good bowl of ramen at Shop Ramen.

Hop back on the northbound 86 tram and take in the inner suburban scenery for about 15 minutes as you make your way to High Street, Northcote. This strip also spoils you for choice, but local favourites include the thin crust beauties at Pizza Mein Leibe, light-filled day café Barry, lush but healthy bowls and platters at Israeli street food café Tahina and Ethiopian restaurant Mesob, where punters scoop up their food with traditional injera bread instead of cutlery. For something sweet, stop in for a dondurma at Cuppa Turca, the only place in Melbourne doing stretchy Turkish ice cream.Northcote

Further north, High Street continues through Thornbury. You’ll pass countless eateries as you make your way up this epic stretch. Welcome to Thornbury is a great spot for a beer and a feed at the food truck park that rotates nightly. A bit further up, tiny eatery Umberto is known for its beautifully simple Italian food.

Your taste buds would also be rewarded for a quick skip on a southbound tram. South of the river, Chapel Street stretches from South Yarra through Windsor and it’s smattered with pit-stops for every appetite.

For a brilliant brunch, Journeyman is forever a favourite with Windsor-dwellers and happens to be housed in a former roastery that’s steeped in Melbourne coffee culture history. The Prahran Market is also a hot spot for feeds, hosting a well-curated set of eateries alongside fresh produce traders. Locals especially love the market’s Maker & Monger, famous for their extra-special cheese toasties made with French raclette, melted and scraped on the spot.

The hood also hosts heaps of opportunities to do dinner adventurously. Windsor’s Borsch, Vodka & Tears is a highlight, serving up perfectly polished Polish dishes alongside real wormwood absinthe and Eastern European beers in a space inspired by the cellar bars of Kraków. For a fancier feast, award-winning, one-hatted Highline Restaurant offers a stunning paddock-to-plate dining experience.

For those kicking on, Chapel Street Windsor is one of Melbourne’s most vibrant and compact bar districts. From the teeny-tiny and incredibly cosy Back Bar (complete with a fireplace and board games!) to the effortlessly cool café-by-day-bar-by-night Yellow Bird to the classic pub vibes of well-established Windsor Castle Hotel. A skip up the road, around the corner from South Yarra’s iconic Jam Factory, Leonard’s House of Love does a roaring trade with locals who love the burgers, bevvies and ambience of this laid-back bar modelled on 1970s America.

Melbourne’s laneways are home to some of the world’s most wonderful eating and drinking spots. But neighbourhoods add a whole other tier to the city’s dining scene just waiting to be tapped into. It couldn’t be easier – all it takes is a taste for culinary adventure and a quick tram trip to eat and drink like a local.

Originally published as Best local eateries outside Melbourne's CBD