The Best Restaurants in Melbourne CBD

Spread across three levels, Farmer’s Daughters takes you on a seasonal journey from Melbourne’s CBD to the lush landscapes of Gippsland. The Ground Floor Deli offers casual, bistro-style dining with seasonal share plates, while Level 1’s Restaurant features elevated fare cooked over a campfire grill. Head to the Rooftop for a green escape with top local wines, craft beer and spirits. Alejandro Saravia’s Farmer’s Daughters champions Gippsland’s farmers and producers, bringing their incredible produce and flavour straight to the city. 

Photography: Courtesy of Farmer's Daughters

Its name may mean ‘the usual place', but Il Solito Posto is a Melbourne institution, serving traditional Italian fare in its basement location on Collins Street. Split into a restaurant and cafe, the restaurant is a formal affair and just as busy from the corporate crowd by day as it is at night, while the café is perfect for a quick coffee or casual meal with a more accessible menu that is hard to resist.

Located in a sub-basement venue on Bond St in Melbourne's CBD, Maha offers a fresh approach to Middle Eastern cuisine. The brainchild of chef Shane Delia, Maha embraces his Maltese heritage and exudes a sophisticated ambience. Enjoy a lavish dinner in the private dining room or restaurant or a quick meal for lunch before you move into the funky courtyard to indulge in the traditional 'shi sha' pipe, famous to the Middle East.

 

Lunch and dinner daily

Barra is a lively seafood restaurant in Melbourne emphasising on freshness and bold flavours. The menu showcases Australian fish cooked simply to highlight its natural quality, with dishes such as grilled barramundi, prawn ceviche, and chilli salt squid. The space is relaxed and contemporary, with natural timber and soft lighting creating a welcoming atmosphere. An extensive wine list focuses on regional Australian varietals and refreshing cocktails complement the menu. Barra is a destination for those who appreciate well-executed seafood in a vibrant, unfussy setting.

An unforgettable fine dining experience awaits at Level 55 of Melbourne's iconic Rialto. Chef Shannon Bennett has held the coveted title of three chef hats for the last three years, receiving widespread acclaim and international recognition as one of Australia's best chefs. A gleaming black lobby welcomes guests and sets the scene for this dark, moody restaurant. The venue may have changed over the years but Vue de Monde continues to deliver classically-inspired French cuisine, combined with impeccable service.

The critics say this is Australia's finest Chinese restaurant. If the three-month wait for a table is any indication, the punters think so too. Flower Drum Restaurant in Melbourne has had a fearsome reputation for over 35 years. The dining room is a huge series of red-carpeted areas with lacquered wood detailing in every corner. The menu emphasises a creative touch with high quality seafood and other protein so get out of your comfort zone and taste the magic.

Reine & La Rue sits in Melbourne’s Gothic former Stock Exchange building, now beautifully reborn as a temple of French cuisine. French classics meet local produce in dishes that feel both elegant and alive, while the raw bar hums with oysters and Champagne. The menu plays the hits with confidence: rich sauces, open-fire cooking, and produce that speaks for itself. it's the kind of place that turns dinner into a grand show and has you lingering for one more glass, simply because you can, and you shouldn't rush perfection. 

As much a wine bar as a restaurant, and in a great Melbourne location near theatres, Punch Lane serves delicious European food and wonderful wines making this hot little venue one of the city's most long-running successes. Its owners are old hands in the restaurant business and know how to create a welcoming and good-humoured atmosphere.

Entering from the street, be transported as you’re met with contemporary and traditional Chinese décor. The feature fishtank and glass-walled wine vault make the experience both luxurious and fun.

 

Head down the grand staircase to the large basement dining room to where tradition meets innovation. The Asian-fusion style menu is a true culinary adventure – from crispy spring onion pancakes to the melt-in-your mouth Ming’s mapo tofu and the perfectly balanced sweet and sour pork, there’s something for everyone to enjoy. Ming’s is perfect for indulging in a lavish banquet or simply enjoying your known favourites. Every dish is a tribute to the diverse cuisines of Asia, elevated by the finest locally sourced produce.

Combining imaginative Mediterranean cuisine with lavish hospitality, a world-class drink selection and luxurious surrounds, Byblos Bar and Restaurant offers some of Melbourne's best waterside dining experiences. A unique, modern Mediterranean-meets-Lebanese menu promises to be a feast for the eyes as well as the palate, while the stylish outdoor courtyard is a perfect spot to take in the views over the CBD with your dining companion.

The George on Collins has made its made in one of Melbourne's most iconic and well-loved spaces. This is a restaurant where diners can pop by for breakfast, right through to dinner and enjoy a contemporary Asian inspired menu, with each dish contrasting flavours of hot, sweet, sour and salty, resulting in a balance of textures, flavours and aromas. From small plates to share to carefully curated banquet menus, it's sure to be a dining experience to savour. 

From the team that brought you Melbourne's pasta institute Tipo 00, comes along little sister Osteria Ilaria. A different take on its successful pasta focused big sister, there will still be Italian cuisine, but a menu that explores more dishes than just pasta. Set lunch menus will be available as well as casual a la carte style dishes that are matched with a lengthy and impressive range of award-winning wines sourced both locally and from afar. Great for after-work drinks and a few platters to share or a romantic night out in Melbourne's buzzing dining district.

Photography: Gareth Sobe

Nomad Melbourne's food is inspired by travels through Spain, Morocco and the Middle East and cooked with fire and smoke. The menu draws on these flavours using local Australian ingredients to create a dynamic and seasonally driven menu. Nomad source the best produce from local growers who share that same belief. An interesting wine list focusses on small growers making great wine sustainably sourced from the world over. 

The sister restaurant of Aru, Antara was conceived as a restaurant and bakery, united by a wood oven that fuels the two. The eatery serves up breads, viennoiserie and breakfast in the mornings, with the lunch and dinner menu built around coal and wood fire cooking, seasonality and an approach that draws on Head Chef Juan's Chilean heritage and dishes created around the produce. Housed within a sleek and moody industrial-style space, the huge open kitchen with wood-burning oven adds a touch of drama to the ambience. Private events are well accommodated, with private and semi-private dining, and whole venue buy-out options available.

Inside the 171 Collins Street Building on Flinders Lane, Supernormal is a Modern Asian eatery from Melbourne chef Andrew McConnell. The Japanese inspired design features a large open kitchen bar with booth and bench seating, plus a gorgeous private dining space. The menu is driven by Chinese flavours with dumplings and bao plus Japanese and Korean favourites such as pulled pork shoulder and kimchi pancakes.