Best Restaurants in Melbourne (2026)

Melbourne's restaurant scene is spread across the city grid and the inner suburbs, and it covers every budget. At the top end, Attica in Ripponlea serves a long modern Australian menu built on native ingredients, Vue de monde offers a tasting menu 55 floors up in the Rialto Towers, and Flower Drum, open since 1975, is the city's best-known Cantonese fine dining room. These need booking well ahead, often weeks or months for weekend dates.

Flinders Lane is the easiest street for a good dinner without much planning. Chin Chin, Supernormal and Cumulus Inc. are all here, and Cumulus Inc. and the bar seats at MoVida in Hosier Lane are kept partly for walk-ins. Tipo 00 on Little Bourke Street is the choice for pasta.

For cheaper meals, Stalactites has served souvlaki on the corner of Lonsdale and Russell Streets since 1978 and stays open until midnight or later, while Laksa King in Flemington is worth the tram ride for its many versions of laksa. Many popular places run on walk-ins or limited bookings, so eat a little earlier or later than the peak to avoid queues.

10 places · Updated November 12, 2026

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1. Attica

Modern Australian tasting menu$$$$Ripponlea

Ben Shewry's Ripponlea restaurant, open since 2003, serving a multi-course modern Australian menu built around native ingredients, and a long-time World's 50 Best entry.

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2. Flower Drum

Fine dining Cantonese$$$$Chinatown

Fine dining Cantonese restaurant in a Chinatown lane, open since 1975, known for Peking duck carved at the table and highly choreographed service.

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3. Vue de monde

Contemporary Australian tasting menu$$$$Melbourne CBD

Shannon Bennett's tasting-menu restaurant on level 55 of the Rialto Towers, serving contemporary Australian cooking with views across the city.

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4. MoVida

Spanish tapas$$$Melbourne CBD

Spanish tapas bar and restaurant in Hosier Lane, opened in 2003 by Frank Camorra, known for its anchovy with smoked tomato sorbet and bar seating.

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5. Supernormal

Pan-Asian$$$Melbourne CBD

Andrew McConnell's Flinders Lane restaurant drawing on Korean, Japanese and Chinese cooking, open seven days and known for its New England-style lobster roll.

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6. Chin Chin

South East Asian$$Melbourne CBD

Busy Flinders Lane restaurant serving casual South East Asian food from 11am until late every day, with walk-in tables downstairs and bookable booths.

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7. Cumulus Inc.

All-day modern Australian$$$Melbourne CBD

All-day Flinders Lane diner in a former rag trade building, open since 2008 and serving a seasonal menu built on Victorian produce, with walk-ins welcome.

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8. Tipo 00

Modern Italian pasta bar$$Melbourne CBD

Little Bourke Street pasta bar from a team with Vue de monde roots, serving a modern Italian menu centred on house-made pasta.

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9. Stalactites

Greek souvlaki and taverna$Greek Precinct, Melbourne CBD

Family-run Greek restaurant on the corner of Lonsdale and Russell Streets since 1978, serving spit-roasted souvlaki and gyros until midnight or later.

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10. Laksa King

Malaysian-Chinese$Flemington

Malaysian-Chinese restaurant in Flemington, founded by Esmond Wong in 1998, known for its many laksa variations, curry puffs and roti.

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