Melbourne Guide
My ultimate, in-depth travel guide to the best places to eat and drink in Melbourne
Hello from Down Under! If you follow me on Instagram, you’ll know that I’m currently spending the month of January travelling up the east coast of Australia. This is the third and final leg of my 3 month trip around Asia and Australia, and possibly the leg I was most excited about: unlike Japan, South Korea, and Thailand, I’ve never been to Australia before.
We’ve kicked off our trip in Melbourne, often dubbed the country’s cultural capital. The restaurant and cafe scene here is thriving: read on below for my recommendations on where to eat and drink across the city.
To stay:
Before we get into the food, a quick note about where we stayed. The hotel scene in Melbourne isn’t exactly flourishing, and there are limited options across the city. There’s The Ritz-Carlton Melbourne located in the city’s CBD if you want somewhere luxe (though a tad corporate), but this is far from my favourite neighbourhood in town. Instead of a hotel, we chose to stay in an Airbnb in Fitzroy - it was right off Gertrude Street, which turned out to be our favourite street in town, thanks to its cute boutiques and coffee shops. Next time I visit, I’d probably opt to stay at The StandardX. This relatively new hotel is also located in Fitzroy, and is the closest you’ll get to a boujie boutique hotel in Melbourne.
To eat:
This modern Australian restaurant in Fitzroy oozes refined elegance. Think white tablecloths, candles, and cosy banquettes to slide into - all set inside a converted metalworks factory that boasts an open kitchen and glossy crittall features. Favourites on the menu include the mushroom pithivier and fresh snapper swimming in cacio e pepe sauce.
Next door to Cutler, you’ll find sister restaurant Marion. This chic wine bar offers an excellent selection of wines alongside a menu of tasty sharing plates. Expect bite-sized dishes that deliver sensational flavours (think miniature whitebait sandwiches and seared tuna gildas), followed by platters of baked rigatoni to share.
Head here for generous, super-sized sandwiches. There’s something for everyone, from hot honey salami to crumbed chicken schnitzel served in a pillowy potato bun. The famous glazed doughnuts are also worth a try.
This neighbourhood restaurant serves a set chef’s menu each evening that changes with the seasons, informed by what’s growing in the lovingly-tended kitchen gardens. We nibbled on farinata with fresh veggies, and ricotta bomboloni with strawberries and cream: based on the quality of food and portion sizes, we thought that the menu was very reasonably priced. Located within Abbotsford Convent, there’s a peaceful and secluded atmosphere, with diners spilling outside in the summer months.
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