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WHERE TO DRINK >Stay up-to-date

DRINK > Myrtle Wine Bar

There is something wonderfully comfortable about entering into Myrtle Wine Bar on Warburton Lane off Little Bourke Street. It is so Melbourne, down a lane, which is off another lane, in an old two story redbrick warehouse space that started as a blacksmith (but more recently was a Spanish…

DRINK > Apollo Inn

Apollo Inn opened in the heart of Melbourne's Flinders lane restaurant precinct in 2023, it was ostensibly a good place to have a quick cocktail while waiting for a table at Gimlet or one of the other nearby restaurants. But it was so popular that the queues to get in…

DRINK > The Central Club Hotel (North Melbourne)

The Central Club Hotel sits on Victoria Street in North Melbourne, it is right on the city fringe close to Elizabeth Street, across the road from the Queen Victoria Markets and a stones throw to Carlton. The convenience of the location makes this a popular venue but it is the…

DRINK > Pearl Chablis and Oyster Bar, Melbourne

Melbourne loves to hide its bars and restaurants away down laneways, underground and on top of building roof tops but Pearl is not easy to find. The Midcity Centre arcade on Bourke Street is not a place you would normally associate with fine dining or fine drinking, but make…

DRINK > Above Board, Melbourne

A serious cocktail bar. Only 16 seats and no standing permitted. That is the message for the now widely acclaimed Above Board. Located off Smith Street Collingwood it is not easy to find but this is an area where cocktail bars are serious and Above Board take that…
Melbourne > Image Credit | Tiff Ng

The Melbourne Guide >

Melbourne is regularly voted one of the world’s most liveable cities. Home to world class art galleries, excellent restaurants, hip cocktail bars and smart designer shopping.

It is also a sports mad city with major events such as the Australian Open Tennis, Formula One Grand Prix and Boxing Day Cricket Test all vying for top billing against AFL football, Rugby League and Rugby Union.  There is a reason why people say that Melbournians will turn up to the opening of a letter.

The world class NGV Art Gallery has two main locations each with excellent permanent collections and tours, with a major extension also underway.

The city has a labyrinth of laneways many of which are covered in street art and are home to designer shops, cafes, bars and restaurants.

Speaking of coffee, Melbourne’s residents are obsessive about great coffee which accounts for the number of smart cafes everywhere.  Melbournians believe they invented the ‘Flat White’.

WHERE TO HAVE COFFEEIts more than just a caffinated beverage you know

CAFE > Pellegrini’s Espresso Bar, Melbourne
Perhaps Melbournes most famous cafe is Pellegrini's in Bourke Street where it has been serving old school Italian food and espresso since 1954. When you enter the long room and sit at the bar or facing the mirrored wall you might think that the decor has not…
CAFE > Hardware Société
Hardware Société redefined the concept of breakfast in Melbourne in 2009, ditching the eggs and smashed avocado on toast that was de rigour for most cafe's and instead constructing layers of flavour more akin to gourmet fine dining than usually expected at breakfast. Where once there was just a 35…
CAFE > Wall Two 80, Balaclava
Known to most as simply ‘The Wall’ the cafe opened in 1998 as a simple hole in the wall. A place where people largely consumed a latte or flat white sitting on the pavement and eating turkish toast with the always delicious ‘jam lady jams’ and fought over…
CAFE > Bench Coffee Co, Melbourne
Bench coffee has been roasting coffee and building a brand of smart coffee houses around Melbourne including Slater Street, 580, and Saint Dreux. Now on Little Collins Street they have launched a beautiful flagship store, that you would be forgiven for thinking was in Tokyo. Bench talk about…

WHERE TO EAT >

The Best Places To Eat In Melbourne
EAT > Circl Wine House, Melbourne (18/20)
A vinous wonderland in Melbourne's CBD, Circl has quickly established itself as one of the city's most ambitious wine destinations. Under the guidance of award-winning Head Sommelier Xavier Vigier, this Punch Lane establishment houses a staggering collection of 1,500 wines, with an unprecedented 150 available by the glass. AMBIANCE >…
EAT > Sodafish, Lakes Entrance (15/20)
Perched along the picturesque Esplanade in Lakes Entrance, Sodafish has quickly become a must-visit destination for seafood enthusiasts and casual diners alike. This coastal eatery offers a perfect blend of fresh, locally-sourced seafood and a relaxed atmosphere that captures the essence of the Gippsland Lakes region. AMBIANCE > A…
EAT > Bistra, Melbourne (16/20)
Nestled at the quiet end of Elgin Street in Carlton, Bistra has quickly established itself as a go-to destination for those seeking a blend of casual elegance and exceptional cuisine. This modern Australian bistro, helmed by ex-Attica sous chef Alex Nishizawa, it offers a dining experience that is both sophisticated…
EAT > Il Bacaro, Melbourne (18/20)
I moved from Sydney to Melbourne in 1995 and immediately fell in love with the remarkable bars and restaurants that had a truly unique style about them. One of those restaurants was Il Bacaro which launched that same year on Little Collins Street (just off Russell St). As…
EAT > Gimlet, Melbourne (18/20)
"Let's grab a drink at Gimlet and figure it out" that is the start of an excellent night out in Melbourne. Famed for its cocktails as well as the food there is a wonderful deco 1920s style to a place that launched in 2020 just before the pandemic…
EAT > The Moat, Melbourne (13/20)
"It is under the Library, off Little Lonsdale Street", I said but apparently Google had other ideas directing my lunch guest to wander around the State Library and the Wheeler Centre before he called and said "ok where are you?". Actually it is not that hard to find if…
EAT > Pinotta, Fitzroy North (15/20)
Pinotta has been a busy bustling bistro wine bar on St Georges Road in Fitzroy North since 2011, led by the vibrant Heidi Modra who welcomes guests who come from the neighbourhood and across Melbourne. The big change in 2024 is the addition of Phillipa Sibley as executive chef. Sibley…
EAT > Carlton Wine Room, Melbourne (16/20)
There is something so completely Melbourne about the Carlton Wine Room. I cannot imagine a bar or restaurant quite like it anywhere else in the world. The combination of wood, light, food, service and wine. A wonderful mix that comes from our cosmopolitan population and…

Melbourne Restaurants >

With incredible fine dining options with cuisine from all over the world.    

For a long time Melbourne was the city with the second largest greek population in the world, which has led to numerous Greek Restaurants on Lonsdale Street.  

Lygon Street in Carlton on the city Fringe is home to numerous Italian restaurants.  Victoria Street in Richmond (again on the city Fringe) is the home to the cities Vietnamese restaurants.  

Melbournes Chinatown runs down Little Bourke Street and explodes out on side streets.  There is also a Korean food district.

When it comes to fine dining there are restaurants with amazing views like Atria and Vue de Monde which both sit at the top of towers with spectacular views over the city.

But check our reviews for the latest in delicious.

WHERE TO STAY >

Almanak Guide to Melbourne's Best Hotels
STAY > Le Méridian, Melbourne
The Le Méridien hotel sits at the top of the city in what was once a theatre, cinema, live music venue and a legendary nightclub. The former Metro sat empty for years waiting for a major redevelopment and that came in a totally different direction with the French hotel brand opening a smart new venue. Designed by Melbourne architects Peddle Thorp, the hotel has kept the original art deco facade of the building but behind the facade it is an entirely new 12 storey building that now fills the site. There are 235 rooms which range…
STAY > The Prince, Melbourne
Fitzroy Street, St Kilda is a street that oscillates between grunge, derelict, hip, smart and fashionable and then back again. Once famed for its seedier side of life today the bayside suburb of St Kilda is a lot more gentrified though its darker edges still remain. The Prince was once old Prince of Wales, famed for its rough front bar which had pool tables for patrons and a live rock and roll venue upstairs. But a major renovation and now it is just 'The Prince' which is a smart boutique hotel with just 39 rooms. Designed…
STAY > Adelphi Hotel, Melbourne
The Adelphi was the first boutique designer hotel in Melbourne build into a narrow warehouse that dated back to 1938 by renowned Melbourne architects Denton Corker Marshall for a couple of decades it held that top spot for those looking for style and individuality for a hotel in the centre of the city. In 2013 the hotel was given a revamp by Hachem who freshened the property up and gave it a new quirky style. Many of the original elements that stood out remain but it is a lot busier than previous iteration and given that renovation is now more…
STAY > Hotel No, Melbourne
The thing about Hotel No is that it is not really a hotel at all, rather it is truely unique glamping in the centre of the city. It starts with a secret 'speak easy' entrance which takes you to the rooftop and there you will find your shiny chrome Airstream. I know you have always dreamed about having an Airstream, but you had nowhere to go, well why not go to Melbourne and stay in the very centre of the city, on a rooftop in your own Airstream. Sound good well that is the proposition for Hotel…
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