Melbourne Guide

Eat a lot, but don’t pay a lot

• The Borek Shop (Shop 95 Queen Vic market Deli Hall) the most popular stall at the market.
• Don Don (198 Little Lonsdale St) popular student café for cheap, quick Japanese.
• Sushi Monger (Causeway) where $5.5 will get you two hand rolls and miso.
• Dumplings? Shandong MaMa Mini (Shop 5, Centre Pl).
• Heartbreaker Bun Mee (Scott Alley) or
• Little Ramen Bar (346 Little Bourke St).
• Mamak (366 Lonsdale St BYO wine) house-made roti prepared as you wait.

Burgers?

• 8 Bit (231 Swanston St) or

• Andrew’s Hamburgers (155 Franklin Street) Suburban institution now in CBD.

Melbourne dining royalty:

• Movida Original (Hosier Lane) & MoVida Aqui (rear 500 Bourke St),
• Pastuso (AC/DC Lane),
• Grossi (80 Bourke St) fine dining upstairs at Florentino, casual dining downstairs at the Grill and Cellar Bar
• Flower Drum (17 Market Lane) Cantonese fine dining,
• Izakaya Den (basement 114 Russell St),
• Rice Paper Scissors (19 Liverpool St),
• More Italian at Becco (Crossley St) and Cecconi’s (61 Flinders Lane), Massi (455 Lt Collins St)
• Punch Lane (43 Little Bourke) an amazing all‑rounder.

• Whitehart Bar (22 Whitehart Lane) more refined bar, also made from shipping containers.
• Croft Institute – a science class-themed bar (21 Croft Alley off Paynes Lane).
• Hell’s Kitchen (20 Centre Pl) – upstairs lunch staple and evening bar.
• The Rooftop Bar at Curtin House (252 Swanston St) a ‘must visit’ on a sunny day,
• Peaches (upstairs 301 Swanston St) new small bar.

Hit up google for: Union Electric (gin), Angel Music Bar, Double Happiness, Meyers Place Bar, Whisky & Alement (all 5 would make a serious night out).

The Eastern end of Bourke Street won’t let you down with a great range of bars for every taste. For example:

• City Wine Shop (159 Spring Street) great selection of wines to go,
• Melbourne Supper Club & Siglo (rooftop 161 Spring St), above the City Wine Shop
• Arlechin (Mornane Place),
• Juliet (below 37-41 Lt Bourke St) celebrating female winemakers,
• Romeo Lane (1 Crossley St) killer cocktail list.

Elsewhere in town, check out Embla, Kirks Wine Bar, Neapoli, and Syracuse in an old Bank with an award-winning wine list.

You could spend a week exploring Melbourne’s coffee scene. (we’d recommend it)  But here are a few suggestions to give you a good range of traditional and cutting edge coffee, Melbourne style:

Specialty Coffee 

• Brother Baba Budan (359 Little Bourke St)  Seven Seeds Coffee first cafe
  with and the tiny Traveller (2/14 Crossley) being one of their latest
• Cup Of Truth (Campbell Arcade)
• Patricia (Little William Street)
• Sbriga (3/280 King St)
• Dukes at Ross House (247 Flinders Lane)
• Market Lane Coffee (8 Collins Street) & Cathedral ArcadeCafes with character
• Captains of Industry (1/2 Somerset Place) café & gentleman’s outfitters
• Pellegrini’s (66 Bourke St)
• Barbarella (Block Place)

Here are some tips for a memorable breakfast:

• New York style deli Bowery to Williamsburg (16 Oliver Lane) or
• The European (161 Spring St) for something more classic.
• Cumulus Inc (45 Flinders Lane) and Higher Ground (650 Lt Bourke) have your fancy breaky needs covered.
• Heading to the Queen Victoria Market? Look for Pickett’s Deli & Rotisserie (507 Elizabeth Street) also great for lunch, Operator 25 (25 Wills Street) coffee and brunch.
• Or cruise Centre Place and Degraves Street to see what catches your eye.

Make a beeline to

• La Belle Miette (30 Hardware Lane, or 8 Collins St) for the best macarons,
• Pidapipo Gelateria (9 Degraves St)
• Koko Black & Agathe Patisserie Petite (Royal Arcade) for locally made artisan gelato, chocolates and French pastries.
• Shortstop Donuts (12 Sutherland St).
• Cult croissanterie Lune (Shop 16, 161 Collins Russell St entrance) is a must visit for pastry buffs!
• Weirdoughs (241 Flinders Lane) Traditional pastries – all plant-based & sustainable.
• Brunetti (250 Flinders Lane) Traditional pastries

For local gifts and souvenirs:

• Melbournalia (50 Bourke St) has great books, gifts, local produce and homewares.
• The Melbourne Shop (Royal Arcade) has unique and kitsch gifts – think Hook‑Turn pencil cases,
  ram t‑shirts, and Melbourne map bags.
• More local wares at Wilkins & Kent (372 Lt Bourke St), Clementine’s (Degraves St),
• Melbourne zine house The Sticky Institute (Campbell Arcade).

Music & performance:

• Jazz venues Paris Cat (6 Goldie Place),  Bird’s Basement (11 Singers Lane)
  Murmur Piano Bar (17 Warburton Lane),
• The Butterfly Club (5 Carson Place),
• The Toff In Town (Swanston St)

National & international concerts:

• The Forum (Flinders Street),
• Globe Alley (Globe Al)
• Max Watt’s (125 Swanston St)
• 170 Russell (basement 170 Russell St)