Eat in CBD and Laneways, Melbourne

Supernormal

• ★ 4.8
• Modern Asian
• $$$

Order New England lobster roll and slow-cooked lamb shoulder

Supernormal on Flinders Lane runs an Asian-influenced menu drawing on Tokyo, Shanghai and Seoul. One Good Food Guide hat and perpetually full since 2014.

Tipo 00

• ★ 4.7
• Italian Pasta
• $$$

Order Tagliolini al nero with squid and bottarga

Tipo 00 on Little Bourke Street serves house-rolled pasta in a tight CBD room. The squid-ink tagliolini and wagyu mafaldine have been selling out for years.

Grossi Florentino

• ★ 4.4
• Italian
• $$$

Order Hand-rolled pasta of the day from the cellar bar menu

Grossi Florentino holds two Good Food Guide hats. The upstairs room is the classical Italian benchmark; the Cellar Bar serves the same food more casually.

Chin Chin

• ★ 4.0
• Southeast Asian
• $$

Order Stir-fried green beans with holy basil and pork crackling

Chin Chin on Flinders Lane is Melbourne's reference for Southeast Asian cooking: loud, no-bookings, consistently packed since 2011 and the food holds up.

Maison Batard

• ★ 4.0
• French
• $$

Order French onion soup and the daily rotisserie plate

Maison Batard on Bourke Street combines boulangerie, bistro, cocktail bar and terrace: Melbourne's closest equivalent to a full-service Parisian house.

Ho Jiak

• ★ 4.3
• Malaysian
• $$

Order Curry mee noodles with coconut milk broth

Ho Jiak in Rainbow Alley is Melbourne's best Malaysian kitchen: noodle dishes referencing Penang and KL regional traditions with roti made in the open.

Roma

• ★ 4.5
• Italian
• $$$

Order Cacio e pepe made tableside with tonnarelli pasta

Roma on Collins Street is Melbourne's Roman trattoria, cacio e pepe tableside. Located in Cbd. Order the cacio e pepe made tableside with tonnarelli pasta.

Cumulus Inc.

• ★ 4.2
• Modern Australian
• $$$

Order Whole roasted chicken for the table with grains and seasonal leaves

Cumulus Inc. on Flinders Lane is Andrew McConnell's all-day room: raw bar to open, share plates to follow and a wine list that earns a return visit.

Vue de Monde

• ★ 4.8
• Modern Australian
• $$$$

Vue de Monde holds three Good Food Guide hats 55 floors above Collins Street. Hugh Allen's tasting menu takes Victorian produce with the utmost seriousness.

Lee Ho Fook

• ★ 4.6
• Modern Chinese
• $$$

Lee Ho Fook on Duckboard Place: Victor Liong reinterprets regional Chinese dishes with Australian produce across tasting menu and a la carte formats.

Harriot

• ★ 4.4
• Modern French
• $$$

Harriot is the Tipo 00 team's French-leaning Collins Street bistro: classical technique, Victorian produce and serious wine from a confident kitchen.

Grossi Cellar Bar

• ★ 4.0
• Italian
• $$

Order Fresh pasta of the day with a glass of Barolo

Grossi Cellar Bar serves the same kitchen as upstairs at half the price: fresh pasta, cured meats and Italian classics at a curved marble bar in the CBD.

Patricia Coffee Brewers

• ★ 4.8
• Café
• $

Order Rotating single-origin espresso

Patricia in a Little Bourke Street laneway is the CBD's tightest espresso counter: standing-only, rotating guest roasters and a craft benchmark from 2011.

Market Lane Coffee (Queen Vic Market)

• ★ 4.3
• Café
• $

Order Filter coffee from rotating single origins

Market Lane inside Queen Victoria Market is where Melbourne regulars buy their weekly beans: transparent sourcing, consistent filter and a counter that fits.

Apollo Inn

• ★ 4.2
• Café
• $

Order Four variations of the Martini

Apollo Inn on Flinders Lane is Andrew McConnell's 30-seat cocktail bar: four Martini styles, oysters and rotating small plates in a warm neo-Renaissance room.

Maison Batard Boulangerie

• ★ 4.2
• Bakery
• $

Order Baguette and butter croissant

Maison Batard's boulangerie opens the CBD at 7am with baguettes and croissants baked in-house, supplying the bistro upstairs and sold at the counter all day.

Lune Croissanterie (CBD)

• ★ 4.8
• Bakery
• $

Order Ham and cheese croissant

Lune's CBD location on Lonsdale Street brings the Fitzroy standard to the city centre: the same laminated pastry quality, aimed at the weekday commuter crowd.

Market Lane Coffee (Collins Street)

• ★ 4.5
• Coffee roaster
• $$

Market Lane on Collins Street is the CBD flagship of Melbourne's most respected coffee chain: transparent sourcing, seasonal single origins and a counter.

Embla

• ★ 4.7
• Wine bar
• $$$

Embla in the CBD pairs an extraordinary natural wine list with wood-oven cooking: snacks designed around whatever was poured, all day and into the evening.

Seamstress

• ★ 4.5
• $$$

Drink Lychee Martini with kaffir lime

Seamstress on Lonsdale Street occupies a former garment factory with a cocktail bar on top: dim sum, Asian-influenced plates and a rooftop that fills by 9pm.

Bar Americano

• ★ 4.6
• $$$

Drink Americano on tap

Bar Americano fits 10 people in a CBD laneway and does not take bookings: the Negroni standard for Melbourne and a lesson in what a small bar.

Cookie

• ★ 4.3
• $$$

Drink Rotating craft tap list

Cookie on Swanston Street runs Melbourne's longest craft beer list alongside a Thai kitchen: live music downstairs and a crowd that arrives after midnight.

Siglo

• ★ 4.5
• $$$

Drink Old Fashioned with Australian whisky

Siglo above Spring Street has rooftop views of Parliament House: aperitivo hours, a serious Campari selection and reliable late-night crowds on the terrace.

Heartbreaker

• ★ 4.3
• $$$

Drink Jungle Bird and cheap beer combos

Heartbreaker on Russell Street is Melbourne's best near-dive bar: natural wine, punk records and a room that rejects any attempt at pretension from its crowd.

Arbory Bar and Eatery

• ★ 4.2
• $$$

Drink House Spritz with Aperol and prosecco

Arbory sits on a riverside platform beneath Flinders Street Station with Yarra views, an all-day menu and one of the city's best outdoor settings.

Double Happiness

• ★ 4.2
• $$

Double Happiness on Liverpool Street is Melbourne's long-favored Chinese-Australian dive: karaoke booths, cold Tsingtao and a room that fills from Wednesday.

Loop Project Space

• ★ 4.1
• $$

Loop Project Space on Meyers Place is a multi-level CBD arts venue and bar: a rooftop with city views, rotating exhibitions and a decent craft beer selection.

American Doughnut Kitchen

• ★ 4.6
• $

Order Cinnamon-sugar jam donut, fresh-fried and handed through the window

American Doughnut Kitchen at Queen Victoria Market has fried jam donuts in the same formula since 1950: hot, sugar-dusted and still sold from the red caravan.

Queen Victoria Night Market

• ★ 4.4
• $

Order Rotating seasonal stalls: Korean pancakes, Vietnamese banh mi, Greek souvlaki

The Queen Victoria Market Night Market runs Wednesday evenings in summer with street food traders, live music and the outdoor energy the CBD loses each night.

Ta-Ke Don

• ★ 4.2
• $

Order Karaage donburi with Japanese curry sauce

Ta-Ke Don on Little Lonsdale Street is the CBD's fast donburi counter: katsu, karaage and tempura over rice for A$10 small, A$15 large with curry.

Shanghai Dumpling House

• ★ 4.1
• $

Order Pan-fried pork and cabbage dumplings

Shanghai Dumpling House on Tattersalls Lane is the standby for pan-fried and steamed dumplings at prices that match every other reason to visit Chinatown.

Moon Dog Doglands

• ★ 4.5
• Brewery
• $$

Moon Dog Doglands in Docklands is Melbourne's largest independent brewery: rotating taps, food trucks and weekend events on the Marvel Stadium precinct.

Queen Victoria Market

• ★ 4.7
• Market
• $

Queen Victoria Market is Melbourne's most visited food destination: heritage sheds, a produce hall, a deli section and a Wednesday summer night market.

Laneways and Arcades Food Tour

• ★ 4.2

Hidden Secrets Tours walks Melbourne's CBD laneways and arcades in three hours: specialty coffee stops, hidden food retailers and the architectural history.

Melbourne Food and Wine Festival Walking Trails

• ★ 4.8

Melbourne Food and Wine Festival running every March offers shortlisted walking trails through CBD precincts: ticketed tastings at participating restaurants.

Melbourne Coffee Culture Walking Tour

• ★ 4.0

Melbourne's coffee culture walking tour covers Carlton and Fitzroy roasteries: Seven Seeds, Proud Mary and Market Lane with cupping sessions and a barista.

Walk Melbourne Dumpling Discovery Walking Tour

• ★ 4.6

Walk Melbourne's Dumpling Discovery walking tour visits six innovative and contrasting Asian street food outlets across the CBD and Chinatown with a guided.

Walk Melbourne Foodie Discovery Walking Tour

• ★ 4.4

Walk Melbourne's Foodie Discovery walking tour covers Melbourne's CBD laneways and arcades with multiple tastings spanning specialty coffee.

Melbourne Food and Wine Festival

• ★ 4.7

Melbourne Food and Wine Festival runs every March across the CBD and inner suburbs: World's Longest Lunch, masterclasses, restaurant pop-ups.

Queen Victoria Market Night Market

• ★ 4.4

The Queen Victoria Market Summer Night Market runs on Wednesday evenings from mid November to mid March, with free entry, more than 50 street food vendors and live music.

Good Food and Wine Show Christmas Edition Melbourne

• ★ 4.0

The Melbourne Christmas edition of the Good Food and Wine Show fills the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre for a weekend with 200-plus exhibitors, wine pavilions, live cooking demonstrations and a festive market. The same show runs its main Melbourne edition in May.

Moomba Festival Food Precinct

• ★ 4.0

Moomba Festival on the Labour Day weekend in March brings a food precinct to Alexandra Gardens: multicultural stalls, fairground snacks and a river setting.

Queen Victoria Market Cooking School

• ★ 4.4

The Queen Victoria Market Cooking School runs hands-on classes from the market precinct: students shop the stalls before cooking Modern Australian dishes.

Hu Tong Dumpling Bar

• ★ 4.3
• Chinese
• $

Order Pan-fried pork and prawn dumplings

Hu Tong Dumpling Bar on Market Lane serves Shanghainese dumplings in Chinatown: xiao long bao, pan-fried pork and a queue that validates the wait every time.

Mamasita

• ★ 4.3
• Mexican
• $

Order Charcoal chicken taco and salsa verde

Mamasita on Collins Street is Melbourne's most consistent Mexican kitchen: tacos al pastor, elotes and a long tequila list for the post-work crowd upstairs.

Auction Rooms

• ★ 4.4
• Brunch
• $$

Order Bacon and egg roll on brioche with house ketchup

Auction Rooms in North Melbourne set the third-wave template in 2009: excellent espresso, reliable brunch plates and a room that handles weekend chaos well.

Hardware Societe

• ★ 4.3
• Brunch
• $$

Order Baked eggs with chorizo and gruyere

Hardware Societe on Hardware Street is the CBD's most popular brunch queue: baked egg pots in cast iron, copied across Melbourne for years and still the best.

New Guernica

• ★ 4.5

New Guernica in a Corrs Lane basement is Melbourne's specialist techno club: a dark, low-ceiling room with a function-first sound system and a booking policy that consistently brings serious international and local electronic acts.

Loop Project Space and Bar

• ★ 4.4

Loop in Meyers Place is Melbourne's oldest listening bar: a laneway venue with a chosen vinyl collection played through a proper sound system, art exhibitions on the walls and cocktails that complement the music rather than compete with it.