Zareh ★ 4.6
Zareh on Smith Street applies Armenian and Lebanese heritage to a wood-fired menu that was one of Melbourne's most talked-about openings of 2025.
Order: Wood-roasted lamb with spiced rice and labneh
Restaurants in Collingwood
Rita's Abbotsford ★ 4.5
Rita's in Abbotsford makes what many locals rate as the city's best pizza: semolina-crusted bases with charred edges from wood and discipline, not theatre.
Order: Semolina-crusted margherita or the anchovy and olive
Suupaa ★ 4.3
Suupaa in Cremorne takes the Japanese konbini concept seriously: udon bolognese and tamago sandwiches with precise daily specials and excellent canned sake.
Order: Udon bolognese and the daily onigiri
Good Days ★ 4.3
Good Days on Smith Street serves Vietnamese pho rivalling Victoria Street: clear aromatic broth, noodles cooked to order and a room full of loyal locals.
Order: Chicken pho with fresh herbs and chilli vinegar on the side
Casual Dining in Collingwood
Good Days ★ 4.3
Good Days on Smith Street is Collingwood's Vietnamese pho anchor: aromatic broth, fresh noodles and regulars who know what they want before they sit down.
Order: Beef pho with tendon and fresh bean sprouts
Rita's Abbotsford ★ 4.5
Rita's in Abbotsford makes semolina-crusted pizzas with wood-fired char most pizza rooms approximate: small room, short menu, real consistency.
Order: Semolina-crusted pizza with anchovy and olive
Suupaa ★ 4.3
Suupaa in Cremorne takes the Japanese konbini as inspiration and applies serious cooking: the udon bolognese beats most Italian noodle dishes in the city.
Order: Udon bolognese with parmesan and soft egg
Zareh ★ 4.6
Zareh on Smith Street brings Armenian and Lebanese cooking with a charcoal focus that makes it one of Melbourne's most exciting casual rooms of 2025.
Order: Chargrilled flatbread with yoghurt and lamb fat
Cafés in Collingwood
Proud Mary ★ 4.6
Proud Mary on Oxford Street is internationally recognised for direct-trade sourcing, with a food programme that keeps pace with the coffee at every turn.
Signature drink: Direct-trade single-origin espresso
Bakeries in Collingwood
Baker Bleu ★ 4.5
Baker Bleu's Cremorne flagship offers 48-hour fermented sourdough, croissants and Roman sourdough pizzas in a large industrial space in the inner suburbs.
Worth the queue: Country sourdough loaf
Convent Bakery ★ 4.3
Convent Bakery inside the Abbotsford Convent uses a wood-fired oven for long-fermented sourdough and fresh pastries baked daily in a historic arts precinct.
Worth the queue: Sourdough loaf and almond croissant
Pandemic Bread Co ★ 4.2
Pandemic Bread Co grew from a lockdown project to a Collingwood bakery: focaccia with seasonal toppings, sandwich loaves and an early sell-out window.
Worth the queue: Focaccia with seasonal toppings
Coffee Roasters in Collingwood
Proud Mary ★ 4.8
Proud Mary in Collingwood is Melbourne's most awarded roaster: direct-trade sourcing, rotating single origins and a cafe drawing coffee pilgrims from abroad.
Bars in Collingwood
Dr Morse ★ 4.5
Dr Morse on Johnston Street in Abbotsford sits beneath Victoria Park station: a two-room bar with a serious whisky list from Scotland, Japan and Australia.
Signature drink: Single malt Scotch flight, seasonal highball
Above Board ★ 4.6
Above Board in Collingwood seats 8 at a U-shaped counter and serves rotating seasonal cocktails from a hidden room accessed via Chopper Lane.
Signature drink: Classic Martini with house-clarified brine
Street Food in Collingwood
Jim's Greek Tavern ★ 4.3
Jim's Greek Tavern on Johnston Street has had charcoal-grilled lamb souvlaki in Collingwood since 1980: the institution that defined the area's food identity.
Order: Lamb souvlaki with pita, tzatziki and onion
Breweries in Collingwood
Stomping Ground ★ 4.5
Stomping Ground in Collingwood brews craft beer with a full menu: a busy taproom, weekend family trade and one of Melbourne's better beer gardens.
Nightlife in Collingwood
The Tote ★ 4.6
The Tote on Johnston Street is Melbourne's underground rock institution: a three-room pub venue that was saved by a 2010 public campaign after liquor licence changes threatened to close it, and has since never looked back.
The Peel Hotel ★ 4.3
The Peel Hotel in Collingwood is Melbourne's oldest and most established gay dance club: a DJ-led dancefloor with a cruisy upstairs bar, trading since the 1980s as the anchor of Melbourne's LGBTQ+ nightlife.
The Laird ★ 4.2
The Laird on Gipps Street is Melbourne's longest-running gay leather bar and a LGBTQ+ community institution: pool tables, a beer garden, regular leather-themed events and a history that goes back to the 1970s.