Favorite Melbourne Restaurants

Melbourne is the foodie capital of Australia. There are so many great places to eat around town. Here are some of my favorites for lunch and dinner.

Mexican
Mexicali Rose (103 Swan Street, Richmond)
Good Mexican food is hard to find in Melbourne but this is definitely the best I have had here. It may be more expensive than the same dishes at home, but the food tastes good. If I am going to a concert at The Corner Hotel, you are more than likely to find me having dinner here beforehand.

Pizza
Cafe on Bourke (50 Bourke Street, Melbourne)
Really good traditional pizzas and you can get a small one for $10. I am particularly fond of the Venice pizza, which has mushrooms and bacon.

Bimbo Deluxe (376 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy)
For a more gourmet pizza this is the place to go. During lunch and after 7pm (except Fridays) the pizzas are only $4 each! What a bargain.

Italian
The Cellar Bar (80 Bourke Street, Melbourne)
The sister restaurant to Grossi Florentino next door, The Cellar Bar has the most delicious Italian food and the best waiters in town. Every dish is amazing and reasonably priced, from entree to main to dessert. You can eat inside or out on the sidewalk and watch the city go by.

Japanese
Shuji Sushi (45 Bourke Street, Melbourne)
This popular restaurant is always full due to their fresh and well priced menu. You can get a wide variety of dishes, but my favorite is always the Bento Box since you get a little bit of everything. Service is also pretty fast.

Dumplings
HuTong Dumpling Bar (14-16 Market Lane, Melbourne)
Matt Preston, The Age's food critic, agrees with me that this is best dumpling restaurant in Melbourne. A fantastic place for lunch, the dumplings are made fresh and are full of flavor. You can get a wide variety of dumplings to share, including their signature shao-long bao, and only be out $12 at the end of the meal.

Vegetarian
The Vegie Bar (378 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy)
One of my long time favorite places, you will never go hungry eating here because the serving sizes are so big. There are a wide variety of vegetarian and vegan meals to choose from on the menu.

Greek
The Press Club Bar (72 Flinders Street, Melbourne)
The Bar side of George Calombaris' The Press Club has an amazing executive lunch menu where you can get two courses and a glass of wine for $25. The food is so delicious and the baklava is the best I have ever tasted. It's a great place for a celebratory lunch.