Crown Melbourne remains one of the city's great dining destinations - and I say that having eaten my way through most of it over the years. What makes it compelling is the sheer range under one roof. You can move from a world-class Japanese restaurant to a buzzing Indian dining room to a classic French bistro overlooking the Yarra, all in the same complex.
My wife and I have spent many memorable evenings here - celebrating special occasions, entertaining interstate guests, or simply treating ourselves. These are our honest picks for the best restaurants at Crown Melbourne right now.
There’s something undeniably magical about sipping a cocktail above the city streets. Melbourne’s rooftop bar scene is one of the best in Australia, combining skyline views, inventive drinks, and atmospheres that range from laid-back to seriously glamorous.
Whether you’re searching for the best rooftop bars in Melbourne CBD, a laid-back terrace for sunset drinks, or a glamorous rooftop cocktail bar with skyline views, this guide covers the city’s standout venues.
Here are our picks for the best rooftop bars in Melbourne.
Melbourne's fine dining scene just got a serious upgrade. La Madonna, the French-Italian restaurant perched on level three of Next Hotel Melbourne in the CBD, has launched Caviar After Dark - a five-course degustation dedicated entirely to premium caviar. Running until 31 July 2026, this limited-time experience is already shaping up to be one of the most exciting restaurant events in Melbourne this year. We were invited to a launch event to experience this luxe offering ourselves and it didn't disappoint.
At a Glance
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5/5
Best For: Special occasions, anniversary dinners, serious foodies, anyone wanting to experience Melbourne dining at its peak right now
Price: $$$$ - $220pp for the degustation, optional wine pairing $110pp
Verdict: A genuinely rare experience for Melbourne - an entire degustation built around world-class caviar, executed by a Michelin-trained chef in a setting that feels luxurious without being intimidating. Don't miss the Spaghetti au Caviar or the extraordinary Negroni caviar dessert. Book before it sells out.
Verdict: One of Melbourne's most exciting restaurants - vegetarian or otherwise. Patsy's operates with the confidence of a venue that knows exactly what it is, producing food that's creative, seasonal, technically accomplished, and genuinely moving. This is fine dining without pretension.
Best for: • Vegetarian fine dining and tasting menus • Special occasions and long lunches • Wine lovers - the European list is exceptional • Farm-to-table dining done properly
Price: $$$
There’s a quiet confidence to Patsy’s - the kind that doesn’t need to shout about its philosophy because it’s already evident on the plate. In a city obsessed with protein-led dining and premium cuts, this Melbourne CBD restaurant does something far more compelling: it makes vegetables the main event without apology, imitation, or compromise. And in doing so, it firmly establishes as one of the most exciting and best vegetarian restaurants in Melbourne.
Melbourne’s steak scene is a carnivore’s dream, spanning old-school institutions, fire-driven modern grills, luxurious butcher-restaurants, and elevated fine diners where world-class beef is treated with reverence. Whether you’re craving perfectly marbled Wagyu, dry-aged showstoppers, premium côte de boeuf, or charcoal-kissed Japanese yakiniku, these standout venues represent the city’s finest steak experiences. Here are some of the best steak restaurants in Melbourne for exceptional cuts, memorable dining, and premium hospitality.
(Article updated May 2026).
Quick Verdict: Melbourne’s Best Steak Restaurants at a Glance
Short on time? Here’s the executive summary. These are the steak restaurants in Melbourne that consistently deliver exceptional beef, expert cooking and memorable dining experiences.
Best Overall: Steer Dining Room and Bar – The benchmark for premium steak in Melbourne.
Best for Luxury Dining: Grill Americano – Glamorous Italian-inspired steakhouse with serious swagger.
Best for BBQ Lovers: Meatmaiden – Smoke, char and bold flavours in a moody basement setting.
Best Steak Frites: Entrecôte – A classic French experience done beautifully.
Best for Wagyu: Victor Churchill Melbourne – Premium cuts and indulgent tasting experiences.
Best Value: San Telmo – Outstanding Argentinian grilling without the eye-watering price tag.
Best for Special Occasions: Florentino – Big energy, polished service and celebratory vibes.
Bottom line: If you want the very best steak in Melbourne, start with Rockpool Bar & Grill, Grill Americano and Meatmaiden. Each offers a different style, but all are among the city’s elite destinations for carnivores.
It was a thrill to Joined the Dutch Rules team at a media and friends night for a night of conviviality as we celebrated the opening of the new kitchen at the Dutch Rules Distillery. New Head Chef, and the Good Food Guide's Young Chef of the Year, Viveik Vinoharan served a curated selection from our new menu, paired with specialty cocktails. We enjoyed incredible snacks and I can’t wait to try the new menu - including the Rigatoni with pork curry. The night featured a selection of canapés designed as a prelude to the opening menu and it did not disappoint.
What was already a respected player in Melbourne’s ever-evolving cocktail culture has stepped confidently into something far more ambitious: a full-scale food destination with serious culinary intent. A new kitchen. A new chef. A new upstairs function space. And, most importantly, a new era.
I had the chance to experience this transformation firsthand at a recent media and friends preview — hosted by Sai Merchant alongside owner Danny Perera - and it’s clear that Dutch Rules isn’t just levelling up. It’s repositioning itself entirely.
Verdict: A bold, joyful reimagining of Malaysian cuisine that earns its place among Melbourne's best restaurants. Chef Junda Khoo's Ho Jiak is technically accomplished, deeply personal, and genuinely exciting from first bite to last. The Laksa Bombs alone are worth the trip.
Best for: • The Signature Banquet experience ($118pp) • Malaysian food fans wanting something beyond the ordinary • Special occasions and group dining • The famous Laksa Bombs — a Melbourne must-eat
Price: $$–$$$ Signature Banquet: $118pp
Ho Jiak is a bold move into the Melbourne restaurant scene but is changing Malaysian dining as we know it. Melbourne is no stranger to exceptional food, but every so often a restaurant emerges that doesn't just join the conversation - it shifts it. Ho Jiak is one of those venues. This is not simply another Malaysian restaurant in the CBD; it's a bold reimagining of what Malaysian cuisine can look like when technique, storytelling, and ambition align. We enjoyed a diverse and delicious banquet where boundaries were pushed when it comes to traditional notions of Malaysian food - and delightfully so.
At the centre of it all is Junda Khoo, a chef whose journey is as compelling as the food he serves. Once a high-flying professional at Macquarie Bank, Khoo made the kind of career pivot most people only talk about - leaving corporate life behind to pursue a deeply personal culinary vision. What followed was not just success, but influence. After making waves in Sydney, he has brought that same energy to Melbourne, establishing a trio of venues in Rainbow Alley that are already redefining expectations. Ho Jiak is one of the best Malaysian restaurants in Melbourne.
This is Malaysian dining elevated - refined, expressive, and unapologetically creative - yet still grounded in memory, heritage, and the unmistakable soul of home cooking. Ho Jiak is one of the best new restaurants in Melbourne.
Melbourne has long been recognised as one of the world’s great food cities, and its vegetarian and vegan dining scene is no exception. Whether you’re a committed plant-based eater or simply looking to explore more vegetable-forward dishes, the city offers an impressive range of options that go far beyond the expected. From elevated, chef-driven experiences to casual institutions serving comfort food with global influence, Melbourne’s best vegetarian restaurants showcase creativity, diversity, and serious flavour.
This curated list highlights the top vegetarian and vegan restaurants in Melbourne, including iconic favourites and modern standouts that continue to shape the city’s evolving food culture. Expect everything from rich Italian plates built around mushrooms and truffle, to bold vegan Spanish fare, vibrant Mexican street food, and deeply spiced Middle Eastern classics. These venues prove that plant-based dining is not about compromise - it’s about innovation, technique, and delivering dishes that satisfy on every level.
If you’re searching for the best vegetarian restaurants in Melbourne right now, this guide delivers the essential shortlist.
