Can a local restaurant be any more loved than this? From the moment we arrived at Julia's in Ringwood North, Angelina and Jasmine delivered exceptional service, the kind that sets the tone for the whole night before a single dish has landed. What followed was a proper Italian feast - generous, confident, and served with that rare warmth that makes you feel like a regular on your first visit.
Julia's occupies a genuinely striking space - spacious and bright, with an eye-catching open kitchen, a long backlit bar and a neon sign that sets the mood without trying too hard. One of the coolest details in the building is the private dining cellar, once a bank vault, a nod to the site's history as the old Commonwealth Bank. We also swung past the Marana pizza oven and had a look through the kitchen - true artisans at work.
Melbourne doesn't do kebabs by halves. You could argue the best kebabs in Melbourne are as good as the sydney scene. Somewhere between the late-night servo-adjacent takeaway shop and the charcoal-grilled fine-dining plate, this city has quietly built one of the best kebab scenes in Australia - Turkish adana and doner, Persian koobideh and joojeh, Lebanese shish, Yemeni-style mandi, and the beloved Halal Snack Pack (HSP) all sit comfortably on the same menu map. We've eaten our way from Sydney Road to Springvale Road chasing the char, the bread and the sauce-to-meat ratio that separates a good kebab from a great one. Here's where to go.
Ask any Melburnian to defend their favourite fish and chip shop and the conversation almost always ends up on one thing: the potato cake. Forget flake, forget dim sims – the humble potato cake (or "potato scallop" if you're from certain postcodes, but we won't start that fight here) has become a genuine object of obsession, with queues, TikTok reviews and even a state government award now riding on who does it best. The difference between a forgettable one and a brilliant one comes down to a few simple things done properly, and these four shops – from Essendon to Cranbourne – are proof of it.
Looking for quality local independent grocers in Melbourne? Melbourne's love affair with independent grocers runs deep. Long before "curated" became a buzzword, family-run stores across the city were doing exactly that - hand-picking the best produce, importing the good stuff from Italy and Greece, and building the kind of loyal, multi-generational customer base that no chain supermarket can buy. Here are the independent grocers doing it best (based on our personal visits), from inner-city delis to suburban institutions.
One of Essendon's favourite new grocers is turning one, and it's throwing the neighbourhood a party to mark the occasion. And we will be there to celebrate.
The Happy Apple, the independent grocer known for its beautifully curated fresh produce and premium-but-approachable feel, opened its fourth store on Mount Alexander Road in Essendon a year ago. Since then it's become a go-to for locals after fresh produce, artisan bread, flowers, specialty groceries and a decent coffee, all in a space that manages to feel both contemporary and genuinely neighbourhood-y at once.
Now the Essendon store is celebrating its first birthday over the weekend of Saturday 12 and Sunday 13 September, with a full program of tastings, giveaways and instant-win prizes for anyone who pops in. And we are excited to celebrate with locals at this fine grocer of note.
If you've spent any time on Melbourne food Instagram over the last two years, you already know the name No.22 Cafe. The tiny Flinders Street focacceria near Federation Square built a cult following on one thing: proper, round, Puglia-style focaccia, baked fresh and sliced to order, with a queue to prove it. Now it's back — renovated, re-equipped and ready to do it all again.
Mr Vincenzo’s, the beloved Italian restaurant and bar on Mornington’s Esplanade, has reopened in a space three times its original size – and having just been back ourselves, we can confirm the wait was worth it. This has long been one of our favourite tables on the Mornington Peninsula, thanks to a location that’s hard to beat overlooking Port Phillip Bay, and the new-look venue only cements its place as a genuine jewel of the region. The renovation is stunning, the food is kicking goals with local produce heralded on every plate, and there’s now a dedicated wine bar to match.
Looking for a special steak experience in Melbourne that also doubles as a top date night selection? The Meat & Wine Co has landed on Collins Street, and it has arrived with more theatre than almost any steakhouse opening Melbourne has seen in years. We enjoyed a long lunch and experienced the standout Butter-Aged Southern Range Rib Eye - an absolute showstopper, plus other highly impressive dishes. Service is impeccable. The brand's 14th Australian venue and first Melbourne "Safari" concept, this 220-seat flagship trades on the drama of its "African Sky" design as much as it does on its famous flame-grilled beef — and after dining there ourselves, we can say the fit-out alone is worth the visit, before a single course even arrives.
