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Red velvet seats and timber panelling has helped transform a onetime bike shop into a rococo bordello.
Critics' Pick

‘Glammed-up bordello appeal’: this southside bar is part of a trend we’ve fallen for

Come for the stellar French wine list and stay for the snacks at this exciting update to one of the city’s best-loved bistros.

  • Besha Rodell
Perry’s is an all-day cafe at Valley Lake estate, hosued in a former quarry.

One of Melbourne’s most perfectly situated cafes is hiding in plain sight

You’d never stumble upon this local hangout, on the banks of a picturesque lake, by accident.

  • Dani Valent
Go-to dish: Goat’s cheese souffle.
14/20

Discover fluffy souffle near Puffing Billy at this local favourite in the hills

Cognoscenti, a bistro from an ex-Donovans trio, is worth building into a day trip or a Dandenong Ranges weekend.

  • Dani Valent
Tortelli filled with asparagus, goat’s cheese and wild garlic sings of the fragility of seasons, food, life.
Good Food hat15/20

Eat it and weep: The pasta dish so good it brought our critic to tears

It’s been a decade of masterful pasta and good cheer from Tipo 00, the city Italian joint that’s become a Melbourne drawcard.

  • Besha Rodell
Takeaway kiosk Eek Charm is cute, cheap and convenient.

This hole-in-the-wall is one of the cutest (and cheapest) food spots in Melbourne

Thai noodle takeaway Eek Charm is wedged between an escape room and a hairdresser in a city laneway.

  • Dani Valent
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Peel back the lid of the chicken curry pot pie to reveal chunks of chook and vegetables.
Critics' Pick

He runs a two-hat city restaurant, so why is this chef serving pies?

The new project from Lee Ho Fook’s Victor Liong appears to have “affordable, healthy, and quick” as its watchwords.

  • Besha Rodell
The optional seafood platter (market fish, mussels, salmon caviar and lemon-pickle-spiked butter sauce).
Good Food hat15.5/20

This add-on is like the designer dress you stumble upon in an op shop: an absolute steal

Three-year-old Mauritian restaurant Manze is sitting in the sweet spot. Plus: its seafood platter is absolutely gorgeous.

  • Dani Valent
Tzaki’s tiny kitchen produces pastries, coffee, wood-fired mezze and Greek-inspired cocktails.
14/20

Yarraville just became a whole lot cooler with this delicious slice of modern Greek dining

This all-day Greek cafe and no-bookings wine bar in Yarraville exudes cool. It helps, of course, that the food is fantastic.

  • Besha Rodell
Hacienda aims to remove itself from the taco crowd.
13.5/20

Is this new Mexican eatery the quality Southgate venue we’ve been waiting for?

Some of the food at this riverside restaurant left our critic giddy with excitement. But there were a few spills amid the thrills.

  • Besha Rodell
Jishan Garden serves banquets, a la carte and afternoon tea in grand surrounds.
14/20

There’s nowhere else quite like this Chinese restaurant in an ornate Melbourne mansion

Jishan Garden is a fine dining and afternoon tea destination, with a garden bar in the works for summer.

  • Dani Valent