Must Try Food in Melbourne, Australia [2024]

If you’re wondering what to eat in Melbourne, you’ll find ideas on some of the must try food in Melbourne in this blog post.

Australia is the hallmark of great coffee and home to some of the most inspirational cafes. Similar to the cafe scene in Sydney, many have benchmarked the cafes in Melbourne to their own country’s; some were even inspired by them to set up their own.

Melbourne, the second-largest city of Australia, is home to diverse cuisines due to immigrants from all over the world. From the roadside meals to fine dining, you will find everything with unique flavours and taste in Melbourne.

In fact, the taste of Melbourne is quite well known, and that is a reason why their café culture is replicated all around the world. The 24/7 coffee and toast culture can be traced back to Melbourne.

Without a doubt, cafe-hopping has got to be one of the reasons why you are/ will be in Melbourne for. Even if you have no intention to cafe-hop, you will leave Melbourne a full convert with this must-try food.

Being such a bustling city, there are a plethora of Melbourne food eateries, from little local hideouts to upscale restaurants and even franchise stores. Plethora is an understatement. What are some of the famous food to try in Melbourne?!

There is such an infinite number of cafes and restaurants in Melbourne that serve quality food, that I feel faint every time it comes to figuring out what to eat in Melbourne. Do you feel the same way?

In this post, we pick out some must-try things to eat in Melbourne for any first-timer!

What to eat in Melbourne, Australia

1. The Hardware Societe

This French-inspired cafe is one of the bigger hits in Melbourne right now. Even with alfresco and indoor dining options, seats quickly fill up once doors are open.

Upon stepping in, our moods were instantly lifted by the vibrant interior decoration. Wall plasters of butterflies and low-hanging fairy lights further enhance the atmosphere, making The Hardware Societe the perfect get-together cafe. What struck me most was how colourful the tea cups were, that I couldn’t help but order one cup for myself!

Their Baked Eggs dish (above) is one of their famous food dish, and you are given a choice of vegetable or chorizo sausage together with your eggs. Pictured above is the baked eggs-chorizo sausage combo.

Ever seen a black burger? We haven’t, and since this queer squid ink Lobster Benedict dish stood out from the menu, we had to order it! It turned out to be interesting all right, at least aesthetically-wise.

The portions were debatable. While the Baked Eggs dish filled two hungry and cold stomaches heartily, the Lobster Benedict dish didn’t seem to do as well as the former.

120 Hardware St

Mon - Fri: 7.30am - 3pm
Sat - Sun: 8.30am - 2pm

2. Top Paddock

Cafe-hopping in Melbourne

Who can resist an explosion of colours on one of Melbourne’s most famous food:  Blueberry & Ricotta Hotcake with berries, maple syrup, cream and seeds? While this cafe is further out of town in Richmond, this is why everyone would go through the complicated subway bus route for.

If you haven’t tried such a hotcake before, be warned: it is very, VERY filling. Because it’s so dense, it fills you up quickly, as quickly as when you reach one-fifth of the cake.

Even if you came on an empty stomach, I guarantee you can’t stomach more than half of it. As such, it’s best enjoyed with a group of friends. Many others have jumped on the hotcake bandwagon and replicated this dish (especially in Singapore!), but truth be told, here’s where it all began.

Top Paddock is a spacious compound, with plenty of natural light and greenery to cosy up in the cafe, whether you like it indoors or out. Apart from the hotcakes, they serve up decent cafe food too.

658 Church St, Richmond

Mon-Fri: 7am - 4pm
Weekends: 8am -4pm

3. Operator 25

Operator 25 surprises with us with an Asian Fusion twist to classic cafe food, blending familiar cafe staples with Asian ingredients in a cohesive harmony.

Their all day breakfast menu ranges from light-hearted breakfast tortillas filled with scrambled eggs, bacon, aged cheddar, herb oil, sweet corn and salsa, to heavy ones like the pressed lamb shoulder and belly.

The food to buy is the Japanese Open Omelette with smoked cod, infused with soy sauce, mirin, shitake mushrooms and topped with bonito flakes and fried enoki (above, background) and the BBQ Pork Benedict with crispy wanton skin (above, foreground).

25 Wills St

Mon - Fri: 7am - 4pm
Sat - Sun: 9am - 4pm

4. Auction Rooms

A favourite amongst the locals for its affordable brunch prices, both their food and coffee are on par to be the cafe’s highlights.

Special mention goes to their corned beef brisket & potato hash with shredded cabbage & leek, poached eggs, grilled pita and Sriracha hollandaise (above). As strange as the dish sounds, their tastes were put together in the perfect blend and is one of their more popular dishes.

Don’t miss their homemade beverages – an adventurous choice would be their Malted Hot Chocolate.

If you feel a tinge of longing for their coffee, don’t leave without snapping some of their coffee beans. Auction Rooms has an entire wall filled with a selection of these beans to buy off the rack, so pick your choice already!

Click here for Auction Rooms’ menu.

103-107 Errol St
     
Mon - Fri: 7am - 5pm         
Sat - Sun: 7.30am - 5pm

5. Queen Victoria Market

Queen Victoria Market is the go-to market for all kinds of affordable shopping and Melbourne’s local food.

It’s a huge outdoor market, with over 10 lanes of stalls selling anything and everything – from souvenirs, to apparels, leather products, toys, fruits, cheese, salami, wine and not to forget, real, local food. Be spoilt for choice by their wide selection of comfort food at extremely low prices.

Some food recommendations include the Borek, a Turkish version of a meat pie. Also, if you’re a sausage-lover, The Bratwurst Stall brings back the true goodness of German sausages.

513 Elizabeth St

Tue, Thu: 8am - 2pm
Fri - Sat: 8am - 3pm
Sun: 9am - 4pm
Closed on Mondays and Wednesdays.

6. Manchester Press

Looking for Melbourne’s famous bagels? You got it.

The bagels from Manchester Press are the perfect fuel for your next road trip. They have a wide selection of bagels, including open and closed variations, and also offer sweet ones in the breakfast section.

One of the best foods to eat in Melbourne is this salami with brie cheese bagel, a delectable mix of the two flavours, with the cranberry jam provided at the side to give a sweet finish to the bite.

Expect queues especially on weekends and at lunchtimes, because this trendy cafe is well-placed between offices and the university.

8 Rankins Lane

Mon - Fri: 7am - 5pm
Sat: 9am - 5pm

7. Ying Thai 2

Ying Thai 2 is well-known among the Asians, for it stirs up authentic Thai flavours. With native Thai waiters attending to you, it’s easy to momentarily forget you’re in Australia! It definitely comes up as one of the must try restaurants in Melbourne.

Their Thai coconut rice has got to be the most unforgettable dish I’ve ever tried in my life, and might I say, I’m not exaggerating. The rice was so fragrant and incredibly sweet that you could eat the rice simply on its own.

Green Curry dishes, Pad Thai and chicken wrapped in pandan leaves were other popular choices at this outlet.

110 Lygon St

Tue - Sun: 12pm - 10pm
Closed on Mondays.

8. Pidapipo

Rumoured to serve the best gelatos in Melbourne, this gelato shop serves up an eclectic mix of flavours. Think avocado and lime, rose, coconut, ricotta and fig and Nutella swirl. Made from scratch daily, Pidapipo uses quality ingredients from around the world, such as pistachios from Sicily and hazelnuts from Piedmont.

Some queue for over 20 minutes just for a taste of it – surely that says something about their gelato?

299 Lygon St

Mon - Sun: 12pm - 11pm

9. Ocean Trout Cigars at Omnia Bistro & Bar

Omnia Bistro in South Yarra is a fine dining place that gives experience of a premium cuisine in Capitol Grand.

Ocean trout cigars is a snack that is one of their most amazing dishes. Ocean trout cigar is basically a crisp brik pastry that is wrapped around a crème fraiche with a flaked ocean trout.

This is one of the must eats in Melbourne.

625 Chapel St, South Yarra

Mon - Sun: 12pm - 11pm

10. Spring Street Grocer

While they serve eat-in or take-away sandwiches and bagels at their sandwich bar as well as organic fruits and vegetables, we are here for their gelato! If you’re missing out on the gelatos from Italy, you can have a taste of them here.

Also, cheese-lovers, rejoice! They have their very own cheese cellar available for tasting, with a smorgasbord of different cheese selections available in Australia. Talk about Melbourne’s signature food!

157 Spring St

Operating hours differ for their cheese cellar, sandwich bar, gelateria and
grocer. Check website for more details.

11. Little Rogue

(Source)

Little Rogue is a small local coffee shop nestled unassumingly in a laneway on Drewery Lane. It hides so expertly at the back alley that you can only count on the locals to attest for their great coffee blends. If you manage to find it (it’s not easy, we admit), we promise it’ll be worth it!

Through the cute blue-framed door, local paintings are hung on this shop for sale. Because it’s such a tight space within the coffee shop, you’ll be leaving the shop having made a friend or two.

Their Matcha Green Tea Latte seems to be the hit, but don’t miss out on the classic coffee tastes too.

12 Drewery Lane

Mon - Fri: 7.30am - 6pm
Sat - Sun: 9am - 6pm

12. Cacio e Pepe at Oster Eatery

Oster Eatery is a big name in Richmond, Melbourne. This makes Cacio e Pepe one of the best things to eat in Melbourne and in Oster Eatery. This simple dish covers a silky cheese on its firm in an artistic way with pasta covered in sauce.

One of the unique things about Cacio e Pepe is that most of their ingredients are directly imported from Italy.

76 - 78 Bridge Road, Richmond

Tue - Sat: 11:30am - 9:30pm

13. Fish Mackerel Dumplings at ShanDong Mama

ShanDong Mama is an expensive restaurant in Melbourne with an out-of-the-world tasting experience.

One of the best dumplings can be found at ShanDong Mama. ShanDong Mama also has an affinity for seafood.

Fish Mackerel is an expensive ingredient that can be found in Shandong Mama’s dumpling. A bite to these fish dumplings is like nothing you’ve ever tasted. The boiled mackerel dumpling is so tender that you can cut it with chopsticks without any hassle.

The skins they make for their boiled dumplings are a little bit thicker as compared to others. This makes ShanDong Mama one of the must eat places in Melbourne.

Mid City, 7/200 Bourke St

Mon - Sun: 11am - 9:30pm

14. Meat Lovers Pizza at Leonardo’s

If you are looking for a pizza in Melbourne, then Leonardos is one of the best places to visit. Meat Lovers Pizza is their popular food item and has the best pizza flavour consisting of tomato and nduja, bolognese, fennel sausage and pepperoni.

The top quality meat gives this pizza an amazing taste, which makes it different from the rest of the pizza places in Melbourne.

29 Grattan St, Carlton 

Wed - Thu: 5pm - 12am
Fri - Sat: 12pm - 1am 

15. Chicken Schnitty at Hector’s Deli

Hector’s Deli is another famous place in Melbourne specialising in Chicken Schnitty. This dish is so popular for its taste and ingredients that you can catch it only before noon.

It’s covered in chicken schnitzel, butter, lettuce, and secret mayo on a soft white bun. Chicken Schnitty is surely one of the best dishes to be found in Melbourne and mustn’t be missed if you’re visiting Melbourne!

1/94 Buckingham St, Richmond
Mon - Sun: 7:30am - 3pm

This list of must eat places in Melbourne have gotten me all excited about trying Melbourne food again! Are there any other special food in Melbourne that I should be adding on to this list?

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