Straddling the line between bougie and gritty, Fitzroy still maintains a touch of the old artist’s haunt. But when it comes to food, the main feature of the Fitzroy food scene is variety. There’s no shortage of flavours, tastes, and cuisines that make Fitzroy restaurants some of the best in Melbourne.
You want Euro wine bars and bistros, or beloved dives? Fancy ramen, or cheap and cheerful noodles? Buckets of crispy fried chicken, or wholesome vegan delights? Cheesy Chicago deep dish pizzas, or a precise and intimate seasonal degustation? A counter meal pub feed, or a dive into the pasta and vino of Piedmont? Mexican pozole from a treasured family recipe, or homestyle flavours of Kerala and the Philippines? You. Got. It.
The Best Fitzroy Restaurants At A Glance
- Jump To The Best New Restaurants In Fitzroy
- Jump To The Best Casual Dining In Fitzroy
- Jump To Our Fave Classic Fitzroy Restaurants
- Jump To The Best Pubs In Fitzroy
- Jump To The Best Fine Dining In Fitzroy
There’s a little of everything in Fitzroy, and for every budget. It’s also serious pub territory, with some of Melbourne’s finest packed into this little ‘burb, and home to a few of the city’s greatest institutions.
Whether you’re splashing out or keeping close watch on those pennies, seeking the fresh or the familiar, you’ll find what you’re looking for here.
We want you to be the first in the know. Join Urban List Insiders, we’ll shoot you all Melbourne’s best things to eat, drink and do every week.
Here are the best restaurants Fitzroy has to offer in 2025 according to Urban List:
The Best New Fitzroy Eateries
Palay
135 Greeves Street, Fitzroy
The bright blue door is your welcome to Filipino flavour at Palay. Silogs are the brunch star: fried egg and garlic fried rice with pickled green papaya and longganisa sausage, pork tocino or beef tapas. Pair your meal with a Filipino coffee creation like the mango coffee float for some extra pizzazz. From 5pm, it’s Filipino tapas time, with soft brown sugar pandesal bread, pancit stir fried vermicelli and sizzling platters of pork sisig - a mix of pork ears, belly and chicharron with a 60 degree egg. For dessert, take it cheesy with maja blanca corn and coconut pudding served alongside queso ice cream and parmesan.
Norma
197 Smith Street, Fitzroy
You’ll find not just French, but French Mediterranean bliss at Norma. Tapenade, focaccia and gnocchi sit alongside classic Bourguignon and confit duck leg with parsnip puree and jus à l’orange, with Basque cheesecake and crème brûlée to finish. Chef Benjamin Tremblet combines traditions from his French and Italian grandmothers in this gorgeous little bistro. And just like at your grandmother’s dinner table, the menu is designed to be shared. The wine list even includes reds and rosé from the family vineyard near Bordeaux. Bellissimo.
Ramen Ako’s
368 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy
31 seats, 3 ramens, 100 serves max. Ako’s keeps it straightforward. It’s named for owner Sho Iijima’s mother, Ako, in honour of her chicken soup. Choose between the chicken ramen with signature shio broth (chintan) or thickened broth (paitan) or the vegan mushroom ramen based on soy and shitake broth. Pork belly “chashu” accompanies the meaty bowls while a torched tofu “chashu” partners the vegan option. Simple sides like gyoza and karaage complete the meal, with beer and sake the perfect companions to your food.
Punters Club
376 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy
Image: Punters Club | Supplied
Refurbished and reborn, the old Punters Club on Brunswick Street is a living dream of the classic pubs of yore, from the pool room and juke box to the XXXX and Guinness on tap. The menu hits notes of Aussie nostalgia with tuna tartare, Smith’s salt and vinegar chips, and South Melbourne dim sum, as well as their take on old school pub grub like the Ploughman’s plate, steak-egg-and-chips and cheddar croquettes with Branston pickle.
The Best Spots For Casual Dining in Fitzroy
Toddy Shop
191A Smith Street, Fitzroy
Image: Toddy Shop | Supplied
Mischa Tropp’s Toddy Shop brings homestyle Keralan dishes to Fitzroy. The South Indian-inspired diner seats an intimate 20 people with an additional outdoor parklet.
Ordering for the table? They recommend a mix of ‘wet’ saucy dishes, like traditional spicy fish nadan, and ‘dry’ dishes, such as chicken pepper fry. Vegetarians are well fed, with dishes like kadala alongside brown chickpeas with coconut and tomato, cabbage thoran, and a pineapple, yogurt and coconut curry known as pulissery. Scoop it up with flaky parota bread and wash it down with beer or a cocktail like the signature Toddy Colada.
Alta Trattoria
274 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy
Image: Alta Trattoria | Supplied
Flavours of Piedmont reign at Alta, a lively trattoria that heroes this Northern Italian region in food and wine. Try Piedmont-style tajarin pasta with rabbit ragù bianco and olives or their Vitello Tonnato with tuna sauce and fried capers. Other flavours from central and northern areas get a look-in, like gnocchi with spiced Tuscan sausage and puntarelle, a Ligurian pansotti pasta and the barbagiuan of Monaco, a fried ravioli with pumpkin, marjoram, cannellini and Pecorino. Everything pairs seamlessly with an Italy-leaning wine list (you’ll find some French and Australian drops on there as well).
Belles Hot Chicken
150 Gertrude Street, Fitzroy
She’s a Southern Belle, and her heart’s in Nashville. Nashville-style hot chicken is characteristically crisp and dusted, with zingy, crunchy pickles. At Belles Hot Chicken you can choose your cut, decide between one of six spice levels (be careful here) and select your side dish, like crinkle cut fries or mac n cheese. Grab some beers or a boozy slushie and get ready to sweat. Don’t overlook the hot chicken sandwiches, either, and stop by on weekends for the brunch special: they’re one of the few places slinging chicken and waffles in this town.
Rocco’s Bologna Discoteca
15 Gertrude Street, Fitzroy
Image credit: Rocco's Bologna Discoteca | Supplied
Rocco’s is the party sibling to Poodle bistro, all Italo-disco vibes, big flavours and that iconic meatball sub: pork and veal polpette slathered in sauces and popped into a roll, yours for the taking at lunch or dinner (and shared on the date night special). It’s simple Italo-American inspired cuisine, like rigatoni ala vodka, fries with ‘pizza seasoning’, chargrilled steak with Sicilian orange jus and Roman focaccia with hot honey and smoked salt. On the drinks menu is everything you need to make this a choice spot for dates and mates. Think fun wine, grappa and amaro, classic cocktails, and more.
Rice Paper Scissors
307 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy
This Asian-fusion diner that is Rice Paper Scissors is truly always bustling. The punchy, share-style menu is practically perfect for groups, and a banquet option with your pick of plates and bottomless rice. They don’t hold back on flavour, with dishes like 5 spice crispy lamb ribs, grilled moo peng pork skewer with smoked pineapple and jeow sauce and spicy jungle curry. Vegans don’t miss out, they can tuck into Som Tum Tod green papaya fritters and creamy Burmese lentil curry. Add a black sticky rice brulee, maybe a few happy hour $10 cocktails, and you’ve got a good night.
Maven By Morgan
402 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy
Image credit: Maven By Morgan | Supplied
Maven is home to Mediterranean cuisine by a former Dessert Masters star, Morgan Hipworth (you probably know him for those sweet treats at Bistro Morgan). The share-style modern Euro menu has twists that tap into Melbourne tastes, like cauliflower bravas with toum, slow-cooked ‘Greek style’ beef cheek and roasted perri perri chicken with green tarator. Because he’s a dessert whiz, you’ll definitely want to save room for Biscoff tiramisu, served tableside.
Gogyo
413 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy
Sister to the famous Japanese ramen chain Ippudo, Gogyo’s signature kogashi charred miso ramen is a standout in the Melbourne ramen scene. Smoky, rich and packed with umami, it’s well worth a visit for that alone. Their spicier dishes pack some heat, like the chilli shoyu with spicy chicken broth and habanero pork mince. You’ll also want to get your hands on some of the fun fusion riffs on the menu like sukiyaki-syle wagyu spring rolls and hojicha burnt cheesecake.
Deep End Pizza
412A Brunswick St Fitzroy
Deep End slings different regional specialties of American pizza, from the hulking great cheese-loaded that is a Chicago Style Deep Dish to the thin square Chicago Tavern, thick fluffy Detroit Pan and the thinner New York and New Haven styles. Toppings range from simple pepperoni to mixed veg and a six-cheese and Italian sausage affair, as well as collab specials like birria. Bring the crew, arrive hungry and for heaven’s sake wear loose-fitting clothing.
Masti
354-356 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy
Image credit: Masti | Supplied
Part restaurant, part cocktail bar, Masti is the Indian restaurant from acclaimed 'curry queen' Manpreet Sekhon, sharing insanely delicious North Indian Pubjabi flavours. Masti means “fun”, and everything from the fitout to the food is bright and vibrant. Sekhon spotlights North Indian flavours with dishes like Amritsar battered fried fish, Punjabi Kadhi Pakora onion fritters and dhaba-style goat curry, as well as South Indian Malabari curry and signatures like honey chilli cauliflower and the famous 24-hour black dahl.
Addict Ramen
240 Johnston Street, Fitzroy
By day, it’s Fitzroy’s beloved Addict Cafe. By night Thursday to Saturday, things get noodle-y. The Addict Ramen team is slinging noods, and their broth is serious business. The signature bowl is the silky pork-bone tonkostu ramen with grilled pork belly, black fungus, bamboo shoots, spring onion and nori. They also serve a mean bowl of Hokkaido style spicy ramen, and a vegan tempura paitain with crunchy battered veg.
Mukka
366 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy
Image: Mukka | Supplied
Bollywood cocktail bar meets a grand tour of Indian cuisine at Mukka, with everything from street food to curry cafes and tiffin meals. Best enjoyed with friends (or lovers, they have a ‘Tinder Meal’ for date nights) so you can load up on heaving bowls of curry and biryani, street-style tandoori and kebabs, dosa and a smattering of snacks and sides. They have Indian twists on classic cocktails, like a Chai espresso martini, and the option of spiking your lassi.
Our Fave Classic, Must-Visit Fitzroy Restaurants
Mario’s
303 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy
One doesn’t use the term “Melbourne institution” lightly, but we’ll use it here. Opened in 1986 by Mario Maccarone and Mario De Pasquale, Mario’s feels like a glimpse into old Melbourne. You’re getting simple pasta and classic garlic bread. You’re sitting at the window bar beneath the neon sign or a table laid with a crisp white cloth. You’re drinking espresso or cappuccino with your eggs benedict breakfast, and a glass of the house wine with dinner. And, you can come back any time. It’s open seven days a week.
Marion
53 Gertrude Street, Fitzroy
Image credit: Marion | Parker Blain
This airy, elegant neighbourhood wine bar on trendy Gertrude Street, named Marion, is renowned for its epic wine list and Euro-inspired cuisine. It has a constantly changing menu that still consistently hits all of the right notes, whether it's mussels with ‘nduja, fried bread and aioli, a lush chicken liver parfait with madeira and cornichons, spicy baked pipe rigate with vodka sauce or a delicate vermouth flan, nothing on the menu disappoints. One of our fave additions is artisan cheeses to round out your meal. Stop in for a little bite or splurge on a lot.
Poodle Bar & Bistro
81-83 Gertrude Street, Fitzroy
Image credit: Poodle Bar & Bistro | Supplied
Poodle Bar & Bistro is always buzzing. In just a few years, it’s become a Fitzroy staple, where Euro bistro meets Italo-Australian with a touch of mid-century New York. The kind of place you can order endless martinis and oysters or splash out on a vintage rib-eye and delight in nostalgic snacks like prawn vol-au-vent or salt and vinegar onion rings. With great wine and classic cocktails, it’s the kind of spot you’ll revisit endlessly.
Frankie’s Tortas And Tacos
30 Johnston Street, Fitzroy
Image credit: Frankie's Torta & Tacos | Supplied
From its humble origins as a kiosk on Smith Street to its permanent home on Johnston Street, Frankie's Tortas & Tacos has captured the hearts, stomachs and taste buds of Melbourne. The restaurant is kitted out diner-style in their signature white and red aesthetic. Dig into hefty tortas (a Mexican-style sandwich) with fillings like crispy fried chicken, al pastor or grilled mushrooms with Oaxacan cheese. Or chow down on trays of tacos with a side of crispy chicharron and an icy cold Mexican beer.
Tamura Sake Bar
1/43 Gertrude Street, Fitzroy
Tamura is Fumi Tamura’s casual Japanese sake bar where vinyl spins, the welcome is warm and everything’s delicious. Sake fans can explore by region or flavour profile (there’s a helpful blackboard map), or sip classic Japanese highballs, sochu and beers. Snack through izakaya-style dishes like shimesaba (cured mackerel) and Japanese fried chicken or go larger with ramen, curry and rice bowls, including eel and omelette. A staple on Gertrude Street, Tamura now has a sister venue on Smith Street called Izakaya by Tamura which is also one to add to your list.
Napier Quarter
359 Napier Street, Fitzroy
Image: Napier Quarter | Supplied
Home to perhaps Melbourne’s most famous anchovy toast, Napier Quarter is a cafe and wine bar that runs day to night serving Merlbourne takes on rustic European fare. The ever-changing menu champions artisan producers and local farmers or fishers with dishes like fish of the day, risotto with foraged herbs and mushrooms, and a seasonal fruit tart where quince is baked in frangipane with candied ginger. The house focaccia, however, always stays.
Bon Ap' Petit Bistro
193 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy
Image: Bon Ap' Petit Bistro | Supplied
Bon Ap’ doesn’ just cook French food. It feels like you’re stepping into a neighbourhood bistro in France itself, from the timber finishes and white walls with rows of wine bottles to the platters of buttery escargot a la bourguignonne and steak tartare and frites, luxurious canard a l’orange and pear tarte tartin. At almost a decade old, they’ve become a comforting stalwart of the Fitzroy scene.
Bar Liberty
234 Johnston Street, Fitzroy
Image credit: Bar Liberty | Supplied
There's a touch of irreverence to Bar Liberty that just makes it more comfortable and welcoming. It doesn't take itself too seriously, but is still seriously good. To eat, simple, produce-driven dishes like a seasonal veg plate or spatchcock with mushrooms and apera, with the signature sourdough flatbread. There’s a large wine list to peruse, with evocative headings like ‘Fresh & Electric Whites’ and ‘Bold & Structured Reds’.
The Best Fitzroy Pubs
Marquis of Lorne
411 George Street, Fitzroy
Image credit: Marquis of Lorne | Supplied
It’s 150 years old (well, the building is), but The Marquis Of Lorne is no dusty pub. Not only does the wine list punch well above its weight, the menu combines pub classics with playful Mod Oz twists, like BBQ roo and mash alongside schnitty and slaw with salsa verde, salt-and-pepper tofu with green papaya salad and the now-iconic rockling burger with dill-infused aioli, shallots, cos lettuce and thick chips. The rooftop pops off in summer, and makes for the perfect pre-dinner drinks spot before you head downstairs for a hearty meal.
Builders Arms Hotel
211 Gertrude Street, Fitzroy
Image credit: Builders Arms Hotel | Ben Moynihan
The Builders Arms Hotel is a pub as only Andrew McConnell could do it: gastropub-style. That means whipped cod’s roe and flatbread, seasonal salads, steak with kohlrabi remoulade, roast cauli and chickpea curry, grass-fed burgers and a golden fish pie. It’s spritzes in the beer garden, Carlton Draught beside craft beer taps in the front bar, and bistro diners drinking wines by the glass, bottle and magnum. When all’s said and done, from steak nights to trivia, it’s just a darn fine pub.
The Napier Hotel
210 Napier Street, Fitzroy
The Napier Hotel is a quintessential cosy pub with vintage decor, a relaxed charm and pub grub to die for. The menu doesn’t disappoint… Pepper crusted kangaroo fillet with bernaise. Salt and pepper squid with togarashi mayo. Salt baked beetroot with walnut tortellini, fennel jam and vegan feta. And the Bogan burger: a gut-busting stack of steak, schnitty, bacon, egg, potato cake, pineapple, beetroot, onion, tomato and cheddar with wedges. Truly, something for everyone.
The Union Club Hotel
164 Gore Street, Fitzroy
Image: The Union Club Hotel | Supplied
A red brick landmark of solid dependability, its interior a delight of wood panelling, retro patterns and old memorabilia. The Union Club Hotel is famed for the parmas, pints and weekly pub specials, with a beer garden for summer lounging and a warm fire for snuggling in winter.
The Standard Hotel
293 Fitzroy Street, Fitzroy
The Standard Hotel is everything you want in an old-school pub, with character that only comes from a 150 year history. Inside, kitsch decor and tons of timber, from wall panelling to the bar and a backbar crowded with bottles of spirits. Guinness on tap alongside Australian craft brews, with a sprawling beer garden you can live in all summer. The menu is eclectic, but with solid pub roots: pork, fennel and chilli sausage rolls, Korean fried chicken wings, beer battered fish and chips, roasted cauli with ras el hanout and kachumber salad, bougie burgers, and steak and roo on the grill.
The Best Fine Dining Restaurants In Fitzroy
Cutler
55/57 Gertrude Street, Fitzroy
Image credit: Cutler & Co | Earl Carter
More than 15 years on and Cutler remains one of the best Fitzroy restaurants. The setting is pared back and simple. The cuisine, elevated and elegant. Trending foods are given fine-dining treatment, like caviar tarts and abalone katsu sandos, while timeless luxuries like the signature 1.2kg dry-aged rib-eye have pride of place (and price, at $240). It’s seasonal, but with a particularly heightened focus on each season, with delicacies like an Autumn vegetable entree with golden beetroot, red radish, fig, walnut and tangy goat's cheese. The wine list? Traditional, but in the best sense - focused on the best executions of style and varietal.
Gaea
166 Gertrude Street, Fitzroy
Chef Mo Zhou’s degustation-only menu at this 16-seat fine diner changes monthly, reflecting the constant seasonal shifts of Gaea - mother earth. Everything about the menu is fascinating, with experimental touches, unexpected flavours and seasonings of ferments and infusions. Exquisitely presented plates are devoured with the eyes first, and handmade ceramics add to the intimate, thoughtful nature of the experience. Sommelier Charles Duan does more than select wine; he creates the inspired non-alcs pairings himself.
“There’s a cooking philosophy behind it, lots of ferments and different brewing methods,” Duan said. “It can be juicy and fresh, like pomelo shrub with elderflower and tomato water, or wild and meaty like fermented carrot juice with lamb fat caramel.”
He also pulls in aspects of Chinese culture (think, a ‘coke’ soda of pu’er tea and 10 spices).
Carnation Canteen
165 Gore Street, Fitzroy
A neighbourhood restaurant with a fine-dining lens, Ex-Tedesca Osteria chef Audrey Shaw creates a weekly changing menu focused on organic and biodynamic ingredients at Carnation Canteen. It might look simple, but this elegant 20-seater took Melbourne by storm (sometimes you can still struggle to get a reservation). The cuisine has bright, fresh, uncomplicated Mediterranean roots, but executed with precision, like heirloom organic tomatoes with olive oil, buffalo ricotta, black olive crostini and a sprinkle of salt, or Cape Moreton Scarlet Prawns with with prawn bisque, the head grilled for umami and the body raw and sweet.
Urban List Best Of: has our highest stamp of approval—curated lists of the very best recommendations for you to eat, do, see, buy or book, carefully chosen by our Editors.
The Best Japanese Melbourne Restaurants, 2025 Edition
Want to relive that Japanese holiday, or get your eye in before you head overseas? You're in luck, because Melbourne is full of top-tier Japanese restaurants. Whether you’re craving freshly made sushi, bowls of steaming ramen, sizzling teppanyaki, melt-in-your-mouth sashimi, or flavourful donburi, there’s no shortage of authentic Japanese restaurants in Melbourne to dive into.
The 25 Best Italian Restaurants In Melbourne, Updated 2025
Searching for the best Italian restaurants in Melbourne? From hidden trattorias to fine dining, here are Melbourne’s top 25 Italian spots for pasta, pizza and more in 2025.
Your Guide To The Best Cocktail Bars In Melbourne For 2025
When the clock hits cocktail hour you don't want to be messing around, it's time for a crisp martini or meaty negroni. Thanks to Melbourne's stellar culinary and bar scene there are some seriously good spots around the city to get a glass in hand. From hidden watering holes to some serious first-class swank here are Urban List's picks for the best cocktail bars Melbourne has to offer in 2025.
Leading image credit: Marion | Kristoffe Paulsen
Urban List Best Of: has our highest stamp of approval—curated lists of the very best recommendations for you to eat, do, see, buy or book, carefully chosen by our Editors.