Melbourne’s Chic Share Plates And Where To Find Them, According To Our Editor
By now, when the group chat lights up, it’s usually time to lock in that overdue espresso martini and bowl of pasta. Whether you're planning a long lunch or a late-night catch-up, we’ve hand-selected some of the hottest spots in Melbourne that are perfect for ordering big with your crew this May, thanks to American Express delicious. Month Out.
What is Amex delicious. Month Out you ask? It’s a month-long celebration where top-tier dining takes centre stage. The sizeable program of over 65,000 venues is brimming with delicious, chic share plates and perfect pours, and we’ve selected ten of the best for Melbourne just for you. And if you’re an eligible Amex Card Member? The Amex delicious. Month Out Offer is available to redeem at all of these spots*.
Times New Roman
66 Lygon Street, Brunswick East
If Italian is what you're craving, it’s all eyes on Times New Roman. The chic candle-lit pasta bar is here to serve generous bowls for under the $20 mark. The play: grab a few dishes, line them up in the middle of the table, and dig in with your fork—spoon, too, if you’re doing it the fancy way. Wine is done by the glass, starting at $9, a carafe for a few glasses is around $24, or you can snag the whole bottle for the group.
Rocco’s Bologna Discoteca
15 Gertrude Street, Fitzroy
Image credit: Rocco's | Instagram
Fluffy Roman focaccia with hot honey and smoked salt. Spicy vodka pasta with stracciatella. A meatball sub stuffed with pork and beef polpette, sugo and aged parmesan cheese. Yep, you’ve found yourself at Rocco’s in Fitzroy. Sibling to the much-loved Poodle, you can’t go wrong with this northside Italian gem that is dishing up some of the most delicious food in the city. It's a busy one, so you'd be best situated to book ahead for you and your mates.
Lenny’s Wine Room
327 Lennox Street, Richmond
Tucked away off the main drag in Richmond, Lenny’s is one of the best wine bars in town. Hit this place up on a Sunday for $10 spritz or, if Monday night was your only option, you're in luck—Negronis are going for just 12 bucks each. When it comes to eats, you're looking at stacked platters, fresh sourdough bread and courtyard pizza primed for sharing.
Apollo Inn
165 Flinders Lane, Melbourne CBD
Image credit: Apollo Inn | Supplied
If you’ve got Gimlet on your hit list , its sibling bar Apollo Inn is the hidden gem that’ll hit the spot. Behind the curtained entryway hides a swish, intimate cocktail bar, reminiscent of a New York speakeasy. Suited bar staff, ice shaved by hand, and a cocktail list that rotates monthly, there’s a reason why we’ve considered it one of the best bars for 2026, While you’re there, be sure to dive into the food menu too, with a tight selection of snacks and share-style plates, think shellfish on ice, beef carpaccio and indulgent desserts, designed to pair perfectly with whatever’s in your glass.
Longrain
40/44 Little Bourke Street, Melbourne CBD
It’s seriously good modern Thai food for a seriously good time, where every plate on the menu is guided by a sharing ethos. Meaning you’re in safe hands when you're a table of four looking for a decent feed. Better still, when you spend your coin at Longrain, it goes a long way in supporting an independent, homegrown business. The venue playing a proud part in the Amex Shop Small program built to support local businesses that are at the heart of our neighbourhoods. Find out more here.
Bar Holiday
19 Lincoln Square South, Carlton
Image credit: Bar Holiday | Instagram
As the name suggests, this Carlton bar is like a sweet vacation. Step off Lincoln Square and into a cosy den that’s primed for your next catch-up. Golden hour strikes at 5pm with $9 wine and beer, $12 spritz and Americanos, and $15 Negronis and martinis. And they do the all-time Melbourne favourite, anchovy toast, in delicious proportions.
Lilla Bakehouse
17/370 Queen Street, Melbourne CBD
Fancy a morning pastry and coffee? Level up your next walk date and Shop Small with with Lilla Bakehouse, a quaint Asian- inspired barkery, the unofficial home of the Melbourne matcha movement. The pick for May? The cookie butter matcha latte alongside the double matcha tiramisu, topped with cream and fresh strawberries. It can do no wrong if you and your pal consider yourselves matcha fans.
Melitta Next Door
160 Rathdown Street, Carlton
Image credit: Melitta Next Door | Supplied
Trust in the Bar Bellamy team to strike the balance between fancy and affordability. That espresso martini you were wanting? Melitta Next Door’s riff won’t break the bank at just $14 a pop. And the food goes unmatched—Sicilian street food made for sharing. The charcoal skewers are where it’s at, three lamb arrosticini for $10 or double the skewers for $18.
Common Cuts
380 Russell Street, Melbourne CBD
Common Cuts is where you want to be if you and the gang have steak on your mind. Choose from chargrilled premium wagyu, steak frites and brisket lasagna served with bone marrow for a delicious time. Workday eats are also made easy with the weekday set menu with grilled scallop, spanner crab croquettes and Yorkshire pudding up first, followed by a main of your liking (if you all order something different, you've got yourself a sharing spread). Brownie points for newness, Common Cuts only just swung open its doors, so impress your friends by knowing what the hot new spot in town is.
As part of Amex delicous. Month Out in the month of May, eligible Amex Card Members can redeem the Amex delicious. Month Out Offer at these participating venues, making it easier to commit to plans that feel worth it. With many also part of the Shop Small network, it’s a chance to back the local spots shaping Melbourne's dining scene, while you’re at it. Learn more this way.
P.S. before we forget, it’s not just great offers and standout local dining that come with a trusted Amex Card. Depending on your Card, you can earn points year-round, secure Amex Presale tickets, and enjoy lounge access at entertainment venues—all while shopping with your favourite businesses (T&Cs apply). To learn more about the benefits of an Amex Card, click here.
*Amex Card Members who save the Offer to their eligible Card and spend in-person only, in one or more transactions, at participating Amex Delicious Month Out venues by 31/05/2026, can get 20% back, until they get a total of $25 back on their Card. Limited to the first 80,000 Cards to save the Offer. Exclusions, T&Cs apply.
Editor’s note: This article is sponsored by Amex Delicious Month Out. and proudly endorsed by The Urban List. To find out more about who we work with and why read our editorial policy here.
Leading image credit: Longrain | Instagram