The Feed | Melbourne Food News You Don’t Want To Miss

The food news has been coming in thick and fast in Melbourne, and to make sure that you're across all of the food and bev movements, we've wrapped up everything that you need to know in a handful of digestible servings. 

And if you're chasing Melbourne's best cheap eats right now, best restaurants, best cafes, best bars or basically anything else you need a rec for, we've got you covered. 

Keep up to date with all of Melbourne's food and drink news right here, hot and fresh out the kitchen as of July, 2026:

Take a sought-after seat at Melbourne’s premier Korean omakase

Image: Ronin Omakase | Supplied

Elegant 10-seater Rōnin Ōmakase now has a Korean twist. Chef Liam Lee has transformed this fine diner into a journey through his heritage with a 7-course menu leaning into Korean sauces and preservation, a degustation for the eyes as much as the tastebuds. There are two signatures, the galbi-style Angus short rib main with selection of house-made kimchi, and the snack plate line-up featuring fresh oyster and Korean yuza and apple mignonette, tuna-topped seaweed crisp with grains, smoked caviar and soy, yukore-style beef tartare with gochujang, Korean pear and egg yolk, and a crispy radish cake with kimchi gel, caramelised onion and chives. Everything else shifts seasonally, but you’ll want to get in quick for dishes like winter mushrooms with doenjang, pine nut foam, shiitake truffle soy and luxe truffle shavings. Pair with the highly recommended Korean Soju selection, and it’s an omakase unlike any other in town.

The Cookie Box Is Giving Away Over 1000 Free Cookies

Image: The Cookie Box | Supplied

Cult cookie brand The Cookie Box is opening its fifth Melbourne store and second CBD location at 111 Bourke Street on Wednesday 8 July, and they’re celebrating with a delicious giveaway. For opening day, the first 150 customers through the door will get a free Classic Cookie; and for each of the following three days, 50 Golden Cookies will be hidden randomly in orders daily. Each Golden Cookie is redeemable for a complimentary box of six—who needs Wonka’s factory with a surprise like that? 

Also debuting at the new store are three exclusive flavours: Almond Croissant, Lemon Pie, and Brownie Caramel Walnut. It’ll also be the first The Cookie Box location with a dedicated drinks menu, including cold brew, iced chai and hot chocolate.

Warm Up With Portuguese-Style Hot Chocolate At Bar Marmelo 

Image: Bar Marmelo | Supplied

For mornings that demand a little more comfort than your usual coffee can offer, Bar Marmelo has just launched A Manhã—a new morning session that runs Monday to Saturday from 9am to 12pm, and the drawcard? A Portuguese-style hot chocolate made with 70% Valrhona chocolate and infused with cinnamon and orange. 

A Manhã showcases a quieter side of a venue better known for its lively evening energy; but the stunning double-height interiors with an illuminated sculptural gantry makes it a lovely way to ease into the day, and a departure from the ordinary. 

Both bookings and walk-ins are welcome. 

Keep The Party Going With Take-Home Wine From Aegli 

Image: Aegli | Supplied

We’ve all been there: discovering an incredible wine over dinner at a restaurant, then never being able to find it at the local bottle shop. Aegli has swooped in to solve that problem for us by launching a curated retail wine selection that lets guests purchase bottles directly from the restaurant. 

Naturally, the collection draws exclusively from Greece. Bottles start at $40, with monthly showcases that rotate through different regions, from the mineral Assyrtikos of Santorini to the bold Xinomavros of Naoussa. A wide variety of producers reflect a Greek wine scene that has radically transformed in the last decade, and Aegli owner Ioannis Kasidokostas says the take-home option is another step towards his mission of telling the full story of Hellenic food and wine culture. 

"Greek wine has become world-class," Kasidokostas says. "The combination of a restaurant and bottle shop gives guests the opportunity to try something before they buy it. We can introduce people to wines they may never have experienced otherwise."

Nab A Piece Of Pie At Pidapipó 

Image: Pidapipo | Supplied

Following its first collab with CHAE earlier this year, Pidapipó’s Makers Series is back for round two. This time, they’re teaming up with chef-owner Audrey Shaw of Carnation Canteen and Bar Carnation on a limited-edition winter dessert that pretty much sounds like what dreams are made of: a cherry and custard pie baked into Bread Club croissant pastry, and served with Pidapipó’s tangy galotyri gelato. 

From 25 June to 16 July, you can score the dessert dine-in at Pidapipó Fitzroy Laboratorio or Windsor, and Carnation Canteen for $16, or take home a larger sharing version (serves 4–6) from any Pidapipó store for $49. 

Over at Bar Carnation, the cosy collaboration is reimagined as a sundae where galotyri gelato is layered with crème anglaise, cherry compote, and croissant crumbs. For two culinary teams that obsess over great produce and fresh flavours, this is an unbeatable pairing. 

Slowpoke’s Famous Cheeseburger Is Taking Over W Melbourne 

Image: W Melbourne | Supplied

Collingwood favourite Slowpoke Lounge & Lookout is taking its cult cheeseburger to new heights at one of Melbourne’s favourite hotels. A month-long residency at W Melbourne’s subterranean bar Curious will see Slowpoke's burger and hashbrown fries paired with two cocktails exclusively created for the occasion—a spiced rye whiskey highball with pickle brine and dill, and a sharp, savoury Pickle-tini built on gin and pickle brine. 

For those staying at W Melbourne, you don’t even need to get changed out of your hotel robe. The full experience is available through in-room dining, where the burgers are wrapped in custom paper in a nod to the fish-and-chip shops of Melbourne childhoods. Order it and you’ll also score a token for a free drink, fries, or burger back at Slowpoke’s home in Collingwood.

It’s Fungi Town At 400 Gradi 

Image: Gradi | Supplied

400 Gradi’s world-renowned pizza maker Johnny Di Francesco is teaming up with Australian Mushrooms for a limited-edition winter takeover. Available from 18 June for just one month, the three brand-new mushroom pizza creations sound as mouth-watering as they come: the Mushroom Delite layers a roasted mushroom cream base with fior di latte, sausage, and crispy garlic chips; the Roasted Mushroom combines potato and truffle purée with parmesan and parsley oil; the Mushroom Pesto swaps tomato for a roasted mushroom pesto, topped with confit tomatoes and pancetta. 

Each of the creations are twists on 400 Gradi’s award-winning Neapolitan pizzas, and are available across all their locations in Victoria, plus Norwood in Adelaide. 

Apple Pie Meets Gelato With Piccolina's Limited-Run Dessert

Image: Piccolina | Supplied

Apple pie with ice cream is a god-tier combo, but how about apple pie gelato? Piccolina—the much-loved institution behind some of Melbourne’s best artisanal gelato—has reimagined the cosy winter apple pie as a limited-run dessert bowl, and it’s worth a dedicated trip. 

With a base of Piccolina’s famous fior di latte gelato, the creation is layered with apple and cinnamon compote, a buttery crumble, caramel sauce, and whipped cream, then finished with cinnamon sugar, a maraschino cherry, and a shard of golden caramelised pastry. It’s a textural masterpiece, with all the flavours of a pie fresh out of the oven and the smoothness of Piccolina’s perfected gelato. 

The Apple Pie is available across all Piccolina locations, for July only. Find your nearest store on their website.

It’s Truffle Season At From Here By Mike 

Image: From Here By Mike | Supplied

To celebrate its first birthday in decadent style, hatted Yarra River restaurant From Here By Mike has launched a limited-time Truffle Feed Me menu. Running from 19–30 June, the multi-course menu incorporates fresh truffle at every stage of the meal in unexpected (and very indulgent) ways. 

Beginning with a truffle martini, you’ll move into Del Bocia truffle-salted butter on thick-cut sourdough, and sea urchin rosti with truffled buckwheat honey. Enjoy a Vanella truffle stracciatella with baby beetroots and toasted walnuts before the wintry main event: a veal and pork lasagna with truffle béchamel and fresh truffle shavings. A very fancy tiramisu is finished tableside with freshly shaved truffle to close the meal out in style. 

The Truffle Feed Me menu is designed for two or more guests—find out more and book here. 

Get Cosy At Johnny’s Green Room This Winter

Image: Johnny's Green Room | Supplied

Let’s stop with the misconceptions: rooftops are absolutely still a thing once the weather gets cold. And Carlton rooftop favourite Johnny’s Green Room is giving us two brand-new reasons to visit them this winter. 

Reason #1: On Sunday 21 June, Sunday Service returns to Johnny’s, with cult Italian sandwich experts Stefanino Panino taking control of the kitchen. They’ll be serving Karen Martini’s polpette ripiene meatball panino, a Bologna with peppercorn mortadella and stracciatella, and a Verdure with marinated eggplant and roasted peppers. PBS Radio’s Rick Howe will handle the vinyl, and Campari will be pouring $15 negronis and Campari and Aperol spritzes, alongside $10 Johnny’s Lager.

Reason #2: Every Monday this winter, the new Lunedì nella Terrazza (‘Mondays on the Terrace’, for the non-Italians among us) is running from open til close. You can snag cocktails and food from $8 all day long, along with $10 pizzas—so it’d be rude not to stop by before or after catching a session at Cinema Nova next door.

Find out more and book your spot at Johnny’s Green Room here.

More Wine, More Snacks, No Cocktail Over $26—Byrdi’s Biggest Change In Years

Image credit: Byrdi | Supplied

Melbourne's award-winning Byrdi bar has entered its ‘Ephemera’ era, with a relaxed feel, a walk-in only policy and a wallet-friendly price point for snacks and vino seven days a week. The creative cocktails that made them famous are still there, but change weekly, and all ten sit at $26. New cocktails focus on immediate seasonality, tapping into Victoria's produce: what's growing, what's best right now, what's interesting to play with. When it's done, it changes. 

More menu real estate is given over to minimal intervention Australian wines from small-scale growers. Unusual grapes, interesting techniques, some cult faves and industry challengers. And it's all perfectly paired with a new selection of snacks. The prawn toast with pepperberry mayo remains (for now), joined by bar bites like shoestring fries with house chicken salt, beef tartare with smoked egg yolk, wattleseed crumb and saltbush and a whipped chocolate mousse with olive oil and Redgum smoked salt. But tomorrow, you might find something else entirely.

It’s fresh, it’s fun, it’s strictly for a limited time. It's Ephemera, after all.

Three Martinis At Lunch? Cleo Says Yes 

Image: Cleo | Supplied

Once upon a time, the most renowned midday ritual in New York City was the three-martini lunch: a chic, leisurely long lunch for professionals during the work week. Now this ritual has found a home in Melbourne, at Cleo’s new Three Martini Lunches every Thursday and Friday until 28 August. 

For $89 per person, you get to choose two courses and three (half-serve) martinis, alongside some shared sides for the table. Available for groups of two to eight, the Three Martini Lunch runs from midday to 3pm—and what better way to test your arvo productivity than a couple of stiff drinks? 

Book your NYC-inspired lunch here.

Warabi Introduces Its First-Ever Lunch Service 

Warabi, Melbourne’s two-hatted Japanese restaurant, has launched its first lunch service. With pricing that makes one of the city’s most refined kitchens accessible on a weekday, there are two set menu options available: 

• Warabi Bowl Set ($32): rice, miso soup, and a kobachi, with a choice of teriyaki chicken, miso katsu, or a vegetable poke bowl

• Kaiseki Box Set (from $45): a decadent nine-dish box with your choice of Tasmanian salmon saikyo yaki, teriyaki chicken, or Wagyu steak, plus delicate bites including truffle edamame, sashimi ocean trout, oyster with ponzu, and agedashi tofu.

For a restaurant that made its name on its $285 omakase, this new lunch offers a taste of luxury at a more wallet-friendly price. Check out Warabi’s full menu here.

Laksa Nights Are Back At Etta 

Etta, 132 McLachlan Avenue, Fitzroy North | Wednesdays, 3 June–26 August

Image: Etta | Supplied

A laksa so good that it booked out Etta for three months last year? Yep, Head Chef Lorcán Kan’s signature laksa is back (and better) every Wednesday, all winter long. 

Etta’s Nyonya-style coconut curry laksa builds on an aromatic base of lemongrass, galangal, chilli, coriander, and tamarind, and is topped with crunchy bean sprouts, cucumber, crispy shrimp, spicy sambal, and golden tofu. The new addition this year is house-made alkaline noodles, created via a delightfully nerdy process that involves roasting oyster shell ash to make alkaline kansui. This helps the noodles retain a perfect chewiness, even when immersed in hot broth. 

A rotating duo of woodfire snacks will join the lineup each week, beginning with black pepper beef skewers and sweet-and-sour grilled barramundi collars. Etta’s winter laksa goes for $38 per bowl, and is available each Wednesday until 26 August. Bookings available (and strongly encouraged) here. 

Gayan Pieris Is Bringing Sri Lankan Heart To Chapel Street 

Image: Supplied

Agnii is the latest venture from hatted chef Gayan Pieris, and it’s shaping up to be one of Chapel Street’s most significant new arrivals, set to open this August.

Pieris’ Many Little Bar & Dining in Red Hill is one of the country’s most-awarded Sri Lankan-influenced restaurants, and Agnii will bring that same culinary flair to Windsor. It’s promised to be a more ambitious interpretation of the same philosophy of ‘kussiya’, where the kitchen is the heart of the home. 

Agnii’s open kitchen will feature whole dried fish hanging and preserving, claypots sourced from Sri Lanka, and custom hearths built in Melbourne that will be used to cook over fire. The kitchen is set to introduce authentic dishes and preservation methods that have rarely been seen in Australia, and spices will be sourced directly from small-scale Sri Lankan growers and producers. 

On weekends, the venue will shine as it shifts into its late-night supper menu. It’ll have everything from short eats, hoppers, kottu, curries, and regional specialties to vinyl records and a drinks list that’s designed around arrack (Sri Lanka’s distilled spirit). 

Agnii is an 80-seat restaurant with a 40-seat private dining room, reservations will open in July here.

La Madonna Launches Caviar After Dark 

Image: La Madonna | Supplied

You might've had a caviar bump, but we doubt you've ever had an entire caviar degustation. That's about to change—La Madonna has just launched Melbourne’s only all-caviar degustation, and it’s an indulgent experience worth dressing up for.

Caviar After Dark is a five-course menu built by Michelin-trained chef Jacopo Degli Esposti, and places premium Anna Dutch caviar at the centre of every dish. Think bluefin tuna tartare with basil coulis and Baerii caviar, a generously finished spaghetti with caviar and lemon butter, and a surprising dessert wildcard: house-made negroni caviar (spherified from La Madonna’s barrel-aged negroni), served in an oyster shell. 

La Madonna strikes the balance between luxurious and approachable, even with its moody chandelier-lit decor, and this caviar degustation is no different. Caviar After Dark is running Tuesday through Saturday until 31 July, with tickets for $220pp and an optional wine pairing at an extra cost. Find out more and book here. 

$18 Snack And Sip Pairings At Mr Mills 

Image: Mr Mills | Supplied

Mr. Mills at HYDE Melbourne Place has just launched Sipper Club, where you can get a cocktail with a paired snack for just $18. That has to be the most civilised (and affordable) way to start a night out in the CBD right now. 

Drawing on Iberian flavours, the new cocktail pairings are more sophisticated than your average bar snack. Think a green apple and bergamot margarita with a swordfish gilda, or an olive leaf and melon gimlet with smoked eel pâté. If you’re feeling extra adventurous, try the artichoke clarified bloody mary with oyster and fermented chilli.

If the pairings don’t tickle your fancy, you can always mix and match your own. Sipper Club runs Tuesday to Saturday from 5pm, and it’s an easy yes from us for after-work drinks with more interesting food than a bowl of chips for the table.

Bar Marmelo Launches Lisbon Nights Happy Hour 

Image: Bar Marmelo | Supplied

If your ideal evening starts with something bittersweet, ice-cold, or even fortified, then Bar Marmelo’s new happy hour is right up your alley. Located at HYDE Melbourne Place, Marmelo’s Lisbon Nights specials draw on the Portuguese tradition of gathering before a long dinner for aperitifs, designed to get your appetite going and ease you into the night ahead.

The menu (sitting between $9 and $14) leans into the classics: Port and Tonic, Madeira with Ginger Beer, and a cold Superbock lager for our beer drinkers. The star of the show is the Porticano, a house Americano-style drink with bitter liqueurs, port, and a dark cherry liqueur made specifically for Marmelo by White Possum Distillery. 

The considered list will transport you from Melbourne’s CBD to a streetside bar in Lisbon, and the specials are running Tuesday to Saturday from 4pm to 6pm—no bookings needed.

Tuesday Nights Just Got Better At Ruzia’s 

Image: Ruzia's | Supplied

Balaclava Road's neighbourhood wine bar Ruzia's has launched just the thing for a midweek reset: every Tuesday from 5pm, you can secure a stellar $45pp set menu. It kicks off with a glass of wine and Ravi Presser's famous chicken meatballs—made from his grandmother Ruzia's recipe and served with Baker Bleu bread—before finishing on a warm, twice-proofed doughnut with vanilla bean ice cream. 

At a spot that has quickly become known for generous pours, a warm, unforced atmosphere and cosy food prepared at the bar, it's an easy yes for a Tuesday date night or overdue catch-up.

Olives for dessert? For A Limited Time At Tzaki, Absolutely 

Image: Tzaki | Supplied

Got a sweet-savoury tooth? You need the limited time ‘Olive Dessert’ hitting the table at Tzaki,
Yarraville's woodfired Athens-inspired eatery. Chunks of kalamata olive “mantolato” (honey-
sweetened nougat) line the dish, then a rich, dark mousse-like chocolate namelaka is piped
over, topped with a creamy dome of olive oil ice cream and finished with a drizzle of extra virgin
olive oil, a touch of fleur de sel and a flourish of fresh thyme leaves. In each decadent spoonful,
the fruitiness of kalamata olives blends with the bittersweet chocolate, lifted by the acidity of the
oil and a salty, herbaceous edge.

Head chef Yiannis Papanatsios was inspired by a dessert at the two Michelin star restaurant he
worked at in Athens: an olive covered in cocoa butter and dark chocolate.

“Whenever I think of Athens, where I used to live, I always think of the olive trees,” he says. “I
always use olives at savoury dishes but I thought to be a little bit more playful and create a
dessert.”

An utterly unique taste of Athens. But hurry, it’s not here for long.

Yum Sing House Launches A Series Of Artisanal Events And Culinary Collabs 

Image: Yum Sing House | Supplied

Melbourne CBD's Yum Sing House has a big autumn ahead. While new Head Chef Ian Ho has just dropped a fresh seasonal menu, we think the real fun is in the programming. 

The 1960s-inspired Hong Kong restaurant is kicking off its Suburb to City collab series in April, starting with Caroline Springs' cult Basque cheesecake maker Bakt as an in-house pop-up. You can get adventurous with two custom cheesecake flavours, Szechuan Chilli Chocolate and Black Sesame Yuzu, or stick to their renowned Biscoff dessert—all from just $10. 

In May, Pecks Road will feature a Filipino ube dessert on Yum Sing House’s menu, with another collaboration for June to be announced soon.

Then, on Saturday 16 May, guest chef Geoff Marett (formerly of Hong Kong's Michelin-starred Yardbird) will recreate a Dai Pai Dong. The Hong Kong open-air food stall will feature six dishes, award-winning sake and '90s R&B DJs, for $88 per person. Spots are limited, so book your spot here. 

Marmont Brings Back $35 Wagyu Wednesdays 

Image: Marmont | Supplied

Welcome back to Marmont, Wagyu Wednesdays. We’ve missed you. 

It’s a crowd favourite that you can (and should) weave into your weekly routine, because for just $35 you can indulge in a Marble Score 6+ Wagyu Steak, served with Marmont’s signature Cali Butter and golden fries. Not only that, but Crown Melbourne’s California-inspired restaurant has unreal riverside views and a groovy all-vinyl music program, so you’re guaranteed immaculate vibes while enjoying one of the best-value steaks in Melbourne. 

Check out Wagyu Wednesdays at Marmont for lunch or dinner, now available every Wednesday.

Curious Launches A Playful New Cocktail Menu 

Image: Curious | Supplied

The W Hotel's swanky cocktail bar Curious has launched a playful new menu designed to challenge our expectations. Each tipple is carefully crafted, surprising in its own way, and a little bit dramatic. 

The Velour Old Fashioned is a luxuriously silky, sealed in chocolate. Simply break the seal with your supplied wooden hammer and enjoy. The Neon Wobble is a jelly shot, but not as you know it. Rum, cointreau and tropical flavours are swirled into a gelatinous cube, ready and waiting for you to take a bite. The Mandarin Alchemist arrives in two parts: a garnished, ice-cold cup, and a glass container—half liquid, half smoke. Let the mandarin fog infuse your drink, enhancing its citrus notes and producing a surprisingly refreshing sip. 

With 12 new cocktails to choose from, this is a sipping experience designed for savouring. 

29 Cheese Gnocchi Returns To Cucinetta 

Image: Cucinetta | Supplied

Goodbye four cheese pizza, hello 29-cheese gnocchi. By popular demand, Cucinetta South Yarra has again partnered with That’s Amore Cheese to deliver decadent, cheesy goodness for the entire month of April. 

The pasta itself is gorgeous: handmade potato gnocchi that’s oven-baked with 29 different cheeses, in a real celebration of everyone’s favourite dairy product. If you can name a cheese, it’s probably in this beautifully rich dish. We’re talking everything from burrata and smoked bocconcini, to truffle caciotta and ricotta delicata. The renowned 29-cheese gnocchi goes for $36 per serving, and is available for both lunch and dinner at Cucinetta—all April long. 

Seafood Sundays At Lucia 

Image: Lucia | Supplied

There’s nothing better than a special Sunday lunch to top off the weekend, and Lucia’s new seafood specials are the perfect excuse for an outing. The South Melbourne Mediterranean restaurant and wine bar is offering a rotating list of seafood specials designed to celebrate the freshest catch of the day—alongside their regular à la carte menu, of course. 

Available at Lucia from 12pm each Sunday, you can expect dishes like baked Sydney rock oysters with parsley butter and lemon, squid-ink risotto with marinated squid and citrus pangrattato, and yellowfin tuna carpaccio with grapefruit and anchovy cream. 

Yakimono Launches YakiHour 

Image: Yakimono | Supplied

Whether you’re looking for an after-work pick-me-up or a fiery way to kick off your weekend plans, Yakimono’s new YakiHour is for you. Between 5pm and 6pm daily, the Collins Street Japanese hotspot is serving up $15 cocktails and flame-kissed snacks to get your appetite going. 

Expect classic cocktails with a Yakimono twist: the Tokyo Tommy’s Margarita, Kamukara Margarita, Matsumoto Martini, and the Sendai Sour. And for food, it’s a curated menu of quick-fire bites designed to be shared. Choose from dishes like karaage chicken (or cauliflower, for our veggie friends) with chilli crisp mayo, Pacific oysters with finger lime ponzu, and the playful Yaki dog which features a miso pork sausage and grilled jalapeño. 

Main image credit: Nobody's Baby | Supplied