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 September, 2026:

Shop 225 Named 42nd Best Pizza In The World

Image: Shop 225 | Instagram

Pascoe Vale South locals know that neighbourhood pizzeria Shop 225 serves some of the best slices going around, but now it's official. The Top 50 Pizza World awards were held in Napoli on 15 September, and two Australian restaurants were named in the top 50. Sydney's Gigi's came in at number 16, and Shop 225 landed at 42. 

If you've never been to Shop 225, let this be your sign. Jump on the number 58 tram from the city, or take a drive to Pascoe Vale South, and get stuck into some of the best pizza and pasta Melbourne has to offer. We're big fans of the Zio Pino mushroom pizza, and always get gnocchi chips on the side, but you truly can't go wrong with anything on the menu here. 

48h Pizza e Gnocchi Bar, with locations in Elsternwick and South Yarra, also placed in the top 100 at number 79. 

Hotel Nacional Is Going Bottomless 

Image: Hotel Nacional | Supplied

Hardware Lane's home of Mexican food, margaritas, and what might just be Melbourne's most aesthetically pleasing rooftop is taking things up a notch, with the launch of bottomless brunch from 12pm every Friday, Saturday and Sunday. 

Running exclusively on the open-air rooftop, the Hotel Nacional team are serving up a selection of Mexican bar snacks and unlimited drinks over 90 minute courses, running at 12pm and 2:30pm. 

At $80 per person, drinks include classic, spicy and frozen margs, as well as your usual beer and wine suspects. The food brings a welcome alternative to a classic Melbourne bottomless, with guacamole, corn ribs, sun-dried tomato croquettes, fries and two tacos per person (choose from baja rockling, barbacoa mushroom and marinated pork). 

Non-drinkers can still get in on the fun, with a $60 package pouring mocktails. Whatever your preference, you can book your table here. 

The Team Behind Clementine Is Opening A New South Melbourne Cafe

Image: Heist | Supplied

South Melbourne locals, get excited. The trio behind neighbourhood favourite Clementine are opening Heist on Moray Street this October, and it’ll occupy a spacious corner site within the newly completed development at number 122. 

The name itself is a sly nod to the 1969 Michael Caine film The Italian Job, which sets up the menu’s theme nicely. Heist takes dishes that people have a longstanding relationship with, like home staples and restaurant classics, and reworks them into modern cafe fare. Manager Glen Bagnara reassures that “we’re not recreating them exactly, but using them as a starting point”. 

The Jessica Ellis Studio interiors will seat 65 guests, with further alfresco seating spilling along Moray Street. Heist will be open Monday to Saturday, from 7am. 

Victorian Bakeries Clean Up At The Great Aussie Meat Pie Competition

Image: Buddy Bakery | Facebook

Established in 1989, the Official Great Aussie Meat Pie Competition has been judging Australia's pies for well over 30 years. In 2026, the 37th edition of the competitive comp made one thing clear: Victorian pies are seriously top tier.

Victorian bakeries came out on top in a whopping 13 categories, including the best overall plain pie and overall gourmet pie, as well as gluten-free, gourmet game and potato topped. 

Check out the full list of winners across Victoria: 

• Winner of the Overall Plain Pie: Buddy Bakery, Melton
• Winner of the Overall Gourment Pie: Roo Rendang Pie by Rolling Pin Pies & Cakery, Ocean Grove
• Winner of the Overall Gourmet Sausage Roll: Jalepeno Beef & Cheese Sausage Roll by Paul the Pieman Bakery, Inverloch
• Winner of the Gourmet Potato Top Pie: Bombay Beef & Masala Mash Pie by Rolling Pins Pies & Cakes, Ocean Grove
• Winner of the Gourmet Slow Cooked BBQ Pie: BBQ Brisket, Jalepeno & Cheese Pie by Rolling Pins Pies & Cakes, Ocean Grove
• Winner of the Gourmet Red Meat Pie: Pepper Steak Pie by Pie Haus, Beaumaris
• Winner of Gourmet Poultry Pie: Chicken Mushroom & Leek Pie by Brady Road Bakery, Dandeong North 
• Winner of Gourmet Gluten-Free Pie: Thai Chicken & Red Curry Pie by JoJo's Gluten Free Goodies, Kernot
• Winner of Gourmet Seafood Pie: Penang Prawn Pie by Rolling Pin Pies & Cakes, Ocean Grove
• Winner of Gourmet Game Pie: Roo Rendang Pie by Rolling Pins Pies & Cakes, Ocean Grove
• Winner of Gourmet Brekkie Pie: All-in-one Brekkie Pie by Little Vic's, Riddells Creek
• Winner of Manufacturing Plain Sausage Roll: Casper Pies & Pastries, Bayswater North
• Winner of the Tom Lindsay Pepper Steak Pie Award: Pepper Steak Pie by Pie Haus, Beaumaris

Yum Sing House Is Officially Open For Lunch

Image: Yum Sing House | Supplied

A long-time favourite for dinner in the CBD, Yum Sing House is now opening its doors for daytime dining for the first time. The new Yum Sing Lunch Set is available from Thursday through Saturday from 12pm to 3pm, and Head Chef Ian Ho has developed an entirely new set of proteins for the lineup. 

Choose from masterstock wagyu brisket, crispy Sichuan duck leg, steamed tuna, poached chicken breasts or crispy typhoon shelter tofu, and sit back as it arrives on your table with truffled pork and prawn siu mai, steamed greens, jammy soy eggs, seasonal pickles and chrysanthemum and wolfberry jelly. The Yum Sing Lunch Set is $45 for meat or fish and $35 for vegetarian, and it’s might just be the best lunchtime feed of your work week.

Bagel Community Opens Third Location In Oak Park 

Bagel Community is already beloved in Moonee Ponds and Brunswick, and now they’ve taken their stacked bagels and specialty matcha farther north. The new location at 29 Xavier St, Oak Park opened on Friday 7 August and has been buzzing with the same playful energy as the original two in the weeks since. 

Brand and Community Manager Deja La Fontaine says that the community at Oak Park felt like a step in the right direction, with Bagel Community helping to bring back “that old corner store charm that these areas once thrived on”. 

For a brekkie to lunch spot, the menu seriously stacks up, with sandwich style bagels, open face options and 'rip and dips'. Bagels range from the Pesto Chook and Beef & Pickles to the Brekky bagel that, as La Fontaine says, “might not be groundbreaking, but is made with love and feels genuinely special”. There’s a monthly bagel special (September’s is a Chicken Caesar Bagel), the matcha menu is full of fun (try the Cake Batter Matcha, complete with sprinkles). 

Canai Is Coming To Prahran, With A 40-Year-Old Family Roti Recipe

Image: Canai | Supplied

From the team behind Collins Street’s famous Roti Bar comes Canai: a refined new Malaysian restaurant that’s built on forty years of its owners’ combined experience, and a family roti recipe that dates back to 1986. 

Pronounced ‘cha-nai’, the restaurant is set to open in Prahran on 19 August with a fully halal menu. Highlights include kampung arancini, duck with rendang sauce, and a teh tarik burnt Basque cheesecake, but the showstopper is (as always) the golden, flaky roti that’s stretched and flipped in the open kitchen. The ambience matches the food, too, with a multi-million dollar fitout paying homage to Malay street culture with woven screens and nostalgic tiles. 

Keep up to date via Canai’s Instagram.

Little Rose Makes A Permanent Home In Fitzroy 

Image: Little Rose | Supplied

After a sold-out three-month residency that became one of Melbourne’s most talked-about dining experiences, Little Rose is staying put in Fitzroy. Rosheen Kaul’s French-Asian bistro will reopen permanently on 20 August with a refreshed fitout that blends Belle Époque Parisian cafe with 1920s Shanghai salon. The vibe is a nostalgic ‘Bistrot Chinoiserie’ viewed through, as Kaul puts it, a “slightly surreal lens”. 

All the fan favourites from the menu that won Melburnians over are back, namely the pomme purée with crab roe and Chaozhou-style vin jaune. There are some newcomers, too: whole fish à la meunière, rotating Kampot pepper snails with lemongrass, a caviar service with crispy chicken skin and battered spring onions, and large-scale desserts like baba au rhum displayed on the bar. 

We have a sneaking suspicion this is going to be one of the hottest dinner reservations in town, so book your table now. 

Two Ex-Cam's Kiosk Workers To Take Over The Site With Euro-Leaning Bar Familiar 

Image: Bar Familiar | Supplied

When Cam's Kiosk closed its doors in June, Melbourne mourned the loss of a local favourite and true standout in the city's hospo scene. Now, the Abbotsford site is set to enter a new chapter, as two ex-Cam's team members have announced they're taking over the space and opening their very own Euro-leaning restaurant Bar Familiar. 

Stepping out on their own for the very first time, Alessia Augello and Stephanie Lane will open the doors to Bar Familiar later this August, creating a space that's entirely their own, while holding on to the warmth of the existing site. 

They're also bringing on ex-Cam's chef Alisha Grant to lead the kitchen, with both familiar favourites and fresh additions to the menu. 

“We feel so energised to create something special for the community and are uniquely placed to
understand exactly what that should be,” Augello says.

“It means so much to be able to build Bar Familiar together as former colleagues and good
friends. We’re excited to carry forward the warmth and hospitality the space is known for, while
bringing our own ideas and vision for the future,” adds Lane.

While further details on the opening are currently limited, we'll continue to keep you updated as more information becomes available. 

Andrew McConnell Opens Côte Basque, Dishing Up Lesser-Known Regional Flavours With Wood-Fired Flair 

Image: Côte Basque | supplied

Next date night, you're heading to Basque country. Côte Basque is the newest venue by Andrew McConnell and Jo McGann, and it's now open on Crossley Street. Inspired by traditional Basque cuisine (think: French-meets-Spanish) from McConnell’s trips since the 90s, ‘rustic simplicity’ is the brief, executed with signature Trader House elegance. It centres on a European-style wood grill and a wood oven, dishing up calamari a la brut (squid in its own ink), a rich fisherman’s stew of ttoro, and cuts of a special Wagyu hybrid beef aged in-house and cooked over flame and embers. The team have also hinted at a Monday veal cotoletta special.

If you're someone who always looks at the desserts first, you'll be very happy, with old-school Euro dishes like a fluffy chocolate soufflé and Gâteau Basque with prunes soaked in Armagnac. Formerly the site of Becco, the Côte Basque space brings back the mid-century Italian dream with 1950s green terrazzo floors and cherry wood panelling.

Two New Reasons To Get Down To Mya Tiger

Image: Mya Tiger | Supplied

It’s not like we needed another reason to head to the Espy, but Mya Tiger has kindly gifted us two this August. 

They’ve just introduced Dumpling Disco, where from 8pm every Friday you can enjoy Hong Kong 80s Cantopop and disco-ball ambience alongside a curated Cantonese dumpling menu. A cool $50 per person covers everything from pan-fried chicken dumplings, spicy pork wontons, and prawn dumplings to truffle pork and prawn sui mai. Dangling red envelopes also give away the chance for a free cocktail, dessert, or snack—or, if you’re really lucky, a covered bill. 

Speaking of good fortune, Mya Tiger is also hosting Lucky Hour every evening of the week. Nab $3 oysters and $15 cocktails between 5–6pm, with every order earning a dice roll; if you land snake eyes, you win a free cocktail.

T2’s Cult Matcha Drop

Three New Beers In Brunswick 

Image: Welcome to Brunswick | Supplied

Beer lovers, listen up. Three of Brunswick's most iconic businesses have turned their stories and signature flavours into limited-edition beers, launching on Saturday 29 August at Welcome to Brunswick. 

In collaboration with the expert brewers at 4 Pines, Billy Van Creamy, A1 Bakery, and Wide Open Road have all crafted their own beers. Think a smooth vanilla stout from Billy Van Creamy (inspired by their soft serve), a pomegranate and rosewater lager inspired by A1 Bakery’s Middle Eastern heritage, and a coffee, macadamia and wattleseed brown ale based on Wide Open Road’s local coffee-roasting culture. 

And what better reason to throw a party than to celebrate brand-new beer? The launch party at Welcome to Brunswick will feature pop-up stalls from each business, as well as live music and the brewers themselves on-site. Find out more here. 

ST. ALi Launches Limited-Edition Star Wars Coffee Collection

Image: St ALi | Supplied

So, will it be the light side or the dark side? One of Melbourne’s favourite roasteries, ST. ALi, has officially collabed with Star Wars—yep, the literal Star Wars franchise—on a limited-edition coffee collection.

There are two blends to choose from. ‘I Am Your Father’ is dark, with a velvety finish, and notes of stone fruit and toasted spice, while ‘Way of the Jedi’ is light with its citrus blossom notes and a long, silky finish. Both are available in 225g, 500g, and 1kg bags, or in gift sets with bespoke mugs for the caffeine-loving Jedi in your life. 

At ST. ALi’s South Melbourne cafe, you can exclusively try the new roasts in the Galaxy Cold Brew or the Binary Sunset, then grab your own beans to take home. Find out more about the collaboration or make a purchase online here.

A Considered Revamp For A Windsor Wine Bar

Image: Ines | Supplied

Stokehouse Enters A New Era

Image: Stokehouse | Supplied

Iconic St Kilda foreshore restaurant Stokehouse is entering a new era, as owners Frank, Sharon and Hugh van Haandel prepare to hand over the reins to chef Andrew McConnell and partner and photographer Jo McGann. 

“St Kilda Beach is one of Melbourne’s greatest assets, and going to the beach each day for the past 36 years has been a gift,” Frank says.

“Over this time we’ve formed lifelong friendships with staff, customers and suppliers, and I’ve taken tremendous pride in watching talented young people develop and go on to thrive in their own ventures. We’ve built a venue that is truly cross-generational. Everyone has a story at Stokehouse.”

McConnell is currently chef and owner of some of Melbourne's most renowned restaurants, including Gimlet, Marion, Supernormal and Builders Arms Hotel. Come October, he'll add Stokehouse to that list, working with McGann and the existing Stokehouse team on a carefully considered transition, before undertaking a refresh in 2027. 

“Our intention is not to change what makes Stokehouse special,” McConnell says.

“We have enormous respect for its history and for the team that has helped shape it. We’re inheriting strong foundations, and we’re committed to investing in its future while preserving the qualities and the people that have made it so well loved.”

Italian Boozy Brunch Lands On Chapel Street

Image: Stella | Supplied

Supernormal Is Rolling Out A Six-Week Showcase Of Creative Noodle Dishes 

Image: Supernormal | Supplied

Until 6 September, you’ll find Supernormal deep in a noodle obsession. Six weeks means six brand-new dishes where each noodle is hand-rolled, steamed, or boiled to perfection. Each dish runs exclusively for one week only alongside the regular Asian-inspired menu. 

The specials range from Shaanxi-style noodles with braised oxtail to tiger prawn egg noodles with smoked roe, and knife-cut wheat noodles with spiced cumin lamb to Dan Dan noodles with Szechuan sesame sauce. The final dish finishes the six-week run with Fujian-style wok-fried crab noodles, and this is the one worth scheduling in. And we can’t forget that every dish also comes with a paired drinks suggestion to ensure you’re dining in style—book via the Supernormal website here.

Stroll Through Paris Then Share Steak Frites at Heide's New Photography Exhibition

Image: Photo from Brassaï: Secret Paris exhibition | Supplied

Paris has come to Melbourne with a new photography exhibition showing the city of lights (and love) through the eyes of a visionary. Brassaï: Secret Paris (25 July–15 November 2026) features 150 original, iconic vintage prints from the legendary Hungarian-born, French photographer Brassaï. Black and white images encapsulate the interwar spirit of Paris, from lovers in cafes, to glitzy nightlife, unseen underbellies and street art, collaborations with Picasso and portraits of friends like Dalí. Then pair art with a taste of France at Heide Kitchen, with wintery beef bourguignon, cassoulet, steak frites and buttermilk blancmange. A très chic little day date or solo indulgence. 

Market Lane’s Lands In Fitzroy North 

Image: Market Lane | Supplied

One of the city’s most beloved specialty coffee roasters now has a new home on St Georges Road. Market Lane Coffee’s new Fitzroy North digs draw on the building’s original 1960s façade with mosaic tiles and chrome-framed windows, then adds warm nods of terrazzo floors, spotted-gum timber, and chocolate-toned cork to create a cosy space that feels rooted in the area’s post-war history. 

When you visit, make beeline for the back room; it’s quieter, with built-in bookshelves (a nod to previous tenants, Little Book Room), a record player, and soft lighting that makes it the perfect place to savour your coffee with a morning read. 

Market Lane’s complete filter and espresso program is here, joined by pastries from Wild Life Bakery and cakes from Red Door Corner Store. The 220 St Georges Road location is open seven days from 7am.

Shane Delia’s Bowls Of Goodness Have Landed At Jayda 

Image: Jayda | Supplied

If you work in the CBD, you’re probably familiar with Shane Delia’s beloved Bowls of Goodness lunch special. Now, they’re returning for a third winter. This time around, they’ve landed at Jayda (Maha's sister venue) for the restaurant's first-ever lunch service. 

For $18 a bowl, the special rotates fortnightly to give each member of the kitchen their chance to cook something personal. This winter’s lineup begins with Chef Martin Zoyaza’s chile panca grilled chicken with chimichurri rice and yellow corn humita (available 7 to 18 July), followed by Group Head Chef Daniel Giraldo’s slow-roasted Wagyu cheek with mushrooms, celeriac tahini purée, and Aleppo pepper burnt butter (available 21 July to 1 August). Chef Manuel Garcia wraps things up with shiraz-braised Wagyu brisket with spiced merkén potatoes and pumpkin bread (available 4 to 15 August). 

The hearty, nourishing bowls are available from Tuesday to Saturday from 12pm–3pm all winter long, alongside Jayda’s new Levantine lunch menu. Walk-ins are welcome, or secure your spot ahead of time here.

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 seven 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.

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."

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.

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.

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.

$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.

Main image credit: Hannoi Hannah | Supplied