Whether you’re in the CBD or suburbs, sometimes it can feel hard to find a great venue for a Monday night out. But if New York is the city that never sleeps, Melbourne’s the city that never stops eating, and there are a myriad of excellent spots waiting to welcome you for a Monday wine-and-dine.
Dave Verheul, chef and owner of Monday-night-favourite Embla, says there’s a different joy to dining out at the start of the week - for guests and restaurants alike.
“We’ve run Monday nights since day one at Embla and it’s consistently been one of our busiest and most fulfilling nights,” Verheul said. “The pace is calmer and diners have a little more time - it’s like soothing cream on the burn of Saturday night.”
So if you’re angling for an early-week outing, these are our top picks for restaurants around the city - with a few special deals just for the Monday crowd. From French elegance to all-you-can-eat pierogi, Thai street food and hidden sake bars, here are our favourite Melbourne restaurants open on Mondays.
Embla
122 Russell Street, Melbourne CBD
Embla is an intimate yet lively wine bar, all sultry low lighting, dark wood and gentle music, perfect for pre-show dining, solo lingering and late-night last-stops. Snackers will rejoice in little dishes like chicken skin crisp with whipped anchovy and chicory or scallop with fermented aji chilli butter. For something bigger, squid bigoli with fennel and green olive or seasonal veg dishes like spaghetti squash, buttermilk, za’atar and pumpkin seed XO. Or just slide in for sweet-tooth satisfaction, a little quince ice cream, meringue and elderflower marshmallow - perfect with Saison vermouth. It's open late, and the wine list demands considered attention.
Maison Bâtard
23 Bourke Street Melbourne
Why not start the week on a lavish high? Hit up Maison Bâtard, the French mega-venue from Chris Lucas. It’s a grand dream of Paris for Melbourne, sprawling over four storeys: a two-level bistro, a basement bar and a rooftop that’s practically crying out a Champagne and oyster interlude. Slip into the bistro for the caviar-topped crisp potato omelette everyone’s talking about, or 12-hour brined rotisserie chicken with olives, herbs and a chicken jus. Add somes frites on the side followed by tableside chocolate mousse, and choose from 200 wines by the glass. You'll be here for a while - and then back for more. Oui.
Marion
53 Gertrude Street, Fitzroy
Faithful Marion, open seven days. The outdoor tables are perfect for watching Gertrude Street go by, snacking on flatbread and fromage blanc with a glass of wine. Order your vino from the ‘short list’ for easy-drinking tipples or the ‘long list’ for splurging and connoisseurs. Classic cocktails range from aperitif style to boozy stirred-down and rich after-dinner sips. Marion’s bright, airy dining room is suited to a long repast exploring the refined offering, from a gilda-style seared tuna with anchovy, manchego and guindillas to showstopping mains like pan-roasted John Dory in lemon butter and vermouth flan for dessert.
Don’s
202 Commercial Road, Prahran
Don’s is a cute spot, from the hand-written specials above the stove to the snug layout, exposed brick and bulbs, and long wooden bar with fun wines, good tunes and small plates, like the famous pasta-on-a-spoon. And it is what it sounds like: bite-sized morsels of house-made pasta, like a twist of crab linguine with confit tomato and preserved lemon. They do full bowls, of course, which features on their Monday date night special: a glass of wine, focaccia, a seasonal pasta and dessert at $40pp. Make it a Monday ritual and let Don’s keep love alive.
Kura
30 Lygon Street, Brunswick East
Tucked beneath an apartment building on Lygon Street, this sleek sake bar features a flame grill and binchōtan that serves as centre stage for the robata-yaki menu. From the hibachi, there are exquisite yakitori staples like chicken tskune and unagi. From the fire, there are dishes like Wagyu scotch fillet with pickled wasabi salsa. But it’s not all fire and smoke: Chef Ken Ibuki (formerly Kisumé and Nobu) also prepares masterful sushi and sashimi, with delicate sides like pickled cherry tomato with tofu-sesame puree and chive oil. Kura, meaning ‘cellar’, is named for the extensive sake collection, a delightful exploration for enthusiasts and sake-curious alike.
France-Soir
11 Toorak Road, South Yarra
That neon blue name is the sign of good times since 1986. The bistro decor is simple: this rich and marvellous French fare speaks for itself. France-Soir is like stepping into a Parisian bistro, with dishes like escargot in garlic butter, house-made terrines and rillettes, leek vol-au-vent, luxurious Entrecôte steak frites and confit duck leg, with Baba au Rhum or crêpes suzette to finish. It’s vibrant and lively, with waiters calling in French over the clatter and clink of glasses and the convivial hum of conversation. Go BYO, or hit a cellar list of over 2,000 wines.
Whitebark Wine
313 Victoria Street, West Melbourne
Whitebark Wine is North Melbourne’s neighbourhood “wine pub” where everyone’s a local. And everything’s local; from Australia and New Zealand, down to the vermouth in the dirty martini. Ex-Supernormal Sandra Petrovski and ex-Parcs Josh Upton run an unpretentious show, all flannelette shirts and good yarns. The modest Monday menu features roo tartare with macadamia and chippies, marinated oyster mushrooms with house-made bread, charcuterie, and selections of their own pickles and ferments. They pack a lot into the snug space, with a wall of wine (drink-in or carry-out) and a bar of intriguing Australian spirits and liqueurs - worth exploring at a welcoming price.
Eat Pierogi Make Love
161 Lygon Street, Brunswick East
Melbourne’s hippest Polish joint. The vibes? 90s post-Soviet cool, where Polish film posters sit opposite a Virgin Mary while Euro club music plays and cold wodkas are pulled directly from the ice-well. You’ll find Eastern European beers, food-friendly wines and cocktails with Polish twists, like the Ogorki ‘pickle’ Martini. The cuisine is contemporary riffs on Polish tradition, like smalec pork and apple with ogorek kisony on pickle and dill sourdough, crispy potato and sauerkraut ‘fries’ with caramelised onion sour cream and beetroot infused potato dumpling with slow cooked beef. The pierogi? Life-changing, and Mondays are Pierogi Infiniti: $39 all-you-can-eat.
Rumi & Rocket Society
2 Village Avenue, Brunswick East
Rumi’s been a Brunswick institution since 2006 (even Anthony Bourdain visited). In its fresh upscale digs in Brunswick East Village it’s still loading tables with modern Middle Eastern feasts, those beloved signature plates of sigara boregi (cheese-filled cigars), fried cauliflower with currants and pine nuts, charcoal-cooked quail kebab and the melt-in-your-mouth slow-roasted Advieh marinated lamb shoulder. Next door, the open-fronted Rocket Society wine bar is inspired by 70s and 80s Lebanon, with vinyl tunes, snacks like HSP croquettes, and eggplant ‘kashk badmenjan’ with freshly fired flatbread. Enjoy with arak, cocktails and lively, youthful wines from Australia and Europe.
Hopper Joint
157 Greville Street, Prahran
Oh, the joy of eating with your hands! The hero of this Sri Lankan spot is the hopper, a crisp rice flour ‘pancake’ made for tearing and mopping. The $49.90pp hopper set features unlimited plain hoppers (ring the table bell for more) and two curries, like spicy okra with onion and tomato gravy, fish ambulthiyal, blackened pineapple with dark roasted curry powder or braised beef chuck with curry powder and chilli. Add in some intriguing cocktails and snacks, like devilled cashews or curried brisket ‘pan roll’ Amma's schezwan chutney, and soak in the lovingly curated tropical modernist vibe.
Lee Ho Fook
11-15 Duckboard Place, Melbourne
Chef Victor Liong’s venue, Lee Ho Fook, has proud accents of the quintessential Australian-Cantonese restaurant: the red carpet, black bistro chairs and crisp white tablecloths. Likewise, the food is familiar dishes with a flourish, think prawn toast with uni, green garlic and salted egg yolk butter, ‘longevity noodles’ with Southern rock lobster, Char Choux Bao with mushroom char siu and the maltose-glazed dry-aged Peking duck with pancakes. Monday to Wednesday is BYO or check out the wine list spanning from local Aussie drops to exquisite grower Champagne. Not into wine? Try the Chinese tea pairing for something wonderfully different.
Old Palm Liquor and Bahama Gold
133B & 135 Lygon Street, Brunswick East
Two vibes, take your pick. On the left, the dining hall wine-bottle-lined restaurant Old Palm Liquor. On the right, the street-side bar Bahama Gold. Both spinning vinyl and pouring stellar wines from everyday drops to esoteric and splash-out bottles. Old Palm serves wine bar fare with a lick of fire and African and Middle Eastern touches, like fried injera with smoked fish and lemon, Southern Ranges flank with berbere butter and sugarloaf cabbage with peri peri and blackbean. At Bahama, Di Paolo slings (perhaps) Melbourne’s best pizzas, the perfect pairing for a Koerner or Little Reddie natty from the tap.
Mamasita
11 Collins Street, Melbourne CBD
Mamasita has been serving Melbourne modern Mexican-inspired cuisine so long it feels comfortably vintage itself, from the chequered floor and hand-painted murals to the wrought iron and that wood-panelled bar stacked with rows and rows of tequila and mezcal. Grab a margarita (from the dedicated margarita menu) and tuck into Mexi-style street food such as elote, flautas, tostadas and a spread of tacos with handmade tortillas. It’s part family recipes, like pickles from the chef’s mother, and part Melbourne-specific twists, like slow-roasted cauliflower, achiote butter and mole verde. Can’t decide what to get? A feed me option from $49pp fixes that.
Bar Olo
165 Nicholson Street, Carlton
Bar Olo is Scopri’s younger sibling, scooping up awards and attention. A cool spot with warm Italian hospitality, vintage charm and mid-century modern touches. Start your evening with aperitivo hour, where free snacks are offered with your drinks, including Parmigiano Reggiano chipped from the enormous wheel. Then settle in for a langhe spritz or vermouth and tonic, a lasagna croquette or two, maybe a little prawn tramezzini. For something more filling, a bowl of fresh pasta or saltimbocca skewer with fried sage crumb, perfect with a glass of Italian vino. Finish with a light amaro and their amaretti tiramisu. Buonissimo.
Suzie Q
247 Chapel Street, Prahran
Inspired by a San Francisco Chinatown restaurant of the 80s, Suzie Q is a grand love letter to retro American-Australian-Chinese with modern twists, a hall of wood panelling and slashes of bold red, with pumping tunes and lazy susans. You’ll find yum cha dishes like golden prawn toast and dumplings, well-executed standards like mapo tofu and duck fried rice as well as fusion riffs like black bean beef tartare with prawn crackers or char siu BBQ pork with Aperol, five spice and Tsingtao mustard. It’s a playful drinks list, too, with vibrant house cocktails, local and imported beers and also sake.
Soi 38
38 Royal Lane, Melbourne CBD
Still serving up their famous Thai style street food from the new, post-carpark location on Bourke Street. By night, Soi 38 offers a fragrant spectrum of bright, Issan-inspired flavour, with spicy, sour and umami hits from zingy papaya salads, chilli-laced larb, bubbling Thai hotpot, grilled or deep fried meats and raw seafood in vibrant dressings, with sticky rice and fresh herbs alongside. You’ll want to down a few cold ones with this, and the new licensed venue has beer, wine and cocktails alongside their Thai milk tea. Perfect for adventurous groups. Grab the gang and add some spice to Monday.
Askal
167 Exhibition Street, Melbourne
Askal is fresh and fun within a space of pared-back elegance with brick walls and contemporary lines where the Filipino flavours shine. Traditional dishes are given a touch of Melbourne flair in an evolving seasonal menu, like duck balut ‘kwek kwek’, chicken ‘skinato’ sandwich or luxurious Angus beef rump cap MS4+ with pares claypot rice and bone marrow. Creative cocktails with a Pinoy twist are on offer, like cocomansi punch with coconut tequila, calamansi, lime, buko palm ferment and cardamom. On Mondays, you can opt for the $39 express dinner special: their signature pandesal with your choice of main and jasmine rice.
MoVida
1 Hosier Lane, Melbourne CBD
Melbourne’s best-loved tapas locale, the original MoVida has served us for over 20 years. Perfect pre-theatre dining for a Monday gig. Their snacky Spanish signatures include Cantabrian anchovy on crouton with smoked tomato sorbet, and rosquilla donut with eel pâté and beetroot jelly, as well as classic tapas like nutty slices of 36-month aged Jamon Iberico or corn and manchego croquetas. Something larger? Fill up on paella or Pedro Ximenez braised beef cheek on cauliflower puree, and make sure you explore the generous selection of wines and sherry along the walls. Transport yourself to Spain and soak up age-old hospitality.
Bar Liberty
234 Johnston Street, Fitzroy
Bar Liberty is a stalwart staple of Melbourne’s Monday dining. Beneath the spraypaint scrawled sign and bottles of honour lining the window, you’ll find the quintessential welcoming wine bar. Those bottles speak to their renowned wine list, where Australian, French and Italian makers dominate, alongside local sake, sherry and vermouth. It’s a Euro-leaning dining menu with a few staunch favourites, like the iconic scissor-cut sourdough flatbread, and proudly crafted house-made cheeses or pickles. Seasonal produce reigns supreme, with heftier mains like wood grilled pork scotch, smoked peppers and parsley, and refined yet comfortingly familiar desserts like chocolate pudding, quince and custard.
Katsuretsu Co
6/200 Bourke Street, Melbourne
An express katsu joint from the team behind Ton & Co in Windsor, Katsuretsu Co is an unassuming walk-in only venue in Midcity Arcade, its blue and white Japanese signage humbly proclaiming their specialty. They do tonkotsu, and they do it well. This star dish is a thick overnight-brined pork cutlet, deep fried until the Japanese nama panko crumb is crisp and golden but the meat remains juicy and tender, served with crunchy shredded cabbage and house sauces. There’s also oyster and prawn katsu, as well as rice bowls, miso and salads. Wash it down with ice cold Kirin Ichiban.
Main image credit: Bar Liberty | Urban List
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