The riverside suburb of Southbank isn't just for meandering strolls along the Yarra or a quick pit stop before hitting the Arts Centre and NGV anymore (though those are all excellent reasons to stop in).
These days, this glittering stretch of Melbourne is a goldmine for your tastebuds and a destination in its own right.
Southbank Restaurants At A Glance
- Best New Restaurants In Southbank
- Best Fine Dining Restaurants In Southbank
- Best Casual Dining In Southbank
From fancy feeds with sky-high views to casual bites that'll have you doing a happy dance, we've trawled the concrete jungle to bring you the best Southbank restaurants Melbourne has to offer.
Prepare to loosen your belts, because these are the top Southbank restaurants you need to hit.
Best New Restaurants In Southbank
There's been a wave of new restaurant openings in Southbank, but these are the top ones you need to get in your calendar:
Hacienda Melbourne
M28/3 Southgate Ave, Southbank
This contemporary Mexican restaurant is effortless, relaxed and elevated all at the same time. Sit by the bar, in the dining room or on the terrace looking out over the Yarra River while you indulge in truly top-tier Mexican cuisine at Hacienda.
The tortillas and tostadas are made fresh in-house daily using a traditional multi-day process called nixtamalisation which involves cooking heirloom corn overnight. Sample the oyster bar with your choice of fresh or grilled flavours—think tabasco and lime, chorizo butter, or jalapeño beurre noisette. If you want to pass on the decision-making to someone else, the chef’s menu comes in at a reasonable $69 per person, with an extra $30 if you want to add Mexican flare. Delicioso.
Kolkata Cricket Club
8 Whiteman Street, Level 1 Casino, Crown Melbourne, Southbank
Image: Kolkata Cricket Club | Chege Mbuthi
Kolkata Cricket Club, the new venue by Toddy Shop’s Mischa Tropp, is a very welcome addition to the Southbank restaurant scene. Serving up what we’re calling the best butter chicken in Melbourne, alongside a stack of spicy cocktails and vibes for days, this place demands a visit.
The flow of the menu is similar to your local Indian spot, but elevated: the feast begins with puchka, a regional version of the Indian street food snack pani puri. Moving on from the tiny snacks there’s a stack of things grilled on the tandoor like the Seekh Kebab and a series of stuffed breads for medium sized plates which are perfect for whetting your appetite.
The curries though—the curries are what you came for. The butter chicken is delicately smoky and not too heavy, it’s perfect to mop up with some charred garlic naan.
Marmont
8 Whiteman Street, Southbank
Image: Marmont | Supplied
This new everything venue on the Crown River Walk is the perfect spot for just that: everything. Marmont, heavily inspired by Los Angeles in both decor and menu, is a little slice of SoCal on Southbank. We’re calling it the Arbory Afloat for the southside of the river: it’s fresh and it’s fun—and most of all, it’s outside, because we all know Melbourne's inner city is seriously lacking in beer garden vibes.
The seafood centric menu by head chef Mark Tagnipez (previously Fonda and Supernormal) is inspired by Latin American and Filipino flavours. Think buttermilk fried chicken, mud crab pretzel, Baja fish tacos and scallop ceviche tostada.
Plonk yourself down and work your way through a very summery cocktail list, our top recs being The Starlet—a politically correct twist on the Pornstar Martini, their signature Skinny Margarita (made on tequila not vodka like the U.S. trend, but with no sugar) with a touch of berry liqueur for sweetness, or a straight up house martini.
Best Fine Dining In Southbank
With riverfront realestate and a glittering CBD backdrop, it's no surprise Southbank is home to some excellent fine dining establishments. Here are the best of the best in 2025:
Eureka 89
Eureka Tower, Level 89/7 Riverside Quay, Southbank
Image: Eureka 89 | Supplied
Three hundred metres above sea level, with floor to ceiling windows and 360 degree views of Melbourne, Eureka 89 is one of the best Southbank restaurants for a special occasion.
Offering six or eight course chef’s tasting menus each night of the week as well Saturday and Sunday lunch, this fine dining restaurant is perfect for birthdays, anniversaries, group dinners, cocktail parties and many other functions.
Luckily, Eureka 89 knows that vegetarians want to have fun too and have made sure to cater for their needs offering a vegetarian degustation menu - see, it really is perfect for any occasion. Delicious and utterly memorable.
Nobu
8 Whiteman Street, Southbank
Image: Nobu Melbourne | Supplied
This world-renowned institution, brought to you by praised Chef Nobu Matsuhisa, delivers the highest quality Japanese food with an innovative twist. The sophisticated ambience and iconic menu items of Nobu no doubt make it into the list of Southbank’s best restaurants. Think crispy rice with spicy Tuna, Black Cod loaded with Miso, crunchy Wagyu Tacos, and most importantly, warm chocolate fondant with house-made Matcha ice cream. Pro tip: be sure to book in advance.
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Asado
6 Riverside Quay, Southbank
Brought to you by the crew behind Pastuso, San Telmo and Palermo, Asado is one of the top restaurants in the Southbank area. This BBQ-focused diner delivers a menu that combines Argentine and Spanish flavours with the highest quality, locally sourced meat (think Gippsland and Western Plains). With food cooked on an open fire pit and three-metre Parrilla Grill, you're in for one of the most authentic South American culinary experiences in the centre of the city.
There’s plenty of tapas to get you started. The beef tartare is crazy good, pepped up with quinoa and persimmon. Whack on some sides like smoked cauliflower or greens like the cos lettuce with witlof and toasted almonds. Next, there are plenty of ways you can tackle the main event, like the grilled swordfish loin or Black Opal wagyu, but one signature dish we couldn't go past is the Ojo de Bife, an O’Connor’s scotch fillet.
The wines, as you’d expect, as big and bold and Argentine, heavy on the Malbec reds. You can check them out in the floor to ceiling, temperature controlled wine racks.
Meat & Wine Co.
3 Queens Bridge Street, Southbank
Image: Meat & Wine Co. | Supplied
With multiple locations throughout Melbourne, the Meat & Wine Co. is undoubtedly one of the best restaurants to dine at in Southbank. The rustic yet modern setting provides an excellent dining experience with views of the metropolitan skyline. This is the place to go if you want a delicious steak, tender skewers, flavorful ribs, and delicate drops of wine.
Rockpool
8 Whiteman Street, Southbank
Rockpool Bar & Grill, inspired by top-quality steakhouses in North America, presents an amazing meat-centric food menu with a strong focus on excellent local produce, as well as an extraordinary wine list that includes wines from vineyards all over the world. Don’t stress if you’re not a steak fan, the restaurant also has a cold seafood bar and vegetarian options to cater for all dietary needs.
Pure South Dining
3 Southgate Avenue, Southbank
Pure South Dining, located in the middle of the Boardwalk, is an amazing diner with views of the Yarra River, the city, and everything in between (magicians included). But it's the philosophy that makes it one of the top restaurants in Southbank - serving top-quality produce and flavours from Tasmania and the Bass Strait Islands (thus the name). With two dining spaces and unique menus for each, this place is sure to become your new favourite.
Commune Wine
3 Southgate Avenue, Southbank
With a wine list as long as your arm and a punchy menu that holds its own, Commune Wine is an unpretentious but impressive Southbank restaurant. The food options might not be expansive but with dishes like salmon gravlax, scallop ravioli and great southern rump, they don’t need to be. There’s enough that you’ll find what you’re looking for without feeling overwhelmed by the variety. Especially when you’ll be dining with unmatched views of the Melbourne city skyline, there’s no complaining from us. If you’re only stopping in for a wine and a snack (possibly pre-show at the Arts Centre), perch yourself out on the front balcony and enjoy.
Best Casual Dining Restaurants In Southbank
Whether it's a quick catch up with friends, a pre-theatre bite or a Sunday sesh by the river, Southbank delivers the goods when it comes to casual yet elevated restaurants. These are the best casual restaurants in Southbank:
Ponyfish Island
Evan Walker Bridge, Southbank
Underneath the Evan Walker Bridge is an iconic Melbourne venue, Ponyfish Island. Following a big glow up back in 2021, this joint is now one for the ‘gram. With custom terrazzo tables and furniture, lounges and sunshades, and a gorgeous burnt orange and sage colour palette — it’s Palm Springs-inspired sophistication.
The menu is tasty and uncomplicated: a variety of excellent pizzas, charcuterie boards, sandwiches, oysters and snacks. It’s the kind of food that perfectly complements but doesn’t steal the spotlight from the drinks. Jugs, like the berry sangria or the blood orange Paloma, spritzes, beer, wine, and cocktails are all on offer. Two cocktail faves are the limoncello slice and the mango chilli margarita. While the spritzes might be your beverage of choice in the warmer months, nothing warms you up like Ponyfish Island’s mulled red wine on a chilly winter day.
Open from 11am to 1am every day, there’s never a bad time to visit.
Yarra Botanica
Southbank Promenade, Southbank
There’s nothing like a meal with a view, especially when it's an unobstructed view of the dazzling Melbourne CBD and glistening Yarra River. Yarra Botanica is an open, two level eatery that floats upon the Yarra River.
The menu is big on fresh, seasonal produce with 90% of the menu made using food from local suppliers. From fried mussels and baked brie to crispy tempura mushroom and sourdough pizza, this menu suits (but isn't limited to) grazing, sharing and group dinners.
It’s not just the food that’s locally sourced, Yarra Botanica also highlights Victorian makers with their selection of spritzes, boutique beers and wines. It'd be rude not to try one or two, especially with that view.
Miss Pearl Bar + Dining
140 Southbank Blvd, Southbank
Image: Miss Pearl Bar + Dining | Supplied
Miss Pearl Bar + Dining is home to some of the best modern Asian cuisine in Southbank. Located just by Southbank Theatre, the pre-theatre banquet is the answer to your prayers for a quick decision-free dinner before your show that doesn’t compromise on taste.
Highlights on the menu include betal leaves, steamed snapper, kingfish sashimi and king brown mushroom skewers. To finish, the tiramisu mochi or chocolate trifle with mascarpone cream and miso caramel are both winners. To drink, the Blockbuster cocktail is something you need to try once: popcorn infused whiskey, popcorn syrup, dash bitter, orange twist and popcorn.
If you’re after a quick bite, Miss Pearl Express is the answer to your prayers. It’s an alfresco dining area across from the main restaurant where you can delight in street food style dishes. Think share plates, snacks and bowls, without the stress of getting out in time for your show.
Left Bank
1 Southbank Blvd, Southbank
Left Bank is a bustling Southbank restaurant and cocktail bar with a stylish, moody interior. Get the gang together because it’s definitely dinner and drinks at this joint. The weekly specials make Left Bank a place you’d want to visit any night of the week.
The midweek ‘Wine Me & Dine Me’ menu includes three shared courses and bottomless wine for $59 per person. An absolute steal, right? 'Oyster Thursdays' with $2 oysters all afternoon along with happy hour drink prices is an irresistible start to the weekend. Last but definitely not least, the Sunday bottomless brunch sessions involve cocktail jugs, bread and olives, a main dish, live music and an espresso martini on arrival — another tough one to turn down.
The a la carte menu is filled with classics done right. You can’t go wrong with pasta, steak, risotto, sliders, lamb ribs or stracciatella.
Five Guys
3 Freshwater Place, Southbank
Image: Five Guys | Supplied
Burger fans, don't miss out on this one. Not just some of the best burgers in Southbank, but some of the best burgers in the world. If you’re not yet acquainted with this U.S-based burger chain, Five Guys is known for two things: burgers and fries.
They established the first Melbourne location in late 2022 and has since graced the neighbourhood with one of the best restaurants in Southbank Melbourne for a quick and easy food fix.
But these burgers are unlike anything you’ll find at a typical fast food joint. Five Guys operate on a “no freezer” promise—their brioche buns are freshly grilled, the ground beef patties are shaped by hand and their hand-cut chips are fried on demand, skin-on and straight to your table.
Begin with an old-fashioned vanilla milkshake and follow it up with a classic cheeseburger made with melted American-style cheese. Oh, and don't definitely don’t skimp on the fries.
Main Image Credit: Andy Wang (Unsplash)
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