Directory Search

Melbourne’s theatre district just got a dose of late-night 1930s charm. Introducing The Mayfair, a swanky new supper club, courtesy of David Mackintosh, with new partner Joe Jones (from Romeo Lane) and chef Ron O'Bryan (ex Church St’s Enoteca and The Vine).

Want power brows that’d make Cara blush? Looking for a long-term solution to lip colour and lash length? Might be time to give cosmetic tattooing a try. It’s not as scary as it sounds. Feather-touch brows and lip blush tattoos are pretty common now, and there’s a place in Collingwood that specialises in quick, (relatively) pain-free treatments.

Right off the bat, we’ve gotta mention Park Hyatt Melbourne’s latest employee, Mr Walker the hotel's canine concierge. A profesh guide dog, Mr Walker busies himself with friendly welcomes at the lobby and accepting belly rubs in his custom-made Tasmanian Oak bed.

There are two types of people. The ones who follow an F45 session with a high-protein shake, fresh berries and a chia pudding; and the ones who think even walking PAST a gym totally justifies a double-stacked cheeseburger and Snickers milkshake.

The Cullen was one of The Arts Series’ OG hotel ventures (along with The Olsen, just down the road), and like all Arts Series hotels, it’s got a bit of a reputation.

Whisky lovers, listen up! The Whisky Boutique is coming to fill all your whisky needs. Make like Ron Swanson and keep the ordering simple—these guys do whisky one of two ways: neat, or on the rocks. Finally.

Hola amigos, do we have something damn special for you. It's called South of the Wall, a brand spankin’ new Mexican margarita bar and restaurant in Cremorne. This place has it all—flavour, good vibes, ten different margaritas, even a giant mural of Donald Trump peeking over a wall. Trust us when we say, this is your new summer hotspot.

You can’t buy views like this. Well, you can. You can buy them at Doubletree By Hilton, perched opposite historic Flinders St station. In terms of location, Doubletree can’t be beaten. You’re 50m from Fed Square, a stone’s throw from the greatest laneway in the city (Centre Place), and surrounded by more bars, restaurants cafes and bruncheries than any normal human could visit in one lifetime.

Contemporary painter David Larwill was known for bright, punchy colours, and you’ll cop an eyeful as soon as you enter Larwill Studio’s dreamy lobby space. Six giant canvases hang on the wall, paired with some slick mid-century furniture. You wouldn’t expect anything less from The Arts Series—these guys have pretty much redefined boutique Melbourne accommodation over the last few years.

Looking for a classy stay in the CBD? It’s hard to go past QT. You can’t knock a place that picked up #1 Hotel In Melbourne on Tripadvisor, right?

Well howdy, partner. What's a BBQ restaurant like you doing in a place like this?

It’s the one pho pun we never considered, and also the one that makes the most sense. Presenting Australia’s first EVER 24-hour pho restaurant. That’s pho 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It never sleeps. And it’s ours, all ours...

Think The Hotel Windsor and their iconic Afternoon Tea sessions come to mind. But apart from serving up a mean cuppa and the most delectable little pastries and cakes, the Hotel Windsor is also renowned for its other many odes to Victorian heritage.

Central location, sweet designer homewares, and the city’s fanciest cocktail bar downstairs—we believe they call that ‘the whole package’.   

South Yarra at it’s very best. This was one of the Arts Series’ flagship hotels, named after revered Aussie landscape artist Dr John Olsen.

The fading Carousel ice-cream sign still hangs over the main entrance, but Bar Carolina is a world away from double scoop vanilla with extra sprinkles.

Tried F45? HIT classes making you want to cry? Just about ready to throw your drink bottle at your relentlessly-cheerful spin instructor? We feel your pain. And so does K-Kore, Melbourne’s latest fitness trend.

A pub without parmas? Sounds a little like an ocean without water, right? But for one hospo power couple, they’re hoping it’ll be the start of a new direction.

Picture it – you’re at a music festival. It’s summer. You’re sweating a lot. All you’ve eaten for three days is BBQ shapes and a banana. Your body is depleted and the only food available is your mate’s old tin of tuna or an expensive, tasteless, borderline call OH&S kebab.

If you want to mix it on Swan St, fresh cuts are pretty much a given. The Richmond/Cremorne hair scene is strong these days, spurred on by boutique barbers like Dr Follicles and General Order. You can’t walk Punt Rd without seeing a well-sculpted beard or Dustin Martin buzz-cut.

For husband and wife team Alex and Jode, the secret to a good homewares store is pretty simple:

If you like eating out as much as you like saving money, EatClub is the app you need in your life. And the best bit? There’s nothing budget about it!

At the foot of an unassuming office block, just off Little Collins St, you’ll find one of our favourite new bars in Melbourne.

Welcome to a wonderland of the bizarre.

Welcome to Vic’s newest winery and cellar door, set on 134 glorious acres on the southern edge of the Mornington Peninsula. Yep, Pt Leo Estate is officially open for business.

When Huw Murdoch spotted the cavernous warehouse space on Albert St, he knew he’d hit the jackpot. Cathedral ceilings, exposed brick all over the place, with plenty of room for a dedicated bakery, just like he wanted.

If there’s one thing we know you guys go crazy for, it’s a secret spot to check out. Throw in the fact that it’s a rooftop, just in time for summer, and oh boy—looks like this little gem just became your summer go-to.

It’s the golden rule of Melbourne hospitality: know your area. A stuffy wine bar might go gangbusters in the CBD or South Yarra, but down the Balaclava end of Chapel St, you need to scuff the edges up a bit.

Whatever pants you’re wearing, Melbourne, they’re not big enough. Drill a couple of notches in the ol’ belt, or borrow a pair of maternity tights, and head on down to Burgertory in Kew.

You half expect Al Pacino to be sitting in the corner, sipping his coffee and getting smudges all over his scripts. That’s the level of Italiano inside Pane e Pizzico, Essendon’s beloved Italian bakery and cafe.

Honey lovers (that’s all of you, obviously), listen up. Beechworth Honey, has been listening to our prayers because they’ve gone and opened a freakin’ store dedicated entirely to honey…right in the CBD. The family-owned business is the brainchild of a fourth-generation bee-keeper, too.  

How’s this for a pedigree. A 70s disco bar from the guys behind Hanoi Hannah, Tokyo Tina, Saigon Sally, San Telmo and Pastuso. Phew. Lend us a broom to sweep up the names we just dropped.  

Let’s decode the geek speak, to start with. GG EZ stands for ‘Good game easy’. It’s something you type with a nonchalant smirk after crushing your opponent at a game of DOTA (Defense Of The Ancients), LoL (League Of Legends), or SC (Starcraft). Computer speak is a bit like marketing—you tend to talk in acronyms.

It’s easy to forget there are still buildings like this in the CBD, time-warped here straight from the 1920s. Just replace the brothels and/or opium dens with Diesel Bar, the city’s new all-day cocktail bar and eatery.

The Cork & Chroma paint and sip studio has opened in Melbourne, following four years of crazy success at their flagship studios in Sydney and Brisbane (obviously, they saved the best until last).

Melbourne’s latest vegan haven is here and it’s sweeter than ever. A dedicated vegan bakery and patisserie, Tidbit Cakes offers bespoke, whole cakes to order as well as a range of daily rotating treats.

Good coffee is right up there with the most heinous Melbourne clichés. Throw a brick, we’re told, and you’ll hit a killer cold drip or the greatest double-shot latte in the universe. It’s gotten to the point where you almost can’t write about coffee – it’s just assumed it’ll be amazing.

Fairfield’s cafe game is pretty strong, but it’s probably not the first suburb that pops to mind when you think ‘outrageous burgers’. Until now, anyway...

Hold on to your malts, Melbourne. There’s a new whisky bar on its way to the city, and it’s officially sponsored by Glenfiddich. It’s called Whisky Boutique (makes sense), and it’s going to be a lighthouse venue for the Scottish brand, featuring a bunch of never-before-seen expressions, bottlings and single malts. It's going to pop up next to Ms Collins, down the shirt-and-tie and of the CBD. 

“In-a Spain, we don’t play by the rules. We don’t use no measurements.”

Behind the doors of Thunder Road Brewery, master brewers develop unique craft beers for locals keen on a drink with character. And with the philosophy, ‘Beers Without Borders’, you can bet these frothies that take you to another place.

The Piccolina story is pretty epic. Owner Sandra Foti grew up licking homemade Italian gelato, made by her father, and was lucky enough to inherit some recipes that had been in the family over 100 years.

Donovan Cooke is well known in the cooking world, and especially that particular world right here in Melbourne. His restaurant Est Est Est which has now been closed for over 15 years still cops a mention from those that were frequenting it at the time.

We're gonna call it. Richmond’s new Concrete Boots is the only place in Melbourne serving up deep-fried Spam Chips. 

Robbie Burns might seem like a strange little find at first: an authentic, traditional Spanish kitchen housed in an open-brick bar that’s been around since the 80s. But the longer you stay, the more you’ll come to love him.

“This is Spain,” Andres Ruiz Mesa says, waving a calloused hand at his new bodega. “Those chairs on the walls, they from Spain. This wine, from Spain. A lot of our ingredients—“

Whatever happened to those uncomplicated corner cafes? The ones that didn't rely on slick branding, brushed concrete or nouveau art plate design?

The phrase “a local gem” gets tossed around reasonably regularly, and there’s not usually much substance (by that, we mean food) to back it up. 1932 Café & Restaurant is not one of those cafes.

If you’ve ever bitten into a crispy chicken banh mi from Pho Nom, you’ll know Jerry Mai is a flat-out, Benedict Cumberbatch-level genius (she can do things with Sriracha mayo you never thought possible).

When the 2015 Young Chef Of The Year opens his own digs, you know delicious things are on the horizon. Tim Martin (former head chef at The European) has been plotting his own restaurant venture since business school. Harvest is the result: an all-day coffeehouse and eatery, with a casual, European bent.

The Brunswick cafe scene is no slouch, so if you’re gonna open a new brunch bar anywhere near Sydney Rd, it’s got to be on point.

Man, Essendon’s been getting some solid venues lately. First the hoop gods handed us Dribbles, and now there’s Beats Burgers, a brand new burger bar on Keilor Rd.

The Paul Wilson empire grows ever larger. First came Mr Wilson’s Tuckshop, then the in-house cafe and brasserie, then the Wilson & Market ‘Luxe Bar’. Now we’ve got The Terrace, and a good thing too—it’s arrived just in time to catch some Melbourne sun.  

Anyone over the age of 25 probably remembers Baroq House. If you don’t have a few (slightly sketchy) memories from this place, you must have slept your way through the noughties. From 2006 to 2014 it was Drewery Lane’s buzzing, late-night hot-spot—a lavish nightclub, with a rep for atomic-strength cocktails.

A lot of things can happen at Queen of Spades. You can make new friends over a game of old-school Pictionary....or lose old friends when Monopoly brings out your dark side and you accuse the Banker of embezzling money. 

So long, Saigon Sally. Hello, BKK. Yep, Windsor’s Old Faithful has closed its doors, and in its place is a Thai-spliced ode to Bangkok airport (that’s the ‘BKK’ bit). It’s the Commune Group’s first venture into serious Thai cuisine, but they’re attacking it with a trademark swagger.

If you’re a bit behind on your Underbelly binging, you might not know the name Dolly Gray. She was the first wife of infamous 1920s Melbourne gangster Squizzy Taylor—a brothel owner, gun runner, and (now) the namesake for Fitzroy’s newest cocktail bar.   

The news is out: one of the bay’s premier burger joints, Between 2 Buns, just opened new digs in Williamstown. Sun, Sundays and fat burger stacks—a roadtrip over the West Gate just became a hell of a lot more fun.

Who indeed? If you haven’t heard of 70s surf icon Bunker Spreckels, here’s a crash course. Great-grandson of sugar baron Claus Spreckels, stepson of Clark Gable, millionaire playboy, surfer, loafer and all around badass dude.

The name Middle South East has a pretty simple story: “Middle East” for the flavour, “South” for the Chapel St location.