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Have you ever wished you could throw a stapler at your boss's head? What about had the urge to stab a zombie? Or maybe crash a Ferrari at Silverstone, just for the fun of it? If you thought 'OMG yes' to any/all of the above, then That VR Joint—Melbourne's latest virtual reality gaming venue that let's yu get up-close and personal with the latest tech—is the place for you.

Coming off of the successful SugarBun chain across Asia, Auntry Franklee is bringing south-eastern soul to the heart of Melbourne. Serving up classic Malaysian cuisine are twins Fran and Fiorn Lee, whose new venture aims to explore the famous family recipes served since 1979. Aunty Franklee focuses on the authentic Bak-Kut-Teh, a soupy, meaty bowl of goodness, as well as melt-in-your-mouth char grill, and moorish, smoky clay-pot creations. Be the first to try the traditional flavours in a fresh, new fit-out this spring. 

Although we’re completely in love with Workshop’s Glen Huntly café, we’re willing to make room in our coffee soaked hearts for their new baby, which is right smack bang in the middle of Melbourne.

Cannings Free Range Butchers are all about great service and quality produce. These Malvern butchers have a genuine interest in animal welfare and only sell ethically farmed meat, sourcing produce from some of Australia’s best producers. There’s grass fed Tasmanian beef, free range pork from Darling Downs, free range chicken from Bendigo and fresh seafood from the South and East Coasts of Australia.

The team at Paninoteca focus on one thing - creating the perfect Italian sandwich. So it’s no surprise that they're damn good at it.

Two Brothers café brings all the things we love about inner city cafes to the Eastern suburbs. This cozy café is family friendly and has plenty of outdoor seating for soaking up the sun. This café has a great, relaxing atmosphere that serves up scrumptious breakfasts, lunches and quality coffees all day long. The brothers do a great classic burger with grass fed beef, triple cream cheese, bacon, lettuce, tomatoes and pickles. The freshly made muffins and toasted Sangas are also the perfect to-go treat. We can also confirm that at this Mitcham café there is actually two brothers.

If you’re an avid traveler we’ve found a place for you to revel in all your worldly adventures.  Atlas dining is an intimate dining space with a casual courtyard and a changing menu. This restaurant has been created by Melbourne chef Charlie Carrington to explore different cuisines from around the world.

When you first drive past On It burgers in Ferntree Gully, you’ll notice its classic roadside diner setting and you’ll instantly feel obliged to check it out!

The Younger Brother is a local café with heaps of inner city style. This small café has a modern layout, trendy décor and a warm ambience.

Let us introduce you to the new baker on the block. Le Bakehouse is your snazzy bakehouse serving up golden pastries, delicious coffee and a sweet load of sassy attitude.

Tucked away, almost hidden, in a shady walkway of Mount Waverley is this bustling café! Always busy, Son of Tucci is serving up some of Melbourne’s best coffee, brunch and seriously mouth-watering cakes, muffins & pastries. The moment you walk in, you’ll be drawn to the cabinet at the front filled with scrumptious baked goods and it only gets better from there with the seasonal menu packed full of flavour, creativity and high quality ingredients. Son of Tucci isn’t a huge cafe, but there’s outdoor seating and staff are always accommodating to make sure you’re not waiting too long for a table. 

Brunch fare just got interesting! Aucuba is a small cafe in the back streets of South Melbourne, featuring plant-based Japanese-influenced dishes. You won’t find your standard smashed avo or pulled pork brioche buns here, but you will find green tea soba noodles, truffled umami mac & cheese and kale chips. They also roast their own specialty coffee in-house, boasting a laboratory-like brew and espresso bar, accented by the most amazing blue pineapple wallpaper!  

We’ve found a snazzy café in the Eastern Suburbs that’s serving up delicious super foods, top notch coffee, and delightful treats. CL Kitchen & Brewery in Surrey Hills has recently transformed into a welcoming, vibrant café that will satisfy your stomach and your coffee cravings.

Fancy Hank fans, this one is for you! Knuckles has replaced Fancy Hanks opposite the Vic Market (Hank has moved to Bourke Street!). Knuckles will be open right through Summer, offering up the same finger-lickin’ American style slow cooked BBQ made famous by Hank, like pulled pork and brisket, as well as a number of other drool-worthy sandwiches and tasty sides, including a Philly cheese steak with sweet onions, peppers and gravy and a classic chopped pork with Kentucky style slaw and kewpie mayo. And fear not – you’ll still be able to get $12 happy hour jugs to enjoy out on the balcony! 

You’ll have a ball being locked in a small, gloomy room where you have to solve puzzles and brainteasers in order to escape at Escape Room Melbourne. This live puzzle game in South Melbourne gives you 70 minutes to unravel the mystery of a hidden room, working in a team to solve a variety of quirky and inventive puzzles to escape. Escape Room Melbourne has two unique challenges for you to choose from. You can either be tasked to save your co-workers from the mines or to successfully be a magicians assistant in Kellers magical emporium. Both puzzle rooms are equally stimulating and make for a snazzy CBD adventure.

If you fancy being locked in a small, gloomy room where you have to solve puzzles and brainteasers in order to escape then we reckon you’ll fall in love with Escape Room Melbourne. This live puzzle game in Flemington gives you 70 minutes to unravel the mystery of a hidden room, working together to solve a variety of quirky and inventive puzzles to escape. You’ll find yourself in an authentic antique study complete with leather-bound books, pictures, a desk and wardrobe filled with hidden puzzles, clues and challenges.  Escape room Melbourne prides itself as Melbourne’s first escape experience, and we know you can’t resist trying it!

Gather the troops! We’ve found a super fun, challenging and intellectually stimulating adventure for you and your closest friends. Escape experience in Oakleigh has two unique rooms that task you to think outside the box and solve some whacky problems. Amnesia escape is set in an unfamiliar room surrounded by chaos, you’ll be tasked to use your memory to figure out what brought you here and help you escape. The Burlesque room will have cluedo lovers rejoicing as you are tasked to investigate the murders, and hidden secrets of the glamorous and wealthy. These adventures are popping up all over town- they are definitely worth a try!

In the last few years, you could argue service has taken a backseat to picture-perfect food. Not at Highett’s little secret spot—The Little Elephant.  

Quietly located in a red brick building on Ferrars Street, Garden of Eden Nursery is a humble emporium of homewares, gifts and (of course) plants. Be warned—their name is not an exaggeration.

The team behind From on High and Hard Pressed sure have been busy. Opening up yet another venue, this coffee shop will be sure to impress Melburnians.

Bradley James Hair Dressing will have you strutting the streets of South Yarra with confidence. Bradley’s new salon not only has a contemporary edge, but boasts some of Melbourne’s leading cutting and color specialists. These Geniuses take a personal approach to helping you achieve your ultimate hair style. From unicorn hair to bayalages or a stylish cut, you’re in safe hands here!

Not quite a restaurant, not quite a food truck! The Smoke Pit is an authentic low & slow American BBQ roving stall, serving up the most finger lickin’, mouth-watering beef brisket and pulled pork you’ve ever tasted. And if you’re feeling adventurous, try their ridiculously hot habanero chilli sauce!

This quirky café is one of Eltham’s best hidden secrets. It may look like an old run down house on the outside, but inside you’ll feel right at home. The Zen Den is a spacious café with an eclectic mix of furniture, funky décor and hanging plants. The outdoor area is a delightful oasis with plenty of palm trees and sun soaking spots.

Under new management, this Camberwell fav is still going strong! The courtyard out the back, makes Santucci’s the perfect place to bring your four legged fur baby when the weather is good and when the weather is typical Melbourne, you can sit inside amongst the mismatch, cozy décor to sip your Jaffa hot chocolate or dive into a blueberry cheesecake muffin (or both). Breakfast runs all day, which means waffles any time or you can choose the more sensible option of burgers, sandwiches and salads. This Italian café is definitely one to add to the never-ending list of places to brunch!

My Other Brother is a Specialty Coffee House in the leafy suburbs of Camberwell. This Little Café is buzzing with beans from some of the best roasters in town! There’s Small Batch, Industry Beans, Proud Mary and knowledgeable baristas to help get your blend just right! As well as a focus on coffee, My Other Brother has a passion for producing deliciously fresh, high-class brunches and lunches. This Homely café is tucked behind burke road, near the Sunday Markets. If you’re looking for good espressos, food and tunes, or even drinks try this bustling café.

If you’re anything like us, you’ve walked past this café a million times in a mad rush to get to Chapel Street for your weekly retail therapy sesh. We finally headed into SOS Café to refuel and oh boy are we glad we did! They’re all about healthy eating, specialising in organic, gluten-free and refined sugar-free dishes, so you can sit outside by the fountain while you dig into guilt-free pancakes and enjoy some of the best people-watching in the city. The gluten free tiramisu pancakes are not only stunningly presented, but they’re also thick, fluffy and come with espresso ice-cream, cashew cream, and an espresso shot to get your morning going. SOS Café doesn't take reservations, so expect a short wait on the weekends (trust us, it’s worth it!).

An under-the-rader Melbourne cocktail institution if there ever was one, Carlton Yacht Club has been serving drinks to locals for a massive fourteen years. The intimite bar sits right in the middle of Lygon Street's buzzing dining strip, surrounded by some of the best pizza, pasta and gelato in the city. But if you're keen to ditch the prosecco, pull up a seat at this nautical watering hole and you'll be guaranteed some lip-smackingly good drinks, from classics to modern twists.

INJECTABLE AVO SMASH! Now that we’ve got your attention, let us rave about this new Burwood café.

Tucked in a maze of laneways off the hullabaloo of Collins St, there’s an uber-fancy High Tea gem wafting with scones, jam and chantilly cream. This Queen-Liz-worthy Arvo Tea parlour is called Runya’s Room, and boy, does it take 'cuppa and cake' seriously.

As it turns out, you can judge a book by its cover. Or in this case—a dish.

Another Jolly Miller Café has opened and we couldn’t be happier. This means more supershakes, cakes and big breakfasts for us. If you’re not familiar with The Jolly Miller Cafes, then you’ve clearly been living under a rock! Allow us to fill you in... the Williams Landing café will be serving up most decadent supershakes – we’re talking Nutella peanut butter, chocolate lamington, Oreo, Malteser and our personal favourite, the salted caramel choc brownie. If you’re after a healthier option (why would you!?), the café also does a mean smoothie and a mouth-watering brunch, including your obligatory smashed avo, corn and feta fritters and ricotta hotcakes. 

This understated little café definitely packs a punch! If you plan on being a repeat offender like us, you’ll love From On High’s forever changing, seasonal menu. All the dishes are vibrant, tasty, beautifully presented and have just a hint of Middle Eastern influence with ingredients like eggplant, tahini and dukka. If you’re a classic bruncher, you can’t go wrong with the eggs benedict, but if you want to get your sugar hit in early, then the fan favourite pikelet stack is for you. Although this hotspot does get pretty busy, especially on the weekends, you don’t usually have to wait long for a table and the staff are always friendly and accommodating.  

From the family that brought you Jinda Thai in Abbotsford, comes Oneyada Café, serving up Thai brunch. We can hear your skepticism from here! Don't worry, your eggs, sausage and bread are still on the menu, but they've been given a Thai twist. Once you’ve tried the Thai style baked eggs with slices of pork loaf, sautéed minced pork and sausage, we know you’ll be converted! And if you’re really getting into the spirit of a Thai breaky, try the homemade buns with pandan and pumpkin kaya (coconut jam). Amongst a sea of golden lattes, matcha and rainbow everything, we’re loving Oneyada’s unique take on the Melbourne brunch!

Everyone loves a good bag. Functional, stylish and able to fit all your personal items like Hermione’s expandable backpack, tote-ing around a perfect bag makes life so much easier.

Melanie Grant is all about beauty with results. As one of Australia’s most renowned skin professionals, Melanie Grant provides specially tailored treatments designed to enhance your skin and complexion to its maximum quality. With the use of state-of-the-art technology and therapeutic products and formulations, she will help you achieve your own beauty goals.

Melbourne's fast becoming a hotbed of incredible escape rooms, but if you're looking for something a little bit different to the usual puzzle room, you've simply got to book yourself and your mates into Cubescape.

It’s always a good sign when a café is packed during the week and we can see why Next of Kin has no shortage of people sipping coffees and tucking into perfectly cooked eggs! This small café has been a welcomed addition to Glenhuntly Road with it’s modern style and delicious food. We went for the healthy option and had the coconut chicken salad with zoodles, coriander, radicchio, poached shredded chicken, avo and mango dressing. If this is what healthy eating is like, maybe we should do it more often! But for you sinners out there, they’re serving up the most divine black forest pancakes and Mork chocolate milkshakes. 

We’ve found the perfect place for a champagne breakfast with the girls, or a date where you really want to impress someone and it opens tomorrow.

Hawthorn, a new type of dessert has come to your streets – waffles!

This luxury menswear store is opening its flagship boutique in Melbourne, and is stocked all throughout Australia, Europe and the US.

Cannings butchers is all about great service and quality produce. These Hawthorn butchers have a genuine interest in animal welfare and only sell ethically farmed meat, sourcing produce from some of Australia’s best producers. There’s grass fed Tasmanian beef, free range pork from Darling Downs, free range chicken from Bendigo and fresh seafood from the South and East Coasts of Australia.

Loch & Key is hidden up a rickety staircase, behind a bookcase in Melbourne’s oldest pub, Captain Melville, and has certainly perfected the rabbit warren-esque, quaint cabin style. With humble finishes, dimly lit nooks and crannies, and a hint of gentlemen’s club, this bar is the ideal Melbourne venue, plus it’s one of few places that stays open until 5am (and 7am on Saturdays). This is only made better by the exceptional service you’ll receive from the bartenders. Although the cocktail menu is on the smaller side, the bartenders are more than happy to mix you up your own creation depending on what you’re in the mood for.

I think I can safely say that waxing doesn’t fall into anyone’s favourite beauty treatment category. And fair enough too. It now sits firmly in the ‘necessity’ column, not the ‘pamper’ column. But for all our loathing of dedicating time, money and energy to ripping out unwanted hair, we’re still completely chuffed when we find somewhere that’s beyond excellent at what they do, enter: Waxed.

Punchbowl Canteen is a vibrant café burrowed into the industrial side streets of Port Melbourne.

Your Nonna won’t have any complaints at St Domenico. From a range of Italian wines and Italian cured meats to speciality imported cheese and Stagioni flour, St Domenico takes everyone’s ultimate comfort food to the next, delicious level.

Named after the Crocodile King in Thai folklore, Chalawan is the newbie on Smith Street and not at all your traditional Thai spot. It's the first Australian outlet from the team behind renowned Bangkok venues Hyde and Seek, Peek-A-Boo and Smith. The Collingwood venue is even staffed by an all-star team direct from Bangkok, ensuring that all the zest, vibrancy and vigour of Thai cuisine comes through on every plate! 

Jumping on board the healthy juice bandwagon, this Melbourne retailer is making the ultimate cold-pressed juices – but not as you know them.

You probably think you know exactly what Korean food is ‘supposed to be’. After all, Melbourne has experienced a rise in Korean barbeque joints in recent times. But we’ve found a Korean diner that stands head and shoulders above the rest, especially on the flavour front.

Conveniently located on Franklin Street near RMIT, Poolhouse Coffee is quickly becoming a city favourite. Having only opened in July, they’re already one of our go-tos for our daily coffee fix! Not only has Poolhouse Coffee partnered with the best in the biz, Dukes Coffee Roasters, but they’re also serving up delicious breakfast options and mouth-watering sandwiches.

A tiny window front attached to the rear end of Glen Waverley favourite, Mocha Jo’s, this humble burger bar is all about epic, affordable American-style burgers. Our favourites include The Southern, with a wagyu patty, U.S cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, bacon, jalapenos and Srirarcha mayo; or the Mac ‘n Cheese with a panko crumbled mac and cheese patty, wagyu, double U.S cheese, lettuce, mustard, pickles, tomato, jalapeno and brown onion jam.

There was high excitement when we discovered that one of our favourite north-side joints–Glamorama Bar, now also does dining. Enter: Spare Me Kitchen.

Yes, there is another burger joint you need to add to your ever-growing meat-eating list. Tucked into a tired looking food court in the business end of the CBD, Son Of A Burger is the genius solution for foodies that loves their burgers too much to choose just one.

Tucked into a tiny spot on the corner of Smith and Gertrude Street, Burnside Café is holding it’s own against Fitzroy’s heavy hitters. It probably helps that on weekdays they’re open at the painfully early time of 6.30, making a (pre) pre-work coffee a hot (literally) option for lucky locals.

Charge into the Lilydale General this weekend! Boasting drool-worthy, guilt-free breakfast like a Rawsome Chia Pudding with blueberry chia jam, raw cocoa cheesecake crumble, strawberry coconut cream and housemade buckwheat rawnola, you’ll wish this General was your local.

The Peddler Café is a chic café in the Eastern Suburbs. This Nunawading café is filled with inner city style.  The interior is rustic and features old-fashioned hanging lights, retro chairs and a big communal table. Peddlers Café has an extensive menu, with meals ranging from traditional eggs on toast to more interesting dishes like the pork belly with parsnip puree, confit fennel and apple chutney. The café also serves delicious coffees, home made treats and even home made lemonade. This bustling cafe is the perfect spot for a delicious late brunch.

This wood-panelled Korean restaurant features charcoal barbeques on every table, and an amazingly lively atmosphere making it perfect for a night out.

Bar Doh makes rustic pizzas in a stunning woodfire oven. This hidden gem prides itself on its unique menu and relaxed atmosphere. The menu is filled with both classic and unique flavor combinations that will delight your palette. Indulge in the rustic wood fired pizza with goat’s cheese, roasted peppers, potato, Spanish onion and Napolitana sauce. Bar Doh has a selective range of wine and beers, it also lets you bring your own. This Blackburn restaurant is the perfect place for a cosy winter dinner. It also has an ambient courtyard for the summer months. The warm atmosphere and friendly staff help Bar Doh create a memorable dining experience.

The Rochey is getting a rep for reinvention. It was given a new lease on life a few years ago, thanks to the team from Dr Morse and The Aviary Hotel. They saved it from its sticky, dive pub roots (as fun as those were).

Just when you thought Melbourne’s vegetarian and vegan food scene has gotten as exciting as it can get, this North Fitzroy restaurant opens up with some vegie delights.

From the guys who brought you Legacy, Temperance Society and Mob Espresso, their new café promises big, big things for Elsternwick.