Directory Search

Fusing food truck and fine dining, Radio Mexico is the Mexican highlight of the St Kilda dining scene. With tacos, quesadillas, ceviche and deep fried tortilla chips, the well priced menu full of traditional fare will not only satisfy, but have you hanging around enjoying many a tequila with your mates. Pop into their bayside bar location and watch a St Kilda sunset as you sip a Mexican draught beer amongst the cacti and graffiti walls.

Rainbow stools, huge prints of happy kids and a treat selection fit for a king are the first impressions from Malvern coffee house, The Pour Kids. Brewing Axil's award winning blends and offering brunch with a twist, The Pour Kids is a treat amongst the standard formulas followed by many Melbourne cafes. Expect to be treated like a local in this suburban cafe and put it on your list for your next coffee date with friends (or your kids). 

Shanghai-born David Zhou opened his flagship Prahran restaurant, David's, in 1999, and has been delighting locals ever since. Inspired by countryside Shanghai, David's offers traditional dishes with a contemporary twist – make sure you check out the weekend yum cha; it's considered one of the best and a steal at $38 on Saturday and $40 on Sunday. David's is licensed, but you can also BYO (with $10 corkage) every night but Friday & Saturday and Sunday Lunch.  

The Parisian sister of Gin Palace and kitschy-cute Madame Brussels, Bar Ampere is a small but quirky CBD bar on Russell Place offering an impressive selection of beverages, including many aperitifs and digestives, plus imported wines and local drops. Serving meals and bar snacks until the wee hours, Bar Ampere has a unique style that will have you transfixed - a huge outdoor alcove, a wall of lights, and graffitied concrete walls. Bar Ampere is a sure fire hit on the CBD bar list. 

Housed in a terrace on Gertrude Street in Fitzroy, Basta Osteria (ex Casa Ciuccio) is the brainchild of Fabio Candolo, a Sicilian restaurateur turned avid Melburnian.

An extension of St Kilda's much loved Cafe Di Stasio, Bar Di Stasio is a fine dining and bar experience that is relaxed and sophisticated. With an industrial edge to the decor and an extensive wine list, Bar Di Stasio offers lunch, dinner and exclusive private dining packages that highlight the creativity of Italian cuisine. Whether you wish to enjoy a cocktail and some antipasto streetside, or book a private nook to mingle with a dinner date over some spaghettini, the finesse of a Di Stasio experience will have you itching for more.

Bellota Wine Bar is the much welcomed extension of the Prince Wine Store, whose collection of over 3000 bottles are no longer just available to take home, but to enjoy whilst you bask in Bellota's ambience. The decor is intimate fused with Euro bite, and though the focus may be on the wine, one can enjoy a bite to eat from the fresh seafood bar, or nibble some antipasti whilst sitting at the inside tables, in the courtyard, or chatting away with the bartender. There's also a predominantly French-inspired menu for those needing something a little more hearty.

Our favourite homewares and accessories store has revamped itself with the re-launch of its store across the road from its old premises in Greville Street - basically at our doorstep! The new space has been thoughtfully designed with the help of Like Butter, Billie Justie and Weekday Designs and is more charming than ever before. Expect loads of new brands, as well as the old staples including Bridget Bodenham’s ceramic vessels, oil burners from Page Thirty Three and Emily Green’s colourful jewellery.

Located on Carlisle Street in St Kilda East, Beautyologist is a Parisian-inspired beauty salon offering waxing, facials, nails, massages and more. Owner Sia Psicharis leads a team of expert therapists that pride themselves on offering only the best in skincare and treatments. Beautyologist also has an extensive range of gifts, skincare and candles available from leading brands such as Aspect, Aesop, Voluspa and Glasshouse.

Signed & Numbered is a true gemstone on Greville Street in Prahran, and cannot be passed by without something catching your eye from the vivacious shop window. It feels like a record store, but in reality is a limited-edition art gallery with very appealing price tags attached. There is a wonderful assortment of art to be admired and explored, in the form of prints, etchings, giclee and goccos, among other hand-embellished prints for sale. Spend an afternoon 'print digging' at S&N because you may just stumble across the last vestige of a Miso or Vexta.

Waxed, located on Centre Road in Bentleigh, are Melbourne's waxing specialists delivering only the best results for both women and men. There's a full range of services on offer - everything from face, legs and arm waxing, to brow, body and Brazilian waxing. Waxed are experts in their field and are dedicated to making the waxing experience as easy as possible with nothing less than excellent results - smooth and fuzz-free, just the way we like it!

A Yo-Chi a day from Balaclava's coolest self-serve dessert destination will surely have you addicted to the all-natural, 98% fat-free frozen yoghurt goodness that dispenses right before your eyes. Not only are the flavours to die for (salted butterscotch, chai and honey soybean, to name a few), but the toppings will have your cup overflowing with all the very freshest fruit, nuts, sauces, crumbles, dried berries and delectable treats you could imagine. Walking into Yo-Chi, you'll feel like you've died and gone to fro-yo heaven. You pay by weight, but just try and resist the overwhelming urge to overload.

Brooks, located on George Parade off Collins Street in Melbourne, is one of the city's best dining experiences. Chef Nic Poelaert has designed a Modern Australian menu using quality ingredients and fresh produce with the 5 course degustation not to be missed.

Ahhh Fonda Windsor. This was Fonda swinging for the fences: a split level, three storey terrace space, with a restaurant downstairs, back up in the middle, and a dusky rooftop Ático bar for when things get REALLY fun. A lot of people never bother to walk up the back stairs, but we promise it's worth the climb. 

From the frying pan of Executive Chef and owner, Frank Camorra, MoVida is a celebrated Melbourne dining institution that has been dishing up the city's best Spanish fare since the early 2000s. Located in artfully graffitied Hosier Lane, Movida is that rare beast of a dining destination that enjoys longevity, and will no doubt continue to thrive through its exquisite tapas dining experience and flawless service.

Since opening its converted warehouse doors in South Melbourne in 2003, St Ali has come to be known as a Melbourne coffee institution.

To say Izakaya Den is 'hard to find' is an understatement; but when you do manage to find the barely-signed stairwell on Russell Street and dare to peer behind the black curtain at the bottom, you will surely discover Melbourne's best kept izakaya secret. This Japanese restaurant is a basement straight out of Tokyo, from the dimly lit corridor, to the polite and efficient service, and let's not forget to mention the sake. Take a friend and share a myriad of small dishes gracefully prepared before your very eyes; the chefs put on quite the display along the entire length of the restaurant. You will become mesmerised by the entire dining and entertainment experience, don't forget to keep your eye out for Master Den.

Once you're done marvelling at all the ACMI has to offer you cinephiles, indulge a little longer with the ACMI Store. Located in the plaza at Federation Square, the ACMI Store has an amazing range of coffee table books, quirky little gifts, DVDs, toys and magazines. If you're interested in ACMI as an organisation, there's heaps of stuff about the Melbourne icon including ACMI publications, study guides, exhibition catalogues and merch. A must if you're interested in taking your ACMI experience home with you.

Established in Fitzroy in 1992, Angelucci 20th Century offers a broad selection of local and international furnishings, lighting and designer pieces predominantly from the 1950s and 1960s. They believe that vintage mid 20th century pieces can sit comfortably in any contemporary interior, complementing and contrasting with the things you love – be they a year old, or 100 years old – with all vintage pieces lovingly restored in their Smith Street workshop. A must visit if you're planning on revamping your home or office space, or just wanting some inspiration.

Occupying a space that's been a butcher since 1870, Richmond's local butchery, Bertie's, is every part family business as it is local icon. Bertie's Butcher is the sort of local provedore that has a mother, her son, and his son after him all coming to get their meat and is truly one of Melbourne's best. Their personal service and the effort taken by the team to provide customers with ethical and organic choices for their meat is so sincere, you'll be fighting the crowds to call it your local. 

Down the otherwise quiet end of Grey Street, St Kilda, lives Dr Jekyll, a cheap and cheerful cafe by day, cosy wine bar and restaurant by night. With great coffee and a slick fitout, the space features fresh white walls, trippy murals and an open kitchen, which is where the brunchtime magic happens. Coffee is from ethically-minded Espresso Syndicate, so you can do your bit for protecting the globe whilst enjoying your brew. Don't go past their simple, perfectly scrambled eggs on rye in the AM, and their delicious bar bites and epic wine list in the PM. 

Northcote's Gypsy Hideout is just great. Really great. Tucked into a pocket of High Street, Gypsy Hideout is an unpretentious cafe that takes the standard all day breakfast and gives it a taste of the great abroad - Greek sweetbread with chai butter, cannoli style pancakes, and a hearty Spanish chorizo stew grace the menu. Gypsy is an airy, light-filled space with mismatched wooden chairs and tables, plus a perfect little courtyard. The coffee is delicious but make sure you get one of their top secret Gypsy hot chocolates made from the owner's secret recipe - they're to die for!

With geometric wallpaper, delicious coffee and chef of note (Franco Caruso, ex Richmond Hill Cafe and Larder), Lolo & Wren is the shining light of Brunswick West's cafe scene. Easy, tasty food is the premise here, with all day breakfast and easy lunch options on offer – all made with locally sourced, often organic, fruit, veg and produce. It's a relaxed and airy space for a coffee or a vino with your lunch - a true breath of fresh air for this side of town. 

Where does SJP go for her morning caffeine hit when in Melbourne? If you're thinking somewhere fancy pants and pricey, you'd be wrong. Her venue of choice is Cowderoy's Dairy, a low-key, family friendly cafe overlooking a leafy park in St Kilda West. It's the kind of place where you can rock up in your tracky dacks, grab a sunny spot on the deck, and eat a wholesome and delicious brekkie with the Sunday paper in hand and Fido at your feet. Owner Tony is committed to using local, healthy produce and dishes up honest food that the whole family will enjoy.

Canary Jane's Flowers is a florist and gift shop on Burwood Road in Hawthorn with a distinctly 50s twist. The kitschy fit out - complete with checkerboard floor, vintage dressing tables and ever-changing window displays - is a girlie girl's dream!

If you like your sport with a side of drinks, Mr Wow's Emporium on Smith Street was designed for you. With bocce, ping pong, pool, free popcorn and a penchant for throwing sweet parties like Nerd Nite, the unique Melbourne Acoustic night and epic Sunday Sessions, Mr Wow's Emporium is as much a carnival as it is a revered drinking establishment. The bar floor is massive, though it can be a little tricky to navigate when packed. Thankfully, they'll reserve sections for your private functions.

The Northcote Social Club is a pub and live music venue on High Street that attracts indie bands and music aficionados from across the nation, and even offshore. It's exactly what a music venue should be, especially after it's slick new refurbishment in min-2015! Grab a bite to eat—they've got epic burgers, delicious salads and a whole range of tasty snacks to enjoy over a beer, all cooked up by a Michelin star trained chef—and pull up a stool in their huge heated beer garden next time you're cruising Northcote for a good time.