News

Melbourne's matcha scene has been flooded with ceremonial grade tea, but among global price hikes and long processing times, experts say it's not right for your daily brew. Here's what to look for in your morning matcha and our favourite spots.

Peninsula fave Alba Thermal Springs and Spa has just launched a brand-new on-site accommodation offering: The Sanctuary—a collection of hilltop villas overlooking the lush surrounds of Fingal.

Pssst... Word is that there is a GLO up on Lygon Street (that is, a new GLO Gelateria of course!). The owners of the beloved Universal Restaurant on Lygon Street are taking a step into the dessert realm, and we are here for it.

The crew that brought us Tipo 00 are back at it again with their fifth restaurant, but this one is noticeably different.

After weathering the unexpected loss of its Cremorne HQ with just four weeks’ notice, cult-favourite Tarts Anon has made a triumphant return—this time with a new light-filled flagship on Church Street in Richmond.

Melbourne is getting a little taste of Tasmania, with the city’s very-own Sauna Boat set to open in mid-August.

Remember The Crafty Squire on the corner of Russell and Little Collins? The iconic venue has had a bangin' renovation and is now serving up a stunning city-view rooftop and boozy slushies. 

There’s something deeply fulfilling about breaking into a bar of the Viral Dubai chocolate—the crisp snap of a perfectly tempered block, the slow melt of velvety chocolate on your tongue. If you’ve seen Kourtney Kardashian breaking apart her Kit Kats in that oddly satisfying way, you’ll love the Viral Dubai chocolate for the same reason. 

Melbourne’s culinary scene is about to get smoky and seductive with the arrival of II.II.VI (Two-Two-Six), a 115-seat modern Australian restaurant from the crew who brought us Ministry of Crab.

The Commons is rewriting the work-life balance playbook with a luxe Richmond wellness hub repping 200+ weekly classes and a next-level bathhouse—complete with magnesium pools, ice plunges, and even a wellness concierge.

Carvery has taken us right back to the 90s with their supreme offering of roast meats, fresh salads and takeaway rolls. Expect Victorian proteins by weight, a daily salad bar, fresh house-made rolls dripping in gravy and a grocery section at this Toorak soon-to-be-staple.

At the north end of the city in Healeys Lane (where Paik’s BBQ is, IYKYK) has officially been turned into the city’s Koreatown, marked with Australia’s first traditionally crafted Korean totem poles. 

We’re all for a rooftop, especially one that opens out onto Melbourne’s brand new Sky Park, suspended over Collins Street. Quarterhouse in Docklands, just near Southern Cross station is bringing us just that—with three levels of after-work or pre-game goodness, the mega-venue is set to be your go-to spot when you’re in that part of town.

Hold onto your hearts, Melbourne—the world’s most adorable gang is about to make its grand entrance! The long-awaited Hello Kitty and Friends Cafe, after much speculation, has finally swung open its doors, bringing the whimsical world of Sanrio to life in an Australian first-of-its-kind immersive dining experience. And yes, it’s as adorable as it sounds.

Melbourne’s affair with wine is about to get a transformation. Melbourne Winery, housed in the historic Ross House on Flinders Lane, is where traditional artisanship meets metropolitan elegance.

Beauty fans west of Melbourne are in for a treat and a Tim Tam. Adore Beauty is opening its second Melbourne store, and it's everything you love about the online store, with so much more.

Move over, Sydney—Melbourne’s about to get a dose of the Merivale magic and we've got our fingers and toes crossed for a certain famous woodfired bread.

Ever been at the kids’ play centre and thought, ‘I wish there was a little more here for me?’ Well, you’re not the only one. Hoopla has opened as Australia’s first ‘parent’ focused kids indoor play centre and family outing spot (read: there’s a grown-ups menu). 

Sure, vacays are great—but let's be real, they’re SO much better with our four-legged friends in tow.

The food news has been coming in thick and fast in Melbourne, and to make sure that you're across Melbourne's food and bev movements, we've wrapped up everything that you need to know in a handful of digestible servings.

The team behind Carnegie's Sowl is bringing refined Greek eats to South Melbourne with Aegli—expect luxe regional dishes, heritage flavours and a next-level slow-roasted lamb shoulder.

Kiwi pop icon Lorde has finally dropped dates for the Australian and New Zealand leg of her tour. 

The global phenomenon that broke Netflix records, sparked countless Halloween costumes and gave an all-new meaning to ‘red light, green light’, is gearing up for one final twisted, terrifying round.

Flights from $49 one way sound tempting? Here’s all the intel you need about the Virgin Australia sale.

The voucher can be used for staycays in your hometown, relaxing retreats in South East Asia or an all-out Euro summer.

For those who have been eagerly holding their breath for a Kendrick Lamar tour in Australia, you can finally exhale.

In the black of winter, Dark Mofo returns with a vengeance to cast its red glow across Hobart. For the uninitiated, Dark Mofo is Mona’s midwinter flourish, a festival of music, performance, visual arts and flavour. 

From cosy homewares and winter fashion to affordable beauty products, these dupes prove you can live like a baller on a budget. 

The Lelit Bianca V3 is a stunner, no doubt about it. But visual appeal aside, this is definitely the coffee machine you buy when you’re ready to go beast-mode on your home coffee. That being said, it’s also not for everyone, and I’ll tell you why.

Melbourne’s CBD just got a delicious chunk of Taipei with the arrival of AhMa Taiwanese Streetfood—the latest venture by acclaimed chef Spring Chee who has creds from Big Comma and Tokyo Motto. 

It’s Mother’s Day every day at Brunetti Classico for sous-chef Alexandra Di Biaise. She and her two children Davide and Nicole are all chefs in the kitchen at the Lygon Street institution—which turns 40 this year.

South Melbourne's new pizza spot Pizzateca Lupa is an ode to Roma, with two different (but equally delicious) styles of pizza on offer.

Want an unfettered farmstay experience? Bluestone Ridge is the real deal, this 800 acre cattle farm is tucked away in Victoria's High Country and is the serene escape you're after.

Here's your ultimate Eat, Play, Stay guide to the Barossa Valley with Andy Allen.

How far would you drive for some Sizzler-style cheese toast? 'Cos we're happy to spend an hour heading up to the Blackwood Hotel for a little slice of nostalgia and a frosty pint to match.

Staying warm in Melbourne’s unforgiving winter is hard work (unless you’re cuddled up at a snug wine bar or cosy pub). Good thing our winter just got insulated, courtesy of Uniqlo’s new Pufftech range. 

Crabzilla has entered the chat. Ministry of Crab has just opened on Flinders Lane and we're here to get our bib on, meet our crab and indulge in some champagne.

Keen for a luxe vacay that feels a million miles away from the mainland? Visit this remote Tasmanian lodge.

The moment every foam-footed fanatic has been impatiently waiting for is finally here – Crocs is opening its first Australian flagship store at Melbourne Central this April, and it's about to rewrite everything you thought you knew about comfortable footwear. 

Winter just got cheesier. From 15 May to 22 June 2025, Fed Square transforms into a snow-dusted French alpine village for Fondue Chalet—the city’s most indulgent winter pop-up from the team behind Melbourne’s cult-favourite Raclette Igloo.

Forget ordering pizza to your neighbourhood bar/bottleshop combo. Benchwarmer has completely smashed the mould on what to expect by installing an izakaya inside their craft beer haven.

Arguably Melbourne's best restaurant, and the one with the best view, Vue de Monde has seen some incredible chefs through its doors. But current executive chef Hugh Allen has achieved quite a lot in his 29 years and counting, and now he can add restaurateur to his resume. 

You've probably heard of it. It's Collingwood's hottest new rooftop with almost 360-degree views of the city, mixing a touch of glamour, a little bit of edge and most importantly, some bangin' cocktails.

Chef and food advocate Simone Watts has done it all—cooked, farmed and travelled the world—and now she’s landed at Barragunda Dining on the Mornington Peninsula, transforming the way we think about food. 

The southern hemisphere’s largest shopping centre, Chadstone has just dropped the lineup for a massive 26,500sq m foodie precinct. The two areas, The Market Pavilion and Dining Laneway will host some of Melbourne’s tastiest food retailers. 

Today’s diners are more intentional, discerning, and value-driven than ever. They’re eating out more frequently, but scrutinising every dollar, expecting premium experiences without the premium price tag.

A gathering of salty locals, big time heroes and future legends.

Patience, young padawan LEGO Star Wars: The Exhibition will be knocking down blast doors and arriving in Melbourne on 4 May at Melbourne Museum.

FISHER's Out 2 Lunch Festival with Vodafone is back, and we have the insider scoop on how to grab up presale tickets. 

Frank Green—we know them, we love them. For many, the brand is a symbol of the original emotional support water bottle that has stood by us (literally) and continues to hold our hand throughout the day. Now, we can peruse them IRL.

We’re calling it a touchdown. Further cementing Melbourne as Australia’s sporting capital, next year we’re going to be able to catch live NFL games. Yep, American football—the National Football League—a la Travis Kelce is coming to us live.

Melbourne. We’re a city of laneway cafes, late-night restaurants and bustling basement bars—and arguably the world’s best food scene. And behind the scenes are some very talented women. But it’s not always roses for them. They’ve breached an industry that has a shockingly low rate of participation from women—in some areas of hospitality under 15 percent of the workforce is female.

We all have memories of traversing the empty foyer of South Yarra's Jam Factory to head to the cinema, but no more. The iconic precinct has officially closed to make way for a $2.75 billion redevelopment which will see it become a massive shopping and dining hub that will land somewhere between Collins Street in the CBD, and Chadstone Shopping Centre—bougie.

Beginning in December, legendary tattooer Andrew Mcleod from Chapel Tattoo and his team will be tattooing individuals as part of an activation by not-for-profit organisation In Pieces to raise awareness around suicide and provide free mental health training.

Once upon a time, dinner was enough. You came, you saw, you ate, you drank. Now? Well, it’s an endless adventure with wild possibilities.

So what is it about these little shops—some of which have been operating longer than most readers have been buying mortadella—that are so very captivating?

The humble south-eastern suburb of Dingley Village will soon be home to a state-of-the-art wave park. The project, pending State Government approval, has since been given the green light after a five-year wait when it was initially pitched in 2019.

You'll love these kid-friendly experiences, too. 

At around 11:4opm last night, an earthquake was felt across Victoria.

Today, Public Transport Minister Ben Carroll announced that American company Conduent Business Services has been awarded Victoria’s public transport ticketing contract. 

Vision Australia and Seeing Eye Dogs Australia are asking for a favour in looking after their gorgeous eight-week old pups, and we have no doubt that you, like us, are wondering if it’s really them doing us the favour.

The recent global lockdown has brought upon us many unforeseen spectacles from the animal world. Hundreds of thousands of pink flamingoes took over Mumbai, jackals appeared en mass across Tel Aviv, and mountain goats descended from their perches to many a street across Wales. Now, a lone seal has made its way into Melbourne’s Yarra River.

From humble beginnings as a hotspot for family getaways, The Mornington Peninsula is today just as synonymous with those seeking a more luxurious escape. This can be attributed to the 200+ wineries in the area, indulgent experiences and accommodation—and now, the opening of Alba Thermal Springs and Spa is set to offer another reason to visit the region.

There’s nothing quite like a trip to Ikea. It’s a labyrinth of showrooms and furniture, and it’s not hard to find yourself spending hours and hours in the store, following the guiding arrows on the floor with a desperation that it will lead you to the ideal fittings that you didn’t even know was missing till you came across it. 

Around this time last year, The Australian Government, Department of Treasury (℅ Josh Frydenberg) introduced the News Media Bargaining Code. The code is intended to level out the sheer power imbalance between Australian news media publishers—like us—and digital platforms such as Facebook and Google. The code, in effect, should allow the two parties to reach an agreement on fair remuneration for displaying news on these platforms. 

What if we told you that the holier-than-thou bagged wine was set for a major comeback? 

This is not a drill, everyone's fave wine fest—Pinot Palooza—is officially returning to the thirsty city of Melbourne after two years' hiatus.

In a move to get us supporting small businesses in the aftermath of Omicron, the Victorian Government has announced a whopping $201 million stimulus to support hospitality, tourism and entertainment.

On a quiet day, It can be tough keeping up with the latest coming out of Australia's cultural capital, especially so in a post-2020 world, and that's why this piece of content exists.

What if we told you that the holier-than-thou bagged wine was set for a major comeback? 

Stay up to date with our live list of the latest updates of restrictions around Melbourne.

Instant Myki top-ups have arrived.

The Seismology Centre, the local earthquake observatory for southeast Australia, has just posted early reports on their Twitter that the 5.3 magnitude earthquake was felt across the state with the epicentre being in Gippsland, near Licola North. 

In a year where we all could've used a visit to the supernatural amphitheatre the sad news has come over the wire that the wonderful Meredith Music Festival will not take place in 2021, pushing back its 30th anniversary out another year. 

Premier Daniel Andrews dropped the big news during his Tuesday press conference that the Pfizer vaccine will now be available to 16-39yo’s as of tomorrow Wednesday 25 at 7am. 

In a bid to get more Victorians vaccinated, AstraZeneca is now available to any 18 to 39yo across the state who provides informed consent. 

A staple of Melbourne’s nightlife for over 12 years, New Guernica’s intricate and jungle curated multi-room nightclub and bar have sadly just announced that they’ll be closing up shop. 

The hunt is on.

May movie mayhem is here. 

This is not a drill, everyone's fave wine fest—Pinot Palooza—is officially returning to the thirsty city of Melbourne after a years' hiatus.

Yarra Valley Chocolaterie, Mornington Peninsula Chocolaterie and the Great Ocean Road Chocolaterie are back to their impressive chocolate-slinging antics with the month-long Rocky Road Festival of Flavours. And while you’re probably still getting your cavities filled from the seemingly endless supply of easter eggs in the pantry buckle up because this one’s a biggie.

It’s that wonderful time of the year again as lagers, stouts, sours, pilsners and pale ales descend upon Melbourne for Good Beer Week 2021. Celebrating its tenth trip around the sun Good Beer Week kicked off back in 2011 and this anniversary is one hell of a sud soaked festival of amber ales. 

After seven years on the now-iconic South Yarra corner, French fine-diner Entrecôte is making a move one suburb south to Prahran.

Welcome to Culture Curve—your go-to guide to what’s on the rise and slide in culture in April 2021. 

The team who brought you the Peninsula Hot Springs are about to open a second location, this time, in East Gippsland’s Metung.

To celebrate Moomba Festival and bring people back into the CBD, the City of Melbourne is offering up free parking in and around the city between midday Friday 5 March 2021 to 11.59pm Monday 8 March 2021.

This is not a drill, everyone's fave wine fest—Pinot Palooza—is officially returning to the thirsty city of Melbourne after a years' hiatus.

Facebook announced that it would officially be removing all news content, local and international, from its feed in Australia. If you’ve been wondering what it all means, where you’ll read the news online, don’t worry—you’re not alone there. Here's how you can stay connected with Urban List now and into the future. 

Melbourne’s city skyline is going to look a little greener, with Beulah announcing that it’s $2 billion skyscraper, Southbank by Beulah, is on track to be the world’s tallest vertical garden. The skyscraper is set to be 365 metres high and the external vertical garden will reach a total of 5.5 kilometers. That’s as long as running a full lap around The Tan, then running a little more. 

For the last twelve months, Victorians have been ticking off the calendar days with a daily update from Dan Andrews. We’ve grown accustomed to his pandemic updates and matching attire for good and bad news—we’re looking at you, North Face jacket. While the press conferences never miss a day, we don’t always get much notice on the time. That’s where @WhatTimeDan comes in. 

After years of seeing fares climbing incrementally just enough to have a whinge to your mate about it while you take the number 11 into Fitzroy, PTV has just announced a three month. 30% discount period on off-peak train, tram and bus services.

Plus, you could win free margaritas for a year.

Lord Mayor Sally Capp has just announced that the City of Melbourne will offer free parking from Tuesday 1 December to Sunday 3 January.

Welcome to Culture Curve—your go-to guide to what’s on the rise and slide in culture in October 2020.

Oh good, apparently Magpie swooping season has come early in 2018. What a treat.

The State Government and City of Melbourne has just announced The Creative Laneways project as part of Melbourne’s COVID-19 recovery plan, which looks to attract people back into the CBD with music, light and art installations throughout 40 of the city’s laneways.

It's not unusual for Melbourne to cop a cold-as-hell August, but this week we're being surrounded by a couple of low-pressure systems that will chill us to the bone.

It’s safe to say we have entered a new era of culpability, and we’re wielding a new set of tools to get us there. Gen Z has found political clout to rival Facebook bots, "data healing" aims to harness the manipulative power of ad tech for good and, after iso, introverts are holding court in our extrovert-dominated culture. Elsewhere, media and millennials are under scrutiny, and brands are beginning to show off imperfections in place of purpose washing. 

If you’ve been considering a cute fine line tattoo for a while, now might just be the perfect time to take the plunge. Why, you ask? Pretzel Australia is teaming up with tattoo artist Tukoi to treat 25 lucky Melburnians to a free pretzel-inspired tattoo.

After growing concerns around public health, several of Melbourne’s major attractions and cultural hubs have closed their doors temporarily. 

Melbourne is set to be home to Australia's tallest tower, with the announcement that the Victorian State Government has officially given the green light to the Southbank by Beulah project.

Stage one rules were introduced on 23 March. Now, we're about to start stage 3 in Victoria as of midnight Monday 30 March.

Stage one rules were introduced on 23 March. Now, we're about to start stage 3 in Victoria as of midnight Monday 30 March.

On Sunday, state leaders and the Prime Minister met to determine the next stage in lockdown rules for Australia to curb the spread of the coronavirus.

How are you going out there? These are strange times so we wanted to take a moment to connect. Because more than ever before, connectivity is everything.

After growing concerns around public health, several of Melbourne’s major attractions and cultural hubs have closed their doors temporarily. 

Dark Mofo, Australia’s favourite hedonistic celebration held in June each year, has been cancelled due to concerns around Coronavirus. 

Hosier Lane is one of Melbourne's busiest tourist attractions, you'd be hard-pressed to find a time when you walk past it and it's not absolutely packed with people checking out the amazing art that adorns its walls. Sometimes you'll even catch work being produced on the spot.

You might have spent a fair chunk of the weekend listening to Triple J's hottest 100 while drinking plenty of the cold stuff. Well, while all that was happening, GABS was putting together their Hottest 100 Aussie Craft Beers list, and Victorian breweries were well represented.

Polyester Records is set to shut up shop after almost 40 years of trade. 

It’s like AirBnB but for pools.

Ramp up your detective cred with this immersive murder mystery experience heading to Melbourne next month. 

And it’s adults-only.

On December 5 2019, the new, transformed Library will officially be open to the public in all its $88.1 million redeveloped glory.

Round up your mates because the IKEA Festival of Sleep is popping up for the first time ever this week.

The latest event pinging on the FOMO-meter is an immersive installation called Flight in an actual salvaged airplane so you should just resign yourself to the fact that you’ll never sleep again.

It’s been an interesting couple of years for Melbourne commuters, with big network closures due to level crossing removals, and the threat of industrial action on the railway system this year—there hasn’t been much time to catch your breath and work out what’s actually running today.

If you’ve been looking for an excuse to expand your LEGO set collection, this news is about to hit you like a ton of bricks: Alceon Group just named Westfield Doncaster as the location of its first Victorian LEGO® Certified Store.

KATENA, an inflatable maze that’s taken the world by storm, is blowing into Melbourne this September.

The City of Melbourne has backed a campaign from the Municipal Association of Victoria calling for the introduction of a state-wide Container Deposit Scheme, aka a cashback plan for collecting bottles and cans. And to that we say: it was about time.