For almost a decade, fans of Bangkok street food would queue on the ground floor of a multi-storey car park to experience the flavour-packed bites of Soi 38. Now, the beloved Thai eatery has a new home – in yet another unassuming location. Head down Royal Lane off Bourke Street and through a nondescript door (opposite another car park) and you’ll discover the same hissing woks, fragrant spices and colourful tables that used to fill the former site. Order the spicy pad krapow (a basil and chilli stir-fry) or customise a bowl of boat noodles to your liking with crushed dried chillis and white sugar.

Tucked away in a cobblestone laneway off Greville Street, is Melbourne institution Entrecôte’s 60-seat sibling, Gigi. Inspired by the 1958 cult classic musical of the same name, the bar blends old-world luxury with a playful and contemporary vibe. Think velvet banquettes, antique crystal chandeliers, Persian carpets and walls adorned with paintings by local artist Melissa Macfarlane. The menu fuses Australiana favourites with French staples. Snack on beef bourguignon party pies or opt for something heartier, such as the cheeseburger with emmental, pickles and cognac aioli served with potato crisps. The kicker? An Espresso Martini served with chocolate truffle, brandied cherry and coconut madeleine.

This bite-sized bar in Brunswick East is by the team behind Fitzroy’s high-spirited and popular pasta temple Good Times Pasta Bar. The newbie (billed as the “older sister”) is also pasta-centric, alongside a pick-and-mix snack menu featuring preserved fish and cheese.

Behind the noren fabric dividers hanging from the doorframe, this traditional Japanese spot on bustling Sydney Road serves just three bowls of shoyu (soy sauce) ramen: chicken, vegetable and slow-cooked duck inspired by kamo nanban, a Japanese duck and soba noodle soup. Slip onto a high stool at the bar and watch chef Fujio Tamura (also behind Misoya Sake Bar on the same street) ladle soul-warming broth and housemade noodles into a bowl. There’s also a small selection of sides on offer, including pickled cucumber, ganmo nimono (deep-fried tofu) and fried chicken wings.

It’s easy to catch yourself swaying to the smooth hum of the all-vinyl DJ at Marmont as you sit alongside the Yarra River with a Mango Mezcal Margarita in hand. The venue is the work of DJ-turned-restaurateur Grant Smillie, the mastermind behind the buzzy E.P. & L.P. in West Hollywood. This closer-to-home Cali-inspired spot is a love letter to the Hollywood of yesteryear – it's named after LA’s most iconic hotel and the highlight is a feature wall covered in a 20-metre mural depicting an Oscars ceremony from the 1980s. On the menu, head chef Mark Tagnipez’s – formerly of Supernormal – Latin American and Filipino American heritage shine through. Share the tender lamb shoulder topped with chilli consommé and tomatillo salsa with friends but keep the mud crab pretzel topped with gruyère and old bay all to yourself.

Glen Waverley’s new Italian spot isn’t your typical trattoria. Yes, you can find crowd favourites, including calamari fritti, spicy vodka pasta and sourdough focaccia, but dishes such as bistecca al pepe – tender eye fillet topped with creamy raviolo – invite guests to venture beyond the classics. Brought to life by the team behind Melbourne’s The Black Toro and Sezar, and helmed by chef Adrian Li (formerly of Saigon Sally and Tokyo Tina), the venue stretches across two levels. Start in the moody dining room before ending the evening at the rooftop bar, where you can take in sparkling city views.

Since opening on Russell Street at the end of 2024, Melbourne Place hotel has become a hotspot for locals and visitors alike, thanks to its cosy rooms and exclusive rooftop that’s open to staying guests only. Now there’s one more reason to visit: Marmelo, a Portuguese-style eatery where the food and drinks are just as refined as the venue’s sleekly designed interiors. Start with a Bergamot & Olive Leaf Martini and snack on Baker Bleu sourdough with Coppertree Farm butter. When you’re ready for more, dive into the woodfired seafood offerings that span everything from spiced Pacific oysters to southern rock lobster served with piri-piri butter.

Australians have an almost insatiable appetite for butter chicken and tandoor master Mischa Tropp’s version is among the finest you’ll find in Melbourne. The Toddy Shop chef has recently opened Kolkata Cricket Club inside Crown Melbourne, which is designed to feel like an Indian members’ club: beer and test match telly in the Sports Bar section and more formal table service in the main restaurant. Beside the butter chicken, look out for duck or pea kulcha (stuffed Punjabi flatbread) and emerald-green saag paneer.

Bistro? Cellar door? Wine bar? Flinders Lane’s new double-storey French destination, Vinesmith, has it all. The upper-floor bistro, overlooking Treasury Gardens, serves two- and three-course set menus from lunch through to evening. Prepare your appetite for French favourites with a modern twist, such as the country-style duck terrine topped with onion chutney and pickles or the steak frites served with café de Paris butter and red wine jus. When it’s time for a digestif, the cellar door downstairs is a moody wine bar where you can savour a glass or take a bottle home with you. 

Melbourne Greek food is experiencing something of a renaissance, as younger generations set out to preserve treasured family recipes. This new example in Brunswick East, which sprung from a series of pop-ups, walks a clever line between tradition and modern presentation in dishes such as gauros (raki-cured sardines) and smoked pork fillets showered in nasturtium flowers and pear slices.

Khao yum is an energetic and uplifting Thai dish; a medley of crisp vegetables, green mango and rice tied together by a fragrant dressing of fish sauce, lemongrass, galangal and other aromatics. It’s the must-order at this spot on La Trobe Street that explores the fiery cuisine of southern Thailand. The Malay-influenced hokkien stir-fried noodles is another winning order.

“Small scale” is not in restaurateur Chris Lucas’s vocabulary. Known mostly for extravagant venues (Society, Chin Chin), his latest opening is another strong statement. Spread over four Bourke Street floors, the elegant Maison Bâtard is made up of two levels of French-focused restaurant space along with a rooftop terrace bar and a basement-level supper club. The menu is just as bold, from opulent seafood towers to an omelette stuffed with caviar, plus an eyewatering range of French wines.

Set inside a stately 19th-century bluestone manor in Melbourne, Reed House, created by ex-Ottolenghi chef Mark Hannell and front-of-house maestro Rebecca Baker (right), takes its food cues from refined British brasseries, adding fresh Australian ingredients and clever, not-so-British twists. The ramen scotch egg is the best way to kick off your order.

Australia’s passion for Filipino food is still firing and the team from the CBD’s Askal is scratching the ongoing itch with the opening of rooftop bar Inuman. The name means “drinking session” in Tagalog and the focus is on cocktails made with Filipino ingredients, organic wines and pulutan (small plates). For something more substantial, guests can always duck back downstairs to Askal (askalmelbourne.com) for a full feast, including the lechon (roast pork) Sunday lunch.

Okay, this Victorian fine-diner is not technically in Melbourne but it's worth a mention for its farm-to-table ethos that has garnered national attention. Barragunda Dining, at Cape Schanck on the Mornington Peninsula, is about a 90-minute drive from the CBD. Guests wind their way through the 400-hectare Barragunda Estate to reach the restaurant, a beautifully converted farm shed. The team behind the eatery raises its own cattle, grows its own produce and serves an ever-evolving set menu that might include the estate’s black Angus. The pioneering venture is a collaboration between food system advocate and philanthropist Hayley Morris and executive chef and local farmer Simone Watts, who trained under Greg Malouf at MoMo.

If you’re familiar with 26-seater fine-diner Babae, inside Ballarat’s Hotel Vera, think of sister establishment Terrae as the place to go for something a little more casual. It’s part of Bendigo’s 10-suite Hotel Ernest and offers breakfast, lunch and dinner with a strong emphasis on Goldfields producers. The food has a classic country feel, from pasta handmade with local flour to a leek and brie tart.