2021's hottest #Melbourne restaurants and bars + what's launching!

Melbourne, our foodie capital status, continues to take leaps and bounds. How lucky we are. This guide has been curated with references from Gourmet Traveller, Broadsheet Media, Reymond Communications, The Melbourne Food & Wine Festival and The Age, Good Food guide. 

1. Attica Summer Camp – Ben Shewry and team have been on FIRE this past year. There’s been a sense of freedom through their innovative delivered dinners, online cook offs with Hamish Blake, retro disco recipes (think 3-chip fairy bread & ants on a log) and now, Summer Camp! The mantra is less fancy, more fun. An outdoor pop up (plus two hexagonal pavilions) in a Yarra Valley bush setting. Can’t wait to check it out this week! https://www.attica.com.au/
2. Much loved CBD restaurant, Embla are taking over their neighbour’s rooftop for late afternoon/early evening snacks, drinks and movies after sunset. Expected to open late January. https://embla.com.au/rooftop-bar-and-cinema

3. Future Food System, Greenhouse by Joost. "On the banks of the Yarra at Federation Square, chefs, Matt Stone & Jo Barrett, (formerly at Oakridge) are moving into a living, breathing house from the brain of sustainability visionary Joost Bakker. Flush with container gardens and a fish-and-yabby-filled aquaponics system, it aims to be the ultimate experiment in closed-loop living, with all waste being used as fuel and the chefs growing everything they need. Private dinners will be hosted as part of the project." fedsquare.com/events/greenhouse-by-joost Gemima Cody for goodfood.com.au

4. Karen Martini's Hero. "The star chef is heading up a restaurant and event space that is part of a $40 million upgrade of the Australian Centre for the Moving Image. With an anticipated opening of February 11, Martini is plotting (and pickling) the all-day menu offering with Sydney chef Diego Rosales, who will run the show, but the fun is in the wild interactive event spaces, including a private screening room for 30, making interactive cinephilic dining a real thing. The fastidious Chris Connell is responsible for the sleek design." acmi.net.au Gemima Cody for goodfood.com.au

5. Finally ! "The Arbory team takes on Lonsdale St. The team behind the enormous open-air Arbory bar and its floating barge is opening a five-storey monster at 270 Lonsdale Street featuring five bars and restaurants, art installations and DJs in the first half of 2021. Executive chef Nick Bennett is finalising menus with head chef Terry Clark (from Hobart's The Source), but there will be everything from breakfast through to late-night drinks on the rooftop terrace." hqgroup.com.au Gemima Cody for goodfood.com.au

6. Bar Democratico & Di Stasio Pizzeria. "Never ones to rest on their laurels, Rinaldo Di Stasio and Mallory Wall are planning to open two new businesses in the coming year. First off the rank will be Di Stasio Pizzeria in Carlton (next door to King & Godfree on Faraday Street), which will open mid-2021. This will be followed by Bar Democratico, a bar/café/galleria, in the new development replacing the old Mercure Hotel, just down the hill from Di Stasio Città. Di Ritter from Hassell Studios, who did remarkable work at Città, is on board for the fit-out of Democratico. Expect new work from artists Reko Rennie and Shaun Gladwell too." https://www.distasio.com.au/ Michael Harden for GT

7. Lollo at the W. "Opening on February 4, The Marriott's new W Melbourne hotel in Flinders Lane includes a cocktail bar (@Curious_Melbourne) and a Japanese restaurant (Warabi), alongside its signature 110-seat restaurant Lollo, where Adam D'Sylva (Coda, Tonka) has signed on as creative director. Lollo will serve everything from breakfast through to nightcaps, with a menu drawing on D'Sylva's Indian and Italian heritage, as well as his love for Southeast Asian and European flavours and techniques. The wine list will lean Victorian." https://www.marriott.com.au/hotels/hotel-information/restaurant/melwh-w-melbourne/ Michael Harden for GT

8. Aru. "Sunda chef, Khanh Nguyen's second restaurant, was due to open in July 2020 but we all know how that turned out. The extra time has allowed Nguyen to experiment with the menu at Aru, named after a group of east Indonesian islands between West Papua and Australia. Aru's menu will focus on cooking over coals and fermentation, using ingredients and flavours indigenous to both Australia and Indonesia. Set to open in April, it will feature roast and cured meats with garnishes and sauces like a finger lime and bush tomato sambal." aru.net.au Michael Harden for GT

9. Farmer's Daughters. Alejandro Saravia (Pastuso) is opening a three-level showcase of the remarkably diverse produce coming from Gippsland, a region in Victoria's east. The "Gippsland embassy" is opening this month at the 80 Collins Street development and includes a ground floor deli and diner, a restaurant with a "campfire kitchen" on the second floor and a rooftop bar that doubles as an urban farm. Promising a genuine farm-to-table experience, Farmer's Daughters will also highlight Gippsland booze, including wines by William Downie and Bass Phillip." Bookings have just opened! https://www.farmersdaughters.com.au/ Michael Harden for GT

10. Society. "After more than two years in the making, chef Martin Benn and Vicki Wild's new venture is finally set to open in late March. The pair, who spent a decade at Tetsuya's before opening the acclaimed Sydney fine-diner Sepia, has joined forces with restaurateur Chris Lucas (Chin Chin and Kisumé) to open their first Melbourne establishment. Part of the 80 Collins Street precinct, Society promises sweeping views of Melbourne's CBD, along with three separate dining experiences, including an open-air terrace and lounge bar. Expectations are sky high for what is arguably Melbourne's biggest opening of 2021." https://societyrestaurant.com/ Michael Harden for GT

11. Nomad Melbourne. "The much-loved formula of stripped-back, Mediterranean-accented, local produce-focused cooking that has worked so well for Jacqui Challinor at Sydney's Nomad is making its way south to Melbourne. Taking over the basement space formerly occupied by long-running restaurant Ezard, Nomad Melbourne will make the most of Victorian produce and wine from small producers. Melbourne architect Clare Cousins is on board for the fit-out of the 100-seat restaurant, set to open in April." Michael Harden for GT

And the brave restauranteurs who couldn't wait and launched in 2020!

·      Chancery Lane by Scott Pickett. Scott certainly had a huge 2020 - taking on the beloved Longrain and squeezing in the launch of 'classic bistro with an edge' Chancery Lane in mid December. https://chancerylane.com.au/

·     We are Vex. "In the sunlight-filled dining room, or under the fairy light-studded lemon tree out back, order smoky-sweet turnips, brown butter fish and boozy amaro sorbet by two former Neighbourhood Wine and Bar Romantica head chefs who shun 'huge amounts of protein'." Broadsheet A low waste approach sees co-owner Owen Probert (ex restaurant manager at McConnell's Marion) seek out collabs with hyper-local breweries, create house made tonics & offer small batches of unusual wine varieties by producers with good farming ethics. A vegan mille-feuille features, made by steeping sheets of potato in sugar syrup, then layering it with coconut cream, lemon gel and rhubarb. www.vexdining.com

·     Poodle Bar & Bistro. "You might not know Poodle Bar & Bistro but you’ve likely heard of Rocco’s Bologna Discoteca – Poodle’s takeaway-focused, cheese- and red-sauce heavy lockdown alter ego. Now that dine-in’s back though, Poodle’s returned to the driver’s seat. The menu here is filled with room-service classics such as club sandwiches and prawn cocktails, elevated by excellent ingredients and wry tweaks. The dining room, shortlisted in this year’s Eat Drink Design Awards, is a stunning setting." poodlefitzroy.com.au Broadsheet

·     Gimlet at Cavendish House. Step into a world of nostalgia and glamour at the Chicago-style Cavendish House, a heritage gem lavishly reimagined by Andrew McConnell and Acme & Co. Classic European charisma, caviar service and martinis. https://gimlet.melbourne/

·     Gaea. "A degustation-only Fitzroy restaurant with an intense focus on local ingredients, expressed through eccentric riffs on classic European techniques. You could find anything from cured wallaby to brined and charred dandelion flowers served with a pumpkin puree made from fermented pumpkin juice. One dessert dish involves roast-hay ice-cream served with a charcoal-infused milk-cream sauce." https://www.restaurantgaea.com.au/ Broadsheet

·     1800 Lasagne. "This is the lockdown success story of 2020. Man spends five years delivering lasagne in his ’91 Holden Barina. Pandemic envelops country; lasagne becomes national crisis dish. Man turns said side-hustle into a bar and restaurant in Thornbury, but keeps the delightfully one-track focus. The idea of a place that’s confident enough to serve nothing but great lasagne and sides, plus spritzes and tap wines, is something we can get behind." https://www.1800lasagne.com.au/ Broadsheet

·     Chae. "An apartment in Brunswick might at first seem an odd place for a restaurant, but once the very personal approach taken at Chae by chef Jung Eun Chae becomes apparent, it all makes sense. She’s the kind of chef who takes pride in making even the most basic elements of her ingredients herself – not just her kimchis, but her soy sauce – and the set-course lunches and dinners she offers, which are mostly composed of Korean food, are booked out well in advance for very good reason. From her kale, sweet potato and seaweed bugak right through to doughnuts made with makgeolli rice (fermented, of course, in house), they’re meals to savour." chae.com.au Melbourne Food & Wine

·    Three Blue Ducks. "First, they took Sydney, then Byron, then … the world? Or Tullamarine, at least. But where better for everyone’s favourite surfing chefs to plant the flag in their first Victorian venture than the new URBNSURF? What the wave park may lack in vowels it more than makes up for with food from the Ducks available all day long, much of it cooked over fire. Load up on spanner-crab scramble with papaya and bean-shoot salad for breakfast or salute a great day’s surf with a half-kilo of porterhouse, bone-in, wood-grilled and paired with bagna cauda and horseradish." urbnsurf.com/threeblueducks Melbourne Food & Wine. Image by Jake Roden for Broadsheet.

·     Golda. "At this Prahran restaurant, Israeli chef Rotem Papo channels the food of his family into big sharing-style menus that are matched by big flavours. Think spatchcock with mint and barberries, char-grilled savoy with labneh and grapefruit and more. Opening between lockdowns, the restaurant nimbly shifted with whatever Covid threw at it, with a takeaway offer and excellent outdoor dining flexes, including a spacious terrace and special events on the rooftop of the Cullen Hotel next door." goldarestaurant.com.au Melbourne Food & Wine

·     Mr Brownie. "Jessi Singh’s (Horn Please, Daughter in Law) Indian rendition of a classic British pub. It’s four storeys, with a different, eclectic bar on each floor. In the basement, there’s a cocktail den; on the ground floor, a bottle shop with counter seating; level one is a dining room; and up top is an open-air tiki-style bar with knockout CBD views. The menu’s intent is to demonstrate how well curries and beers can work together – that proves itself across the samosa burgers, curry pies, spice-dusted fries and Singh’s signature thali deals." https://www.themrbrownie.com/ Broadsheet

Final Shout outs (and updates)!

Nick & Nora's Melbourne, by The Speakeasy Group, has also launched at the shiny new 80 Collins Street. With over 400 champagnes, a focus on inventive cocktails and an opulent fit out, expect 5 distinct spaces and a roaring 30s vibe. https://nickandnoras.com.au/melbourne Image via Melbourne Food & Wine

The Footscray dining out options continue to grow - the latest offering is by local entrepreneur, Aaron Donato who runs beer focused Bar Josephine and Pie Thief. Trouble & Dreams is a tiny, speakeasy inspired wine and cocktail bar, with drinks inspired by some of the world's most famous (or infamous) bars and mixologists. troubleindreams.com

Who doesn't love experimental ice cream? Luthers has a focus on local suppliers and seasonal goodness - expect flavours like vegan cinnamon bun & Yarra Valley blackberry & sour cream. https://www.luthers.com.au/

PLUS check out Kariton Sorbetes - artisanal gelato inspired by the flavours of the Phillipines. Pictured is their iconic Filipino flavour : creamy purple yam (ube) gelato topped with their rich & decadent ube jam, preserved blackberry and malty, toasty latik (caramelised coconut curds). https://www.karitonsorbetes.com/ AND to top it off, Adam D'Sylva has just launched Boca gelato!

Tres a Cinco - a pop up cantina by Frank Camorra & the Movida team offering simple, delicious Mexican fare at the old Bar Tina. https://tresacinco.com.au/

CBD instagram favourite, Peaches & Dexter has been transformed by owners, Sam & Tom Peasnell and Adam Goldblatt. Now to be known as Dom's Social, expect dining, a pool room & social club and rooftop bar across the three levels. Expect the finest pizzas by this crew, great service, energy and well priced local and Italian wines. They're also offering cheap & cheerful rooftop weddings - having teamed up with a local celebrant and photographer to keep life easy & breezy. http://www.domssocial.club/info/ Image by Kate Shanasy

Newsflash ! The Commune Group have taken over the Ilona Staller space in Balaclava - "Our plan is to be a Carlisle Street institution and be around for the long round" Simon Blacher. Stay tuned https://communegroup.com.au/

Time to make some bookings !