Gastronomy in Melbourne

This is a guide to Melbourne's restaurants. This guide assumes you are staying close to Melbourne University, and so concentrates on the nearby eateries. The restaurants are categorised by location, rather than cuisine, as getting to the food seems to be the greater challenge when in an unfamiliar environment. Also, in areas like Carlton and Fitzroy, there are so many nearby restaurants that it is impractical to detail each; the omission of any establishment is not meant to imply it is below standard, merely that we are not familiar with it. It is not a bad policy to just go to one of these areas and just wander around until you find a place that seems right - you would have to be unlucky to get a bad meal. For a more complete guide to eating in Melbourne, several copies of The Age Good Food Guide will be made available for inspection. Other sources of information include the Cheap Eats book, and the Yellow Pages commercial telephone directory (Look under ``restaurants'', around page 2300.).

As befits all great scientific works, some heed must be paid to accurate notation. The only real problem is money. All prices are given in Australian dollars (or $A). In the individual restaurant entries, the name, address and phone number are followed by a price range. ``Cheap'' implies a meal for $15 or less, ``Expensive'' a meal for over $25, and ``Medium'' something in between. This is all rather approximate, of course. Also, places will not be classified in this manner, if they do not serve full meals (coffee shops, pubs and the like). The Australian GST tax is usually included in all restaurant prices.
NB (1) You do not need to tip in Melbourne, but you can if you want.
(2) BYO means `bring your own (wine usually)'. This can considerably reduce the cost of a meal.

Carlton

If you are either a pasta obsessive, or interested in reaching your food in minimum time, then Carlton's restaurants are ideal. Most are located along Lygon St. (and the streets that come off it), in the blocks that are closest to the University. It is only a 5 minute walk, and there is a huge selection of Italian cafes and restaurants, ranging from the very cheap, to a few high class places. But the stock-in-trade of this area are pizza/pasta restaurants that provide a good meal, for around $10. There are also a handful of ice-cream parlours, Asian restaurants, hamburger/souvlaki take-away (take-out) places and cake shops. If you feel like taking a larger part in the preparation of your meals, there is also a supermarket in Lygon Court.

• Brunetti's, 200 Faraday St..
  Excellent Italian cafe and delicatessen, with a superb range of diet destroying cakes and sweets.
• Chinta Ria, 118 Elgin St. (ph: 9349 2599). Medium.
  A very good Malaysian restaurant.
• Ciro's, 204 Lygon St. (ph: 9662 3341). Cheap.
  Not strong on class or atmosphere, but Ciro's provides the cheapest pizza on Lygon St. and the food is fine.
• The Clyde, 385 Cardigan St.. Cheap.
  The student pub for Melbourne University. Almost always busy, it provides cheap, if unspectacular counter meals (including delicious nachos), as well as a place to drink as much as you like (or more...). It is only about 1 minute from the University, being at the Eastern end of the footbridge that straddles Swanston St..
• Il Gambero, 215 Lygon St. (ph: 9347 5791). Cheap.
  Popular and cheap Italian restaurant, better for pasta than pizza.
• Jimmy Watson's, 333 Lygon St. (ph: 9347 3985). Medium.
  A long established wine bar (If you want to sample some fine wines in a relaxed setting, this is the place.) that also provides good meals.
• Lemongrass Thai Royal Cuisine, 189 Lygon St. (ph: 9347 5204). Expensive.
  Simply good Thai cuisine - one of very few such options close to University.
• Naughtons, 43 Royal Parade (ph: 9347 2283).
  One of the most popular student pubs - it is on the other (Western) side of the campus. There are reasonable counter meals, as well as drinks.
• Nyonya Malaysian Restaurant, 191 Lygon St. (ph: 9347 8511). Medium.
  One of the few Malaysian restaurants on Lygon St. It has vegetarian options, and the food is good, if you like your food hot and spicy. Beware of the MSG.
• Papa Gino's, 221 Lygon St. (ph: 9347 5758). Cheap.
  A very popular student feeding place, that provides good, cheap pizza and pasta, in an informal setting.
• Pasta Veloce, 181 Lygon St. (ph: 9347 4273). Medium.
  Good for mid-priced seafood, steak or pasta.
• Prince Alfreds, 191 Grattan St. (ph: 9347 3033).
  This is the third of the classic student pubs. It has a shinier, newer feel than Naughton's or The Clyde.
• Shakahari Vegetarian Restaurant, 329 Lygon St. (ph: 9347 3848). Medium.
  Strictly vegetarian restaurant, with a variety of delicious meals.
• Thresherman's Bakehouse, 221 Faraday St.. Cheap.
  If you like the munchies provided at morning tea, then you ought to visit Thresherman's, as they provide them. They have a large range of cakes, bread, focaccia, pies, etc., that can fulfil the role of either snack or meal.
• Toofey's, 162 Elgin St. (ph: 9347 9838). Medium.
  The best seafood in Melbourne. Be sure to book a table in advance ...
• Trotters, 400 Lygon St. (ph: 9347 5657). Medium.
  A nice little Italian place. Too small for a large group, but very cosy for four or less.
• Universita Bar Restaurant, 257 Lygon St. (ph: 9347 2142). Medium.
  A downstairs cafe combined with a classy restaurant upstairs, that provides a range of meals, including Italian and seafood.

North Carlton

There is another, albeit smaller and less dense, cluster of restaurants in North Carlton, some of which are worth the longer walk (15 minutes).

• La Porchetta, 392 Rathdowne St. (ph: 9347 8096). Cheap.
  The plusses are good pizza (and pasta) at the cheapest prices in Melbourne, and even a chance to win your meal for free (if you can scoff $20 worth of food). The minusses are a busy, and rather cramped restaurant, where you may have to wait a while for a table or service.
• La Trattoria Ristorante E'Pizzeria, 406 Rathdowne St. (ph: 9347 8047). Medium. Yet another good and cheap Italian establishment.
• The Paragon Cafe, 651 Rathdowne St. (ph: 9347 7715).
  A rather smart cafe that has nice deserts and lighter meals.
• Chin Chin's at Kota Moon, 647 Rathdowne St. (ph: 9349 4545). Medium.
  Good Malaysian food at a good price with a nice atmosphere.

Fitzroy

The restaurant strip in Fitzroy is centred on the corner of Brunswick and Johnston Streets, and is a 20 minute walk (East along Elgin St.) from the University. For the less athletically minded, the 200, 201, 205 or 207 busses, from the corner of Lygon and Elgin Streets will take you there for a small (around $1) fee. There are just as many restaurants here as there are in and around Lygon St., but the similarities end there. Brunswick St. is characterised by small cafes and restaurants that have an alternative or arty feel. Whereas Lygon St. is filled with families (as well as your average student), Brunswick St. is personafied by mid-twenties couples and people somewhat averse to the mainstream. There is also more of a tendancy towards bars and clubs, where you could reasonably spend an entire evening, as opposed to just eating a meal. There are also a few spots notable for good live music (the phrase ``(Aussie) pub rock'' is applicable), which leads on to the other main attraction of this area. Brunswick St. does not subscribe to any particular national culture, but Johnston St. has become the Spanish heart of Melbourne. There are several bars where the most evil of concoctions can be drunk, or tables can be danced upon.

The number and variety of places in Fitzroy, as well as their location, precludes as complete a listing as for the Carlton and North Carlton sections, so only a few of the most notable and popular spots are listed explicitly here. It is recommended that the reader just look around the area until you see the sort of place you are after.

• Afghan Gallery Restaurant, 327 Brunswick St. (ph: 9417 2430). Medium.
  You sit on cushions low to the floor, and the atmosphere, as well as the taste(s) is authentic.
• Akari, 177 Brunswick St. (ph: 9419 3786). Medium.
  A good Japanese restaurant.
• Carmen Bar, 74 Johnston St. (ph: 9417 4794).
  One of the classic Spanish tapas bars, with live Flamenco most nights.
• Chishti's, 15 Johnston St. (ph: 9417 6273). Medium.
  A good Indian restaurant, with a variety of vegetarian dishes.
• Colmao Flamenco Restaurant, 60 Johnston St. (ph: 9417 4131). Medium.
  Another Spanish place.
• The Evelyn Hotel, 351 Brunswick St. (ph: 9419 5500).
  A classic pub for live music, and solid drinking. A very egalitarian place.
• The Provincial Hotel, 299 Brunswick St. (ph: 9417 2228).
  A good place to get some food, and then drink the night away.
• Rama Thai, 34 Johnston St. (ph: 9417 2627). Medium.
  A good Thai restaurant.
• The Vegie Bar, 380 Brunswick St. (ph: 9417 6935). Cheap.
  Huge vegetarian meals at a student price.
• Whitehouse, The, 231 Brunswick St. (ph: 9417 6334). Medium.
  Good place for large groups: seafood, pasta, and steak meals are all served.

(Melbourne) City

The central business district of Melbourne is very close to the University - a 20 minute walk (directly South, down Swanston St.), or a 5 to 10 minute tram ride on any of the trams going South on either Swanston St., or on the opposite, Western side of the campus. The city does not contain quite the density of restaurants that the above regions do, but there is a fair sprinkling of good food, with three main concentrations. Firstly, there is ``China Town'', located in Little Bourke St., to the East of Swanston St., which has many Asian restaurants, and related shops. And, along the corresponding stretch of Lonsdale St. (parallel to Little Bourke), there is ``Little Greece'', which has a smaller selection of Greek and Lebanese eateries. The other great eating place is South Gate, a recently completed complex of shops, restaurants and bars that sit on the South bank of the Yarra River, next to the Victorian Arts Centre. One can either eat there or walk East along the Yarra, and relax in the extensive gardens there. The food at South Gate is varied, but the emphasis is on take-away. The city also contains several outlets of all of the main restaurant chains: McDonalds, Hungry Jacks, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Taco Bill's.

• Blue Train Cafe, Southgate (ph: 9696 0111). Cheap.
  Funky, Southgate cafe with good food and great atmosphere.
• The Colonial Tramcar Restaurant, 319 Clarendon St. (ph: 9696 4000). Expensive. The address given is only the office location, as you board the Colonial tramcar near Southgate, and roam the streets of Melbourne, as you eat a rather sumptuous and expensive meal.
• Eastern Palace, 103 Lonsdale St. (ph: 9662 2858). Medium.
  Good, mid-priced Peking cuisine.
• Flower Drum, 17 Market La. (ph: 9662 3655). Medium.
  Highly acclaimed as one of the best Asian restaurants in town.
• Jan Bo, 40 Little Bourke St. (ph: 9662 2884). Medium.
  Good Chinese food, with daily Yum Cha.
• Lounge, 243 Swanston St.
  A strange little upstairs place that doubles as a cafe and night spot. It has a rather hip almosphere.
• Mask of China, 117 Little Bourke St. (ph: 9662 3737). Medium.
  Very good.
• Mietta's, 7 Alfred Pl. (ph: 9654 2366). Expensive.
  An expensive, but quality restaurant.
• Nam Loong, 223 Russell St. (ph: 9663 4089). Cheap.
  Good, cheap Chinese food.
• Toki, 88 Gratton St. (ph: 9347 9748). Medium.
  Good Japanese food.

Richmond

About 5 kilometres East of the University, lies Melbourne's ``Little Vietnam'', a strip of Victoria St. that lies to the East of Hoddle St. It is too far to walk there (from campus), and it takes two tram trips (one to the city, and the route 109 tram from there) to get there, so the odds are you will not end up in Richmond every night. By the same token, it is worth trying to eat at least one meal there, as the Vietnamese cuisine is almost always authentic, cheap and good. No specific information is given, but Thy Thy, Vao Doi, Tran Tran and Tho Tho can all be personally recommended.

Toorak

Toorak is about 6 kilometres South-East of the University, and can be reached by either tram (routes 8 or 72) or train (the Sandringham line - alight at Prahran station) from the city. Once again, its distance from the campus will make it unlikely that it is a regular haunt, so only a general description of the region is given here. Toorak is a rather upper class suburb, and the restaurants tend to be more expensive than the others in this guide. Chapel St. (South of Toorak Rd.) is the main area of interest, containing a variety of classy eateries, as well as pubs, bars, and the main concentration of Melbourne's night clubs. The area remains very lively into the early hours of Saturday and Sunday morning, with the clubbing crowd maintaining a presence until dawn. Going further South, the prices drop, and the clubs and bars are replaced by interesting little shops (It's a good area to walk around, in the search for interesting things.) Once again, no specific information is given; it is suggested you just wander around, as there is bound to be something of interest.

St Kilda

The bayside suburb of St Kilda lies about 6 kilometres South of the campus, and can be reached on the route 15 and 16 trams (Get on in Swanston St., just outside the University. It is a half hour ride.). Acland St. has a European flavour, and aside from a nice mix of restaurants, there is an amazing collection of cake shops. Rumoured to be the country's largest user of raw sugar, this street is not to be visited if you are dieting, but prone to lapses. It has even been known for the more sweet-toothed to forgo dinner, in order to have room for two, three or more deserts. The other main food source in St Kilda is Fitzroy St. (nothing to do with the suburb). It is a little more down-market than Acland St., but has some excellent Italian restaurants, and hamburger joints. This area also remains lively until the wee hours, partly due to the proliferation of live venues, including The Esplanade, The Palace, The Prince of Wales and The National Theatre. Both Acland St. and Fitzroy St. are within a few minutes walk of the beach, which includes a nice promenade, St Kilda Pier and Luna Park, an historic (the world's second oldest, behind Coney Island) fun park. Provided that it is warm enough, the foreshore is a great place to while away a few hours.