Destination guides > Australia > Victoria > Melbourne > Eating & drinking
Melbourne
Eating & drinking
Melbourne has a reputation as the best Australian city for eating out, with a good
selection of restaurants falling within a backpackers’ budget.
Much of Melbourne’s culinary scene can be attributed to the city’s rich ethnic heritage
with different immigrants introducing their cuisine.
Melbourne’s Italian restaurant strip is on Lygon Street in Carlton (bus 200, 201, 203,
207 tram 1, 8), although Italian food can be found all over the city.
Greek restaurants are clustered along Lonsdale Street (tram 1, 3, 5, 6, 8, 16, 64, 67, 72
train Melbourne Central) in the city centre, although one would expect a bigger choice of
Greek restaurants considering that Melbourne has the world’s largest Greek population
after Athens and Thessaloniki.
Melbourne’s large Greek and Turkish communities serve excellent kebabs and souvlaki.
There are many contenders for the city’s best souvlaki and kebabs including Souvlaki Bar
(163 Russell Street, Melbourne), Souvlaki King (311 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy), Lambs
Restaurant (98 Lygon Street, Carlton) and Lamb on Chapel (394 Chapel Street, South
Yarra); although in our opinion Melbourne’s best kebabs come from Hollywood Palace (181
Bridge Road, Richmond).
Chinese restaurants are in Chinatown on Little Bourke Street (tram 1, 3, 5, 6, 8, 16, 64,
67, 72).
Victoria Street in Richmond (tram 24, 109 train North Richmond) is Melbourne’s Little
Saigon. This is the best spot for Vietnamese food and definitely worth the tram ride.
Bring your own bottle of wine for a cheap night out.
Brunswick Street in Fitzroy (tram 112) has an alternative feel and an eclectic mix of
affordable bars and restaurants.
Melbourne is known for its many small laneways, many of which are home to small
restaurants and cosy cafés. Tiny Degraves Street and Centre Place near Flinders Street
Station are particularly good for good value cooked breakfasts with strong coffee and a
warm ambience.
You can also find cheap meals at food courts around the city, particularly inside
Melbourne Central and the QV centre, which are often full of students from nearby RMIT
University.
If you’re preparing your own food, then head to the Queen Victoria Market (corner
Elizabeth Street & Victoria Parade, Melbourne). This is one of the world’s largest
markets and is particularly good value for meat as well as fruit and vegetables.
The best centrally located supermarket is the Safeway (corner Lonsdale & Swanston
Streets, Melbourne) in the QV Centre, although there are several other supermarkets in
the city including several Coles, including one near Flinders Street Station (2 Elizabeth
Street, Melbourne), one near Southern Cross Station (201 Spencer Street, Melbourne) and
another near the station entrance inside Melbourne Central shopping centre (corner
LaTrobe & Swanston Streets, Melbourne).
If you’re staying at one of the hostels in St Kilda, then you’ll find both Coles (183
Barkly Street, St Kilda) and Safeway (Acland Street, St Kilda) supermarkets on Acland
Street. If you’re staying at one of the hostels in the Windsor/Prahran/South Yarra area,
there are two supermarkets – a Coles (303 Chapel Street, Prahran) and a Safeway (corner
Cato & Wattle Streets, Prahran) – near the corner of Chapel Street and Commercial Road in
Prahran.
Like many Australian cities, Melbourne has plenty of places to drink but a lot of them
feel plastic and charmless. However there are a few really nice pubs such as the
Pumphouse (128 Nicholson Street, Fitzroy) near Melbourne Museum and the Nunnery and James Squire Brew Pub (115 Russell Street, Melbourne) and (439 Docklands Drive, Docklands). The Elephant & Wheelbarrow is a backpacker favourite with two locations; one in the city centre (94 Bourke Street, Melbourne) and another below the Ritz hostel in St Kilda (169 Fitzroy Street, St Kilda), which is a regular venue for Alan Fletcher’s (Dr Karl Kennedy from Neighbours) band Waiting Room.
Other popular backpackers’ bars include Industry Bar & Lounge (198 A’Beckett Street,
Melbourne) at Nomads Industry; the Joint (35 Elizabeth Street, Melbourne) next to
Flinders Station Backpackers and the Velvet Underground (167 Franklin Street, Melbourne)
at Hotel Discovery. If you’re staying in Prahran or St Kilda, the Pint on Punt (42 Punt
Road, Windsor) in St Kilda Junction has a great atmosphere and backpacker meals starting
at just $6.
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