Melbourne's 20 Most Popular Restaurants of 2023
These are the spots you went looking for this year, from stunning beachside restaurants to hidden CBD eateries and old-school dining institutions.
There's always something to eat in Melbourne, no matter what you're craving. Hankering for a burger? Extravagant multi-course omakase? Quality lunchbreak eats in the CBD? Basque-inspired seafood and sangria by the bay? Whichever fits, this city of ours has just what you're looking for.
And in 2023, you have been looking. So, with the year at its end, these are the results. Our most-viewed restaurants of the past 12 months provide a snapshot of your recent faves and a roadmap of places to visit — either for the first time or the sixth.
Use this list as a look back on some of your favourite eats from 2023 — and as a guide to planning the rest of your meals before 2024 hits.
Top image: Hazel by Kate Shanasy.
Recommended reads:
The Best Restaurants in Melbourne
The Best Pubs in Melbourne
The Best Bars in Melbourne
The Best Cafes in Melbourne
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Restaurant
Sebastian Beach Grill & Bar
26 Esplanade, Williamstown
This Basque-inspired waterfront bistro grills seafood and pours sangria on a sprawling shaded deck right on the sand.
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Restaurant
Gimlet at Cavendish House
33 Russell Street, Melbourne
Andrew McConnell's elegant cocktail bar and European bistro serves up caviar, champagne and truffles aplenty.
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Bar
Stokehouse
30 Jacka Boulevard, St Kilda
After a devastating fire, St Kilda's Stokehouse has made its comeback — and it's here to stay.
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Cafe
The Commons at Ormond Collective
Corner Moubray Street And St Kilda Road, Melbourne
This four-in-one St Kilda Road venue has a huge beer garden.
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Restaurant
Victoria by Farmer's Daughters
2 Swanston Street, Melbourne
A love letter to the people and produce of Victoria's diverse regions, featuring a 3000-bottle wine library and a rotating 'region in residence' menu.
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Restaurant
Aru Restaurant
268 Little Collins Street, Melbourne
This considered offering heroes cooking techniques from eras past and a surprising fusion of flavours.
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Restaurant
KIN
205 All Saints Road, Wahgunyah
This modern Australian diner is housed within a 159-year-old heritage-listed castle, overlooking All Saints Estate's lush vineyards.
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Restaurant
Daughter In Law
37/41 Little Bourke Street, Melbourne
Jessi Singh's rule-breaking Indian restaurant has naan pizza and 70s Bollywood tunes.
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Restaurant
ShiHuiShi
15 Hotham Road, Sorrento
Boasting Australian-Canto cuisine, Shishuishi's menu pulls inspiration from the Chinese restaurant that stood onsite back in the 1980s.
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Restaurant
Three Blue Ducks Melbourne
309 Melrose Drive, Tullamarine
Eat vibrant farm-to-table dishes and sip sustainably focused drinks overlooking a two-hectare surf lagoon.
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Restaurant
Yugen Dining
605 Chapel Street, South Yarra
Chapel Street's sumptuous subterranean Japanese diner and bar has a flair for the dramatic.
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Restaurant
Half Acre
112 Munro Street, South Melbourne
A dilapidated mill that's been transformed into a top-notch wining, dining and partying destination.
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Restaurant
Hazel
164 Flinders Lane, Melbourne
From the minds behind Liminal and Common Ground Project comes this after-work go-to for cocktails and clever contemporary bites.
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Restaurant
Yakimono
80 Collins Street, Melbourne
This colourful Chris Lucas venture features a futuristic aesthetic and a menu filled with Japanese street food that's cooked over flames.
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Restaurant
1800 Lasagne
653 High Street, Thornbury
A bricks-and-mortar bar and eatery from an inner north lasagne delivery service.
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Restaurant
Osteria Renata
436-438 High Street, Prahran
Prahran's Nonna-worthy neighbourhood Italian joint boasts its own dedicated pasta lab.
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Restaurant
Panda Hot Pot
100 Victoria Street, Carlton
The former Dracula's site is now home to an international sichuan hot pot chain.
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Pub
The Beehive Hotel
84 Barkers Road, Hawthorn
Hawthorn's historic 300-seat pub The Beehive Hotel was totally revamped in mid-2024.
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Restaurant
Mr Miyagi
99 Chapel Street, Prahran
Mr Miyagi has stayed loyal to their original commitment to fun — which won them hearts in Windsor and across the river all the way back in 2013.