The Best Restaurants in Preston
From rule-breaking barbecue joints to Mexican cantinas, these spots are serving up some of the best eats in Melbourne's north.
The Best Restaurants in Preston
From rule-breaking barbecue joints to Mexican cantinas, these spots are serving up some of the best eats in Melbourne's north.
Once fairly short on applaudable dining destinations, the northside suburb of Preston has been busy steadily carving out a different story. Now it boasts neighbourhood food gems aplenty and is welcoming more to the fold each year.
The area's multicultural community has helped spawn a diverse lineup of top-notch dining offerings, too, from modern Australian burger joints packed every night of the week, to pizza-slinging cocktail bars to cheery noodle houses dishing up an array of authentic eats.
If you're not a local and haven't ventured beyond that Dundas Street-Plenty Road junction in a while, it's time to head north and embrace this suburban pocket's many culinary charms.
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Leading the charge of Plenty Road’s modern culinary boom, Stray Neighbour bounced onto the scene in 2015, impressively melding bar, restaurant and gastropub into one seamless iteration. Inside, the warm industrial setting plays host to a relaxed lounge area, complete with pool table, a vast timber-clad bar and casual booth-style seating decked out with bare wooden tables.
A wonderfully chameleonic beast, it’s a destination for bar hoppers, foodies and all sorts of happy locals in between. The menu heroes seasonality and simplicity, with eats for snacking sessions right through to those long, friendly feasts. Fly by for crisp barbecue chicken ribs ($12.90) and truffled cheese arancini ($12), or settle in with the likes of a herb-crumbed chicken schnitzel ($24.90) and one of the top-notch steak dishes.
A share-style ‘feed me’ menu clocks in at an easy $55, or $60 with dessert. Meanwhile, a new weekend breakfast offering holds its own against the neighbourhood’s ever-buzzing cafe set — head in early to kick-start your morning (or battle your hangover) with the likes of honeyed ricotta doughnuts ($16), an oozy croque madame ($16), or guindilla-laced scrambled eggs($18.50). Matched with coffee by Supreme, it’s a sure-fire weekend winner.
Images: Brook James
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Modern Mexican haunt Benzina Cantina marks a collaboration between Bruno Carreto — the mind behind cult Brunswick taqueria Los Hermanos — and motorcycle stuntman, ‘Lukey Luke’ Follacchio, sparked by the mates’ shared love of tacos and motorbikes. Adjacent to Follacchio’s bike workshop the laidback venue’s embracing its warehouse locale, sporting a minimalist, industrial fit-out and its very own rooftop space.
The kitchen here is riffing on Los Hermanos’ much-loved menu of authentic Mexican fare, with tacos and tequila the stars of the show. To start, there’s Carreto’s ‘gorditas’ — handmade corn flour pockets stuffed with refried beans and either cheese or chilli mince beef — alongside bites like chipotle grilled corn and cactus salad. Crafty taco varieties feature the likes of beer battered fish with red cabbage, or twice-cooked beef with carrots and potato, and a slew of options for meat-free diners — including cactus mole and tortillas topped with smoky mushrooms.
For drinks, choose between a tidy mix of local craft beers and Mexican imports, a concise crop of wines from across Australia, Chile and Spain, and a hefty lineup of cocktails. Playful creations like the watermelon margarita and a tequila-infused espresso martini ensure those summertime vibes are served up all year round.
Images: Alex Jovanovic
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From the same crew that spiced up Melbourne’s palate with those beloved Dainty Sichuan restaurants, comes this northside noodle house. If you like your meals generous and your tastebuds shocked, this one’s sure to tick all the right boxes.
At Tina’s Preston outpost, it’s the hearty bowls of noodle soup that take centre stage, with rice noodles swimming either in a fiery red broth, or one of the slightly tamer meat-based stocks. There’s a whole swag of protein options with which to pimp your bowl, too, from thinly sliced wagyu or an assembly of fresh seafood, to house-made prawn balls and a wild array of offal additions. Familiar favourites might include braised chunks of pork belly or a mixed mushroom medley, while the ‘chilli blood curd combination’ speaks to the more adventurous diner.
Alongside, sits a run of classic Sichuan-style snacks — think, spicy braised duck parts, house-made wontons, curls of pig’s ear and a lineup of skewers, matched with a tongue-numbing chilli oil for dunking. It’s busy, buzzy and delightfully easy on the wallet, even with your heftiest appetite in tow.
Image: Letícia Almeida
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Melbourne’s north didn’t have near enough late-night wine bars serving oversized slices of pizza. At least, that’s what Sam Peasnell and business partners Adam Goldblatt and Tom Peasnell thought. They’re the talented trio behind Preston hotspot Dexter Meat & Buns, who last year opened casual pizza joint Takeaway Pizza directly across the road.
The way it works is pretty simple: out front is the namesake takeaway offering where you can order 12-inch American-style spicy pizzas through a small window, while inside is a fully stocked cocktail and wine bar. It’s the kind of spot you can duck in for a quick beer while you wait for your pizza, or roll into for a few kick-ons after a dinner over at Dexter. The pizzas feature three-day slow fermented dough and a signature slow-cooked sugo, with interesting toppings like chorizo and rockling, or house-cured pastrami with bone marrow.
And the matching booze list packs some punch of its own — expect a wine selection sprinkled with natural drops, a tight curation of Boilermakers and gutsy cocktail creations like the Papa John’s Negroni, crafted with a slug of Absinthe.
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With its self-described “no rules approach” to American barbecue, Dexter had a lot to prove. But few can deny that the Preston restaurant has it nailed, especially when it comes to those signature hot meat doughnuts — the brisket-filled, deep-fried batter balls, dusted with sugar and paprika are a cult favourite.
Needless to say, these set the scene for the rest of the menu, filled with acclaimed, interesting dishes. The short rib comes with a caramel glaze, the mash is crafted with bone marrow and there’s an inspired Korean beef tartare, with nashi, sesame and wild plum syrup. Choose one of the loaded barbecue trays ($24–31) or opt for a brioche bun with pickles and your choice of meat — the range includes crisp fried chicken, pulled pork and a Southern-style tofu.
What’s more, the drinks list holds its own, with a crafty selection of largely local beers and wines, and a clever lineup of cocktails that hero big, boozy flavours. Just wait until you try the popcorn bourbon-infused number they call the Netflix & Chill. It doesn’t much matter if you live in the Preston area or nowhere near it — just get here. Hot, sugary brisket doughnuts await.
Images: Emily Bartlett.
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Despite its big, double-fronted entrance, you’d be forgiven for driving right past this fun, modern Asian restaurant, which sits unassumingly on a small roundabout at the end of Gilbert Road in Preston.
In a pocket of not much else, Chumanchu has been serving sophisticated, yet relaxed Asian (mostly Vietnamese and Thai) food to Melbourne’s northsiders for over five years. The lunch and dinner menus hit all the favourites: pho ($14–15), mee goreng ($21), curries, banh xeo pancakes ($19–21) and rice paper rolls ($7–8) — owner Marten Chu is the brother of rice paper roll queen Miss Chu, after all — along with some fabulous surprises, like mussels in a lemongrass broth with Thai basil and coriander.
But why not really push the boat out and go for breakfast, starting your day with the likes of rice congee ($15) with quail eggs and dried scallops, or the ever-popular okonomiyaki ($18) with smoked salmon and wasabi mayo?
You’re sure to leave Chumanchu satisfied, perhaps with a new favourite dish and definitely with a reasonably priced bill. It might not be the most authentic fare in the ‘hood, but Chu and his team get big ups for bringing something fresh to the area, and creating a dining experience that shoots way above its cheaper, canteen-style counterparts.
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If you’re looking for all the signs of a damn good burger, Chew Burger’s got ’em. It’s also gained the affections of a solid bunch of locals, thanks to its top-notch lineup of weekly specials and its cracking location next door to ever-popular neighbourhood bar The Racoon Club.
With an inviting mix of exposed brick walls, industrial lighting and shiny, green tiled tables, it’s the sort of place that inspires return visits — handy, given the size of the menu. The offering runs from classic creations like the wagyu patty Chew through to more intense concoctions like the Commando — a tower of wagyu, cheddar, onion rings, bacon and ‘lava’ mayo.
There are shoestring fries, served plain or with a gutsy dusting of roast ghost chilli salt, along with loaded chips and a handful of meat-free and vegan burgers sure to hit the spot. You’ll spy lots of love for quality, locally sourced produce and yet more local goodness in the form of artwork displayed throughout the venue. Head in on a Tuesday and you can even score one of those namesake Chew burgers for a bargain $10 — if that’s not a reason to get in and get chewing, we don’t know what is.
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