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NewsAnnouncing Concrete Playground's Best of 2016 Melbourne Award Winners
The very best new Melbourne bars, restaurants, cafes, pubs, events and precincts of the year.
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NewsQueensland's Cult Favourite Burger Bar Betty's Burgers Has Opened in Melbourne
Expect five types of burgers and Shake Shack-style frozen custard desserts.
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NewsAustralia's Best Locally-Made Icy Poles to Cool Down with this Summer
Sunny Boys, move to the back. These local pops, blocks and poles do summer right.
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NewsGelato Messina's Christmas Cake Is a Delicious Festive Response to Sydney's Lockout Laws
Make a creamy cultural statement at Christmas lunch.
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NewsFormer Taxi and The European Chef Tim Martin Is Opening His Own Bar and Restaurant
Prepare your stomach for a dual-venue venture focusing on ageing meat and naturally fermented beverages.
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GuideThe Best Sunday Roasts in Melbourne
Warm up on a weekend with juicy roast meats and plenty of gravy at these cosy and inviting pubs and neighbourhood restaurants.
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GuideMelbourne's Best High Teas for When You Want to Feel a Little Bit Fancy
From art-inspired creations to ultra-decadent chocolate degustations with bottomless sparkling wine, Melbourne's high tea scene is full of contemporary twists.
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GuideThe Best Japanese Restaurants in Melbourne
These Melbourne diners serve up some of the best sushi, ramen, gyoza, omakase and regional Japanese food in the city.
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GuideThe Best Steaks in Melbourne
Whether you like it raw or well done, smothered in sauce or left pure and simple, on the bone or sliced to serve, you'll find whatever meaty masterpiece you're after with our handy guide.
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GuideAll the New Melbourne Restaurant and Bar Openings to Try This Winter 2026
Melbourne’s newest restaurants and bars are setting the tone for wnter 2026 — from cosy cafes to refurbished pubs, romantic wine bars to intimate omakase counters, here’s where to eat and drink ...
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NewsWhere to Find the Best Ice Cream and Gelato in Melbourne
Whether you like your scoops creamy, salty, vegan or sandwiched, you can find them in our guide.
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NewsThe Best Set Menus in Melbourne for Under $100 in 2026
From set menus with a side of karaoke to omakase-style degustations, Greek feasts to vegan banquets, these are the best feed me menus around town.
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GuideThe Best Private Dining Rooms in Melbourne
These private dining rooms have you got you covered from private bartenders to suckling pigs, martini trolleys to luxurious sashimi platters.
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GuideThe Best Cheap Eats in Melbourne
You'll find big bowls of ramen, crispy borek, chicken parma deals and even steak and bottomless fries at Melbourne's best cheap-eat haunts.
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GuideThe Best Cafes for Working or Studying in Melbourne
Settle in for a productive work or study session with a strong coffee in hand at these laptop-friendly cafes around Melbourne.
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NewsSoft Serve Sensations Milkcow Open Their First Permanent Australian Store
Soft serve sundaes topped with everything from fairy floss clouds to a shot of espresso.
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NewsThe Yarra Valley Is Getting a New Wine and Food Festival
The two-day event is the first time that the region's big and small wineries have come together to showcase their tipples.
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GuideMelbourne's Best New Restaurants of 2016
Honouring the best new arrivals on Melbourne's restaurant scene this year.
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Guide
Melbourne's Best New Cafes of 2016
Honouring the best new cafes on Melbourne's cafe scene this year.
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News
Announcing Concrete Playground's Best of 2016 Melbourne Nominees
Honouring the very best arrivals on Melbourne's scene this year — vote for your favourite now.
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RestaurantDelmonte
293–297 Lygon Street, Carlton
With wine at the heart of the venue, the menu has been designed to complement the pace of leisurely drinking and working your way through the extensive selection of Italian wines.
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RestaurantChez Bagou
132 Bridport Street, Albert Park
Chef Sauvetre's menu respects quality produce and seasonality through simple, flavour-driven dishes that uphold the principles of French gastronomy.
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RestaurantAegli
226 Coventry Street, South Melbourne
Aegli, meaning radiance, elegant or splendour in Greek, has gradually built up a loyal following and a reputation as one of Melbourne's more refined Greek spots, shining light on lesser-known traditio ...
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RestaurantStella Restaurant and Bar
427 Chapel Street, South Yarra
This modern take on the classic Italian trattoria has a primo pizza offering, an all-weather rooftop terrace overlooking Chapel Street, and now an all-day weekend brunch offering.
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RestaurantPony
14 Beatty Avenue, Armadale
Locals have built weekly visits to Pony into their regular routine, whether it's for their renowned steak night or rotating roasts.
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RestaurantMarameo
6 Russell Place, Melbourne
A CBD Italian diner with a laneway terrace, house-made pasta and many spritzes.
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RestaurantPronto 478
478 Centre Road, Bentleigh
At the heart of the offering is the sorriso, a beloved Roman street food that's like a lovechild between a panino and a pizza.
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RestaurantAtsu
15-17 Lincoln Square South, Carlton
If you visit for lunch, experience a traditional katsu donbori bowl, and then try and nab a seat at the counter for an omakase-style kushikatsu offering.
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NewsAte One Ate Is Glenferrie Road's New 180-Seat All-Day Eatery
Serving everything from coffee and cake to carrot hot dogs and carbonara.
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Feature
Best of 2016 Melbourne
These 30 outstanding Melbourne ventures have been handpicked by Concrete Playground for their combination of originality, innovation, creativity, approachability and sustainability.
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NewsGilson Is the New All-Day European-Style Eatery from the Team Behind Mammoth
It overlooks the Royal Botanic Gardens.
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NewsBrunswick's The Snug Public House Has Launched An Irish Vegan Menu
Hearty staples with a vegetable-focused twist.
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NewsVelodrome Is Melbourne's New Four-Day Arts and Food Truck Festival
Eat, drink — and watch outdoor cinema, aerial circus, medieval performance fighting and Mexican wrestling, too.
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EventWilson & Dorset Pop-Up
Wed, 22 Jul - Sun, 30 Aug 2026
240 Gertrude Street, Fitzroy
Run your hands over cosy furniture, homeware and clothes crafted from a prized New Zealand natural fibre.
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EventASICS SportStyle Melbourne Pop-Up
Wed, 5 Aug - Sun, 9 Aug 2026
Melbourne CBD
ASICS SportStyle is taking over Melbourne with a five-day pop-up celebrating creativity, community and movement. Expect hands-on workshops, Japanese-inspired food, specialty coffee, exclusive sneaker ...
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EventWinter Twilight Market at CERES
Sat, 18 Jul 2026, Sat, 1 Aug 2026 and Sat, 15 Aug 2026
CERES Community Environment Park, Brunswick East
Local makers, mulled drinks and a picturesque creekside setting make this afternoon-into-evening winter market worth rugging up for.
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EventCharlotte de Witte at The Wool Store
Fri, 11 Dec, 2026
The Wool Store, West Footscray
The global techno powerhouse is taking over a sprawling industrial Melbourne venue with her trademark high-intensity sound.
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EventThe Teskey Brothers at Sidney Myer Music Bowl
Sat, 17 Oct, 2026
Sidney Myer Music Bowl, Melbourne
The city's annual jazz celebration is hitting all the right notes, beginning with a blockbuster hometown performance from The Teskey Brothers.
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EventPurr-suit of Knowledge Trivia at Welcome to Thornbury
Fri, 7 Aug, 2026
Welcome to Thornbury, Northcote
Gather your smartest friends and your biggest cat enthusiasts for a trivia night that gives every correct answer extra meaning.
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EventNow or Never Festival Melbourne
Wed, 19 Aug - Sun, 30 Aug 2026
All Around Melbourne, Melbourne
The winter festival of art, ideas, sound and technology is returning to Melbourne this August and exploring the concept of a whole new world.
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EventHarry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban in Concert with Melbourne Symphony Orchestra
Sat, 18 Sep 2027 and Sun, 19 Sep 2027
Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, South Wharf
Celebrating 25 years of this adored series, the MSO will perform John Williams' iconic score across three Melbourne nights.
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EventDJ Heartstring at The Wool Store
Fri, 25 Sep, 2026
The Wool Store, West Footscray
One of electronic music's fastest-rising acts is heading back to Melbourne for a huge night of eurodance-fuelled energy.
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Event'The Vinyl Factory: Reverb' at Rising 2026
Fri, 22 May - Mon, 31 Aug 2026
ACMI, Melbourne
Indulge your wax obsession with this immersive vinyl-led exhibition, spanning multiple genres, continents and musical energies.
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NewsA Cheese Advent Calendar Is the Edible Delight Your Festive Season Needs
Putting the cheese into Christmas.
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NewsThe World's Best Sommeliers are Coming to Australia in 2017
Melbourne will host the greatest food and wine minds in the world.
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NewsTen of the Best Kit Kats That Are Only Available in Japan
We tried them all — from strawberry cheesecake to sake.
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NewsBiggie Smalls to Open a Second Store in Windsor
Chapel Street's kebab stakes have officially been raised.
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GALLERY: Our Barbecue Masterclass with Work-Shop and The Farmed Table
Beers and barbecue lessons on a sunny spring afternoon.
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NewsSix Australian-Driven Bars and Restaurants to Visit in Hong Kong
Who knew you'd find a Western Australian iron ore mine-themed cocktail bar in HK?
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NewsRoyal Stacks' New Game Lets You Earn Free Food
Combining fun with freebies, and virtual burgs with the real thing.
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NewsMelbourne Food and Wine Festival Announces Cracking Lineup for 2017
Cemetery feasts, burger parties and classes from some of the world's best chefs.
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NewsMelbourne's Ten Most Luxurious Foodie Experiences
Not just for special occasions — book a table now.
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NewsHow to Make Beetroot-Cured Kingfish With a Former Tetsuya's Chef
A former Tetsuya's chef shows us what to do.
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NewsNoma's Next Pop-Up Is An Outdoor, Open-Air Restaurant in Mexico
Expect chilli, seafood and mole, all while nestled between the jungle and the Caribbean Sea.
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NewsInstagram Cake Queen Katherine Sabbath Is Crowdfunding a Pop-Up Cookbook
Featuring adorable pop-up sections by Sydney artist Benja Harney.
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NewsWhat Does An Eat Art Truck Chef Cook at Home?
Founding chef Brenton Balicki whipped us up a home-cooked, three-course dinner party.
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NewsNew App FoodByUs Lets You Order Home-Cooked Meals from Your Neighbours
Like UberEats at grassroots level.
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NewsWhat to Expect at Sugar Mountain's Next Immersive 'Sensory' Restaurant
Feast on Peter Gunn creations surrounded by the soundtrack to Stranger Things.
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NewsQueensland Favourite Betty's Burgers Is Expanding to Sydney and Melbourne
Expect five types of burgers and Shake Shack-style frozen custard desserts.
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NewsYou Can Now Buy Vegan Cookbooks Inspired by Morrissey and Nick Cave
Peas, peas let me get what I want.
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NewsMcDonald's In Italy Is Now Selling Nutella Burgers
Because humanity's love for Nutella truly knows no bounds.
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NewsSt Kilda's New Beachside Bar Pontoon Opens Inside Revamped Stokehouse Precinct
The Stokehouse site is rising from the ashes with the opening of its new beachside bar.
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NewsChin Chin's Chris Lucas Is Opening Another Kong on Smith Street in Fitzroy
The acclaimed restaurateur is heading north.
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NewsHow to Make Big Poppa's Next-Level Pasta from Scratch
Try the steak tagliata and semifreddo dessert too.
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NewsFive Highly Delicious Things to Do at Taste 2016
Learn how to cook with Melbourne's best chefs — and eat their hatted food without breaking the bank.
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NewsVegans Rejoice, Smith & Daughters' Cookbook Is Now In Stores
This might just be your key to unlocking the vegan kingdom.
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NewsLuxury French Macaron House Laduree Has Opened in Melbourne
More double-decker sweet treats coming at ya.
