Homegrown: The Five Most Sustainable Restaurants in Melbourne

Sustainability, eh? Everyone's talking about it, the hospitality industry is neck-deep in it, and it's scrutinised in everything from your stool to your salmon. Sustainability has never been more prevalent — or so necessary. We've seen the introduction of the Glacier 51 Toothfish (a regulated, safe way of farming the endangered Patagonian toothfish), free-range eggs from local farms such as Green Eggs become a regular on cafe menus and people like Joost Bakker start a new wave of sustainable design

While it seems like every guy who can fry a fish is slapping the sustainable sticker on their offering, there are a few venues going past the first point of call and minimising their environmental impact in big ways. From inner-city rooftop worm gardens to laneway waste dehydrators, we have a look at five of the most sustainable venues in Melbourne.

Silo by Joost

This is the obvious one to top the list, but only because it's wildly in front of everyone else when it comes to waste minimisation. Eco-designer, entrepreneur and all-round sustainable guy Joost Bakker created Silo (as an offshoot of Perth's Greenhouse) with the intention of creating zero waste. And when he says zero waste, he actually means nothing. Suppliers deliver their goods in re-useable crates (the milk comes in a giant steel pail each morning), produce comes sans packaging and all food scraps are taken to the waste dehydrator that sits out in the back laneway.

Silo also mill their own wheat (for fresh baked bread), hand roll their own oats (for maximum nutrition) and make their own yoghurt from scratch (for showing off, mainly). Delve into their processes and it's hard not to be impressed. Every element has been meticulously implemented and translates into one smooth (very sustainable) operation.

123 Hardware Lane, Melbourne, (03) 9600 0588, byjoost.com/silo

Mesa Verde

You might be familiar with Mesa Verde's tacos, but you probably weren't aware of their darling rooftop garden right next to Rooftop at Curtin House. But don't get too excited, because this garden (unfortunately) isn't for human social fun times — it's for the worms. As well as supplying the Mexican bar restaurant with the necessary herbs and special ingredients, the urban garden is also one of Melbourne's only rooftop worm farms. This ensures nothing goes to waste and you get some home grown coriander in your cocktail.

Level 6, Curtain House, 252 Swanston Street, Melbourne, (03) 9654 4417, mesaverde.net

Pope Joan

Head out of the city to Brunswick East, where 'growing your own' is at the heigh of realisation. Pope Joan has been doing this for a while now, with chef Matt Wilkinson focussing on seasonal produce. Want to know what's going to be on the menu? Have a look at their on-site veggie patches, located in the sweet garden (which doubles as a outdoor dining area) and you can get a general idea. It's a 'paddock to plate' philosophy with a simplicity that makes Pope Joan one of the best.

75-79 Nicholson Street, Brunswick East, (03) 9388 8858, popejoan.com.au

The Grain Store

Another hidden urban garden can be found on the roof of The Grain Store. The Flinders Lane cafe has always placed emphasis on the importance of sustainable, locally-sourced produce, with much of theirs coming directly from Brunswick's CERES and other local providers. But chef Ingo Meissner also has his own private rooftop garden that he uses to grow cauliflower (for their cauliflower, quinoa and goji berry dish?), tomatoes and herbs. Apparently it's just a couple of vegetable boxes, but it's another notch on The Grain Store's impressive belt of wholesome success.

517 Flinders Lane, Melbourne, (03) 9972 6993, grainstore.com.au

Taxi Kitchen

They've undergone a re-branding and lost a bit of their fine dining finesse, but Taxi Kitchen (nee Dining Room) is still serving up sustainable food at the centre of town. Still located at the Transport Hotel, their green produce is picked straight from the green slopes of the Fed Square rooftop car park, which has been utilised as a pop up veggie patch for surrounding bars, restaurants and members of the public. So, there you go — even the most man-made thing in Melbourne can be environmentally sustainable.

Level 1, Transport Hotel, Federation Square, cnr Swanston and Flinders Streets, (03) 9654 8808, taxikitchen.com.au