Overview
While Mother's Day can be tough for some, for those lucky enough to be close to their mums or significant mother figures, it's an important opportunity to show them how much you love them. So put in a little extra effort this year to find an activity that's just right for them. You'll want something special but still in keeping with your mum's interests, you might be a little tight on budget, and you might be overwhelmed with the endless specials and deals going around.
So, to help you find the perfect plan for Mother's Day, we've rounded up the best things to do this May. From stylish staycations to family-friendly feasts, flower workshops to pamper packages, and from caviar bumps to charity walks, with our handy guide, you'll find something special to treat mum with this year, and you may even win some extra brownie points while you're at it.
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For a Middle Eastern Feast: Maha, CBD
If you're keen to leave the cooking to someone else this Mother's Day, head to Maha for a memorable Middle Eastern feast. Over Saturday, May 9th and Sunday, May 10th, Maha will celebrate mums with a lunch or dinner feast highlighting its signature dishes.
Featured dishes on the share-style menu, priced at $155 for lunch and $195 for dinner, include wagyu shawarma skewers, Harvey Bay scallops, crab dumplings with burnt-lemon verbena butter, and crumbed lamb rack with harissa-burnt butter jus. If you're still looking for a gift, Maha's Shane Delia is hosting an intimate cooking experience on August 23rd, focused on the stories and traditions passed on by the women in his life. While it's a bit of a splurge at $295, it will certainly make for a memorable gift.
For a Stylish Staycation: QT Hotel, CBD
This is one for the mums who need a break. Sometimes you don't have to go far, but just need to escape the house, and QT Hotel is helping make this possible with a great Mother's Day deal. Between April 21st and May 10th, you can grab 10% off QT gift cards using the code FORYOU.
So spoil the mother figure in your life this year with a little getaway, and while you're at it, why not try the newly opened Yamagen Japanese restaurant at the hotel? Smash sushi tacos while you sip on pretty cocktails, and enjoy the peace and quiet of being out of the house.
For a Rooftop Floral Workshop: Hotel Sorrento, Mornington Peninsula
Sure, lunch is great, but pair it with a hands-on, feel-good activity, and you're sure to score extra brownie points this Mother's Day. On Friday, May 8th, Hotel Sorrento is hosting a Floral Workshop to encourage creativity and calm, priced at $119 per person.
The easygoing afternoon will be led by Botanical Edition, and guests will be guided through creating a fabulous floral arrangement they can take home. Start with bubbles on arrival, snack on cheese and charcuterie throughout the workshop, before enjoying roaming pizzas on the rooftop. Sounds like an idyllic afternoon.
For a Meat-Heavy Meal: Le Bon Ton, Collingwood
If your mum is still on the keto trend, or just loves meat, you can't go past Collingwood favourite Le Bon Ton, serving up its signature slow-cooked meats this Mother's Day.
The Mother's Day Special Smoked BBQ Platter is loaded with brisket, smoked chicken, Southern slaw, potato salad, pickles and barbecue sauce. The only disclaimer? This carnivorous feast may induce the meat sweats.
For High Tea: Mary Eats Cake, Brunswick and Montrose
Treating your mum to a luxe Melbourne high tea is a classic Mother's Day experience. It's easy, no matter the size of the group, and it doesn't have to be too expensive. There are also plenty of spots offering special deals for Mother's Day.
One such place is Mary Eats Cake, which is running its renowned Mother's Day High Tea again (from $97 per adult) over the Mother's Day weekend, offering a tasty menu including four savoury bites, three sweet treats, bottomless scones with jam and cream, unlimited tea, a cocktail on arrival, a glass of champagne and more.
For a Plentiful Pizza Party: Figlia, Brunswick East
Neighbourhood favourite Figlia is putting together a generous sharing menu for your mum this May. Head Chef Alberto Fava's Mother's Day menu showcases some of the pizzeria's best dishes, celebrating fresh produce and modern interpretations of Italian classics, for $90 per person.
If your mum is fond of Italian food, be sure to check out Figlia's menu. Expect the likes of gnocco fritto with pine mushrooms and taleggio, chargrilled bonito with pickled fennel, Moreton Bay bugs with caper leaf and witlof, and burratina with walnut pesto. Choose your own pizza flavour, which will be served with a fresh salad, and finish with a layered millefoglie with lemon custard and rhubarb.
For a Good Cause: The Mother's Day Classic, The Botanical Gardens
Sure, you could spend your day indulging in all sorts of high teas and treats across Melbourne, but the occasion marks a great opportunity to get moving for a damn good cause. The Mother's Day Classic is an annual Mother's Day marathon (or walkathon) that circumnavigates the Royal Botanic Gardens to raise funds for breast and ovarian cancer research.
Nearby to the course is an ideal recovery spot at one of Melbourne's most scenic cafes: The Terrace. You can recover with an à la carte booking or opt for the Mother's Day high tea package. With this combination of activities, you'll be proud of yourself for doing something good, while also satisfied with a tasty treat.
For a Family-Friendly Feed: Marameo, CBD
Well, what is Mother's Day really about if it's not all about family? This year, the team over at Marameo, the CBD's rollicking Italian diner, have kept the whole family in mind, coming up with a generous set menu for Mother's Day, with a dedicated kids menu.
For just $65 per person, sample some of Marameo's best hits, including rosemary focaccia, mixed salumi with gnocco fritto, sweet peppers with straciatella, and fried calamari with school prawns. For mains, go for the luxe black truffle cacio e pepe spaghetti, squid ink linguine with crab and chilli, spatchcock with lemon and thyme, or an O'Connor rump cap with seeded mustard sauce. Just make sure you save room for the famous tiramisu.
For a Pampering Package and Overnight Stay: Pan Pacific, South Wharf
Is your mum a princess who deserves a little pampering? Check out Pan Pacific's Mother's Day exclusive deal this year. Pan Pacific Melbourne has partnered with Jo Loves to offer the Jo Loves Signature Stay.
The package, starting at $414, includes an overnight experience for two and is available for stays between May 1st and July 30th (bookable until June 30th). The deal includes an overnight stay at the Pan Pacific, an extensive breakfast, a welcome drink, and a Jo Loves gift pack, which includes the brand's Mango Thai Lime products.
For Bottomless Yum Cha: David's, Prahran
If you prefer a more casual, all-you-can-eat feast for Mother's Day in Melbourne, then you've got to check out David's in Prahran. Over the Mother's Day weekend, the team will serve up their bottomless yum cha ($76 per person), with seatings throughout the day.
It's highly advised you wear loose-fitting pants, because at David's, the food just keeps coming. You might start with a few xiao long bao and shu mai, before moving on to panfried barbecue pork baos and veggie spring rolls. There'll be Peking Duck and chicken ribs, roast pork fried rice and much more. We implore you to save a little room for the white chocolate dumplings.
For a Sweet, Heart-Shaped Treat: Miilk Cake Studio's
Here's one for the mums with a bit of a sweet tooth. Miilk Cake Studios is offering a limited-edition fresh mango and peach cake to really make your Mother's Day this May.
Even better is that not only are the Miilk Cake Studios goodies available in store, but also online, so if you're planning on hosting brunch or lunch, this cake will be the perfect addition to make it something special. Expect light sponge layers, mango-infused cream, and pieces of fresh fruit. The only problem is that it's almost too pretty to eat.
For a Relaxed Seaside Feast: Stokehouse Pasta & Bar, St Kilda
Catch some stellar views and feel the fresh breeze this Mother's Day by heading to St Kilda's Stokehouse Pasta & Bar this Mother's Day. The more relaxed sibling of fine-diner Stokehouse just upstairs, the pasta bar down below offers the same seaside feel at a lower price tag.
This Mother's Day, Stokehouse Pasta & Bar is offering a share-style feast for $100 per person. Snack on crudo and focaccia, enjoy rigatoni with mussels, and share smoked lamb shoulder and flaked barramundi with sides.
For Oysters, Champagne and Caviar: Beverly Rooftop, South Yarra
If your mum is into the finer things in life, then head to Beverly Rooftop this year for a boujie Mother's Day experience. Head Chef David Ball has curated a four-course menu for $120 per person that showcases luxe ingredients like tuna, lobster, prawns and poached pavlova.
It is a day to celebrate, so why not go all in with the indulgent add-ons? Go for champagne on arrival, an oyster tasting flight, or caviar bumps, and the mother figure in your life is sure to be suitably impressed.
For an Affordable Japanese Set Lunch: Warabi, CBD
Two-hatted Japanese restaurant, Warabi, will launch its first-ever lunch service just in time for Mother's Day. The new set menus are designed to make midday dining more accessible and more affordable.
For just $32, enjoy a Warabi Bowl Set with teriyaki chicken, miso katsu or vegetable poke, with tasty sides, and for $45, savour the Warabi Kaiseki Box Set. The beautiful, nine-dish box is filled with delicate bites such as sashimi and nasu dengaku, and is served with a main such as wagyu steak or salmon saikyo yaki.
For a Crafty Cocktail Class: Hotel Railway, Brunswick
Really get into the spirit of fun and celebration this Mother's Day with Hotel Railway's cocktail experience. Led by the venue's Bar Manager in the Corner Bar, guests will be guided through the art of crafting two signature drinks, the passionfruit and vanilla spritz, and the strawberry and vanilla sour. While you learn the bar's secrets, snack on canapés and enjoy some quality time in a relaxed, upbeat environment.
For Affordable Snacks and Drinks: Ruzia's Wine, Caulfield North
Balaclava Road's buzzing neighbourhood wine bar, Ruzia's Wine, is celebrating mums this year with a line-up of unmissable early evening specials. The deals are so good that the team are extending the offer beyond just one day: they will be available from Wednesday through Saturday, from 4.30pm to 6.30pm. Grab $10 wines, $15 pickle martinis, $8 fries, and $5 croquettes, as well as a $20 mini version of the bar's signature snack plate.
For a Luxe, Indulgent Buffet: Conservatory, Crown Southbank
If you want to go all out this Mother's Day, then look no further than Crown Conservatory's mega buffet. The indulgent all-you-can-eat offering spans seafood, international and western cuisine, and boasts one heck of a dessert station. The Mother's Day specials include chilled lobster and a glass of champagne, taking the already boujee experience up another notch.
For a Bouquet Delivered Straight to Your Table: Morning Market, Fitzroy and Prahran
Kill two birds with one stone this Mother's Day by organising a beautiful bouquet to be delivered straight to your table. Floral Artist Katie Marx is partnering with Andrew McConnell's Morning Market to create a service that lets flowers be placed directly on any table at a Trader House venue (think Gimlet, Supernormal, Cutler, Cumulus Inc., etc.). Orders must be placed by May 5 and are also available for pickup at the Fitzroy and Prahran locations. While you're at it, grab a special Mother's Day Valrhona Chocolate Tart, but be warned, quantities are strictly limited, so consider getting in soon.
Images: Supplied.
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