The Best Set Menus in Melbourne That You Can Order for Under $100

There's nothing like going all out on an extravagant feast. But when the time comes to celebrate with a group on different budgets or to do something special that's not insanely splashy — you'll need some decadent yet affordable options in your dining arsenal. Just because your payslip may not scream 'Tuesday night Gimlet dinner' doesn't mean you can't enjoy a big set in Melbourne — there are plenty of next-level food experiences that may surprise you (and your wallet).

In fact, several restaurants around our fine city offer tasting banquets for less than $100. We've looked to some of our favourite eateries to gift you this handy guide to Melbourne's more affordable set menus. When it comes to value for money in fine dining, these are top of the crop.

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Mamasita, CBD

Mamasita has been one of the very best Mexican restaurants in Melbourne ever since it opened in 2010. And it manages to keep things fresh and affordable to this very day. That's true for those visiting on weekdays from 3.30–5.30pm when the crew slings $6 tacos and $10 mini margaritas.

But those wanting a proper feed outside these times don't need to spend big either. The $59 set menu will fill you up with some classic Mamasita bites that include house-made guac, its famous sweet corn on the cob and mushroom tostadas, as well as chicken flautas, beef brisket and a heap of hand-pressed tortillas. Those opting for the $82 set menu will get a bunch of extra options like fresh oysters, prawn tostadas, kingfish ceviche and a few little sides. Add a jug of sangria for the table and it's likely you'll keep the whole experience under $100.

Cost: $59 and $82

Shu, Collingwood

Why should carnivores have all the degustation fun in Melbourne? At Collingwood's forward-thinking contemporary Chinese spot Shu, there's a decadent feast for all kinds of culinary persuasions. The ten-course vegan degustation ($95) has none of the animal products, but all of the creativity. Dishes are cleverly executed and pack a serious visual punch, fusing traditional Sichuan flavours with modern techniques.

The team even offers a shorter five-course set menu for $65. This version is also vegan but is altogether more experimental. There are sure to be some surprising flavour combos arriving throughout this experience. And if you drop by from 12–3pm on a weekend, you get to try Shu's unlimited plant-based yum cha for a mere $55.

Cost: $55, $65 and $95

Rumi, East Brunswick

If anyone has treated Melbourne to a contemporary taste of the Middle East, it's Joseph Abboud, who first opened Rumi on the Brunswick East end of Lygon Street back in 2006. With this hugely popular venture, he helped lay a path for plenty of other Middle Eastern restaurants in Melbourne to follow and expand upon.

Now in a sleek new site at Brunswick East Village, the team continues to offer up banging Middle Eastern eats to its many regulars. The à la carte options are great, but we are all about its set menu. For $65 per person, you get a bunch of dips, bread, cheesy cigars and pickles to start. You then get meatballs, a selection of grilled and fried vegetables, a melt-in-your-mouth lamb shoulder (a longtime menu item), barbecue chicken wings and a couple of salads. Turkish delights finish off one of the best set menus in Melbourne.

Cost: $65

Daughter in Law, CBD

This popular venture from renowned chef Jessi Singh is a rule-breaking Indian restaurant that likes to stray from tradition. Authenticity might not be on the cards for the most part, but bold flavours certainly are, across an ever-changing menu of contemporary creations. Expect the likes of tandoori paneer sliders, Indian spiced fried chook served with a tempered mustard seed mayo, and a proudly 'unauthentic' butter chicken.

If you want to try a bit of everything at Daughter in Law, order the tasting menu — it's a chef's selection of innovative appetisers, curries, naan, rice and dessert, ringing up at a very reasonable $65 per person.

Cost: $65

Sebastian Beach Grill & Bar, Williamstown

When a Basque-style beachside escape is on the cards, Melbourne's own slice of San Sebastian ticks all the right boxes. Overlooking Williamstown Beach, the aptly named Sebastian Beach Grill & Bar is plating up a taste of sunny Spain, with its menus making a hero of the kitchen's custom-made charcoal grill.

There's a range of degustation options here, though it's hard to go past the $90 set menu, available for groups of four or more. It's a produce-driven lineup, kicking off with pintxos and tapas-style small plates like the leek croquettes, and crispy mussels with a fermented chilli aioli. Deeper in, you'll find yourself diving into the likes of a Black Angus porterhouse hot off the charcoal grill, house-smoked chicken, and traditional Spanish shortbread biscuits known as polvorones.

Cost: $70, $90 and $110

Bar Liberty, Fitzroy

This standout Melbourne wine bar and restaurant is a destination for flavour fans who aren't afraid to try a few new things. Sure, you could stick with a familiar rosé and spread of charcuterie and leave (very) happy, but creativity reigns supreme on both the menu and drinks list, so it's well worth digging a little deeper.

The sommelier will wheel around an old-school globe bar trolley to tempt you with the evening's pouring wines — that change on the daily. The food is a must here, too. But it can be mighty tough to choose the greatest options. Like with the wine, we leave it up to the Bar Liberty team to tell us what we should be trying the day we visit — getting the $80 set menu that changes frequently. The restaurant also puts together a special set menu for $60 per person every Sunday, focusing on hyper local produce. There's no pre-determined wine pairing offered, but the team can whip one up at a moment's notice. All you've got to do is ask.

Cost: $60 and $80

Cumulus Inc., CBD

Andrew McConnell is known for setting up some of the best restaurants and wine bars in Melbourne — with Cumulus being one of his greatest. And even though an à la carte meal at Cumulus can really break the bank, its set menu is surprisingly affordable.

For $88, diners start off with scallops, tuna tartare, wagyu bresaola and a zucchini salad, before tucking into a big slow-roasted lamb shoulder, cracked wheat salad and a seasonal dessert. Those wanting more McConnell set menus can nab one for $85 at Supernormal, $75 at Builder's Arms Hotel and $85 at Marion.

Cost: $88

Yum Sing House, CBD

There's a lot to like about modern Cantonese diner Yum Sing House, tucked away down a quieter part of the city on Sutherland Street. Part-restaurant, part-bar, part-private karaoke room, this is a late-night dining and party spot that keeps good times rolling until the early hours of the morning.

And to help you experience the whole offering here, the team has created a unique set menu that includes one hour of karaoke on Wednesday and Thursday nights. For $60, you get three entrees and a main, plus a go at singing along to some of your fave tunes in one of the private rooms. And if you go on Wednesday, you can even add on $2 freshly shucked oysters throughout the night. Winner!

Cost: $60

Etta, Brunswick East

Opened in 2017, Brunswick East's Etta was an instant hit among both local food and wine lovers. Hannah Green (Rosetta) runs the show, and is supported by Rosheen Kaul in the kitchen and Ashley Boburka in the wine cellar. The trio champions all things local, fresh and seasonal (with a strong focus on small producers), meaning change is a big part of everything here.

Kaul's Kashmiri, Peranakan, Chinese and Filipino heritage inspires the food menu, while wine is a mostly Australian affair. The Melbourne set menu clocks in at $100 exactly and includes a heap of seasonal favourites — these will change regularly. Those wanting to try Etta's outstanding vino selections can get the additional wine pairing for $75 per person.

Cost: $100

Moonhouse, Balaclava

The Commune Group has proved it's got the goods when it comes to contemporary Vietnamese and Japanese flavours — see Tokyo Tina, Hanoi Hannah and Firebird. But we were so glad to see the team cross the continent and embrace a modern Chinese angle for its Balaclava venture, Moonhouse.

We're fans of just about everything coming out of the kitchen here, but the roasted duck with peach hoisin and plum salt is the undeniable star of the show. Thankfully, it also features on its $60 set menu. This also comes with steak tartare, chicken and prawn wontons, tofu cooked two ways, a roasted chicken and seasonal greens. There's even a vegan menu that goes for a cool $58 and a 12-course yum cha lunch for $59. You've also got other set menus across the group — $76 and $86 at Tokyo Tina, $74 and $88 at New Quarter and $70 at Firebird. These Melbourne set menus are all worth a try.

Cost: $58, $59 and $60 

Bodega Underground, CBD

Tucked away in a cosy basement space on Little Bourke Street lies this late-night mezcal bar and taqueria slinging good times and ripper tacos right through to 1am. The Bodega Underground menu is entirely gluten-free and boasts vegan options aplenty — the same goes for its feed me menus.

The classic $59 option includes seven of its most popular dishes, while the $55 vegan set menu offers up just as many treats. Prefer a weekend bottomless brunch? Bodega's costs a mean $69. Its pre-theatre set menu also goes for a truly affordable $50 per person.

Cost: $50, $55, $59 and $69

Borsch Vodka and Tears, Windsor

Sitting pretty on Chapel Street since 2006, the team at Borsch, Vodka and Tears know their Polish food and sprits. Many come in here to sample Polish vodkas with a plate of pierogi chasers, but there is plenty more to try when visiting the haunt.

And the set menus offer a really cheap way to do it. That's especially true for the $45 option, which comes with a cup of borsch, a basket of bread and butter, pierogis and a cocktail. Feeling the need for more? Nab the $65 menu, which includes additional sausages, cabbage rolls and salad. Just make sure you book ahead, as this small spot books out on the regular.

Cost: $45 and $65

Lagoon Dining, Carlton

Lygon Street and its surrounds might once have been wall-to-wall, old-school Melbourne Italian joints — and famously so. But a new wave of residents is slowly but surely shaking up the demographic. One of these is the relative newcomer, Lagoon Dining.

The menu is grounded in traditional Chinese sensibilities, though you'll also spy plenty of other Asian influences, as well as a few clever riffs on Chinese food concepts plucked from further abroad. When it comes to the $78 set menu, you can expect about six to seven dishes that change all the time. This is one of our favourite Melbourne restaurants, and people are catching on quickly. Be sure to book well ahead of time.

Cost: $78

Hazel, CBD

The Mulberry Group's Hazel graces two levels of the 1920s T&G Building, where the team is cooking with a woodfired grill and oven fuelled by Aussie ironbark. At Hazel, one of the best restaurants in Melbourne, there are a myriad of things to tempt snackers and feasters alike, from crafty small plates to larger gems.

Some of the best bits are available in the $80 set menu, which includes six dishes that change with the seasons. The group's Lilac Wine also offers up a chef's menu for $80, and its underground bar Dessous has a special $85 set menu.

Cost: $80

Robata, CBD

The team behind South American restaurants San Telmo, Pastuso, Palermo and Asado has taken a jaunt to Japan for this Tokyo-accented eatery, set within a playful, minimalist space sporting futuristic elements and neon lights aplenty. It's embracing the art of charcoal grilling, with Japanese techniques and traditions at the forefront, and a custom-built robatayaki grill taking centre stage in the kitchen.

The Robata menu is pretty damn big and covers a lot of ground when it comes to Japanese cooking. That's why we opt for the set menu. The $90 version includes edamame, a sashimi platter, a couple of yakitori and kushiyaki, a wagyu flank and salad, and the wicked black sesame parfait. There's also a bigger $110 option for those looking to spend a little more on their night out at one of the best Japanese restaurants in Melbourne.

Cost: $90 and $110

Carlton Wine Room, Carlton

The Carlton Wine Room had quite the shake-up when it reopened in 2018 — even if it did keep the same name — with new owners, a new look and a revamped offering. Wine is certainly still the star of the show here, but the food is anything but a mere second thought.

The menu is designed to complement the 100-strong, ever-changing wine list and leans into European bistro territory. Small bite-sized snacks and a wide variety of cheese boards kick things off, but unlike most Melbourne wine bars, the larger plates are here in spades. It can be tough to choose from all the dining options, hence why we opt for the $95 set menu every time we visit. Like with the wines, we let the team tell us what we should be eating.

Cost: $95