Overview
Whether you have choice fatigue, want to try a bit of everything, or just worry your dinner date will out-order you, the set menu solves it: hand the decisions to the people who actually know the kitchen.
Melbourne does plenty of blow-the-budget degustations, but it also does a brilliant lineup of set menus that won't gut your bank account. We've worked our way around town and pulled together the city's best feed-me menus for under $100 — a mix of long-standing favourites and recent openings — so all you have to do is book a table and turn up hungry.
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PAST / PORT, CBD
PAST / PORT is the 160-seat South-East Asian restaurant on level two of the reborn Waterside Hotel, where executive chef Sarah Chan runs Australian produce through Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia. Tables of two or more can hand the menu over for the $83 per person banquet, a generous lap of the kitchen's best: freshly shucked oysters with calamansi mignonette, raw kingfish with salted plum and Thai basil, burrata with spicy tamarind and a fried donut, and the beef tartare with nam jim jaew and crispy rice, before beef rendang, grilled chicken curry Kapitan and crispy Brussels sprouts with chilli jam. It lands on a sesame ball filled with molten salted egg custard. Groups of four or more can size up to the $118 banquet, which adds a 600-gram O'Connor rib eye.
Cost: $83
Koi Toy, Coburg
This high-energy, late-night spot brings modern Japanese flavours to Melbourne's North inside Pentridge Shopping Centre. The $79 Seto Itchi menu is a generous and playful way to experience the best of the menu. Start with Kingfish sashimi with yuzu kosho nahm jim and yuzu coconut cream, and slow-cooked pork san choy bao, before moving on to the likes of Kyoto Butter Chicken and sticky pork belly with yakitori glaze, and finish sweet with a coconut panna cotta smash.
Cost: $79
Spaghetti Club, Richmond
Spaghetti Club on Swan Street, the latest venture from the MAMAS Dining Group, brings Southern Italian flavours and the nostalgia of long-held family traditions to Richmond. Co-founder Lucas Gugliandolo has poured his heart and soul into the new Italian diner, conceived around a faded orange recipe book belonging to his Nonno, which he carried from Sicily to Melbourne. Sample the best of those recipes with the $75 Nonna's Favourites set menu, featuring anchovy toast, straciatella, tuna crudo, pasta, pork cotelleta and sides, or go for Nonna's Feast for $85, which includes Nonno's signature meatballs.
Cost: $75 and $85
Nori Maki, CBD
This sleek, 28-seater omakase-style restaurant was opened in late 2024 by an ex-Nobu chef, and sushi handrolls are the name of the game. Not food-court handrolls, but sophisticated and refined bites with a higher nori to rice ratio. And with an array of set menu options here, Nori Maki has something for every budget. The $34 four-handroll menu includes salmon and avocado, kingfish, scallop and torotaku rolls. The $43 five-handroll option adds a crab handroll, and the $69 omakase menu includes sashimi plates, chawanmushi, dessert and special rolls. If you want to splurge on the Nori Maki set menu, you will still be in budget at only $89 a head.
Cost: $34, $43, $69 and $89
Jim's Greek Tavern, Collingwood
Can you call yourself a true Melburnian if you haven't spent at least a few rowdy evenings at Jim's Greek Tavern in Collingwood? Opened way back in 1980, the unpretentious establishment has been serving traditional, no-fuss Greek fare to hungry groups celebrating birthday parties, bux parties, and everything in between for decades. There is no menu here, so go for the $75 set menu and be guided by the professionals through a generous feast of dips, cheeses, salads, seafood, meats, and Greek desserts. The fact that you can BYO cements Jim's as one of the best group dining spots in town.
Cost: $75
Juni, CBD
Opening in late 2024, you can now drop by Juni to find a menu full of contemporary twists on Southeast Asian fare. The menu is built around the concept of 'Fire and Spice', so you can expect all kinds of heat. Kick things off with snacks like tuna with fresh apple and puffed rice, betel leaf with pomelo and peanut, and crispy turnip and sweet corn fritters. Main dishes span the likes of chargrilled beef short rib, wok-fried Jungle Curry with prawns, and a one-kilogram marinated pork hock. Juni offers a great-value Lucky Dip feed-me menu. Sample four plates for just $62, five plates for $74, or seven plates for $86.
Cost: $62, $74, $86.
Manzé, North Melbourne
Manzé in North Melbourne is a celebration of Mauritian cuisine and cooking techniques. Nagesh Seethiah's seasonally based menu is an ode to childhood memories and a way to continue his family's connection to culture through food. The $80 short menu and the $105 full menu options are excellent ways to sample Mauritian dishes built around locally farmed and fished produce. One might start by snacking on sprouting broccoli fritters with hot sauce, or butterbeans with tiger prawns, before trying Manzé's market fish with roasted persimmon chutney or duck with pumpkin and mustard. Once you visit this charming, petite restaurant, you'll likely be back for more.
Cost: $80 or $105
Mamasita, CBD
Mamasita has held its own as one of Melbourne's most popular Mexican eateries since it opened in 2010. And it manages to keep things fresh and affordable to this very day. The $66 Taste of Mamasita menu will fill you up with some classic Mamasita bites that include guacamole with tortilla chips and pico de gallo, the famous sweet corn on the cob with chipotle mayo and queso, braised chicken flautas, brisket barbacoa and plenty of hand-pressed tortillas. The $88 Best of Mamasita menu takes it up a notch with tuna tartare tostadas, lime-cured ceviche, brisket tacos and chicken asado. Add a jug of sangria for the table, and you'll likely still keep the bill under $100 per person.
Cost: $66 and $88
Elio's Place, CBD
Elio's Place on Flinders Lane is a relatively new addition to the CBD dining scene, which offers all-day dining and a cosy reprieve from the hustle and bustle of the city. The Euro-leaning menu can be sampled with the $75 Classic or $95 Deluxe set menus. Expect the likes of fried pumpkin with hot honey, burrata with crispy chilli oil, pappardelle with white duck ragu, served alongside focaccia with miso butter, fries with aioli and farm leaves. We like that you can customise your set menu with clever add-ons such as oysters, potato rosti, desserts and cheese plates. The charming old-world aesthetics of the venue will make you want to stick around all day.
Cost: $75 or $95
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. It's set within a playful, minimalist space sporting futuristic elements and neon lights aplenty. The eatery embraces 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 menu is extensive, which is why we opt for the $70 set menu. Start with edamame and chirashi handrolls, snack on wagyu tartare and cauliflower karaage, fill up on chargrilled chicken and fried with seaweed salt, and finish with a black sesame parfait coated with matcha chocolate.
Cost: $70, $110, $150
Borsch Vodka and Tears, Windsor
Holding its own in the heart of Chapel Street since 2006, the team at Borsch, Vodka and Tears has proven they know their Polish food, strong spirits, and how to have a good time. Many come to sample Polish vodkas with a plate of pierogi chasers, but there is so much more to try from the hearty menu. And the set menus available here are some of the best deals going around. The $60 Premium Economy Flight menu comes with a cup of borsch, a basket of bread, pierogis and a cocktail. The $65 Business Class Flight menu includes additional sausages, cabbage rolls and salad. Just make sure you book ahead, as this small spot fills up quickly.
Cost: $60 and $65
Jean-Louis Carvalho
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 the early hours of the morning. The Bodega Underground menu is entirely gluten-free and boasts vegan options aplenty — the same goes for its set menus. The $69 feed me menu ($65 for veg or vegan) includes a generous selection of dishes such as corn chips with avocado and green pea guacamole, battered zucchini tacos, beef ribs with mole negra sauce and churros with dulce de leche. Or if you're looking for a bit of weekend fun, the $75 bottomless brunch includes five dishes with 90 minutes of cocktails.
Cost: $69, $65 and $75
Moonhouse, Balaclava
The Commune Group (of Tokyo Tina and Hanoi Hannah) embraces modern Chinese cuisine at their Balaclava venture, Moonhouse. We're fans of just about everything coming out of the kitchen here, so choosing from one of their set menus is a fantastic way to sample much of the menu. The Favourites menu is a steal with calamari, wontons and char siu pork, followed by crispy lemon chicken and kale fried rice. The Classic set adds a few extra dishes and apple sorbet with honeydew matcha for dessert. Or go for the $88 Premium option with tuna tartare, beef and black bean hotplate, prawn fried rice and chocolate fondant with red bean ice cream. There is even a vegan set menu available.
Cost: between $55 and $90
Yum Sing House, CBD
There's much 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 the good times rolling until the early hours. To experience the full package, the team has created a $60 set menu that includes one hour of karaoke on Wednesday and Thursday nights. Choose three entrees such as prawn toast, chicken wonton, and deep fried tofu, and one main from a selection of honey soy pork cutlet, fried Barramundi with sambal, and marinated mushrooms. Yum Sing House also offers generous $82 or $225 feed-me menus.
Cost: $82 and $115
Ben Moynihan
Cumulus Inc., CBD
Andrew McConnell is known for setting up some of the best restaurants and wine bars in Melbourne, and Cumulus Inc. is an old favourite. The $95 chef's selection set menu showcases Cumulus Inc.'s famous menu mainstays, such as the tuna tartare with goat's curd, green peas and mint and the slow-roasted lamb shoulder with almond and red pepper. Make sure you save some space for the Valrhona soft chocolate with Earl Grey, orange caramel and pistachio. Those wanting more McConnell set menus can nab one for $85 at Supernormal, $75 at Builder's Arms Hotel and $85 at Marion.
Cost: $95
Peter Tarasiuk
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 corn, Indian fried chicken, and blue cheese naan. The $75 set menu is an excellent way to taste the best that Daughter in Law has to offer. Start with a selection of street food snacks, including samosa chat and scallop crudo, before moving on to tandoori chicken and a selection of curries with papadum and naan. You will not leave hungry.
Cost: $75
Shu, Collingwood
Why should carnivores have all the degustation fun in Melbourne? At Collingwood's forward-thinking contemporary Chinese spot Shu, vegan Sichuan cuisine shines. The $95 ten-course vegan set menu celebrates classic dishes and locally sourced ingredients. The lack of animal products is more than made up for with creative ingredients found throughout the menu, such as wasabi leaf, seaweed caviar, black tahini, ginger pearls, and preserved mustard greens. For an even better deal, Shu offers unlimited yum cha on the weekends for $65.
Cost: $75 and $95
Nikki To
Lagoon Dining, Carlton
Lygon Street and its surrounds might once have been wall-to-wall, old-school Melbourne Italian joints, but a new wave of residents is slowly but surely shaking up the demographic. One of these is the relative newcomer, Lagoon Dining, with a menu grounded in Chinese culinary traditions. The $80 feed me menu is always evolving, but may include dishes such as pickled cucumbers with whipped tofu and chilli oil, fried chicken with tonkatsu sauce, salted fish fried rice or charcoal roasted char siu with hot mustard. Check out Lagoon Dining for your next night out.
Cost: $80