Melbourne's 50 Most Popular Restaurants of 2016
Catch up on the year's most buzzed-about establishments.
Eating and drinking in Melbourne is a bountiful escapade, with inventive, bold new restaurants taking over the city's rooftops, waterfronts, main streets and laneways with innovative design and groundbreaking menus alike. This year, these were the restaurants you kept searching for, the most popular on Concrete Playground (even if they weren't brand new). Catch up on the establishments Melburnians can't stop asking for tables at.
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Restaurant
Spring and Summer - CLOSED
192 Barkly Street, St Kilda
An ex-Chin Chin chef opens a St Kilda restaurant for all seasons.
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Restaurant
Astroluxe
303 Chesterville Road, Bentleigh East
Breakfast luxury arrives in Bentleigh East.
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Restaurant
Long Story Short - CLOSED
40 Crockford Street , Port Melbourne
Three words: Tim Tam pancakes.
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Restaurant
Mukka, Fitzroy
365 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy
Meet Brunswick Street's Indian restaurant that's packing a real punch.
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Restaurant
Meletos
12 Saint Huberts Road, Coldstream
Dine on premium Modern European dishes with panoramic views of Victoria’s wine region.
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Restaurant
Kumo
152 Lygon Street, East Brunswick
Izakaya-style dining at the Brunswick end of a worldly Lygon Street.
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Restaurant
Royal Stacks - CLOSED
470 Collins Street, Melbourne
An American-style burger joint with a frozen custard machine.
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Restaurant
Noom Duck
9 Waterfront Place, Port Melbourne
An ex-Chin Chin chef is cooking Asian fusion and seafood by the water in Port Melbourne.
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Restaurant
Tetsujin
Emporium, Level 4, 295 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne
Emporium's new sushi train and barbecue has a little something for every taste.
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Restaurant
Skipping Girl Take Away - CLOSED
70 William Street, Abbotsford
Old-school burgers, milkshakes and some epic triple-cooked chips.
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Restaurant
Tim Ho Wan
206 Bourke Street, Melbourne
The world’s cheapest Michelin-starred restaurant has landed on Bourke Street.
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Restaurant
Minamishima
4 Lord Street, Richmond
Down a narrow street just off Bridge Road, there is a quiet oasis of calm — and an incredible omakase journey to be taken.
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Restaurant
George Jones
15 Pascoe Street, Pascoe Vale
A polished all-day eatery not previously seen in the Pascoe Vale area.
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Restaurant
Lot 3 - CLOSED
3 Glen Eira Avenue, Melbourne
Don’t underestimate the dishes at this small station-side spot.
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Restaurant
Kines
11 Hope Street, Brunswick
This Brunswick espresso bar is serving up more than just great coffee.
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Restaurant
The Journal Cafe
253 Flinders Lane, Melbourne
A reliable Flinders Lane cafe that's open late each night.
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Restaurant
Little Big Sugar Salt - CLOSED
385 Victoria Street, Abbotsford
A cafe taking the guess work out of ordering.
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Restaurant
Ichi Ichi Ku Izakaya - CLOSED
119 Park Street, South Yarra
Quality Japanese food, without the monstrous bill.
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Restaurant
Operator25
25 Wills Street, Melbourne
Breakfast, brunch or lunch — no matter how you operate.
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Restaurant
Tokyo Tina
66A Chapel Street, Windsor
The third sister has been born, and she brings a Japanese edge to the family.
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Restaurant
Lost Heaven - CLOSED
Level 2, 206 Bourke Street, Melbourne
A light and bright piece of Sichuan utopia.
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Restaurant
Cumulus Inc.
45 Flinders Lane, Melbourne
A sensory dream of outstanding food and beautiful design.
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Restaurant
Motorhome Majestic - CLOSED
238 Union Road, Ascot Vale
Melbourne's burger kings have driven their buns out west.
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Restaurant
The Baths Middle Brighton
Middle Brighton Baths, 251 Esplanade, Brighton
Fantastic fine dining paired with floor-to-ceiling views over the bay.
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Restaurant
Bowery To Williamsburg
16 Oliver Lane, Melbourne
A taste of the USA with bagels, cronuts and some killer sandwiches.
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Restaurant
Kitty Burns - CLOSED
24 Acacia Place, Abbotsford
This Abbotsford cafe boasts riverside charm, ample outdoor seating and a vast selection of beverages and brilliant food.
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Restaurant
Sezar
6 Melbourne Place, Melbourne
A CBD restaurant championing contemporary Armenian food.
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Restaurant
Cibi
39 Keele Street, Collingwood
Love the food at this Collingwood cafe? Buy the cookbook and recreate such dishes at home. Equally enamoured by the plate it was served on? Those are for sale, too. Even the chair you sit on could have a price tag underneath it. Synergy is in full swing here.
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Restaurant
Mama's Buoi - CLOSED
Melbourne GPO, 350 Bourke Street, Melbourne
Satisfy your Vietnam-eeds with this cheap and casual offering from the Roll'd crew.
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Restaurant
Higher Ground
650 Little Bourke Street, Melbourne
The mammoth CBD cafe was an instant classic and remains a beauty.
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Restaurant
Manchester Press
8 Rankins Lane, Melbourne
Typically Melbourne, unpretentiously awesome (with bagels).
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Restaurant
Aunty Franklee - CLOSED
205-207 Russell Street, Melbourne
Contemporary, affordable Malaysian food in an unassuming CBD location.
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Restaurant
Empire Steak - CLOSED
61 Little Collins Street, Melbourne
Melbourne's own steak sandwich-dedicated eatery.
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Restaurant
St Cloud Eating House
644 Burwood Road, Hawthorn East
There’s more than just a silver lining on this cloud.
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Restaurant
Tenpin Kitchen - CLOSED
67 Beach Street, Port Melbourne
This restaurant's game is punchy and practiced.
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Restaurant
Lankan Tucker
486 Albion Street, Brunswick West
This Brunswick West cafe proves there’s much more to Sri Lankan food than just rice and curry.
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Restaurant
Austin's @ Mount Erica Hotel - CLOSED
420 High Street, Prahran
A new kitchen, an old hotel and an ex-MoVida chef.
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Restaurant
Santoni
634 Glenferrie Road, Hawthorn
The Hawthorn pizza bar now does breakfast — and with panoramic views to boot.
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Restaurant
Mörk Chocolate Brew House
150 Errol Street, North Melbourne
It's a sensory explosion of smoke and spritz at Mörk's Chocolate Brew House.
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Restaurant
Punchbowl Canteen - CLOSED
1 Fennell Street, Port Melbourne
A Port Melbourne cafe with its own wood fire oven.
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Restaurant
Mammoth
736 Malvern Road, Armadale
Melbourne's latest brunch darling takes the concept of cafe food to new heights.
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Restaurant
Rock Sugar
477 Malvern Road, South Yarra
One of Melbourne's best Thai chefs comes to the kitchen at this sweet South Yarra spot.
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Restaurant
Sartoria
115 Plenty Road, Preston
Housed in a former dressmaking workshop, this Preston café now showcases a more edible kind of handiwork.