Eat Streets
Melbourne is considered by many to be the food capital of Australia. City and suburban restaurants are known for delicious food at fair prices and local residents demand nothing less. Many Melbourne precincts are associated with food. With so many cuisines on offer in this melting pot of cultures, it s often hard to know what you crave and the venues named on well meaning lists may not be to your taste, or cost prohibitive. In Melbourne most venues post their menus at the door, allowing you to see if the offering is to your taste and budget, making it easy to seek out something to appease the hunger pains. Check out the lanes and side streets off the main streets named, where often you may find even more venues.v The following are streets where restaurants of a certain kind can be found in plenty:Little Bourke Street: Chinese. Chinatown, on Little Bourke Street and now spreading out onto Russell Street in the CBD, offers numerous restaurants, mainly but not exclusively offering Cantonese cuisine, at the lower end offering Hong Kong-style noodle restaurants up to the Flower Drum, renowned for its Peking Duck and is generally regarded as Melbourne's best restaurant. Also groceries shops and stalls.
Lonsdale Street, City: Greek and Asian. Sumptuous seafood and chargrilled meat, dips, olives and fetta with wonderful coffee and Greek pastries are to be found in this Greek precinct of the CBD. For fabulous Greek restaurants try Swan Street, Richmond (east of Church Street). Southbank: cafes, modern Australian
New Quay, Docklands: trendy, mixed styles
Degraves Street: mixed styles
Federation Square: mixed styles
Hardware Lane: mixed styles
Lygon Street, Carlton: Lygon Street, in the inner-northern suburb of Carlton, offers a selection of mainly Italian-influenced food, served by cafes and restaurants.
Rathdowne Street, Carlton: Mid priced dining
Fitzroy Street, Acland Street, St Kilda: mixed cafes and restaurants, many specialising on seafood. Acland Street is famous for cakes and is just the spot for a bit of indulgence. Fitzroy Street features grand restored buildings, many of them now trading as cafes. Dine with a bay view at one of these restaurants.
Smith Street, Collingwood: Vegetarian, Moroccan, Middle Eastern and budget eateries
Brunswick Street/Gertrude Street/Smith Street, Fitzroy: Brunswick Street used to be a grungy hotbed of students, musicians, actors and the like, and still retains some remnant of that edginess with the presence of several live music venues, all manner of eclectic stores, accompanied by restaurants and cafes, many of which serve varied and contemporary menus. Even more alternative than Brunswick Street, Smith Street Fitzroy is known for its vegetarian, Moroccan, Middle Eastern and budget eateries. And the streetscape is a fantastic cultural mix.
Johnston Street, Fitzroy: Spanish. The annual Hispanic-Latin American Festival (November) makes a significant contribution to the vibrancy and richness of Melbourne s multicultural society, depicting cultural and artistic expression through dance, music, theatre, film, sport, visual arts, and cuisine.
Chapel Street and Toorak Road, South Yarra: Chapel Street, south of the city, is a popular destination for fashionable clothes shopping, eating and entertainment. The long street contains commercial areas providing goods and services for local residents. Chapel Street intersects with Toorak Road, itself offering entertainment, food and shops. Many restaurants and cafes and a wide range of cuisines
Victoria Street, Abbotsford/Richmond: Vietnamese, Asian (Little Saigon)
Swan Street, Richmond (east of Church Street): Greek and casual dining
Bay Street/Beach Street/Rouse Street, Port Melbourne: casual dining
Bridport Street/Victoria Avenue, Albert Park: casual dining
Lygon Street in East Brunswick: Cheap Eats
Sydney Road, Brunswick: North African/Middle Eastern
Glenferrie Road, Malvern: east of the city in inner suburban Malvern, Glenferrie Road has a wide mix of different cuisines including Indian, Malaysian, Thai and Japanese. The street intersects with High Street in Armadale which also has a mix of antique shops, cafes and restaurants.
Glenhuntly Road, Elsternwick: south east of the city in inner suburban Elsternwick, Glenhuntly Road is a busy strip that offers a wide range of different restaurant cuisines including Chinese, Malaysian Indian, Thai, and some Middle Eastern cuisines.
Nelson Place, Williamstown: Nelson Place faces the water in Williamstown, and is especially popular for lazy weekend breakfasts and lunches. There are restaurants and cafes featuring the usual range of cuisines, and footpath tables outside many of the establishments.
Anderson Street/Ballarat Street, Yarraville
Bay Street/Church Street, Brighton
Blackburn Road, Syndal: Asian and more
Glenferrie Road/Burwood Road, Hawthorn
Glenhuntly Road in Elsternwick: Eastern European and more
Glenhuntly Road/Ormond Road, Elwood
Hampton Street, Hampton
Kingsway/Coleman Pde/Springvale Road in Glen Waverley: Eastern & Western
Station Street/Whitehorse Rd/Carrington Road, Box Hill: Pan Asian Cheap Eats
