Source : the age
Hearty stews from Ethiopia, Iran and beyond. Rustic Greek cooking at a CBD hideaway. Crunchy, thrice-fried potato cakes at a cosy wine bar. These spots were hand-picked by The Age Good Food Guide 2026 critics for their unrivalled warmth, snug surrounds and comfort cooking. From hatted diners to humble institutions, choose your own adventure for banishing winter’s chills.
Ras Dashen
The air hangs thick with frankincense at this Critics’ Pick-listed Ethiopian mainstay, a citywide standout for its dazzling depth of flavour and warmth of service. Arrive with willing hands, an empty stomach and good company – all essential for Ras Dashen’s communal fare – and prepare for an embarrassment of shared stews and flatbreads begging to be ripped and dipped. Injera, Ethiopia’s spongy fermented bread, doubles as plate and tangy mediator for the riches it clasps. Plunge it into stewed dishes known as wats and sauteed dishes known as tibs. If he’s got any around, sip owner Wondimu Alemu’s excellent tej: a sticky elixir reminiscent of mead.
247 Barkly Street, Footscray, orders.wowapps.com/order/rasdashen
Boon Choou
In Thailand, every region has its specialty dishes, every household has its variations, every street corner has something new to discover. And at long last, a greater spectrum of all that is available in Melbourne. Boon Choou is focused on family cooking, introducing dishes that may be unfamiliar to some diners but intensely nostalgic for others. The warming khao soi might be Melbourne’s best rendition of this curry chicken noodle soup, dispatched from an open kitchen in a pretty heritage building with exposed brick walls and green banquettes. With such a rich menu, this spot is worthy of repeat visits.
11 Heffernan Lane, Melbourne, boonchoou.com
Bear’s Wine Bar
The ye olde shopfront, warm lighting and red brick walls invite you in; the thrice-cooked golden potato cakes with creme fraiche keep you there. Being a wine bar, “dinner” at Bear’s will be a series of snacky share plates, but they’re all bangers. Intersperse them with half-sized margaritas, “petit-gronis”, or perhaps a marsanne from an Aussie winemaker. Cabbage becomes exciting once barbecued, while prawn toast is reimagined on a crumpet bolstered by sweet spanner crab. Find yourself yearning for simpler, kinder times? Pull up a stool and don’t leave without a deep-fried Tim Tam.
502 Queensberry Street, North Melbourne, bearswinebar.com.au
Kitchen 55
Walking into this Critics’ Pick-listed venue feels like being invited into a family’s passion project, and that’s because it is one. Persian disco bubbles behind conversations of local diners in the know, while attentive waitstaff guide you through the menu with a smile and modest pride. The menu shifts with the seasons but slow-cooked meat atop fragrant herbed rice is a focus. Desserts continue the theme of subtle balanced spices, while mains rotate each night of the week, giving you plenty of reasons to return.
28 Newmans Road, Templestowe, kitchen55melbourne.com
Kafeneion
When the now-hatted Kafenieon landed briefly on Bourke Street it was an instant classic. Now that it’s settled in the Supper Club site, it feels just as essentially Melbourne. Most of the previous decor remains (including an incongruous but delightfully retro Four ‘n’ Twenty blackboard) but the menu is now a masterclass in rustic Greek cooking. Service has improved since the pop-up days but, thankfully, is just as unfussy as this soul-nourishing food. Opt for the still-generous half-serves of mains so you can squeeze in dessert, such as filo and orange syrup cake.
First Floor/161 Spring Street, Melbourne, kafeneion.com.au
Circl
Melbourne is no stranger to the wine bar, but this self-described “wine house” raises the stakes with its immaculate, timber-lined dining room, a drinks list the size of War and Peace, and a Coravin pouring system unlocking the higher player levels for everyday drinkers. A band of sommeliers share their enthusiasm across 125 pages of international liquid excellence. Contemporary but with obvious classical roots, dishes are just as comfortable with the Old World as the new wave. Glowing warmly at the end of a city laneway, it’s a must-know spot for those expanding their eating and drinking horizons.
22 Punch Lane, Melbourne, circlwinehouse.com.au
Tulum
Chef Coskun Uysal’s love letter to Turkiye is written with equal respect to tradition and innovation. Candlelight flickers over the dining room’s rough brick walls and glossy turquoise tiling while, in the kitchen, classic Turkish dishes are spun into a menu of contemporary intrigue. A suite of mezze might feature lentil kofte alive with mint and pomegranate, or whipped ezine cheese and verdant chive oil. Star-shaped beef manti, Turkiye’s cute-as-a-button micro dumplings, twinkle in buttermilk and mint. Add in a Turkish wine pairing or find excellent value in the sofra, a set-menu feast.
217 Carlisle Street, Balaclava, tulumrestaurant.com.au
Greasy Zoes
The food in this intimate, two-hatted dining room has a distinctive savour that resonates throughout the 12-course set menu. It’s the taste of creativity, grit and daring. Zoe Birch and Lachlan Gardner have built the restaurant on their terms, sourcing drinks and produce from small, sustainable suppliers for 32 guests a week. Gardner manages front-of-house, serving plates, pouring wines and spinning vinyl. Meanwhile, Birch tends the fire and prepares every dish that comes from it. Bookings for the next month open at 9am on the first day of the month.
Shop 3, 850 Heidelberg-Kinglake Road, Hurstbridge, greasyzoes.com.au
Bar Thyme
Melbourne isn’t short on shopfront wine bars, but Bar Thyme is an outlier on a strip of mostly low-key eateries. Perch by the record player at the bar for a well-made cocktail, or occupy a four-top for table service. Owner Howard Stamp works the room, pouring wines from a natural-leaning list and delivering chickpea panisse with fried sage, brittle-skinned barramundi on herbed risotto, and rare lamb rump lifted by redcurrant jus. Crustless frangipane tart is akin to the venue itself: a warm, golden delight.
227 Barkly Street, Footscray, barthyme.com.au
Norma
Plying the traditions of owner Benjamin Tremblet’s French-Italian upbringing, Norma’s menu delivers a beef bourguignon – its red wine sauce rich with lardons – that would make Julia Child ask for seconds. Occasional fine-dining flourishes are smoothly integrated: a crisp parmesan lid must be cracked through to reach the cumulus-light gnocchi in a pool of cacio e pepe sauce below. Tremblet’s own French family vineyard is represented on the simpatico wine list. Decked out with farmhouse tchotchkes and nostalgic artwork, it’s a restaurant to nourish body and soul.
197 Smith Street, Fitzroy, normafitzroy.au
