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Eating and drinking
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Melbourne is Australia's premier city for
eating out
. Sydney may be more stylish and Adelaide cheaper, but Melbourne has the best food and the widest choice of it, almost all exceptionally good value. In March each year, the city celebrates its pre-eminence with a
Food and Wine Festival
, in which the distinct ethnic areas host culinary street parties. In the
city centre
, Greek cafAŠs line Lonsdale Street between Swanston and Russell streets, while Little Bourke Street is the home of Chinatown. Lygon Street, in inner-city
Carlton
, is just one of many pockets across the city with a concentration of Italian restaurants. Johnston Street in
Fitzroy
is the Spanish strip, while nearby up-and-coming Smith Street and arty Brunswick Street both have a huge variety of international cuisines and smart cafAŠs. Greek restaurants fill Swan Street in inner-city
Richmond
, and Vietnamese places dominate Victoria Street. Fitzroy and
St Kilda
, another gastronomically mixed bag, are the centres of cafAŠ society; St Kilda also has great restaurants, bakeries and delis, as does Jewish
Balaclava
.
Most of Melbourne's restaurants are BYO, and even the licensed ones generally allow you to bring your own drink - though check first, and note that a corkage fee ($1-2 per person) often applies. If you're going to be around for a while,
The Age Cheap Eats in Melbourne
and its more upmarket companion,
The Age Good Food Guide
, are worthwhile investments, as is
The Age Good Bar Guide
. Other useful information
for tourists (each section contains more specific sub-sections): |
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Australia,
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