These are our picks of the best restaurants in Victoria in 2026

Chef-owner Tom Sarafian’s debut restaurant puts the joy of dining on full-throated display, with energetic service, a bustling room and full-length bar. Sarafian’s impeccable food delivers thrills from chicken skewers with toum and pickled green chillies to signature hummus with prawns and crab, while the arak-spiked Martini is unmissable. All killer, no filler from our 2026 Restaurant of the Year.

An 18-course dégustation might seem overwhelming, but in the hands of chef Clinton McIver and his talented kitchen team, it’s more wonder than endurance. A calming, comfortably upholstered room and impressive service set the tone, while Australian ingredients – green ants, marron, finger lime and macadamia – combine in surprising, thoroughly satisfying ways.

There’s special magic in this simple shopfront restaurant, where Thi Le and Jia-Yen Lee’s modern Vietnamese diner delivers bright flavours and startling originality. The minimalist room amplifies Le’s finessed technique, boundless imagination and impressive elbow grease, from house-made fish sauce to onion tarte Tatin bright with pho spices and Thai basil. Maximum satisfaction.

Chef Simone Watts takes full advantage of the location at this serene, light-filled restaurant on a 405-hectare Mornington Peninsula estate. A thriving market garden puts vegetables and ferments centre stage on the finessed-rustic degustation menu, alongside sustainable proteins. Creative cooking and a consciously languid pace make for a wonderfully immersive experience.

Bistra’s retro-classic style, modern bistro attitude and serious hospo cred make it one of Melbourne’s must-dos. Chef John Paul Twomey delivers a classic Euro-bistro menu, from nettle and ricotta dumplings to poached trout, steak frites and baked scallops. A superb Australian and European wine list, classic cocktails and confident service complete the appeal.

Brae has been championing Dan Hunter’s singular vision of seasonal-regional dining in a stylishly renovated farmhouse surrounded by a massive produce garden since 2013. Exceptional service, a superb drinks list and benchmark accommodation add to the experience, but most impressive is Hunter’s ongoing creativity across dozen-plus-course tasting menus that sculpt a delicious picture of the region.

A leafy backstreet location, warmly minimal 20-seat dining room and charming, efficient service explain why bookings at Carnation can be hard to come by. Architect-turned-chef Audrey Shaw’s weekly changing menu showcases strictly seasonal ingredients with pinpoint accuracy, while precision Martinis, grower Champagne and well-priced house wine add to the restaurant’s magnetic allure.

This destination diner proves how French provincial cooking translates beyond France, taking full advantage of the region’s wine and artisan produce. Chef Louis Naepels works his magic across a seasonally sensitive six-course table d’hôte menu, while interesting wine matches, house ferments and charming service from Naepels’s partner Tess Murray ensure a truly memorable lunch.

Rinaldo Di Stasio and Mallory Wall embrace dining as a feast for the senses at their Carlton outpost. Every detail is considered, from Italo-chic uniforms and wall-sized Reko Rennie artwork to the gorgeous courtyard and fabulous Martinis. The food matches the mood, from Neapolitan-style pizze and textbook carbonara to fior di latte gelato with olive oil.

The ubiquity of lo-fi wines from small producers and kitchens embracing fire and ferments on Melbourne’s restaurant landscape can be traced back to Embla. Owners Dave Verheul and Christian McCabe pioneered this style of dining locally, pairing wine-friendly dishes with a darkly glamorous room lit by flickers from the open wood-fired kitchen. Unfailingly charismatic and alluring.

Etta is the small neighbourhood diner dreams are made of, equally suited to a quick cocktail and snack at the marble bar or a full-scale assault on chef Lorcán Kan’s delicious, inventive menu. Owner Hannah Green’s deft wine list works in lockstep with Kan’s robust flavours, while gracious service ensures everyone feels like a local.

How does a 50-year-old institution maintain its currency? Flower Drum is an ideal case study. This Cantonese temple combines fastidiously excellent ingredients and cooking with brilliant service and a lavish dining room. Even dishes that have graced the menu for decades maintain a spring in their step, while the glamorous bar confirms Flower Drum continues to evolve.

Seasoned Melbourne diners may disagree on their favourite Andrew McConnell restaurant, but Gimlet – co-owned with Jo McGann – always places high on every list. The theatrical dining room, focused and personable service, superb wine list and precise cooking, from salsify and truffle tart to a 900-gram char-grilled T-bone, explain Gimlet’s fervent fanbase.

Small is both beautiful and delicious at this eight-seat restaurant on Melbourne’s urban fringe, where owner-chef Zoe Birch’s “hyper” commitment to local, seasonal and sustainable produce meets a fervour for great flavour and texture. Across 12-ish courses, flathead, mushrooms, cheese and kangaroo arrive as elegantly rustic flavour bombs. A unique, satisfying experience.

From the folks behind Tipo 00 and Figlia, Harriot is a handsome, modern Euro-style bistro that leans French but enjoys a little wanderlust. Head chef James Kelly’s crowd-pleasing menu pairs luxurious ingredients with skill and panache, while similar finesse is apparent in the low-key luxe room and on-theme wine list. A quietly brilliant achiever.

Night owls are rejoicing that Kafeneion, Con Christopoulos’s Greek diner, now serves comforting, soul-satisfying dishes until 4am five nights a week. Crisp-fried sweetbreads, ouzo-cured kingfish and slow-cooked, olive oil-forward dishes like pork with lemon and chickpeas deliver next-level comfort food, backed by excellent service, Hellenic wines and an urbane buzz.

While Chinese cuisine is the bedrock of Lagoon’s personality, chef and co-owner Keat Lee is unafraid to cross borders. Bright, clean-lined dishes like salted fish fried rice, hot and sour potatoes and charcoal-roasted char siu draw on Malaysia and Japan, while excellent service, a casually sophisticated room and calibrated wine and cocktail lists complete the experience.

Where would regional dining in Victoria be without Lake House? Pioneering regional-seasonal cooking, it paved the way for countless others while continuing to evolve with its core philosophy and brilliant hospitality intact. Its own farm supplies much of the produce, cooked with influences from around the world. A comprehensive wine list and casually luxurious room seal the deal.

Marmelo’s Portuguese influence is front and centre but, in the hands of Ross and Sunny Lusted, it’s theme rather than theme park. The handsome dining room nods to Portugal without cliché, while the menu marries Portuguese cuisine with Australian ingredients, from seafood-rich arroz de marisco to pork with pickled quince and burnt orange. An excellent Iberian-Australian wine list rounds out the experience.

Minamishima’s moodily lit, monochrome spaces provide the perfect screen for chef Koichi Minamishima’s brilliant 18-course omakase. Edomae-style sushi and composed Japanese dishes, from uni chawanmushi to caviar nigiri topped with silver leaf, are dazzling. Pole position is at the timber sushi bar, where the chef’s art and sommelier Randolph Cheung’s sake pairings can be enjoyed up close.

Arrive early at Navi for a pre-dinner cocktail in the Lounge, where inventive drinks are a drum roll for things to come. Chef Julian Hills’s multi-course tasting menu is a thrilling display of original creativity, often told through native ingredients. Kangaroo, wattleseed, green ants and bug meat feature, with considered service and an extensive wine list.

Looking for the culinary equivalent of “go your own way”? Set the GPS for Beaconsfield, where brothers Blayne Bertoncello (chef) and Chayse (sommelier) have created something truly unique. Four- or seven-course menus draw on produce from O.My’s extensive garden, while an adventurous small-producer wine list adds to the sanctuary-like appeal.

Since opening in a gold rush-era banking chamber in 2009, Provenance has evolved with owner-chef Michael Ryan’s changing passions. A Japanophile, Ryan serves a kaiseki-style tasting menu of small dishes, perhaps yakiniku kangaroo, chestnut soup with kombu oil or mushroom tofu. Snacks and Beechworth Bitters offer further adventures.

This love letter to Rome’s style and cuisine has swiftly won Melbourne diners’ hearts. Swoon-worthy design, vintage Italian light fittings and Ginori crockery impress before the first pour of Lazio wine or bite of trippa alla Romana. Chef Matt Wilkinson’s extensive menu spans caviar, supplì, exquisite pasta, meat, fish and vegetables, served by seasoned waiters.

Saadi is a deftly calibrated addition to Melbourne’s wave of contemporary Indian restaurants, balancing clever ideas, satisfying heat, woodsmoke and vibrant pickling. Chef-owners Saavni Krishnan and Aditya Suresh, awarded our 2026 Best New Talent, draw on multiple Indian regions across set menus and à la carte dishes, with on-theme cocktails, wine and sake matching the food’s vibrant flavours.

Glitz, glamour, a 10,000-bottle cellar and luxe ingredients from lobster to truffles make Society no place for the faint of pocket. Yet its opulent room and four-figure Burgundy come with an admirably relaxed vibe. The menu is Europe’s greatest hits gone glam, from abalone risotto to char-grilled steaks and caviar-laden everything. Expensive? Sure. Memorable? Absolutely.

Surrounded by its own biodynamic garden and vineyard, with a massive wood-fired hearth on display, Tedesca wears its philosophy on its sleeve. Chef Brigitte Hafner’s five-course menus embrace osteria traditions and the seasons, with dishes like pine needle-smoked oysters and rock flathead with nettle sauce. Superb wines and impeccable service reinforce its reputation as one of Australia’s finest.

Amid Melbourne’s noisy dining scene, Yiaga, inside the heritage Fitzroy Gardens, is a hushed haven. Chef-owner Hugh Allen creates calm, crafted dishes, from macadamia and coconut purée with caviar to Victorian squid with desert lime. An exceptional Australian beverage pairing, including a daily chef-made non-alcoholic option, adds another dimension to our 2026 Best New Restaurant winner.