20 banging BYO restaurants from the Good Food Guide

Sure, BYO may not be as common as it once was in Victoria, but there are still plenty of restaurants happy to open your favourite bottle for you. Heck, even award-winning wine bars are getting in on the action.

These 20 venues from The Age Good Food Guide 2026 span hatted institutions with staff who know how to decant an aged nebbiolo, restaurants with no wine list of their own, and wallet-friendly spots best suited to a group. All are recommended by our reviewers, who visited independently and anonymously. Plus we’ve checked out when (and what) you can BYO, and any corkage fees.

If you need more inspiration for your next night out, you’ll find it on the Good Food app. The app is free for premium subscribers to The Age, or available as a standalone subscription. You can download the Good Food app here.

Bistra, Carlton

Bistra isn’t reinventing the bistro – and that’s the point. It plays the hits with quiet confidence: Merimbula oysters, mild chicken liver pate, fluffy spinach and ricotta dumplings bathed in sage butter.

BYO details: Fri-Sun lunch & Mon dinner, $30 per bottle, wine only

157 Elgin Street, Carlton, bistracarlton.com.au

Indochine, Box Hill

There’s a quiet confidence to this humble outfit, serving gnarled Hanoi-style spring rolls, slippery banh cuon rice noodles and other Vietnamese benchmarks for more than three decades.

BYO details: Every service, $15 per bottle, wine only.

51 Carrington Road, Box Hill, indochinemelbourne.com.au

Osteria Ilaria, city

Finger lime twinkles among dark strands of squid ink spaghetti with scallop, and ocean trout crudo pops with samphire and lemon myrtle. There’s new-school cooking at this svelte tunnel of a restaurant, yes, but it’s tempered by old-school hospitality from start to finish.

BYO details: Every service, $50 per bottle, wine only. Diners encouraged to purchase a bottle from the list for each bottle they bring.

367 Little Bourke Street, Melbourne, osteriailaria.com

Yeonga, North Melbourne

It’s all about Korean barbecue at this long-standing spot, and boy does that smoky flavour sear itself into your memory. Buttery wagyu, finely sliced brisket, ample sides and salad - it’s a stayer for a reason.

BYO details: Every service, $12 per bottle, wine only

1 Cobden Street, North Melbourne, yeongabbq.com.au

Tulum, Balaclava

Chef Coskun Uysal’s love letter to Turkey is written with equal respect given to tradition and innovation. A suite of mezze might feature lentil kofte alive with mint and pomegranate, while su boregi (water borek) demonstrates the excellence possible at the softer end of the borek spectrum.

BYO details: Tue-Thu, $25 per bottle, wine only

217 Carlisle St, Balaclava, tulumrestaurant.com.au

Lee Ho Fook, city

Lee Ho Fook means good fortune for the mouth. Let brilliant chef Victor Liong drop a goldmine in yours, whether it’s crisp-edged prawn toast topped with sea urchin, or the signature red-spiced vinegar eggplant: sticky, sweet, shattery.

BYO details: Every service; Mon-Wed no corkage, Thu-Sat $80 per bottle; wine only

11-15 Duckboard Place, Melbourne, leehofook.com.au

France-Soir, South Yarra

Melbourne’s defining bistro is as thrilling as ever. A chorus line of waiters know exactly how to work the room, as diners dip fries into a boat of bearnaise sauce, shatter the top of creme brulee and call for another glass.

BYO details: Mon-Wed lunch, no corkage, wine only

11 Toorak Road, South Yarra, france-soir.com.au

Carlton Wine Room, Carlton

After all these years, tables in every nook and cranny are packed with perky diners, even midweek. Most will order the eye-catching anchovy toast, but you might start with a delicate bite of brik pastry topped with a jumble of pearl mushroom, or a crunchy corn tostada carrying melt-in-your-mouth scallops.

BYO details: Mon only, $25 per bottle of wine, other alcohol permitted at the venue’s discretion (check in advance).

172-174 Faraday Street, Carlton, thecarltonwineroom.com.au

The Woodhouse, Bendigo

This moodily lit room channels drama, but it’s nothing compared to the heavy-duty grill overseen by an orderly army of kitchen staff. They’re handling cuts of beef of all weights and ages, grass-fed and grain-fed, wagyu and otherwise. But the team knows how to grill more than just steaks. Give the menu a nudge.

BYO details: Every service, $35 per standard 750ml bottle, larger bottles priced at the venue’s discretion, wine only

101 Williamson Street, Bendigo, thewoodhouse.com.au

Nihao Kitchen, Kew

Nihao’s menu is immense: a 30-page document, covering China from north to south. Highlights include spiced shredded chicken, XO pipis, and the pre-order pipa duck. But follow the wise counsel of highly attuned waiters and it’s impossible to go wrong.

BYO details: Every service; $3.50 per person, beer, wine and spirits

298-300 High Street, Kew, nihao-kitchen.space

Oriental Impression Grill, Richmond

You can practically hear the roaring conversation and clinking beer bottles before stepping inside. Welcome to the cumin- chilli- and garlic-forward world of chuan’r, where you order barbecued meat and seafood skewers from a piece of paper. Bring a hungry crew and definitely book – it’s usually packed.

BYO details: Every service, $6 per bottle, wine and spirits only

370 Victoria Street, Richmond, 03 9429 8883

Potluck, Caulfield

Owner Esther Sun built this place around fond memories of family potluck dinners. Various strands of culture and cuisine shine through her Chinese-ish menu, as does her time working in Japanese joints. Come for the dumplings and prawn toast; stay for the cosy atmosphere.

BYO details: Every service, $5 per person,wine, beer and soju

829 Glen Huntly Road, Caulfield, potluckdining.com.au

Bar Lourinha, city

Every table – from theatre-goers to mid-week lunchers – is here for the easygoing Iberian charm. It’s a bonus when flame-licked beef brisket skewers arrive with a nutty romesco sauce, or golden corn croquettes with smoked chilli.

BYO details: Mon only, $25 per bottle, wine only

37 Little Collins Street, Melbourne, barlourinha.com.au

The Recreation, Fitzroy North

This good-looking gastropub has a standout wine list, but the team’s open to you bringing something of your own to go with the assured bistro menu. Pig’s head croquettes are enriched by sauce gribiche, while even plumper rabbit tortellini take a Gallic slant in a heady thyme broth.

BYO details: Sun-Thu, $30 per bottle of wine. Sake and cider permitted at the venue’s discretion (check in advance)

162-170 Queens Parade, Fitzroy North, the-recreation.com

M Yong Tofu, Flemington

This is an address to know for Chinese-Malaysian showstoppers. Yum ring chicken, stir-fried in a sticky sauce, is ladled over a circular basket of fried taro. Jiggly egg tofu is lightly seasoned with soy and topped with dried shrimp. And the namesake yong tofu is a choose-your-own-adventure noodle soup that always garners a lunchtime rush.

BYO details: Every service, $2 per person for wine, no corkage for beer, spirits priced at the venue’s discretion

314 Racecourse Road, Flemington, 03 9376 0168

Bansho, Armadale

You want sushi, your opposite prefers French. This inviting spot will satisfy you both. Choose a single, creative piece of sushi, or go for gnocchi Parisienne balancing sweet and savoury with pumpkin and gruyere. Somehow, it works.

BYO details: Tue-Thu, $25 per bottle of wine. Other alcohol permitted at the venue’s discretion (check in advance)

960 High Street, Armadale, banshodining.com

Scopri, Carlton

Regulars get their plump, simply cooked flounder expertly deboned, accompanied by friendly banter about vintages or victories. Capretto rustico – bone-in goat braised in white wine – is unshakeable, but the kitchen’s creative spirit shines in the long list of specials.

BYO details: Every service, $30 per bottle, wine only

191 Nicholson Street, Carlton, scopri.com.au

Supreme J Kitchen, Balwyn

The tables are packed tight here, fragrant with exemplary Cantonese cooking and drenched in blinding light. Clay pots contain all manner of umami: clam meat, minced pork and fried tofu. Deep-fried king prawns with imperial kung-po sauce are everywhere you look, their thick, sweet ‘n’ sour batter creating a lasting sensory memory.

BYO details: Every service, $12 per bottle of wine, $15 per bottle of spirits, wine and spirits only

198 Whitehorse Road, Balwyn, supremejkitchen.com

Ides, Collingwood

This defining fine diner recently went a la carte-mode after a decade-plus of degustations. Now’s the time to pop in for sake-steamed pipis, perhaps, or fall-apart lamb neck on an earthenware plate, followed by blueberry and cream cheese tart.

BYO details: Every service, $50 per bottle of wine, other drinks priced at the venue’s discretion

92 Smith Street, Collingwood, idesmelbourne.com.au

Afghan Hayat, Dandenong

A palatial display of carpets, intricate embroidery and paintings surrounds diners. Smoke permeates a trio of kebabs atop fluffy flatbread, the minced lamb skewer flecked with coriander leaves. Rice dishes are proudly showcased, including Kabuli pulao with a lush topping of caramelised carrots and raisins.

BYO details: Every service, no corkage, all alcohol

23-29 Walker Street, Dandenong, afghanhayatrestaurant.com.au