Wine bars
Eight new bars to try, from a secret rooftop to a pub in an old train station
There’s also a Thai cocktail bar hidden above a laneway restaurant, two cosy new spots for Abbotsford locals and a massive beer garden in Melbourne’s south-east.
- Tomas Telegramma
Carnation Canteen’s new bar – in the original Gerald’s site – is already a neighbourhood hotspot
Audrey Shaw knew the Rathdowne Street site came with big shoes to fill. She’s honoured its iconic history with a respectful, yet (mostly) fresh perspective.
- Tomas Telegramma
A new Middle Eastern wine bar in Martin Place is serving Egyptian steak frites
Former Chef of the Year Paul Farag opens a sibling venue to his two-hatted Aalia, where Middle Eastern bar snacks reign supreme.
- Erina Starkey
Brilliant new basement wine spot is the rumpus room of your adult dreams
By late January it will carry 1200 cuvees, ranging from $25 quaffers to $5000 wallet breakers. Take a look inside this inventive Newstead newcomer.
- Matt Shea
Eight long-running Melbourne restaurants spill on their highs, lows and famous diners
From cooking for Serena Williams to waking up to a flooded restaurant, the people behind landmark venues look back at moments that made them.
- Emma Breheny and Ardyn Bernoth
Why this award-winning St Kilda bar has suddenly closed
Six weeks after winning a Good Food Guide award, a bar loved by locals for breathing new life into St Kilda’s nightlife scene has closed, perhaps for good.
- Dani Valent and Emma Breheny
- Exclusive
- Just open
First look: Melbourne’s grandest new restaurant is full of surprises
Revealing gorgeous features long hidden within a city building, the dining room also comes from an unexpected operator. And there’s a clubby bar downstairs.
- Tomas Telegramma
Two-sip martinis, chic snacks, Friday bargains: Melbourne’s 13 best happy hours
Raise a glass this spring without draining your wallet. We have $3 oysters, $5 tacos, $9 mini martinis and $15 Moet all around Melbourne.
- Daniela Frangos
Former Bar of the Year Double Deuce Lounge to close on Bridge St as Friday drinks fizzle
“It hasn’t been the same since COVID,” says one operator as other venues also exit the northern CBD precinct.
- Scott Bolles
- Analysis
- Good Food Guide
Less French, more vinyl and Yiayia’s cooking: What a Good Food Guide hatted restaurant looks like right now
There’s more of an informal skew to this year’s list of Age Good Food Guide hats, and that’s because Victoria’s dining scene has changed. Here’s how.
- Emma Breheny and Frank Sweet