By Erina Starkey · Food / Good Food Guide (NSW)
SaveYou have reached your maximum number of saved items. --- Remove items from your saved list to add more. --- ShareAAA1 / 11Spezia at The Lands by Capella. Supplied2 / 11Crudo with finger lime. Supplied3 / 11Prawn chitarra with star anise and chilli oil. Supplied4 / 11Grilled octopus with nduja, capsicum and samphire.Suppied5 / 11Spatchcock alla diavola. Supplied6 / 11The Lands by Capella. Supplied7 / 11Spezia at The Lands by Capella. Supplied8 / 11600g rib eye. Supplied9 / 11Tiramisu. Supplied10 / 11Spezia at The Lands by Capella. Supplied11 / 11Spezia at The Lands by Capella.SuppliedPrevious SlideNext SlideSpeziaItalian$$$$ --- Every day, thousands of people walk past the Department of Lands, a grand administrative building that occupies an entire block between Martin Place and Circular Quay. Unless you’ve had an active land dispute recently, you probably haven’t noticed that it’s quietly transformed into The Lands by Capella, an up-and-coming retail and dining destination. --- One of the first venues to open inside is Spezia, an open-air piazza restaurant by hospitality group Florence Guild. Executive chef Jae Bang, formerly of Norway’s Re-naa, is behind the menu, which blends Italian classics with the ‘forgotten flavours of the Silk Road’. Expect prawn spaghetti alla chittara laced with star anise, burrata flecked sumac and cumin, and a frangipane tart infused with sansho pepper. The wine list includes over 500 bottles from Italy and beyond, or stay on the spice trail with a limoncello spritz spiked with lemongrass and ginger. --- Restaurant reviews, news and the hottest openings served to your inbox. --- SaveYou have reached your maximum number of saved items. --- Remove items from your saved list to add more. ---
Food / Good Food Guide (Vic)
Critics' PickXuan Anh Banh CuonUpdated September 24, 2026,first published August 4, 2025 --- SaveYou have reached your maximum number of saved items. --- Remove items from your saved list to add more. --- ShareAAA1 / 5Steamed rice rolls filled with pork at Xuan Anh Banh Cuon inside the Footscray Market.Chris Hopkins2 / 5Inside the Footscray eatery.Chris Hopkins3 / 5Rice rolls filled with pork are steamed to order.Chris Hopkins4 / 5Steamed rice rolls filled with Chinese donut and pork meatloaf.Chris Hopkins5 / 5Inside Xuan Anh Banh Cuon.Chris HopkinsPrevious SlideNext Slide13/20Critics' PickHow we scoreXuan Anh Banh CuonVietnamese$$$$ --- With its prime street-facing location at Footscray Market, this mainstay has become a crucial player in its suburb’s all-star Vietnamese roster. Banh cuon rice rolls are just the right amount of chewy and hearty, loaded with chunks of meat (pork, prawn or chicken) and wood-ear fungus. --- Topped with a mountain of fried shallots, they’re a textural delight. Each comes with a side: choose pork meatloaf, sweet potato and prawn hash brown, or fried squid cake – the latter being the true star, especially when dipped in nuoc cham. Perfectly taut rice noodles mean soups are equally compelling. --- The rich meaty broth of banh da rieu cua cha muc, Northern Vietnamese red rice noodles, is particularly unmissable. Load it with herbs and dollops of chilli-vinegar paste from your table’s sauce station before loading up on some of the city’s best-value fresh produce. --- Good to know: Banh cuon is the hero, but the noodles and sides are equally as good (if not better). --- ‘Chaotic in a good way’: The inner western suburb on the edge of a renaissanceAdvertisementGood Food reviews are booked anonymously and paid independently. A restaurant can’t pay for a review or inclusion in the Good Food Guide. --- Restaurant reviews, news and the hottest openings served to your inbox. --- Friendly, low-key setting for comforting flavours. --- ReviewXuan Banh CuonAll-day breakfast bowls by way of Hanoi. ---
Food / Good Food Guide (Vic)
Critics' PickThong ThaiUpdated September 24, 2026,first published October 27, 2025 --- SaveYou have reached your maximum number of saved items. --- Remove items from your saved list to add more. --- ShareAAA1 / 13Pineapple fried rice with pork belly.Supplied2 / 13Outside the Bourke Street venue.Supplied3 / 13Chicken green curry.Chris Hopkins4 / 13Leng zaap, pork spine soup, balances on a claypot.Chris Hopkins5 / 13Hoi tod with mussels.Chris Hopkins6 / 13Thong Thai’s tiny kitchen faces the street.Chris Hopkins7 / 13Specialty drinks.Supplied8 / 13There are six types of soup on the menu.Supplied9 / 13Pad thai.Supplied10 / 13Thong Thai’s narrow dining room.Chris Hopkins11 / 13Crispy morning gloryChris Hopkins12 / 13Passers-by can watch omelettes being fried to a crisp.Chris Hopkins13 / 13Tao hu moo sub, pork mince with egg tofu, comes with a bowl of congee-like jok (not pictured).Chris HopkinsPrevious SlideNext Slide13/20Critics' PickHow we scoreThong ThaiThai$$$$ --- Hoi tod – the fried-to-a-crisp seafood pancake – is the dish that most people stop to watch being made in the window of this two-year-old Bourke Street restaurant. A chef deftly moves planks of rice flour batter through hot oil, cooking until a golden crunch is achieved without destroying the tender mussels or scallops within. --- Saucy, salty pork mince is tossed with delicate clouds of egg tofu in tao hu moo sub, served with snowy-white rice porridge. A silver pot is brought to your table with a clay chimney underneath to keep the herb-flecked soup leng zaap bubbling away. --- Pork spine bones poke out of the broth like a teepee, their meat as tender as an oxtail ragu. Lime, galangal and fermented shrimp colour the air with regularity, making you want to keep ordering more, even if your table’s already covered in food. --- Must-order: Leng zaap, a built-to-share soup fragrant with makrut lime and starring fork-tender pork spine. --- ReviewMove aside, Myer. Bourke Street’s got another window show, and this one’s year-roundAdvertisementGood Food reviews are booked anonymously and paid independently. A restaurant can’t pay for a review or inclusion in the Good Food Guide. --- Restaurant reviews, news and the hottest openings served to your inbox. --- ReviewTipo 00Serious pasta and wine sparked up by an electric atmosphere. --- ReviewTonkaA laneway legend filled with light and spice. ---
Food / Good Food Guide (Vic)
Critics' PickThai Asia Unique Cafe & TavernUpdated September 24, 2026,first published October 27, 2025 --- SaveYou have reached your maximum number of saved items. --- Remove items from your saved list to add more. --- ShareAAAThai Asia Unique Cafe is found inside The Paramount shopping centre on Bourke Street.Chege Mbuthi12/20Critics' PickHow we scoreThai Asia Unique Cafe & TavernThai$$$$ --- Paramount Food Court has weathered many changes. But within its mirrored and stone-trimmed perimeter, this canteen stands strong, still attracting some of the longest queues. Each dish is numbered, photographed and displayed on lightboxes above the counter where you’ll order and take a buzzer. Its manic beeping means showtime. --- Som tum (#20) arrives fiery and tangy: raw cabbage, papaya and guava tumbled with fermented crab legs and dense pork loaf. Glossy egg gravy cloaks crisp-fried egg noodles and generous portions of calamari and prawns in lard na (#38). Sambal fried rice (#51) is a slam-dunk of smoky grains, tender eggplant omelette and expertly fried tilapia, paired with restorative chicken broth. --- Icy ruam mit (T2) is a party of mango, chunky water chestnut and jelly in coconut milk. You’re not here for five-star surrounds or service; remember that and you’ll soon be in the queue. --- Best for: A speedy, informal dinner with a group where variety is king. --- Good Food reviews are booked anonymously and paid independently. A restaurant can’t pay for a review or inclusion in the Good Food Guide. --- Restaurant reviews, news and the hottest openings served to your inbox. --- ReviewThong ThaiThe eye-catching gateway to the city’s unofficial Thai Town. --- ReviewTipo 00Serious pasta and wine sparked up by an electric atmosphere. ---
Food / Good Food Guide (Vic)
Critics' PickSuper NormaUpdated September 24, 2026,first published October 27, 2025 --- SaveYou have reached your maximum number of saved items. --- Remove items from your saved list to add more. --- ShareAAA1 / 9Pasta is all served in takeaway boxes at Super Norma.Supplied2 / 9Super Norma on Rathdowne Street has become a community hub for Carlton locals.Simon Schluter3 / 9The namesake pasta alla Norma, with a sticky eggplant and tomato sauce.Simon Schluter4 / 9It’s all about pasta and sauce here.Simon Schluter5 / 9A smoked burratta salad is one of the only entrees. Simon Schluter6 / 9Inside Super Norma, originally a pop-up that’s now a fixture of the Carlton neighbourhood.Simon Schluter7 / 9The seasonal pasta of creamed Jerusalem artichokes and celeriac with sage and pancetta.Simon Schluter8 / 9Tiramisu.Supplied9 / 9Ragu Napoletano is one of the most laborious dishes on the menu.Simon SchluterPrevious SlideNext Slide13.5/20Critics' PickHow we scoreSuper NormaItalian$$$$ --- It might look lo-fi, but this pasta bar dials up the warmth and charm. Lampshades are made from pasta colanders, cutlery is held in empty tomato cans and the on-tap sangiovese is poured into tumblers. The living is easy here, so relax. --- Ten pastas are handwritten on long brown-paper scrolls hanging from the wall behind the small on-show kitchen. Served in a cardboard noodle box, with proper stainless steel cutlery, prawn and ’nduja linguine glistens with spicy, rust-coloured oil and goes heavy on the parmigiano and pecorino, gleefully breaking the no-cheese-with-seafood rule. --- A seasonal rigatoni special cradles earthy roasted jerusalem artichoke and celeriac sauce, with fried sage, pancetta and smashed hazelnuts representing team crunch. There’s only one dessert, but when it’s big hunks of creamy, Marsala-laced tiramisu served in a vintage floral bowl, who needs choice? --- Good to know: While there’s no toilet, there is warm garlic bread. --- Review‘An infectious sense of joy’: The duo putting a fresh spin on pasta in CarltonAdvertisementGood Food reviews are booked anonymously and paid independently. A restaurant can’t pay for a review or inclusion in the Good Food Guide. --- Restaurant reviews, news and the hottest openings served to your inbox. --- ReviewSuzeA beacon of quiet luxury on a serene backstreet. --- ReviewTavernaA lively Athenian-inspired adventure from a longstanding champion of Hellenic Melbourne. ---
Food / Good Food Guide (Vic)
Updated September 24, 2026,first published October 27, 2025 --- SaveYou have reached your maximum number of saved items. --- Remove items from your saved list to add more. --- ShareAAA1 / 8 Sev puri (hollow wheat-dough spheres are filled with potato masala and striped with chutneys).Bonnie Savage2 / 8With its vaulted ceiling, Sri Ananda Bhavan looks more like a modern church than a dining room.Bonnie Savage3 / 8Crispy curry leaf dosa, made with urad dal.Bonnie Savage4 / 8The floppier rava dosa, made with semolina, here filled with vegetables and paneer.Bonnie Savage5 / 8Pineapple kesari, a semolina pudding studded with cashews and raisins and glossed up with ghee.Bonnie Savage6 / 8The spacious restaurant has seating for 55 on banquettes and high-backed chairs.Bonnie Savage7 / 8Chilli-tossed idli (steamed, savoury cakes made from fermented rice batter and lentils) is one of the Indo-Chinese dishes on the menu.Bonnie Savage8 / 8Vegetable pakoda fritters with chutney.Bonnie SavagePrevious SlideNext Slide14/20How we scoreSri Ananda BhavanIndian$$$$ --- This all-vegetarian menu is based on Udupi cuisine, a wholesome, healthy, South Indian style. Aficionados tend to judge an Udupi restaurant on the following: dosa – thin, filled crepes; idli – steamed, savoury cakes made from fermented rice batter and lentils; and sambar – spiced lentil gravy. --- Sri Ananda Bhavan excels on all counts. You can have your dosa folded around spiced potatoes, onions, chilli paste or curry leaves. It might be drizzled with ghee or sprinkled with podi, a spice and pulse powder. The most important accompaniment is the sambar. Based on toor dal, a yellow lentil, it’s soured with tamarind, sweetened with shallots and sugar, and balanced with house-roasted spices. --- Tear the dosa, dip it in sambar and enjoy the subtle kick, the crunch softening into soupiness. End with pineapple kesari: semolina pudding studded with cashews and raisins, and glossed up with house-made ghee. --- Good to know: The owners are obsessed with proper Chennai-style filter coffee, served hot, strong and foaming. --- 14/20ReviewA former real estate office is now home to one of Melbourne’s best South Indian restaurantsAdvertisementGood Food reviews are booked anonymously and paid independently. A restaurant can’t pay for a review or inclusion in the Good Food Guide. --- Restaurant reviews, news and the hottest openings served to your inbox. --- ReviewStokehouseLuxe seaside destination for that special occasion. --- ReviewStokehouse Pasta & BarBreezy belle dishes up the hits. ---
Food / Good Food Guide (Vic)
Critics' PickSarirasaUpdated September 24, 2026,first published October 27, 2025 --- SaveYou have reached your maximum number of saved items. --- Remove items from your saved list to add more. --- ShareAAAOutside the Mentone restaurant.Chege Mbuthi13/20Critics' PickHow we scoreSarirasaIndonesian$$$$ --- It’s maybe the breezy Mentone vibe, but entering Sarirasa feels like stepping off a busy Jakarta street into a warung tegal – those humble food stalls where Indonesian workers find refuge in affordable, comforting lunches. This is the first professional kitchen for its two chefs – raised in Jakarta and Medan, respectively – who translate their childhood kitchens into something quietly refined. --- Order nasi campur, a mixed rice plate, for the full experience: sweet smashed beef pairs beautifully with sambal calamari and cassava leaves in coconut curry. Fried chicken arrives under crisp spiced crumbs called kremesan that provide perfect seasoning and textural intrigue. --- Have it alongside beef lung balado, then mellow it down with young jackfruit curry. Not everything soars (the rendang, while well-made and faithfully Javanese in its sweetness, can be one-note), and popular dishes vanish early. But that’s the warung way. --- Good to know: Sarirasa closes at 7.30pm: arrive early or risk the best dishes selling out. --- Good Food reviews are booked anonymously and paid independently. A restaurant can’t pay for a review or inclusion in the Good Food Guide. --- Restaurant reviews, news and the hottest openings served to your inbox. --- ReviewSri Ananda BhavanAn excellent restaurant spotlighting sub-regional Indian cooking. --- ReviewQuan LuaA small theatre of flavour, texture and street-side spirit. ---
Food / Good Food Guide (Vic)
Critics' PickRanong TownUpdated September 24, 2026,first published November 18, 2024 --- SaveYou have reached your maximum number of saved items. --- Remove items from your saved list to add more. --- ShareAAA1 / 9Yentafo pink noodle soup.supplied2 / 9Stir fried shrimp paste with prawns & bitter beans.Supplied3 / 9Roasted duck currySupplied4 / 9Thai beef salad.Supplied5 / 9Stir-fried chicken with cashew nuts.Supplied6 / 9Fried mackerel with soybean sauce.Supplied7 / 9Baby clam chili jam.Supplied8 / 9Prawn cakes.Supplied9 / 9Panang pork curry.SuppliedPrevious SlideNext Slide14/20Critics' PickHow we scoreRanong TownThai$$$$ --- You may not expect to eat wildly impressive Thai food on a quiet residential corner at the foothills of the Dandenong Ranges. And yet, Ranong Town delivers southern Thailand’s distinctive mouth-searing spice and sweet-sour punches with finesse. --- Yellow curry splits your brain in two: one side grapples with the mix of green and red Thai chillies in the house-made curry paste as it trips your internal fire alarm. The other can’t stop eating tender barramundi pieces drenched in sour tamarind and lime, despite the burn. Seek comfort in the sweet, cinnamon-scented braised pork belly of moo hong, and the puffy fried omelette with crab meat among its pillowy folds. --- A cute assortment of sweets in bamboo baskets includes khanom tan – toddy palm cakes served with freshly grated coconut flesh – and khanom tom, colourful rice-flour dumplings sweetened with shredded coconut. --- Good to know: Drop by for weekday lunch when a few dollars are knocked off the price of eight fave dishes. --- Noodle soup to hot pot-barbecue: 10 of Melbourne’s latest and greatest Thai restaurantsAdvertisementGood Food reviews are booked anonymously and paid independently. A restaurant can’t pay for a review or inclusion in the Good Food Guide. --- Restaurant reviews, news and the hottest openings served to your inbox. --- ReviewSecret KitchenThe most fun you’ll ever have in a shopping centre. --- ReviewSogummTemple food with fine-dining polish by a husband-and-wife-team. ---
Food / Good Food Guide (Vic)
Critics' PickQuan LuaUpdated September 24, 2026,first published November 18, 2024 --- SaveYou have reached your maximum number of saved items. --- Remove items from your saved list to add more. --- ShareAAA1 / 4Bun cha (pork, broth, noodles and herbs.).Pete Dillon2 / 4Green papaya salad with beef jerky.Pete Dillon3 / 4Bun bo hue soup.Pete Dillon4 / 4Outside the Springvale eatery.Pete DillonPrevious SlideNext Slide13/20Critics' PickHow we scoreQuan LuaVietnamese$$$$ --- Come with all your senses: they’ll start pinging when you’re a few metres away, thanks to the aroma of the charcoal grill. It’s that kit that elevates the bun cha: smoky pork patties and pork belly slices bobbing in nuoc cham enriched with fat and fire. On the side: mint, lettuce and thick rice vermicelli. Mix it all in your small bowl, chuck in lemon and chilli, and find your own sweet-salty-smoky-spicy bliss point. --- The crab soup banh canh cua is thick and sweet, loaded with textural surprises like quail egg and pork loaf. Green papaya salad with springy beef jerky comes in a caramelised umami-rich dressing, punctuated by bursts of apple. Add a kumquat drink for salty snap --- Soundtrack? A fellow diner’s phone streaming Vietnamese TV. Decor? Bare-boned at first glance, but look closer: a cared-for altar, a live orchid and a happy plant in the corner. --- Good Food reviews are booked anonymously and paid independently. A restaurant can’t pay for a review or inclusion in the Good Food Guide. --- Restaurant reviews, news and the hottest openings served to your inbox. --- ReviewSarirasaFor comforting Jakarta and Medan street food. --- ReviewPrince of YazhSpicy subcontinental excellence. --- SaveYou have reached your maximum number of saved items. ---
Food / Good Food Guide (Vic)
Updated September 24, 2026,first published October 27, 2025 --- SaveYou have reached your maximum number of saved items. --- Remove items from your saved list to add more. --- ShareAAA1 / 7Inside Yaowarat, a new late-night Thai diner in Melbourne’s Chinatown.Wayne Taylor2 / 7Tom yum with seafood.Wayne Taylor3 / 7Betel leaf with fish fillet.Wayne Taylor4 / 7Barbecue pork on rice.Wayne Taylor5 / 7The restaurant is open until midnight.Wayne Taylor6 / 7Crab hoi jor (tofu skin rolls filled with crab and pork mince).Wayne Taylor7 / 7Prawn salad (half fresh, half cooked).Wayne TaylorPrevious SlideNext Slide13/20How we scoreYaowaratThai$$$$ --- It’s all happening. University friends pluck prawns and calamari rings from tom yum broth. Guys tumble in from a bar-crawl to order tamarind-tickled noodles and $1 congee. A good date just got better thanks to stir-fried pipis in an aromatic Thai basil-scented cloud. --- It’s noisy and clattery, and there may be a queue snaking up the laneway but that’s forgotten as soon as you’re inside. Named for Bangkok’s Yaowarat Road, this has the same bustle of an eat-street. Ordering is via QR code, and staff are geared for efficiency rather than guidance on the large menu. --- But lean into the seafood: fried tofu skin rolls filled with lush crab and pork mince, or fried barramundi pieces piled on betel leaves with peanut and chopped lime. Punchy, pungent and full of surprises, this is another Thai address to know. --- Must-order: A trip of pork - char siu, crisp belly and dense spicy sausage - served over rice with a boiled egg and greens. --- ReviewBustling late-night Thai joint brings Bangkok’s Chinatown to MelbourneAdvertisementGood Food reviews are booked anonymously and paid independently. A restaurant can’t pay for a review or inclusion in the Good Food Guide. --- Restaurant reviews, news and the hottest openings served to your inbox. --- RecommendedBowltifulNoodles nine ways in no time. --- ReviewMaison BatardA multi-storey pleasure palace. ---
Food / Good Food Guide (Vic)
Updated September 24, 2026,first published October 27, 2025 --- SaveYou have reached your maximum number of saved items. --- Remove items from your saved list to add more. --- ShareAAA1 / 11It’s all about premium meats at The Woodhouse.Supplied2 / 11The bar.Supplied3 / 11Duck breast and confit leg with Davidson plum, lemon myrtle, desert lime, orange and juniper jus.Supplied4 / 11The Woodhouse tartare.Supplied5 / 11Desserts get creative.Supplied6 / 11Hiramasa kingfish with finger lime, lemon, chive, whey and seeds.Supplied7 / 11Cocktails are also on the menu.Supplied8 / 11George’s zucchini blossoms with goat’s cheese, piperade, lemon and tempura.Supplied9 / 11Coffin Bay oysters.Supplied10 / 11Bistecca alla Fiorentina t-bone with black onyx Angus steak.Supplied11 / 11Sher Wagyu brisket skewer with chimichurri, yoghurt and pomegranate.SuppliedPrevious SlideNext Slide14.5/20How we scoreThe WoodhouseSteakhouse$$$$ --- 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 all weights and ages, grass-fed, grain-fed, wagyu and otherwise. You might ease in with mousse-like duck liver parfait, and Sher wagyu carpaccio decorated with quail eggs and raisin-sized spots of black garlic. But it’s the expertly charred beef that you and the rest of Bendigo are here for. --- Black Angus porterhouse, lovingly handled and cooked medium-rare, is excellent, only bettered by pepper and cognac sauce that brings a one-two punch of aromatic heat. The team knows how to grill more than just steaks. --- Smoke-tinged lamb loin is brightened by small dabs of minty pea puree and a zucchini flower blooming with tomato and capsicum. In the glass, interesting varieties go beyond the usual red meat companions, reinforcing the care The Woodhouse takes from A-Z. --- Good to know: The venue caters for groups and celebrations with private dining and a separate bar. --- Good Food reviews are booked anonymously and paid independently. A restaurant can’t pay for a review or inclusion in the Good Food Guide. --- Restaurant reviews, news and the hottest openings served to your inbox. --- RecommendedDas KaffeehausViennese coffee roastery at The Mill precinct. --- RecommendedDoveton Corner StoreSunny spot for coffee, grab-and-go sandwiches and house-baked cakes. ---
Food / Good Food Guide (Vic)
Updated September 24, 2026,first published October 27, 2025 --- SaveYou have reached your maximum number of saved items. --- Remove items from your saved list to add more. --- ShareAAA1 / 13Dining at Times New Roman.Supplied2 / 13Inside the cosy restaurant.Supplied3 / 13Napolitana pasta.Supplied4 / 13Cashew whip-stuffed cucumber.Supplied5 / 13Rocket, walnut and parmesan salad.Supplied6 / 13Choc chip cookie tiramisu.Supplied7 / 13Times New Roman in Brunswick East is the new Italian restaurant from the team behind Good Times in Fitzroy North.Chris Hopkins8 / 13Italian meats and dips snack plate.Supplied9 / 13Spaghetti with tuna, anchovies and chilli.Chris Hopkins10 / 13The Times snack plate.Chris Hopkins11 / 13Rocket salad.Chris Hopkins12 / 13Italian biscuit for dessert.Chris Hopkins13 / 13Lacy theatre drapes are a feature of the Times New Roman dining room.Chris HopkinsPrevious SlideNext Slide13/20How we scoreTimes New RomanItalian$$$$ --- “And here are your Cheezels,” says a cheerful waiter, putting down a box of the popular ring-shaped snack. It’s a sign they’re doing things differently here. The other major distinction between this 60-seat bistro and just about every other place in Melbourne is that a bowl of Napoletana with herb oil starts at $6. The menu is mostly pasta with simple sauces. --- Spaghetti comes with anchovy, tuna, chilli and capers; garlicky mushroom is cooked out with white wine. Rigatoni is rumbled with bolognese or herby pesto. You can stick to nibbles too, building a fridge-rummage of chunky pickles, hard cheese, olives, ricotta and the like, or letting the chefs turn it into an easygoing snack plate. --- It’s a whole lot of “why not?” here. Those Cheezels. Half portions. Jugs of punch and prosecco on tap. Clams because they’re abundant and cheap this week. It’s a happy meeting place between money and mouth. --- Good to know: There are cherry margaritas for $13. --- ReviewThe hot new Lygon Street Italian restaurant where pasta starts at $6AdvertisementGood Food reviews are booked anonymously and paid independently. A restaurant can’t pay for a review or inclusion in the Good Food Guide. --- Restaurant reviews, news and the hottest openings served to your inbox. --- ReviewToddy ShopA tiny spot for bold colours and big spreads designed to share. --- ReviewVexHigh Street haunt doing the most with minimal meat. ---
Food / Good Food Guide (Vic)
Updated September 24, 2026,first published October 27, 2025 --- SaveYou have reached your maximum number of saved items. --- Remove items from your saved list to add more. --- ShareAAA1 / 6The signature pounding rice bowl with pork and eggplant.Wayne Taylor2 / 6Pounding Rice Bowl on Russell Street.Wayne Taylor3 / 6Scallion oil noodles made with “00” pizza flour.Wayne Taylor4 / 6Pounding Rice Bowl’s fried chicken.Wayne Taylor5 / 6Pan-fried pork dumplings.Wayne Taylor6 / 6Fried chicken bone.Wayne TaylorPrevious SlideNext Slide13/20How we scorePounding Rice BowlChinese$$$$ --- You’ve ordered food, the kitchen has prepared it, and it’s arrived at your table looking lovely. There’s only one thing to do: wreck it. Pick up the provided pestle and pound your meal into a mash. That’s the concept at Pounding Rice Bowl, a city restaurant that explains its key activity in its name. Smashing a bowl of rice, minced pork and soft braised eggplant is a great idea. --- The broken rice absorbs the juice from the pork, the eggplant becomes almost creamy and the amalgam makes for comforting chopsticked mouthfuls. Other toppings include braised pork belly and meatballs, but the premium wuchang rice from Heilongjiang province in north-east China – medium grain and slightly sticky – is a star too. --- It’s not all pestles, either. Classic Aussie-Chinese dishes sit alongside dumplings and a fried chicken carcass served with a zingy Sichuan spice salt. Smashing. --- Good to know: The scallion oil noodles here are one of the best sub-$10 lunches in town. --- ReviewTough day at the office? Take out your frustrations at this ‘smashing’ city lunch spotAdvertisementGood Food reviews are booked anonymously and paid independently. A restaurant can’t pay for a review or inclusion in the Good Food Guide. --- Restaurant reviews, news and the hottest openings served to your inbox. --- ReviewRed CliffA sensory assault and heartfelt celebration of China’s spiciest cuisines. --- ReviewReed HouseA gorgeously lit restaurant hiding in a cottage. ---
Food / Good Food Guide (Vic)
Updated September 24, 2026,first published October 27, 2025 --- SaveYou have reached your maximum number of saved items. --- Remove items from your saved list to add more. --- ShareAAA1 / 6The prawn toast uses fluffy Japanese shokupan bread. Bonnie Savage2 / 6The convivial Potluck.Bonnie Savage3 / 6The juicy potsticker-style pork dumplings.Bonnie Savage4 / 6Lamb backstrap, marinated in coriander and cumin and stir-fried with Szechuan pepper. Bonnie Savage5 / 6Smashed cucumber salad.Bonnie Savage6 / 6The tiramisu is not exactly traditional. Bonnie SavagePrevious SlideNext Slide14/20How we scorePotluckChinese$$$$ --- It’s Friday night and Potluck is pumping. Grown-ups are sitting at the communal table while kids bounce around waiting for dumplings. Three women share a bottle of BYO grenache: it’s perfect with the sticky, black-bean beef noodles. Owner Esther Sun is at the wok station, flames darting, steel clattering. She 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. Golden, crunchy prawn toast uses fluffy shokupan bread to support a prawn mousse flavoured with ginger, garlic and sesame. Esther’s mum, Rita, makes the sweet, juicy pork dumplings, pan-fried to serve potsticker-style. --- A seafood dish channels old-school suburban Chinese with a gentle, gloopy sauce. These are meals to gather around and share in a moment of respite from busy lives. Jackpot. --- Good to know: There’s BYO with $5 corkage but the venue serves teas, sour plum juice and alcohol-free aloe and honey highballs. --- 14/20ReviewYou’ll hit the jackpot at this suburban Chinese restaurant with heart – and great prawn toastAdvertisementGood Food reviews are booked anonymously and paid independently. A restaurant can’t pay for a review or inclusion in the Good Food Guide. --- Restaurant reviews, news and the hottest openings served to your inbox. --- ReviewPrince of YazhSpicy subcontinental excellence. --- ReviewQuan LuaA small theatre of flavour, texture and street-side spirit. ---
Food / Good Food Guide (Vic)
Updated September 24, 2026,first published November 18, 2024 --- SaveYou have reached your maximum number of saved items. --- Remove items from your saved list to add more. --- ShareAAA1 / 7Dishes at Pinto Thai.Supplied2 / 7Inside the Exhibition Street restaurant.Supplied3 / 7Specialising in pork and beef-based soups.Bonnie Savage4 / 7Thai hotpot.Supplied5 / 7Stir-fried noodles.Supplied6 / 7Fishball bombSupplied7 / 7Soup ready for cooking.SuppliedPrevious SlideNext Slide12/20How we scorePinto ThaiThai$$$$ --- You’ll know you’re at the right place when piping-hot boat noodles hit your table, the broth so deeply meaty it’s dark enough to hide melty braised beef and fresh rice noodles with bounce. Slow-cooked pork intestines and blindingly sweet pink milk drinks confirm this isn’t your average Thai joint. --- Fried fish balls are airy golden puffs. Glossy duck pad krapao is punched up with five-spice and Thai basil, crowned with a curly-edged fried egg. The setting is lo-fi – bright lights, pocket display book menus, bathroom through the kitchen – but it feels buzzy and welcoming rather than bare. --- Service is warm and fast – in fact, dessert has been known to occasionally come out first. But it’s hard to complain once you taste the steamed pandan custard blanketed by coconut cream. Unlicensed? Sure. But rainbow-bright mocktails more than soften the chilli blows. --- Must-order: It’s impossible to go wrong with the beef boat noodles, available with endless customisations. --- Good Food reviews are booked anonymously and paid independently. A restaurant can’t pay for a review or inclusion in the Good Food Guide. --- Restaurant reviews, news and the hottest openings served to your inbox. --- ReviewPounding Rice BowlWhere the interactive smash-hit signature is just the beginning. --- ReviewRed CliffA sensory assault and heartfelt celebration of China’s spiciest cuisines. ---
Food / Good Food Guide (Vic)
Updated September 24, 2026,first published November 18, 2024 --- SaveYou have reached your maximum number of saved items. --- Remove items from your saved list to add more. --- ShareAAA1 / 7A selection of South American dishes.Jason South2 / 7Papelon is bright and welcoming.Jason South3 / 7Pabellon (rice, black beans, beef and plantains).Jason South4 / 7The reina pepiada, aka the “curvy queen”.Jason South5 / 7Lomo saltado.Jason South6 / 7Tequenos (fried cheese pastries).Jason South7 / 7Patacon (fried plantain and skirt steak platter).Jason SouthPrevious SlideNext Slide13/20How we scorePapelonSouth American$$$$ --- Owner Reveka Hurtado has built a haven for Melbourne’s Latin-American diaspora, and it shows in the crowd: tradies in hi-vis, families sharing enormous plates, students playing dominoes and Jenga. Papelon is for everyone – but especially those craving the flavours of home. The menu skews to Hurtado’s native Venezuela , but crosses borders freely. --- Golden empanadas stuffed with beef and beans are a treat with Polar beer or a Colombian malt soda. Tequenos – halloumi wrapped in dough – are dunked into tangy sugarcane sauce for a sweet-salty jolt. A colossal patacon stacks spiced chicken between discs of fried plantain, doused in a punchy coriander and garlic-rich sauce. --- Best of all is cachapa – a sweetcorn pancake stuffed with fiery birria-style beef and an almost absurd amount of cheese, both halloumi and Oaxaca. Murals, flags and Latin tunes brighten the room, and the value is outstanding. --- Good to know: $45 gets you unlimited tacos (and a drink) every Monday. --- ReviewThis humble Footscray market eatery serves the South American version of a halal snack packAdvertisementGood Food reviews are booked anonymously and paid independently. A restaurant can’t pay for a review or inclusion in the Good Food Guide. --- Restaurant reviews, news and the hottest openings served to your inbox. --- ReviewRas DashenBig-hearted flavours direct from The Horn. --- Things-on-sticks delivered with great success. ---
Food / Good Food Guide (Vic)
Critics' PickPanda Hot PotUpdated September 24, 2026,first published October 27, 2025 --- SaveYou have reached your maximum number of saved items. --- Remove items from your saved list to add more. --- ShareAAA1 / 9Choose your sichuan hot pot broth at Panda.Supplied2 / 9Crispy fried egg for dipping into you soup base. Supplied 3 / 9Inside the Victoria Street restaurant.Supplied4 / 9Prawn stuffed tofu.Supplied5 / 9Egg dumplings.Supplied6 / 9Tofu.Supplied7 / 9Choose your soup base, proteins and vegetables, and cook at the table.Supplied8 / 9Marinated fried chicken feet.Supplied9 / 9Sliced wagyu.SuppliedPrevious SlideNext Slide14/20Critics' PickHow we scorePanda Hot PotChinese$$$$ --- See that 1.5 tonne floating dragon suspended from the ceiling? You’re in the right place. Animated clouds fly across the ceiling of this grand double-height hall, a high-energy alternate reality. Don’t deliberate on your soup bases; whip-cracking staff want you to order quickly to maximise cooking time (for lip-numbing fire, go the signature Sichuan). --- Kidneys and gizzards come neatly arranged in an organ-filled treasure chest and mashed prawn is wrapped in veil-like bamboo fungus, ready to be dunked. While your beef tripe bubbles in the collagen-rich fish maw, scoot to the buffet and build your own dipping sauce. --- Fast-paced and intense, Panda is not where you come for a relaxing meal – but the fun factor is high. Hit up the self-serve soft-serve and brace yourself – leaving this simmering fever dream and returning to the real world is a jolt. --- Good to know: Keep an eye on their Instagram – monthly promos might just score you a freebie. --- ReviewIs Dracula's replacement hot or not?AdvertisementGood Food reviews are booked anonymously and paid independently. A restaurant can’t pay for a review or inclusion in the Good Food Guide. --- Restaurant reviews, news and the hottest openings served to your inbox. --- RecommendedStalactitesA reliable late-night gap-filler. --- ReviewGrill AmericanoA shrine to midcentury glamour. ---
Food / Good Food Guide (Vic)
Updated September 24, 2026,first published November 18, 2024 --- SaveYou have reached your maximum number of saved items. --- Remove items from your saved list to add more. --- ShareAAA1 / 2Assam laksa.supplied2 / 2The humble facade in Doncaster.SuppliedPrevious SlideNext SlidePenang FlavoursMalaysian$$$$ --- The fish head soup at this slender restaurant is so nourishing it might hold the power to cure heartbreak and football losses. It sits in front of children, grandparents and couples, its milky base transforming prehistoric-looking fried fish heads into manageable morsels to slurp up with bitter melon and vermicelli. --- The restaurant, buried among a grab-bag of hair salons and audiologists, is staffed by friendly pros who work at a furious pace. The wait for a table is likely to be longer than the wait for food. Why stand between someone and their assam laksa? More sweet than sour, it’s a tropical arrangement of pineapple, red onion, mackerel and noodles as thick as straws. --- Char kwai teow scratches a more savoury itch with smoky egg-flecked noodles, while Milo Dinosaur and grass jelly drinks keep kids in matching tracksuits happy. --- Good Food reviews are booked anonymously and paid independently. A restaurant can’t pay for a review or inclusion in the Good Food Guide. --- Restaurant reviews, news and the hottest openings served to your inbox. --- SaveYou have reached your maximum number of saved items. --- Remove items from your saved list to add more. ---
By Matt Shea · Food / Eating out (Bris)
It’s lighter and less sweet than traditional gelato, and has more protein. It also has locals queueing down the block. --- SaveYou have reached your maximum number of saved items. --- Remove items from your saved list to add more. --- ShareAAAIt’s 1pm on Wednesday in a far-flung corner of the CBD and Sofu Gelato has a queue halfway up the block. The aim here seems clear: get in, get your gelato, get your socials, then get out, so the next people can get in. --- The scene speaks to the appeal of wife-and-husband team Sharon Sia and Albert Maung’s business idea – gelato made from silken tofu – but also what not so long ago might’ve been thought an unlikely location. --- Sofu Gelato has opened in Brisbane CBD.Markus RavikA little more than 12 months ago, this end of Edward Street was relatively quiet. Now it’s home to Golden Avenue, The French Exit, Le Royale and San Telmo – and that’s on top of Naldham House, Walter’s Steakhouse, Stilts and Mulga Bills, all of which are a little more than a block away. --- “We initially wanted to do it on Elizabeth Street,” Sia says. “But it’s super busy there, no empty spaces around and rent is through the roof. --- Montrachet creator returns with art deco-inspired French restaurant“We asked our agent to show us other parts of the city and we stumbled onto this space next door to Golden Avenue. It’s also really close to the Kangaroo Point pedestrian bridge. --- Restaurant reviews, news and the hottest openings served to your inbox. --- “We were sceptical because there just didn’t seem to be that much foot traffic around, but our agent told us about the coming Anyday venues [The French Exit, Le Royale]. When we opened, San Telmo had just opened across the road. --- “We decided to give it a shot and it’s been amazing.” --- The store is little more than a fetching hole-in-the-wall on Edward Street.Markus RavikAdvertisementSo amazing Sia and Maung have had to close the shop entirely on a couple of occasions to restock on cups and stock. ---
Food / Good Food Guide (Vic)
Updated September 24, 2026,first published November 18, 2024 --- SaveYou have reached your maximum number of saved items. --- Remove items from your saved list to add more. --- ShareAAA1 / 12Yukhoe (raw beef) with seaweed, sprouts.Bonnie Savage2 / 12Inside Ondo.Supplied3 / 12Yukhwe kimbap (sesame-seaweed cracker with perilla seed oil aioli, yukhwe and grilled kimchi tossed in kim jangajji).Supplied4 / 12Gadongmyeon (buckwheat noodles with vegetables in a soy-based sauce). Supplied5 / 12Soy-braised wombok, potato and chilli.Bonnie Savage6 / 12The exterior.Supplied7 / 12Yukhoe (raw beef) with seaweed wrapping.Bonnie Savage8 / 12Outside the Little Lonsdale Street restaurant.Simon Schluter9 / 12Saeseonjjim (fish dish). Simon Schluter10 / 12Dig into noodle dishes like makguksu.Simon Schluter11 / 12Manduguk (dumpling soup).Simon Schluter12 / 12Black sesame latte.Paul JeffersPrevious SlideNext Slide13.5/20How we scoreOndoKorean$$$$ --- Rare beef is usually a special occasion order, but at Ondo it’s the signature move. Silk-textured raw wagyu is tossed with warm rice and punchy perilla leaf in yukhoe bibimbap that hits every textural note: soft, chewy, crisp. It’s among a handful of vital Korean dishes made with care at this relaxed daytime spot. --- Windows open to the street when it’s warm; a wood-clad rear section offers shelter the rest of the year. Service is as casual as you’d want at breakfast or lunch, but always informed. Bright makgeolli, the lightly sparkling rice wine, is an ideal companion for a brothy bowl of somyeon noodles. --- Delicate steamed barramundi comes with an array of banchan, including sweet-spicy dried squid. While the menu is brief, there’s enough depth in every dish to keep diners talking well past the final spoonful of rice. --- Good to know: Make it a breakfast date with a bowl of shredded chicken congee and a black sesame latte. --- Melbourne’s riding a new Korean food wave (and here are the best places to try it)AdvertisementGood Food reviews are booked anonymously and paid independently. A restaurant can’t pay for a review or inclusion in the Good Food Guide. --- Restaurant reviews, news and the hottest openings served to your inbox. --- ReviewOsteria IlariaA pared-back room to match elegant dishes from The Boot. --- ReviewPatsy’sPolished favourite where vegetables are king. ---
A clandestine wine haunt and comida exuding connection, conviviality and genuine Mexican soul.
Address 30 Rosina Street, Adelaide, SA View on Google Maps AuthorKatie Spain Previous Next Save Print Share Share this post Facebook LinkedIn Pinterest Email Copy link Advertisement :where(.wp-block-group.has-background){padding:1.25em 2.375em} /*# sourceURL=https://www.gourmettraveller.com.au/wp-includes/blocks/group/theme.min.css */ .wp-container-core-group-is-layout-8bb04800{flex-direction:column;align-items:center;} /*# sourceURL=block-support-1-inline-css */ .wp-container-core-group-is-layout-bf211acf{flex-wrap:nowrap;justify-content:center;} /*# sourceURL=block-support-2-inline-css */ Sign up for our newsletter --- Sign up to receive the Gourmet Traveller newsletter and offers we choose to share with you straight to your inbox --- By joining, you agree to our Privacy Policy & Terms of Use --- Are Media Pty Limited collects your personal information through this site to process registrations, send out newsletters, communicate offers, discounts, competitions, or surveys, and to provide you with targeted advertising based on your online activities. Our Privacy Policy contains information on how you can access or correct your personal information, which entities we may disclose your personal information to (including overseas recipients), how to opt out of targeted advertising, and how to lodge a complaint. FOLLOW US: --- Facebook Instagram Pinterest Related --- Love stories and restaurants have provided moments of escapism throughout history. This new addition to Adelaide’s CBD combines both. Barro’s heart-driven story began in Mexico City where chef Alejandro Huerta and pastry chef and sommelier Galia Valadez grew up (Alejandro south of the city, Galia north). The couple met in Sydney eight years ago while working at Chica Bonita and eventually chose a quiet Adelaide side street on which to open their small, narrow restaurant, Barro, named after the clay used in handcrafted crockery and vessels that hold mezcal. --- It’s an instantly welcoming space; dimly lit yet buzzing with energy. In the kitchen, a love letter to Mexico unfolds. Acclaimed chef Huerta (Pujol in Mexico City, Noma in Copenhagen, Alinea in Chicago) makes dishes that remind him of home, the tacos proving a satisfyingly crunchy highlight, made with duck cooked over coals, or pressed pig’s head. The reduced “pozole” sauce, served with a bitter pápalo leaf, is a throwback to happy times in the kitchen making chilli-seasoned soup with his grandmother and mother. --- The pair sources spices and chocolate from their homeland and embrace local Fair Seafood for the small bites that kick off the eight-course set menu. Ceviche in nannygai, thinly sliced green tomato and soul-settling coconut milk; and small crumpets crowned in burnt shishito and Two Gulfs Crab spanner crab. --- Mole coloradito is a recipe from Huerta’s great-grandmother who migrated to Mexico from Poland during World War II. The thick, spicy sauce arrives topped with earthy Choice Mushrooms and bright zucchini flowers ripe for dipping. It is served in sync with tender lamb shoulder, cooked slow and traditionally thanks to a barbacoa recipe from Guadalajara-born sous chef Fernando Alvarez. --- Valadez works the room with a warm smile and a selection of Mexican spirits – sotol, raicilla, bacanora and charanda – that demand a side of storytelling. The thoughtful wine list draws on time spent working in Australia’s regions; from New South Wales to Victoria’s King Valley. Locally, expect the likes of Ngeringa, Ministry of Clouds, Praeter, LVDO and Somos. --- Adelaide’s Faculty Design nailed the homely aesthetic; paintings inspired by those in Valadez’s family home (and a sunflower – Huerta’s mother’s favourite), and shelves dotted with pieces crafted by artisans in Tequisquiapan, the town in which Valadez and Huerta wed. There’s loteria (Mexican bingo), statues of alebrijes (mystical animals), and xoloitzcuintle, the Mexican dog said to help you cross the bridge to the afterlife. As last suppers go, the Manchego cheese tart and mezcal finale makes this an exceptionally fun place to do it. --- Katie is an award-winning author, national drinks writer and journalist with a particular penchant for regional stories. It’s little wonder, really. She grew up on a dairy farm in rural South Australia (but for the record, doesn’t drink milk). Produce-obsessed and curious from day dot, Katie’s storytelling led her to Germany where she studied journalism (auf Deutsch), followed by six years in London where she wrote a longstanding lifestyle column for The Australian Times Newspaper and worked in everything from travel to music and West End theatre reporting. After returning to Adelaide, via a two-year stint at Sydney’s NovaFM, she devoted herself to feature writing for the likes of Gourmet Traveller, News Corp, Australia’s Wine Business Magazine, Good Food, Sydney Morning Herald, and The Age. Katie was awarded Wine Communicator of the Year in 2021 and she was named Best Rural Journalist – Print – in the Rural Media Communicator Awards in 2022. That one pleased her dairy farmer dad. Her career highlights to date are co-writing the Adelaide Central Market – Stories, People & Recipes 150th anniversary book and The Wine Producers series which won Wine Communicators Australia’s 2022 Best New Wine Book. When she’s not accumulating keystrokes, she can usually be found exploring South Australia in a vintage caravan called Charlie. ---
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After about a year and a half on Lygon Street, the business moved to a larger shop in Collingwood Yards to keep up with increasing demand for the sandwiches – which sold out regularly, but were capped at up to 200 per day. “We couldn’t really fit more than three bodies behind the fridge in that space, so that would obviously limit the output that we could do. The volume grew a lot faster than I was ready for,” Stef told Broadsheet after relocating to the Collingwood space. Now, Stefanino Panino has expanded, with a second venue back in Brunswick. “Going back to Brunswick eventually has been in the back of my mind,” he says. “We wouldn’t be in Collingwood if not for the crowd in Brunswick. I grew up there, they’re our people – I felt like it was super important to get back here and connect with our crowd again.” The new Glenlyon Road shop is sandwiched between Lygon and Sydney Roads, about a kilometre from the original store. Like the OG, it’s takeaway focused, but has a bit more room to move. “It’s like a perfect middle ground between the first Brunswick East shop and the Collingwood one,” Stef says. “It’s got a proper kitchen and some stylish elements like Collingwood, as well as a little space for external seating, but it’s takeaway focused like the original spot.” The similarities extend to the food: the sandwich menu in Brunswick mirrors that in Collingwood, so you can get your fix of bread crammed with cold-cuts, cheese and pickled veggies at both shops. Spicy calabrese panini stuffed with peppers; caprese sandwiches with salumi, cheese and tomato; and a meaty il manzo with beef, cheese and multiple types of peppers will all feature. A crumbed chicken cotoletta number and a caesar salad-style sandwich are also expected to sell well. The new shop doesn’t serve booze, but there’s coffee from Genovese and Stef expects to do more early morning trade there – the original didn’t have an espresso machine. So come ready to sip a streetside macchiato (or a chinotto) along with your panini. “There’s schools and a bit more of a morning commute crowd around here, so I think having the coffee machine instead of a wine offering, like we do in Collingwood, makes a lot of sense.” The space is a former fish‘n’chip shop, anchored by a counter on one side when you enter and an exposed brick wall on the other. The concrete floor, white tiling and white painted exterior reflect Stef’s no-fuss ethos. On the Blair Street wall, you’ll also find a mural of a cherub between two panini buns painted by @mitch.r.signs. “We were stabbing in the dark a little bit when this whole sandwich craze started,” says Stef. “Getting all that experience under our belts in Collingwood and coming back to Brunswick with everything that we’ve learned is super exciting. It’s still the original vibe, the same menu, we just feel super fortunate to be able to do this.” Stefanino Panino II 43 Glenlyon Road, Brunswick No phone Hours Tue to Sun 8am–3pm stefaninopanino.com @stefanino.panino","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Broadsheet","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://broadsheet.com.au/assets/image/logo-full-white.png","width":520,"height":53}},"inLanguage":"en-AU"}(self.__next_s=self.__next_s||[]).push([0,{"children":"\n const fusetag = window.fusetag || (window.fusetag = { que: [] });\n window.__fuseInitPath = window.location.pathname;\n fusetag.que.push(function() {\n fusetag.pageInit({\n blockingFuseIds: [\"96225910\"],\n pageTargets: [{\"key\":\"sessionalcohol\",\"value\":[\"any\"]},{\"key\":\"sessionautomotive\",\"value\":[\"any\"]},{\"key\":\"sessionfinance\",\"value\":[\"any\"]},{\"key\":\"sessiontechnology\",\"value\":[\"any\"]},{\"key\":\"sessiontravel\",\"value\":[\"any\"]},{\"key\":\"pagetype\",\"value\":[\"article\"]},{\"key\":\"campaign\",\"value\":\"\"},{\"key\":\"sponsor\",\"value\":\"\"},{\"key\":\"sponsorcategory\",\"value\":\"\"},{\"key\":\"sponsorname\",\"value\":\"\"},{\"key\":\"tags\",\"value\":[]},{\"key\":\"suburb\",\"value\":\"brunswick\"},{\"key\":\"vertical\",\"value\":\"Food & Drink\"},{\"key\":\"city\",\"value\":\"melbourne\"}]\n });\n });\n ","id":"load-publift"}]){"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@type":"Thing","name":"Melbourne","@id":"https://www.broadsheet.com.au/melbourne"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@type":"Thing","name":"Food & Drink","@id":"https://www.broadsheet.com.au/melbourne/food-and-drink"}}]}MelbourneFood & DrinkAndiamo! Stefanino Panino Is Back in BrunswickStefanino Panino, Brunswick·Photo: Casey HorsfieldThe popular panini shop moved from Brunswick East to Collingwood Yards in 2023. Now, Stef Condello has opened his second spot back in the neighbourhood.Words by Scott Renton · Published on 23 Sep 2026 --- Read laterStef Condello and his mum Diana Condello opened the original Stefanino Panino in Brunswick East in 2022. After about a year and a half on Lygon Street, the business moved to a larger shop in Collingwood Yards to keep up with increasing demand for the sandwiches – which sold out regularly, but were capped at up to 200 per day. --- “We couldn’t really fit more than three bodies behind the fridge in that space, so that would obviously limit the output that we could do. The volume grew a lot faster than I was ready for,” Stef told Broadsheet after relocating to the Collingwood space. --- Now, Stefanino Panino has expanded, with a second venue back in Brunswick. --- “Going back to Brunswick eventually has been in the back of my mind,” he says. “We wouldn’t be in Collingwood if not for the crowd in Brunswick. I grew up there, they’re our people – I felt like it was super important to get back here and connect with our crowd again.” --- The new Glenlyon Road shop is sandwiched between Lygon and Sydney Roads, about a kilometre from the original store. Like the OG, it’s takeaway focused, but has a bit more room to move. --- “It’s like a perfect middle ground between the first Brunswick East shop and the Collingwood one,” Stef says. “It’s got a proper kitchen and some stylish elements like Collingwood, as well as a little space for external seating, but it’s takeaway focused like the original spot.” --- The similarities extend to the food: the sandwich menu in Brunswick mirrors that in Collingwood, so you can get your fix of bread crammed with cold-cuts, cheese and pickled veggies at both shops. Spicy calabrese panini stuffed with peppers; caprese sandwiches with salumi, cheese and tomato; and a meaty il manzo with beef, cheese and multiple types of peppers will all feature. A crumbed chicken cotoletta number and a caesar salad-style sandwich are also expected to sell well. --- The new shop doesn’t serve booze, but there’s coffee from Genovese and Stef expects to do more early morning trade there – the original didn’t have an espresso machine. So come ready to sip a streetside macchiato (or a chinotto) along with your panini. --- “There’s schools and a bit more of a morning commute crowd around here, so I think having the coffee machine instead of a wine offering, like we do in Collingwood, makes a lot of sense.” --- The space is a former fish‘n’chip shop, anchored by a counter on one side when you enter and an exposed brick wall on the other. The concrete floor, white tiling and white painted exterior reflect Stef’s no-fuss ethos. On the Blair Street wall, you’ll also find a mural of a cherub between two panini buns painted by @mitch.r.signs. --- “We were stabbing in the dark a little bit when this whole sandwich craze started,” says Stef. “Getting all that experience under our belts in Collingwood and coming back to Brunswick with everything that we’ve learned is super exciting. It’s still the original vibe, the same menu, we just feel super fortunate to be able to do this.” ---
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Over the years, it expanded into cafe pop-ups, workshops and supper clubs. Now, it’s landing permanently in Brisbane with an open-ended new cafe and co-working concept. “I grew up on the Gold Coast, but I’ve always been really drawn to the pace of Brisbane and how community-driven it is,” Mariano says. “Brisbane is growing very quickly and there’s an interesting mix of people coming here and creating their own things. I would love Mesa Haus to become a part of that.” With a background in hospitality, Mariano had long been drawn to versatile and beautiful homewares, but it wasn’t until Covid that she began sewing her own pieces. Shortly after, she started Dinner With Strangers, an intimate supper club hosted in her Sydney apartment, where strangers gathered around a table to share food made by chefs and culinary creatives. Mesa Haus is the next iteration of that experiment. Housed in an old residential property in Paddington, it’s part cafe, part design shop, part co-working space and, soon, part supper club. Brought to life with help from Melbourne architects We Are Humble, the cosy space has a simple, Scandinavian-style fit-out with indoor and outdoor cafe seating, and shelves of Mesa Collections products to browse. For now, it’s quietly operating as a cafe, with a grand opening set for September 18. Eventually, half of the space will host a creative residency program in a private co-working area. Creatives and “solopreneurs” can apply to share a communal desk and collaborate. “We want the creative residents to come in and define the space,” Mariano says. “Right now, there’s no set definition or expectations of what that looks like.” The cafe is serving coffee from Melbourne’s Code Black – including cold brew and hot batch brew on tap – and baked goods are by Sprout. There’s also matcha and hojicha, including iced versions with vanilla sea salt and ube cold foams. Longer term, Trishia has her sights set on turning Mesa Haus into a wine bar by night, with guest chef takeovers, supper clubs and collaborative events bringing the spirit of Dinner With Strangers into a permanent home. “I’ve always wanted to do something that combines design, hosting and bringing community together,” she says. “The [Sydney] pop-ups were a test of that idea, and I found that a lot of communities are looking for a space where they can be creative, have food on the table and be around beautiful things.” Mesa Haus 33 Latrobe Terrace, Paddington Hours Mon to Fri 7am–1pm Sat & Sun 7.30am–1pm @mesahaus.space","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Broadsheet","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://broadsheet.com.au/assets/image/logo-full-white.png","width":520,"height":53}},"inLanguage":"en-AU"}(self.__next_s=self.__next_s||[]).push([0,{"children":"\n const fusetag = window.fusetag || (window.fusetag = { que: [] });\n window.__fuseInitPath = window.location.pathname;\n fusetag.que.push(function() {\n fusetag.pageInit({\n blockingFuseIds: [\"96225910\"],\n pageTargets: [{\"key\":\"sessionalcohol\",\"value\":[\"any\"]},{\"key\":\"sessionautomotive\",\"value\":[\"any\"]},{\"key\":\"sessionfinance\",\"value\":[\"any\"]},{\"key\":\"sessiontechnology\",\"value\":[\"any\"]},{\"key\":\"sessiontravel\",\"value\":[\"any\"]},{\"key\":\"pagetype\",\"value\":[\"article\"]},{\"key\":\"campaign\",\"value\":\"\"},{\"key\":\"sponsor\",\"value\":\"\"},{\"key\":\"sponsorcategory\",\"value\":\"\"},{\"key\":\"sponsorname\",\"value\":\"\"},{\"key\":\"tags\",\"value\":[]},{\"key\":\"suburb\",\"value\":\"paddington\"},{\"key\":\"vertical\",\"value\":\"Food & Drink\"},{\"key\":\"city\",\"value\":\"brisbane\"}]\n });\n });\n ","id":"load-publift"}]){"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@type":"Thing","name":"Brisbane","@id":"https://www.broadsheet.com.au/brisbane"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@type":"Thing","name":"Food & Drink","@id":"https://www.broadsheet.com.au/brisbane/food-and-drink"}}]}BrisbaneFood & DrinkMesa Haus Brings Hand-Whisked Matcha and Beautiful Homewares to PaddingtonMesa Haus, Paddington·Photo: Fergus HurstAn established Sydney creative has put down roots on Latrobe Terrace with a concept that’s part cafe, part design shop and part workspace.Words by Becca Wang · Published on 22 Sep 2026 --- Read laterMesa Collections, Trishia Mariano’s design, lifestyle and hospitality brand, began in Sydney with a line of homewares centred on colourful table linens and silverware. Over the years, it expanded into cafe pop-ups, workshops and supper clubs. Now, it’s landing permanently in Brisbane with an open-ended new cafe and co-working concept. --- “I grew up on the Gold Coast, but I’ve always been really drawn to the pace of Brisbane and how community-driven it is,” Mariano says. “Brisbane is growing very quickly and there’s an interesting mix of people coming here and creating their own things. I would love Mesa Haus to become a part of that.” --- With a background in hospitality, Mariano had long been drawn to versatile and beautiful homewares, but it wasn’t until Covid that she began sewing her own pieces. Shortly after, she started Dinner With Strangers, an intimate supper club hosted in her Sydney apartment, where strangers gathered around a table to share food made by chefs and culinary creatives. --- Mesa Haus is the next iteration of that experiment. Housed in an old residential property in Paddington, it’s part cafe, part design shop, part co-working space and, soon, part supper club. Brought to life with help from Melbourne architects We Are Humble, the cosy space has a simple, Scandinavian-style fit-out with indoor and outdoor cafe seating, and shelves of Mesa Collections products to browse. --- For now, it’s quietly operating as a cafe, with a grand opening set for September 18. Eventually, half of the space will host a creative residency program in a private co-working area. Creatives and “solopreneurs” can apply to share a communal desk and collaborate. “We want the creative residents to come in and define the space,” Mariano says. “Right now, there’s no set definition or expectations of what that looks like.” --- The cafe is serving coffee from Melbourne’s Code Black – including cold brew and hot batch brew on tap – and baked goods are by Sprout. There’s also matcha and hojicha, including iced versions with vanilla sea salt and ube cold foams. --- Longer term, Trishia has her sights set on turning Mesa Haus into a wine bar by night, with guest chef takeovers, supper clubs and collaborative events bringing the spirit of Dinner With Strangers into a permanent home. --- “I’ve always wanted to do something that combines design, hosting and bringing community together,” she says. “The [Sydney] pop-ups were a test of that idea, and I found that a lot of communities are looking for a space where they can be creative, have food on the table and be around beautiful things.” --- HoursMon to Fri 7am–1pmSat & Sun 7.30am–1pm ---
ShareCopy LinkFacebookTwitterPinterestEmailWhatsAppPhotograph: Destination NSW | Duranbah Beach, Tweed HeadsAdvertising window.rawSlots = window.rawSlots || []; window.rawSlots.push('{"adSlotId":"/5185/body1/post","adContainerId":"ad-body-1-3833","isOutOfPage":false,"isRegistered":false,"adSizes":[{"viewport":[992,50],"slotSize":[]},{"viewport":[320,50],"slotSize":[[1,1],[320,100],[320,50],[300,600],[300,250],[300,100],[300,50]]},{"viewport":[0,0],"slotSize":[]}],"prebidSizes":[{"minViewPort":[800,0],"sizes":[[728,90]]},{"minViewPort":[320,50],"sizes":[[320,100],[320,50],[300,600],[300,250],[300,100],[300,50]]},{"minViewPort":[320,0],"sizes":[[320,100],[320,50],[300,250],[300,100],[300,50]]},{"minViewPort":[0,0],"sizes":[]}],"adTags":[{"key":"type","value":"body1"},{"key":"ad_slot_number","value":"ad-body-1"}],"adSenseTags":[],"adSlotGroup":"body","breakpoints":["xs","sm"],"loadsAutomatically":true}'); Is there anything better than chucking your OOO on and heading off on a summertime adventure? Here’s where you should add to the top of your list (before the rest of the world flocks to it à la seagulls and hot chips). --- The Tweed in Northern NSW has been named one of Lonely Planet’s Top Destinations for 2027, making it the only Australian spot among the guide’s 25 Top Destinations. --- RELATED READ: NSW’s 8 most enchanting small towns revealed – bookmark for your next road trip --- Now in its 17th year, the Best in Travel guide spotlights 50 must-visit destinations and experiences for 2027, with 25 destinations and 25 experiences making the cut. --- There were only two Aussie inclusions – The Tweed in the Top Destinations list and the Red Centre in the Top Experiences list. --- About a nine-hour drive from Sydney (give or take snack and bathroom stops), the Tweed stretches 37km from the beaches of Kingscliff and Cabarita to the lush hinterland around Murwillumbah, and locals have long known of the Tweed’s magic. Emerald waters, rolling waves, ancient rainforests, cascading waterfalls, beautiful produce and a barefoot vibe. --- The region takes in coastal favourites including Kingscliff, Cabarita Beach, Pottsville and Tweed Heads, as well as hinterland towns and villages including Murwillumbah, Uki, Tyalgum and Burringbar. --- Most holidaygoers head here to relax on its long golden beaches or dine at award-winning coastal restaurants – including Pipit in Pottsville and Bistro Livi in Murwillumbah – but there’s far more to the Tweed than sand and seafood. --- Adventure seekers can hike through lush green hills formed by an ancient shield volcano, cycle sections of the 132-kilometre Northern Rivers Rail Trail and tackle the newly opened four-day Gidjuum Gulganyi Walk. For a dose of culture, you can explore the Margaret Olley Art Centre, admire Murwillumbah’s Art Deco buildings or taste native ingredients on an Indigenous-led river cruise with Tweed Escapes. --- The other Aussie inclusion in Lonely Planet’s 2027 Best in Travel guide was the Northern Territory’s Red Centre, which was named one of the world’s 25 Top Experiences for its immersive First Nations art. --- Feeling inspired to work your way through Lonely Planet's 2027 bucket list? You can view it in full here. --- Time to start planning that Northern NSW getaway? I reckon so. ---
The hiking experts have AllTrails have crunched the numbers on the most popular springtime hikes in the country – these are the local (and local-ish) trails that Aussies are loving --- ShareCopy LinkFacebookTwitterPinterestEmailWhatsAppPhotograph: Supplied | Destination NSW | Cape Byron lighthouseAdvertising window.rawSlots = window.rawSlots || []; window.rawSlots.push('{"adSlotId":"/5185/body1/post","adContainerId":"ad-body-1-2027","isOutOfPage":false,"isRegistered":false,"adSizes":[{"viewport":[992,50],"slotSize":[]},{"viewport":[320,50],"slotSize":[[1,1],[320,100],[320,50],[300,600],[300,250],[300,100],[300,50]]},{"viewport":[0,0],"slotSize":[]}],"prebidSizes":[{"minViewPort":[800,0],"sizes":[[728,90]]},{"minViewPort":[320,50],"sizes":[[320,100],[320,50],[300,600],[300,250],[300,100],[300,50]]},{"minViewPort":[320,0],"sizes":[[320,100],[320,50],[300,250],[300,100],[300,50]]},{"minViewPort":[0,0],"sizes":[]}],"adTags":[{"key":"type","value":"body1"},{"key":"ad_slot_number","value":"ad-body-1"}],"adSenseTags":[],"adSlotGroup":"body","breakpoints":["xs","sm"],"loadsAutomatically":true}'); Spring has officially sprung in NSW, and if the longer days and warmer weather have you fanging to get out into nature, you're not alone. According to AllTrails, hiking navigation was up 12 per cent last spring compared with the year before, suggesting that our appetite for hitting the trails is only on the up. Here in NSW, springtime brings wildflowers, warmer swimming weather and pretty solid whale watching opportunities to our favourite hikes. And to help us make the most of the state’s hiking potential, AllTrails has rounded up some of the top spring hikes across Australia – including four NSW favourites. --- There are few walks more textbook Sydney than the Bondi to Coogee. Starting at Bondi Beach and winding its way along the coast towards Coogee, the trail takes in some of the city's most famous beaches, dramatic sandstone cliffs, ocean pools and plenty of prime picnic and swimming spots. It's a walk you can easily turn into a full-day affair, with stops for swims and snacks along the way (Out Of The Blue and Cafe 143 are our top picks – both worth the slight detour). AllTrails lists the route at 12.4 kilometres all in, with an estimated walking time of just under three hours if you smash it out in one go.Hike distance: 12.4 kilometresTime: around 2 hours 50 minutesDrive time from Sydney CBD: around 15–25 minutes --- Just west of the city, the Blue Mountains National Park is home to countless trails and bushwalks, with the most famous (and, yep, sometimes crowded) being the Grand Canyon Track. This beloved trail plunges into the lush landscape of the valley, weaving past waterfalls, ferns, sandstone walls and lots of those wildly spectacular views the region is known for. At 5.8 kilometres, it's relatively short compared with some of the longer walks on this list, but don't mistake that for easy. The loop includes plenty of steps and elevation, making it a solid option if you're after a short but hefty hike. AllTrails estimates it takes around two hours to complete. Hike distance: 5.8 kilometresTime: around 2 hoursDrive time from Sydney CBD: around two hours --- If you want a gorgeous leg-stretching bushwalk with next-level views of Sydney Harbour, this one's hard to beat. The Spit to Manly Walk follows the harbour through beautiful native bushland and past secluded beaches, Aboriginal heritage sites and some seriously good lookout points before eventually depositing you in Manly for your post-hike feed. The 10.1-kilometre route passes through some of the Sydney Harbour National Park’s highlights, including Clontarf Reserve, Grotto Point, Dobroyd Head and Reef Beach. And, crucially, the finish line is Manly, meaning you can reward yourself with a swim, lunch or waterside Spritz once you've made it there.Hike distance: 10.1 kilometresTime: around 2.5–3 hoursDrive time from Sydney CBD: around 15 minutes --- Let’s face it: there are a lot of reasons why Byron Bay is on everyone’s NSW travel bucket list, and the Cape Byron Walking Track is one of them. This glorious 3.9-kilometre loop takes you through magical parrot-thronged rainforest, and along spectacular clifftops to Cape Byron Lighthouse, with views across the sparkling shores of Wategos and out across the sparkling waves. The track sits on the lands of the Bundjalung people and reaches Australia's most easterly point on the mainland. Spring is a particularly good time to keep your eyes peeled for wildlife – there’s a school of dolphins that call Wategos home, and during whale-watching season you’re almost guaranteed to see some breaches at some point along the trailHike distance: 3.9 kilometresTime: around 1 hour 10 minutesDrive time from Sydney CBD: around 8 hours --- Keen to plan some interstate hikes this springtime? You can check out AllTrails’ full list over here. --- Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out Sydney newsletter for more news, food & drink inspo and activity ideas, straight to your inbox. --- Been there, done that? Think again, my friend. --- By entering your email address you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and consent to receive emails from Time Out about news, events, offers and partner promotions. --- Thanks for subscribing! Look out for your first newsletter in your inbox soon! ---
Sydney, this is what you came for – superstar DJ Calvin Harris is heading our way this summer --- ShareCopy LinkFacebookTwitterPinterestEmailWhatsAppPhotograph: Supplied | Calvin HarrisAdvertising window.rawSlots = window.rawSlots || []; window.rawSlots.push('{"adSlotId":"/5185/body1/post","adContainerId":"ad-body-1-6164","isOutOfPage":false,"isRegistered":false,"adSizes":[{"viewport":[992,50],"slotSize":[]},{"viewport":[320,50],"slotSize":[[1,1],[320,100],[320,50],[300,600],[300,250],[300,100],[300,50]]},{"viewport":[0,0],"slotSize":[]}],"prebidSizes":[{"minViewPort":[800,0],"sizes":[[728,90]]},{"minViewPort":[320,50],"sizes":[[320,100],[320,50],[300,600],[300,250],[300,100],[300,50]]},{"minViewPort":[320,0],"sizes":[[320,100],[320,50],[300,250],[300,100],[300,50]]},{"minViewPort":[0,0],"sizes":[]}],"adTags":[{"key":"type","value":"body1"},{"key":"ad_slot_number","value":"ad-body-1"}],"adSenseTags":[],"adSlotGroup":"body","breakpoints":["xs","sm"],"loadsAutomatically":true}'); Update Thursday, September 24: Due to overwhelming demand in yesterday’s pre-sale, Calvin Harris has added two new Aussie dates: one in Sydney and one in Melbourne. The general onsale is now on, so you can try your luck at getting any remaining tickets. Good luck!! --- The last time I saw Calvin Harris perform was back in 2010 at Big Day Out (RIP). The Boiler Room was a sweaty, Cruiser-fuelled dance session as he electrified the crowd, going from hit to hit: ‘Ready for the Weekend’, ‘You Used to Hold Me’ and ‘Acceptable in the 80s’. It was one of the best DJ sets I’ve ever seen. I don’t remember much else from that day. --- Now, the internationally renowned DJ is heading back to Australia for a national tour, and he’s coming to Sydney. --- Next February, the Grammy Award winner and multi-platinum DJ and producer will light up stadiums across the country with his biggest global anthems, including ‘One Kiss’, ‘This Is What You Came For’, ‘Summer’, ‘Feel So Close’ and ‘Sweet Nothing’. Here in Sydney's, he's playing at The Domain. --- Along with his record-breaking albums – such as 18 Months, Motion and Funk Wav Bounces Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 – The Calvin Harris - Australia Tour 2027 will celebrate his latest chart-topping collaborations and his recent compilation album 96 Months. --- The global hitmaker last graced Aussie shores for Festival X back in 2022, making this his first dedicated headline tour Down Under. Here’s everything you need to know about getting tickets to Calvin Harris’ 2027 Australian tour. --- Calvin Harris will bring his bangers to four Australian cities in summer 2027, including: --- Look, there’s not much wiggle room between the first three shows, but we’re crossing our fingers that he might add extra Sydney and Melbourne dates. --- Mark your calendars: general public tickets drop at 1pm local time on Thursday, September 24 via Live Nation. --- Given this is Calvin Harris’ first-ever Australian headline tour, we have no doubt demand will be wild. Telstra Plus members can access an exclusive pre-sale running from Monday, September 21 at 11am local time to Wednesday, September 23 at 11am (though allocations will likely sell out much faster). --- If you miss out, the official Artist pre-sale runs from Wednesday, September 23 at 12pm local time to Thursday, September 24 at 12pm local time. You can sign up for the Artist pre-sale here. ---