Best seafood in Melbourne – The full list
Melbourne is a strong city for seafood because it offers more than one kind of experience. You can book a polished riverside seafood restaurant, eat oysters and fish by the Yarra, sit down for market-side seafood in South Melbourne, order a casual fish and chips meal on Chapel Street, or choose a classic CBD seafood dining room before a show. The best seafood restaurants in Melbourne are spread across Southbank, South Melbourne, the CBD and Windsor, giving diners plenty of ways to enjoy fresh fish, shellfish, oysters, prawns, lobster, grilled seafood and casual coastal-style food.
This guide focuses on six seafood restaurants in Melbourne worth knowing: Waterfront, Claypots Evening Star, Grill Steak Seafood, The Atlantic Restaurant, Hooked Best Fish and Chips and Box Seafood Restaurant. Each one suits a different kind of meal, from special occasion seafood and riverside dining to market lunches, steak-and-seafood dinners and quick fish and chips.
1. Waterfront
Waterfront is one of Southbank’s clearest seafood choices. Set in the Southgate precinct, it makes the most of its position by the Yarra River, with city views, a polished dining room and a menu built around seafood, steak and grill-style dining. It is the kind of restaurant to choose when you want seafood to feel like a proper occasion rather than a quick meal.
The appeal here is classic Melbourne riverside dining. Waterfront works for long lunches, date nights, birthdays, business meals, visitor dinners and celebrations where the view matters as much as the food. It is close to Flinders Street Station, the Arts Precinct and the CBD, so it is also useful before or after a show, gallery visit or city event.
The menu is best approached through seafood first. Oysters, prawns, fish, shellfish, seafood platters and grilled options all suit the setting, while steak and non-seafood dishes help when the group includes diners who want something different. That flexibility makes Waterfront a strong choice for mixed tables.
Waterfront is best for oysters, seafood platters, grilled fish, riverside dining, business lunches, special occasions and anyone looking for a polished seafood restaurant in central Melbourne.
Address: Southgate Precinct, Shop 20, 3 Southgate Avenue, Southbank
Menu: View the Waterfront menu on Happy Menu
2. Claypots Evening Star
Claypots Evening Star is one of South Melbourne’s most characterful seafood restaurants. Located at South Melbourne Market, near the corner of Cecil and York Streets, it has a looser, more market-driven feel than a formal seafood dining room. This is the place to choose when you want seafood with atmosphere, personality and a strong local edge.
The food is seafood-focused but relaxed. Think fresh fish, mussels, prawns, oysters, grilled seafood, Mediterranean-style plates, drinks and dishes that suit a table ordering across the menu. The market setting gives the restaurant a lively backdrop, while the casual format makes it easy to drop in for lunch, dinner or a longer meal with friends.
Claypots Evening Star is especially useful for people who want seafood without the white-tablecloth feel. It works for casual dates, market lunches, dinners with friends, live music, wine, beer and meals where the mood is just as important as the plate.
For Melbourne diners, Claypots Evening Star is best for market-side seafood, grilled fish, shellfish, casual dinners, live music and a South Melbourne restaurant experience with plenty of character.
Address: South Melbourne Market, Shop 101, 116–136 Cecil Street, South Melbourne
Menu: View the Claypots Evening Star menu on Happy Menu
3. Grill Steak Seafood
Grill Steak Seafood gives Hardware Lane a classic steak-and-seafood option. Located in one of the CBD’s busiest dining lanes, it suits visitors, office workers, groups and diners looking for a central restaurant where seafood and grilled meats sit side by side.
The menu works well for mixed groups because it is not seafood-only. Diners can order fish, prawns, calamari, seafood platters and grill dishes, while others can choose steak or meat-focused mains. That makes it useful when one person wants seafood and someone else wants a more traditional steakhouse-style meal.
The Hardware Lane location gives Grill Steak Seafood a very CBD feel. It works for pre-theatre dinners, casual city meals, visitor-friendly lunches, group bookings and nights where you want an easy central restaurant with a broad menu.
Grill Steak Seafood is best for seafood and steak, group dinners, CBD lunches, visitor meals, grilled dishes and anyone looking for a flexible Hardware Lane restaurant.
Address: 68–78 Hardware Lane, Melbourne
Menu: View the Grill Steak Seafood menu on Happy Menu
4. The Atlantic Restaurant
The Atlantic Restaurant is one of Melbourne’s most polished seafood dining rooms. Located at Crown Melbourne in Southbank, it is built around fresh, local and sustainably sourced seafood, with a waterfront setting that suits special occasions, business meals, date nights and premium group dinners.
This is the restaurant to choose when seafood is the main event. The Atlantic is not a quick fish and chips stop or casual market venue. It is more refined, with a menu that suits oysters, shellfish, fish, lobster, seafood towers, wine and carefully presented dishes. The Crown location also makes it useful for visitors, hotel guests and people planning a full Southbank night out.
The Atlantic works especially well for celebrations. It has the polish, location and menu depth for birthdays, anniversaries, corporate dinners and long lunches where the meal needs to feel memorable. It also suits seafood lovers who want a broader, more luxurious experience than a simple grilled fish plate.
The Atlantic Restaurant is best for oysters, shellfish, premium seafood, waterfront dining, special occasions, business dinners, wine and polished Southbank meals.
Address: Crown Melbourne, 8 Whiteman Street, Southbank
Menu: View The Atlantic Restaurant menu on Happy Menu
5. Hooked Best Fish and Chips
Hooked Best Fish and Chips brings a more casual seafood option to this list. Located on Chapel Street in Windsor, it is the place to think about when you want fish and chips, seafood packs, burgers, souvlaki-style extras and a fast, satisfying meal rather than a formal restaurant booking.
The appeal is simple: good seafood in an easy format. Hooked works for lunch, dinner, takeaway, delivery, casual catch-ups and quick meals before or after plans on Chapel Street. It is especially useful when you want seafood but do not want the cost or structure of a full sit-down seafood restaurant.
Fish and chips are the obvious order, but the broader menu gives groups more choice. Diners can keep it classic with fish, chips and potato cakes, or add seafood packs, burgers, calamari and other casual options. That makes it a strong pick for families, solo meals and low-pressure dinners.
Hooked Best Fish and Chips is best for casual seafood, fish and chips, takeaway, delivery, Chapel Street meals, family dinners and anyone looking for a relaxed Windsor seafood stop.
Address: 172 Chapel Street, Windsor
Menu: View the Hooked Best Fish and Chips menu on Happy Menu
6. Box Seafood Restaurant
Box Seafood Restaurant is a classic CBD seafood restaurant on Collins Street, close to the Regent Theatre and the Paris end of the city. It is one of the best options when you want seafood in a more traditional sit-down restaurant setting, especially before or after theatre, shopping or a city event.
The restaurant focuses on fresh Australian seafood, including fish, shellfish and crayfish, with a menu that also offers non-seafood and gluten-free options. That makes it useful for mixed groups where seafood is the main reason for booking, but not every diner wants the same thing.
Box Seafood Restaurant has an older-school CBD dining feel, which is part of its appeal. It is not trying to be a loud riverside bar or casual takeaway shop. It suits people who want a proper seafood meal with table service, wine and a central location.
Box Seafood Restaurant is best for fresh Australian seafood, crayfish, pre-theatre dinners, Collins Street lunches, traditional dining, business meals and seafood lovers looking for a dependable CBD restaurant.
Address: 189 Collins Street, Melbourne
Menu: View the Box Seafood Restaurant menu on Happy Menu
Final word
The best seafood restaurants in Melbourne cover more than one kind of meal. Waterfront is the Southgate seafood and grill restaurant for riverside dining and seafood platters. Claypots Evening Star is the South Melbourne Market favourite for seafood, live music and character. Grill Steak Seafood is the Hardware Lane option for mixed steak-and-seafood dinners. The Atlantic Restaurant is the premium Southbank choice for oysters, shellfish and polished seafood dining. Hooked Best Fish and Chips is the casual Windsor stop for fish and chips, takeaway and easy seafood meals. Box Seafood Restaurant is the Collins Street classic for fresh Australian seafood and pre-theatre dining.
Together, they show why Melbourne is such a useful seafood city: refined when you want a special night out, casual when you want fish and chips, and varied enough to cover riverside meals, market dining, CBD theatre dinners and Chapel Street takeaway.