Best restaurants in Carlton – The Full List
Carlton is one of Melbourne’s most famous food suburbs, best known for Lygon Street but no longer limited to Italian dining alone. The area now works for hot pot, Middle Eastern fusion, Pakistani and Indian food, charcoal grills, group dinners, late meals and polished Italian restaurants. It is a suburb where students, families, city workers, theatre-goers and visitors can all find something that suits the occasion.
This guide focuses on five Carlton restaurants worth knowing: Panda Hot Pot, Mint & Co, Ziyka Pakistani Indian Restaurant, Khabbay Restaurant and Scopri. Each one gives Carlton a different kind of dining experience, from interactive Sichuan hot pot to regional Italian food and hearty desi cuisine.
1. Panda Hot Pot
Panda Hot Pot is one of Carlton’s biggest dining experiences, both literally and in atmosphere. Located on Victoria Street, it brings Sichuan-style hot pot to a large, theatrical dining room where the meal is designed to be shared, cooked and built at the table. This is not a quiet, quick dinner; it is a restaurant for groups, long meals and people who want food to feel interactive.
The appeal of Panda Hot Pot is the format. Diners choose soup bases, select ingredients and cook everything in bubbling broth at the table. Meats, seafood, vegetables, noodles, tofu, mushrooms and dipping sauces all become part of the experience. It is especially useful for mixed groups because each person can choose the ingredients they like while still sharing the same meal.
Hot pot also suits Carlton’s energy well. The suburb already has a strong late-night and group dining culture, and Panda Hot Pot gives that crowd something generous, warming and social. It is a strong choice in winter, but it also works year-round because the fun is in the shared ritual: ordering, cooking, dipping and eating slowly across the table.
Panda Hot Pot is best for group dinners, birthdays, family meals, cold nights, late dinners and anyone who wants a bold, high-energy Carlton restaurant experience.
Address: 100 Victoria Street, Carlton
Menu: View the Panda Hot Pot menu on Happy Menu
2. Mint & Co
Mint & Co is a Middle Eastern-inspired restaurant and lounge that gives Carlton a different mood from the traditional Lygon Street dining rooms nearby. Located on University Street, it combines restaurant dining, lounge energy, an outdoor courtyard and a Dubai-inspired feel, making it a strong option when the night is about atmosphere as much as food.
The menu direction leans Middle Eastern fusion, with dishes that suit sharing, grazing and longer evenings. This is the kind of place where groups can build a meal around starters, grilled items, breads, dips, drinks and larger plates. It is also useful for diners looking for halal-friendly options in Carlton, especially when they want a more social setting than a simple takeaway shop.
Mint & Co works well for birthday dinners, group catch-ups, late dinners, casual celebrations and nights where the setting matters. The lounge-style identity makes it different from a standard restaurant booking; it can feel more like a place to settle in with friends rather than simply eat and leave.
For Carlton, Mint & Co adds variety. It sits away from the most obvious Italian strip, giving the suburb a Middle Eastern and lounge-driven option that suits groups, events and social dining.
Address: 62 University Street, Carlton
Menu: View the Mint & Co menu on Happy Menu
3. Ziyka Pakistani Indian Restaurant
Ziyka Pakistani Indian Restaurant brings generous desi dining to Lygon Street. In a suburb famous for Italian food, Ziyka gives Carlton something different: Pakistani and Indian flavours, halal-friendly dishes, late dining and a menu built around spice, grills, curries, rice and bread.
The best way to approach Ziyka is with a group. Pakistani and Indian restaurants often shine when the table orders across the menu: barbecue dishes, curries, biryani, naan, vegetarian plates and something rich to share. That style of eating suits Carlton well because the suburb is often used for family dinners, student meals, group catch-ups and late-night food.
Ziyka is especially useful when you want a filling dinner with strong flavour. It is not about minimalist plates or quiet fine dining; it is about warmth, spice, generosity and comfort. For diners who want halal options or desi food close to the city, it is one of Carlton’s most practical choices.
Ziyka is best for Pakistani and Indian food, family meals, halal-friendly dining, group dinners, late meals and anyone who wants something hearty on Lygon Street.
Address: 234–236 Lygon Street, Carlton
Menu: View the Ziyka Pakistani Indian Restaurant menu on Happy Menu
4. Khabbay Restaurant
Khabbay Restaurant is another strong Carlton option for Pakistani and Indian food, with a focus on hearty dishes, charcoal barbecue and group-friendly dining. Located on Lygon Street, it gives diners a casual, flavour-heavy alternative to the suburb’s Italian restaurants and works especially well for people who want a generous meal without making the setting too formal.
The food direction is built around comfort and spice. Charcoal barbecue, curries, rice dishes, breads, grilled meats and vegetarian options all make sense here. It is the kind of restaurant where the table should share, because ordering several dishes gives you a better sense of the range and lets everyone balance rich, spicy, grilled and saucy flavours.
Khabbay is particularly useful for families and groups because the menu style is broad and filling. It works for dinner with friends, casual celebrations, takeaway, late meals and anyone who wants a strong halal-friendly option in Carlton.
For diners comparing Ziyka and Khabbay, the good news is that both give Carlton a strong desi dining presence. Khabbay is a great pick when the group wants barbecue platters, curries and a relaxed Lygon Street meal built around big flavour.
Address: 140–146 Lygon Street, Carlton
Menu: View the Khabbay Restaurant menu on Happy Menu
5. Scopri
Scopri is the most classically Carlton restaurant on this list, but it is not a generic Lygon Street pasta stop. Located on Nicholson Street, it is a polished Italian restaurant with a strong neighbourhood reputation, a more intimate dining room and a focus on regional Italian cooking.
This is the restaurant to choose when you want Italian food with a little more occasion. Scopri suits diners looking for handmade pasta, carefully cooked meat and seafood, Italian wine, seasonal produce and a meal that feels considered rather than rushed. It is a strong choice for people who want the Carlton Italian experience, but in a calmer, more refined setting than the busiest parts of Lygon Street.
Scopri works well for date nights, birthdays, anniversaries, business dinners, long lunches and small group meals. It is also useful when you want Italian food that feels personal and quietly confident rather than loud or tourist-driven.
For Carlton, Scopri shows why the suburb’s Italian identity still matters. Even as the area becomes more diverse, a restaurant like Scopri keeps the tradition alive in a way that feels grown-up, regional and carefully executed.
Address: 191 Nicholson Street, Carlton
Menu: View the Scopri menu on Happy Menu
Final word
The best restaurants in Carlton Melbourne cover far more than one kind of meal. Panda Hot Pot is the interactive Sichuan hot pot destination for groups and birthdays. Mint & Co is the Middle Eastern-inspired lounge for social dinners and celebrations. Ziyka Pakistani Indian Restaurant is the Lygon Street pick for halal-friendly Pakistani and Indian food. Khabbay Restaurant is the charcoal barbecue and curry option for generous group meals. Scopri is the refined Italian restaurant for pasta, wine and special occasions.
Together, they show why Carlton remains one of Melbourne’s most useful food suburbs: historic, central, diverse and strong for everything from casual late dinners to polished restaurant nights.