{"id":655,"date":"2026-05-19T09:06:36","date_gmt":"2026-05-19T09:06:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.happymenu.co\/blog\/?p=655"},"modified":"2026-05-19T21:36:27","modified_gmt":"2026-05-19T21:36:27","slug":"best-new-restaurants-in-melbourne-where-to-eat-right-now","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.happymenu.co\/blog\/best-new-restaurants-in-melbourne-where-to-eat-right-now\/","title":{"rendered":"Best New Restaurants in Melbourne: Where to Eat Right Now"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Melbourne does not do \u201cnew restaurant\u201d quietly. A new opening here is rarely just a new dining room; it is usually a point of view. A chef finally gets their own address. A neighbourhood pub is reimagined. A pop-up finds a permanent home. A small Japanese restaurant makes comfort food feel precise. A museum dining room becomes one of the city\u2019s most interesting restaurant stages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This guide focuses on some of the most exciting newer Melbourne restaurants to know now, including Ho Liao, Taverna, Sachi, Zareh, Daphne, Kuru, Atsu and Cherrywood at Residence. Each one brings something different to the table: Malaysian rooftop dining, Greek share plates, seafood-focused Japanese cooking, Armenian-Lebanese fire cooking, a Brunswick East public house, homestyle Japanese comfort food, crisp katsu and kushikatsu, and a restaurant concept built around a chef residency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Ho Liao, Melbourne CBD<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Address:<\/strong> 2 Rainbow Alley, Melbourne, Victoria 3000<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ho Liao brings big Malaysian flavour to the Melbourne CBD with the kind of menu that feels built for sharing. It sits inside chef Junda Khoo\u2019s Melbourne venue and is connected to the Ho Jiak group, known for energetic, modern Malaysian cooking. The restaurant\u2019s own menu highlights dishes such as char koay teow, Inchi Kabin, Malaysian roast duck, salted duck egg squid, satay, ribs, milk tea and Malaysian shaved ice, giving diners a strong mix of nostalgia, comfort and theatre. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What makes Ho Liao one of the best new restaurants in Melbourne is the way it feels casual and special at the same time. It is not trying to be a quiet fine diner. It is loud in flavour, generous in spirit and ideal for people who want a CBD restaurant that works for lunch, dinner, groups, after-work catch-ups and late cravings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The menu is especially useful for diners who like to plan before they arrive. You can scan through the dishes, think about whether you want a banquet-style meal or a few strong signatures, and arrive with a better idea of what kind of night you are building.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Best for:<\/strong> group dinners, Malaysian food lovers, CBD catch-ups, energetic meals, shared plates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Check the menu:<\/strong> View Ho Liao menu on Happy Menu<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Taverna, Brunswick East<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Address:<\/strong> 434 Lygon Street, Brunswick East, Victoria 3057<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Taverna brings a bright Greek dining energy to Brunswick East, with a menu that leans into the pleasure of the table: dips, bread, seafood, greens, grilled meats and generous shared dishes. Its menu lists larger plates such as prawns saganaki, wood-fired fish, spit-roast chicken, slow-cooked lamb shoulder, seasonal greens, roasted giant beans and fried potato chips with oregano salt. It also offers a share menu format, making it a natural fit for groups. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is the kind of restaurant that suits Melbourne\u2019s favourite style of eating: order across the table, pass plates around, let the meal stretch out. Brunswick East already has one of the city\u2019s strongest food strips, but Taverna gives Lygon Street another place that feels easy to recommend when someone wants a restaurant that is relaxed, delicious and social.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The appeal is not just Greek food. It is Greek hospitality translated into a Melbourne neighbourhood setting. It works for Sunday lunch, a birthday, a dinner with friends or a table where nobody wants to think too hard about what to order because the share menu can do the work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Best for:<\/strong> Greek dining, group meals, share plates, long lunches, relaxed Brunswick East nights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Check the menu:<\/strong> View Taverna menu on Happy Menu<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sachi, Melbourne CBD<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Address:<\/strong> 179 Queen Street, Melbourne, Victoria 3000<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sachi is one of the most interesting Japanese restaurants in Melbourne\u2019s newer dining wave because it focuses so clearly on seafood. The restaurant describes itself as a seafood-focused Japanese restaurant built around sushi, sashimi, chirashi don and omakase, with fish dry-aged in-house to improve texture and flavour. Its own site highlights chirashi-don, Marlin Hamburg and a 17-course omakase experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Broadsheet reported that Sachi began as a pop-up before opening a permanent Queen Street home, with chef Reki Reinantha aiming to make precise seafood cooking feel more casual and approachable. The restaurant\u2019s chirashi don has been a signature since its pop-up days, served with aged seafood over red vinegar rice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That balance is what makes Sachi stand out. It has the detail and discipline diners expect from a serious sushi counter, but it is not only for special occasions. It can be a CBD lunch, a counter seat, a seafood-focused dinner or a deeper omakase experience for people who want to spend more time with the menu.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Best for:<\/strong> sushi, sashimi, dry-aged seafood, chirashi bowls, omakase, Japanese dining in the CBD.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Check the menu:<\/strong> View Sachi menu on Happy Menu<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Zareh, Collingwood<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Address:<\/strong> 368 Smith Street, Collingwood, Victoria 3066<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Zareh is one of Melbourne\u2019s most talked-about newer restaurants because it feels personal. Named in honour of chef Tom Sarafian\u2019s grandfather, the restaurant is built around family, tradition and hospitality. The heart of the kitchen is a wood-fired oven and charcoal barbecue, with food inspired by Armenian and Lebanese heritage, North Africa and the Middle East.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That matters because Zareh is not simply \u201cMiddle Eastern food\u201d as a broad category. It is a restaurant with a clear emotional centre: fire, bread, dips, spice, smoke, generosity and memory. It belongs on Smith Street because Collingwood loves restaurants with energy, but it also feels like a destination in its own right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For diners, Zareh is the place to choose when you want a meal that feels warm, flavour-packed and a little harder to replicate at home. It suits people who care about produce and technique, but who still want the emotional satisfaction of food cooked over flame.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Best for:<\/strong> wood-fired food, charcoal cooking, Armenian and Lebanese flavours, date nights, group dinners, Smith Street dining.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Check the menu:<\/strong> View Zareh menu on Happy Menu<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Daphne, Brunswick East<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Address:<\/strong> 52-54 Lygon Street, Brunswick East, Victoria 3057<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Daphne describes itself as a public house in Brunswick East built around \u201cgreat food, booze and neighbours,\u201d with a front bar for walk-ins and a bistro for diners who want to book ahead. Its regular neighbourhood nights include pasta night, steak night and a Monday martini club, which gives the restaurant a strong local rhythm rather than making it feel like a one-off destination.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Broadsheet describes Daphne as Hannah Green\u2019s approachable neighbourhood diner, with a seasonal menu that always keeps room for pasta, a burger and a steak. That is exactly the kind of promise Melbourne diners understand: familiar anchors, better ingredients, better cooking and enough personality to make it feel worth leaving the house.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Daphne is one of the best new restaurants in Melbourne for people who do not want the meal to feel too precious. It is a pub, bistro, bar and local hangout rolled together. You can go for a quick drink, a pasta night, a casual dinner, a steak, a proper sit-down meal or a night that starts with one martini and becomes dinner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Best for:<\/strong> public house dining, pasta, steak, neighbourhood dinners, cocktails, Brunswick East locals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Check the menu:<\/strong> View Daphne menu on Happy Menu<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Kuru, West Melbourne<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Address:<\/strong> 125 Rosslyn Street, West Melbourne, Victoria 3003<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kuru is small, warm and focused. Broadsheet reported that the restaurant comes from former Long Chim chefs Pol Deoisares and Rin Rojkaranwong, who opened it as a casual Japanese restaurant rather than another version of their West Melbourne cafe Roslyn Thai. The menu includes Japanese curry, shio ramen, otsumami such as chicken karaage and beef tataki, baked miso eggplant, and teishoku sets with rice, miso soup and pickles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That makes Kuru a very Melbourne kind of new restaurant: small room, clear idea, comforting food, strong cooking background. It is not trying to be flashy. Its appeal is that it understands what people want on a weeknight: something warm, satisfying, nicely made and easy to return to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kuru is especially useful for diners looking beyond the obvious CBD and inner-north strips. West Melbourne has become more interesting for food, and Kuru gives the area a Japanese neighbourhood restaurant that works for lunch, dinner, a solo meal, a casual catch-up or a quiet bowl of something restorative.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Best for:<\/strong> teishoku, ramen, Japanese curry, karaage, small restaurants, West Melbourne dining.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Check the menu:<\/strong> View Kuru menu on Happy Menu<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Atsu, Carlton<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Address:<\/strong> 17 Lincoln Square South, Carlton, Victoria 3053<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Atsu is built around katsu, kushikatsu and a lively, casual Japanese drinking mood. The restaurant describes itself as a place for crispy katsu, lemon sour and good music, with lunch, dinner and drinks menus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What\u2019s On Melbourne describes Atsu as a Carlton Japanese restaurant focused on katsu donburi and kushi skewers, including wagyu, chicken, Otway pork tonkatsu and changing vegetable options served over rice. It also highlights kushikatsu, Osakan-style fried skewers, alongside dishes such as kingfish tataki, shio kombu cabbage salad and housemade purin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is the restaurant to pick when you want something crisp, hot, fun and not too formal. Atsu understands the pleasure of a focused menu. Rather than trying to be everything, it takes a few ideas and makes them feel energetic: katsu, skewers, highballs, booths, music and a dining room made for people who want to settle in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Best for:<\/strong> katsu, kushikatsu, donburi, casual Japanese food, Carlton dinners, highballs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Check the menu:<\/strong> View Atsu menu on Happy Menu<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Cherrywood at Residence, Parkville<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Address:<\/strong> 815 Swanston Street, Parkville, Victoria 3010<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cherrywood at Residence is one of Melbourne\u2019s most intriguing newer dining concepts because the restaurant is part of Residence at the Potter, located at the Potter Museum of Art in Parkville. Residence lists the address as 815 Swanston Street and runs both cafe and restaurant services, with dinner from Tuesday to Saturday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Broadsheet reported that Cherrywood is the first concept inside Residence and that chef Robbie Noble\u2019s food takes inspiration from northern England while keeping the cooking polished, produce-led and playful. The article describes dishes with a familiar-but-left-of-centre quality, including a roast chicken dinner served as broth and nostalgic English references given a modern edge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The result is not a standard museum restaurant. It is a restaurant that makes the location part of the experience. You can visit for the art precinct, the building, the idea of a chef residency and the food itself. For diners who like Melbourne restaurants that feel conceptual without becoming cold, Cherrywood at Residence is one of the most interesting names to know.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Best for:<\/strong> modern English cooking, art precinct dining, chef-led menus, special lunches, Parkville dinners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Check the menu:<\/strong> View Cherrywood at Residence menu on Happy Menu<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Where to Go Based on the Kind of Meal You Want<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

For a Big Group Dinner<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Choose Ho Liao, Taverna or Zareh. Ho Liao has the energy and Malaysian sharing dishes for a lively CBD meal. Taverna is built around Greek-style sharing and group-friendly food. Zareh brings the warmth of charcoal, bread, dips and generous Middle Eastern-inspired cooking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For a Date Night<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Choose Sachi, Zareh or Cherrywood at Residence. Sachi works for seafood lovers who want precision and intimacy. Zareh has fire, flavour and atmosphere. Cherrywood at Residence gives you something more unusual, especially if you want dinner connected to the museum precinct.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For a Casual Weeknight Dinner<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Choose Daphne, Kuru or Atsu. Daphne is ideal when you want a neighbourhood pub-bistro feel. Kuru is perfect for Japanese comfort food in a smaller setting. Atsu is the right choice when crisp katsu, skewers and highballs sound better than a long formal meal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Japanese Food<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Melbourne\u2019s newer Japanese dining scene is especially strong. Sachi is the pick for seafood, sashimi, chirashi and omakase. Kuru is the pick for teishoku, ramen, curry and homestyle comfort. Atsu is the pick for katsu, donburi and kushikatsu.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Brunswick East Dining<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Taverna and Daphne show two different sides of Brunswick East. Taverna brings Greek warmth and sharing food to Lygon Street. Daphne turns the public house format into something modern, local and flexible, with pasta, steak, drinks and a casual bistro feel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Final Thoughts: Melbourne\u2019s New Restaurant Scene Is About Personality<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The most exciting thing about Melbourne\u2019s newer restaurants is not that they all follow one trend. They do the opposite. Ho Liao is big, bright Malaysian dining. Taverna is generous Greek hospitality. Sachi is seafood-focused Japanese precision. Zareh is flame, family and heritage. Daphne is the neighbourhood public house made fresh again. Kuru is quiet Japanese comfort. Atsu is crisp, playful and casual. Cherrywood at Residence is a restaurant concept with a sense of theatre and place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Together, they show why Melbourne remains one of the world\u2019s most rewarding cities for people who love eating out. New restaurants here are not just openings; they are arguments for how dining can feel. Casual can still be careful. Nostalgic can still be modern. A neighbourhood restaurant can still be ambitious. A menu can still surprise you, even when it begins with something as familiar as pasta, katsu, roast chicken, lamb, curry or rice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before choosing where to go next, check the menu, match the restaurant to the occasion and give yourself a better chance of ordering well.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Discover some of the best new restaurants in Melbourne, from Ho Liao and Taverna to Sachi, Zareh, Daphne, Kuru, Atsu and Cherrywood at Residence, with menu links to help you choose where to eat next.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":661,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[43,38,39,40],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.happymenu.co\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/655"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.happymenu.co\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.happymenu.co\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.happymenu.co\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.happymenu.co\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=655"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.happymenu.co\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/655\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":676,"href":"https:\/\/www.happymenu.co\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/655\/revisions\/676"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.happymenu.co\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/661"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.happymenu.co\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=655"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.happymenu.co\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=655"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.happymenu.co\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=655"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}