We’re lucky to have a world-class restaurant and bar scene, but what I think makes it truly Melbourne is the breadth and variety of food we have at our fingertips.

You can find some of the best food in the world at our city’s cafes and casual eateries. Even though it’s only July, this year we’ve already seen some exceptional new ones open.

While new places like Tori Bicknell and Mike Byard’s Glory Us keep up by serving old cafe favourites (yes, they have avocado toast), you can also get arepas and empanadas from Reveka Hurtado’s Papelón, nourishing pozole and tamales from chef Ricardo Garcia Flores’s El Columpio, and enjoy congee and dim sum mainstays for breakfast, lunch and dinner at Nikki Ne and Emily Lin’s Sanhe Congee.

Here in alphabetical order are our picks for the best new cafes and casual eateries of the year so far. (Including one that opened at the very end of 2023, after we published our best of the year list.)

For all the progress Mexican food has made in Australia in recent years, local interpretations remain stubbornly narrow. Yes, we have tacos coming out the wazoo and a handful of excellent torta spots even Mexico City residents appreciate. But tamales, gorditas, mixiotes, molletes and dozens of other iconic dishes are still nowhere to be found. And that’s why I’m so excited by El Columpio, a modest place with not much atmosphere to speak of. There’s only a handful of dishes on the menu, but the deserved signature is white pozole, a deeply satisfying soup owner-chef Ricardo Garcia Flores makes to his grandmother’s Oaxacan recipe. He simmers garlic, onion, hominy (nixtamalised dried corn), pork shoulder and chicken for four hours, then garnishes with lettuce, onion, red radish and Mexican oregano. The accompanying salsa is made in house from piquin, arbol and guajillo chillies. Alongside ramen, pho, laksa and khao soi, this could be one of the world’s great soups. Bonus: Garcia Flores spends all day Wednesday and Thursday prepping up to 200 tamales, available from Friday and always sold out before Sunday. Let’s keep broadening our horizons.

– Nick Connellan, Australia editor

This new spot has all the trappings of a good sushi counter: dry-aged local fish, a Japanese vending machine filled with hot and cold drinks, and a premium location across from one of Melbourne’s best seafood suppliers, D&K Seafood. Founder Elisa Tran, a member of the D&K family, has hospitality in her veins and has created a truly special place. You’re even encouraged to bring in outside food, like matcha from the cafe next door, to pair with your sushi.

– Claire Adey, contributor

This outpost of a popular Strathmore cafe has all the charm of a country eatery, backed by the expertise of a team that has spent a collective six decades in hospitality. Rustic breakfast pizza and pie by the slice are drawcards, but owners Tori Bicknell and Mike Byard’s grassroots approach to hospitality is what makes this humble cafe really shine.

– Quincy Malesovas, contributor

Stumbling upon this tiny oyster haven in Chinatown after dinner one evening was a true delight. As somebody who has never had much of a sweet tooth, oysters for dessert seemed like a fantastic idea. It almost felt as if I was entering a cosy home as opposed to an oyster bar (the shop’s frilly curtains and scattering of fake plants made the space feel not that different from my Brunswick share house, except oysters would make much better roommates if I’m being honest).

The oysters didn’t disappoint. Freshly shucked, the salty, slippery little delights went down a treat. But the true highlight? The largest, fattest and juiciest oyster I have ever seen, sitting behind the bar, which will set you back $50. I’ve been thinking about it ever since and will be returning to give it a crack. Soon.

–Maddy Pogue, social media coordinator

Venezualans and Colombians have the same relationship with arepas as Australians and Kiwis do with pavlova. Both countries are convinced theirs is the OG – and the superior version. This explains why on my first visit to Papelon, just after its February opening, approximately the entire Venezualan population of Melbourne was crammed into its colourful, homey surrounds.

Chef and owner Reveka Hurtado knew we were all there for the arepas – and there are plenty on the menu. The Pabellon with shredded beef, black bean, sweet fried plantains and cheese is a particular fave, like eating big mouthfuls of joy. And, yes, there are stew-based mains (like the Latin-Caribbean sanchoco) and snacky bites (empanadas, tequeños) worth considering. But I prefer to cede my tum’s remaining space to sweet things. There’s Venezualan-style tres leches cake and quesillo flan. Plus sweet drinks including malta – an addictively good (non-alc) chocolatey beer.

Triple bonus is this joint’s position on the fringes of Footscray Market. Come for the arepas, stay for the tres leches, then do your grocery run afterwards. Perfecto.

–Jo Walker, home and lifestyle editor

I still don’t think my mum has forgiven me for publishing a story on her go-to laksa place (which has meant longer wait times for tables for her and her lunch friends). So I might be getting myself in trouble again by writing more about Pappa Laksa, but I’m willing to risk it.

This laksa haven on Burwood Highway is run by husband-and-wife team Jacky and Niki Chan. (It was also, adorably, named by their two young daughters). The thick curry laksa is my favourite in Melbourne, not just of the places that have opened this year. The Chans also make a killer mee goreng that I order on days when I feel like fried noodles rather than soup.

–Audrey Payne, Melbourne food and drink editor

Joseph and Natalie Abboud are some of the quietest achievers in Melbourne hospitality. He’s a chef of impressive credentials, who cooked at Est Est Est and other fine dining icons around the turn of the millennium and last year published his first cookbook. But the couple has never been about fame or empire building. Just continually improving their homey Lebanese restaurant Rumi, now in its third location since opening in 2006. The new site also includes an adjoining wine bar, playfully dubbed Rocket Society. It’s a solid nighttime destination with a strong snack game and wines from Morocco and Lebanon (interesting and unusual, right?). But us locals love its tiny, $8 rolled-up “sandwiches”, something like a kebab shrunk down to cigar size. Stuffed with the likes of falafel and tahini; fried potato, pickles and toum (garlic sauce); and minced lamb with herbs, they’re the perfect handheld intermission to a grocery run at the adjacent Coles, Blackhearts & Sparrows and forthcoming Hagen’s butcher.

– Nick Connellan, Australia editor

A shop with over 30 types of congee? Yes, please! Choose from pork, chicken, vegetarian, seafood and sweet options with perfectly paired toppings so you can enjoy this comfort food exactly how you like it.

While congee is the undeniable star of the show, don’t sleep on the side dishes. There are yum cha staples including juicy xiao long bao, creamy custard buns and crisp, yet soft, fried turnip cakes. A favourite of mine is youtiao (Chinese doughnuts). Dip them into the congee to soak up all that soul-warming umami-rich goodness.

–Irene Zhang, contributor

Wavy two-week-aged noodles are the name of the game at Sara, the work of chef-owner Ryo Northfield, a protégé of Hiroyuki Sakai, otherwise known as “Iron Chef French” on the iconic Japanese cooking show. Here the noodles have just the right amount of bite, the subtle broth is made by using French and Japanese techniques, and bowls of ramen are topped with blanched greens and fried stems of burdock root. Plus, you can get a Suntory The Premium Malt’s Black on tap

–Claire Adey, contributor

There’s a falafel for every mood in Melbourne, from Half Moon’s Egyptian version with verdant fava beans to A1 Bakery’s pared-back (but perfect) platters with crisp golden falafs (to name just a few). In 2024, we got a permanent home for the falafel spot I never knew I needed – former food truck Wazzup Falafel. Co-owner Ahmad Al Alaea, who took research trips back home to Jordan to hone his recipe, serves Jordanian-Palestinian falafel that’s unlike any other you’ll find in town. The first time I arrive at the new shopfront, a staff member offers a smile and a sample to try: a fluffy, golden falafel made from chickpeas, parsley and a secret 21-spice blend. The third time I return, it’s for the signature wrap packed with mint, creamy hummus, crunchy pickled turnips and those fluffy falafel, among other accoutrements. Al Alaea is there every time, rolling wraps in the kitchen or greeting customers out the front, always in his signature cowboy hat.

–Holly Bodeker-Smith, directory editor (app)