How to Spend 24 Hours in Melbourne

If you’re visiting from interstate (or entertaining someone who is) we’ve got you covered. This hit list has more than you’ll be able to visit in 24 hours, but consider it a starting point.

Melbourne is still, undeniably, a brunch city. For classics like folded eggs and ricotta hotcakes, don’t go past Archie’s All Day in Fitzroy or Terror Twilight in nearby Collingwood. If you’re venturing south-side for some shopping on High Street, Armadale, then Nine Yards and Moby have you covered. In the city, Higher Ground’s your spot. And visit Florian in Carlton North for a charming Euro breakfast like gruyere omelettes and porridge with seasonal fruit.

Japanese cafe Chiaki, is known for ochazuke, a Japanese dish that sees a broth – traditionally made with tea – poured over a bowl of rice and toppings. Another Japanese venue is Ima Asa Yoru, where you can find one of the city’s best breakfast sets; another is Cibi, where Harry Styles visited while in town. Roslyn Thai, Ondo (in the CBD and Armadale), and Moon Mart are great places for Asian breakfasts, pastries and drinks inspired by Thailand, Korea, and Korea and Japan respectively. And Port Melbourne’s Salam is a French Lebanese bakery and cafe with baked-to-order flatbreads and flakey haloumi croissants.

It’s hard to beat lunch at Julie, a dreamy and relaxed restaurant at the Abbotsford Convent, followed by a drink and snack at sibling venue Cam’s Kiosk just around the corner.

In Collingwood, Shannon Martinez’s Smith & Deli is a great spot for a quick salad or sandwich (and everything there just happens to be vegan). Or head to Richmond for banh mi with fine-dining pedigree at chef Thi Le’s Ca Com (right next door to her excellent Vietnamese restaurant Anchovy.

In the city check out Melbourne’s unofficial Thai Town on Bourke Street for spots like Thai Baan and Nana Thai. For pitas, you’ll have to stop by Miznon. And stop by Indonesian spot Makan for some of the best satay in Melbourne (and a great weekday lunch special).

Spending time by the water? Stop by Pipis Kiosk in Albert Park for fish’n’chips overlooking the beach, or grab a table at Stokehouse Pasta & Bar for wine and an easy meal overlooking the water. You could also stop by exciting Thai restaurant, St Kilda’s Charlong, for kumquat dry-aged duck and fries with chilli makrut lime salt and vinegar spice while you’re there.

Even the Obamas visited chef Dave Verheul’s CBD spot Embla when they were in town. It’s one of the quintessential Melbourne places and is known for its exceptional wine list. If you’re looking for a bucket-list-worthy experience, the Hugh Allen-led fine diner Vue de Monde is hard to beat, and intimate Richmond Japanese restaurant Minamishima, with its gold-wrapped sushi, will be unforgettable (just make sure you have a reservation before your trip).

John Rivera’s Filipino hotspot Askal and Mika Chae’s modern Korean restaurant Doju are two of the city’s most exciting offerings. And Mischa Tropp’s Toddy Shop and Audrey Shaw’s Carnation Canteen are buzzy Fitzroy favourites.

Other old faithfuls include Supernormal, Gimlet and Cutler & Co, all by restaurateur Andrew McConnell’s Trader House, as well as in-demand Italian spots Tipo 00 (which we’re told David Sedaris loves) and local gem Scopri. For French, there’s France Soir and its wine bar Le Splendide (where photos are not allowed) in South Yarra and Entrecote in nearby Prahran. And for Cantonese, visit Supper Inn or Victor Liong’s Lee Ho Fook.

Melbourne does bakeries better than most cities. Baker Bleu, Akimbo, To Be Frank, and Falco are some of the best spots to pick up sourdough loaves. For cake slices, it’s hard to look past Raymond Tan’s Raya in the CBD or Carlton’s Madeleine de Proust, which is known for inventive takes on the French classic. Laminated pastries are the go at Monforte and gluten-intolerant friends are taken care of with cookies and canelés at Kudo.

Alicia Feng’s tiny Fitzroy coffee shop Calere is easy to miss – except for the lines that form on Gertrude Street in the mornings. Stop by for Ona Coffee and hard-to-find brews made using beans from Yunnan, China, all served in gorgeous custom ceramics.

Disciple Roasters is a “coffee cellar door” for serious fanatics. It’s hidden on a backstreet in Brunswick (does it get any more Melbourne than that?) and features eight to 10 different espressos every day, plus pour-over options priced anywhere from $5 to $200 or more. But don’t come here looking for a latte or a flat white: there is no milk (cow’s or otherwise), you have to go next door to sibling business Kohi No Deshi for that.

Since starting in 2009, Market Lane has been a major driver in Melbourne’s specialty coffee scene. Owner Fleur Studd has been a significant behind-the-scenes player in Melbourne coffee for a while now, and you’ll find Market Lane coffee shops at Prahran Market, the Queen Vic Market, in South Melbourne and elsewhere around town.

Axil Coffee Roasters is a great place for lattes, long blacks and everything in between, Axil has multiple shops across Melbourne including near Southern Cross Station and on Flinders Lane.

If matcha’s more your speed, Tori’s has one of the city’s best strawberry matcha drinks, as well as refreshing matcha spritzes, and there’s Hareruya Panty in both Carlton and the CBD as well as Matcha Mate on Hardware Street in the CBD, which has a (vegan) coconut matcha drink worth planning your trip around.

For chai, check out the street-cart-turned-permanent-cafe Original Chai Co at the Queen Vic Market.

If you’ve done some south-side shopping along High Street, Armadale, and need to unwind, stop by Albert’s, a European-style wine bar in a stunning arcade with tables that spill onto the footpath.

North of the river in Fitzroy, wine bar and bottle shop Odd Culture has a large indoor area as well as an outdoor courtyard where you can linger on sunny afternoons. And in Richmond, wine-bar-restaurant hybrids Lilac Wine Bar and Clover are charming spots to start the night or end the day. For a drink with a 360-degree view of the city, visit Cameo on the 80th floor of the Ritz-Carlton.

Walking into Gimlet’s sibling venue, the 30-seat cocktail bar Apollo Inn in the CBD, feels like stepping into another era, while Byrdi at Melbourne Central has been so lauded for its innovative techniques it has even ranked on The World’s 50 Best Bars list.

Compact 24-seater One or Two in Chinatown is known for traditional and adventurous cocktails, as well as its list of 50 small-batch whiskies, and the city’s Purple Pit from former Romeo Lane bartender Joe Jones is a subterranean drinking den with expert cocktails. Venture north-side and check out Brunswick bar Bar Spontana for wild fermented beers and excellent Thai food, or head to Carlton for sake bar Leonie Upstairs.

Get to Caretaker’s Cottage, a tiny bluestone pub that feels like the best kind of house party. Above Board is a little more hidden but just as much fun, as is the underground Purple Pit, a basement cocktail den from two absolute pros. Round out the night at Japanese-listening-bar-inspired spots Music Room in the CBD or Waxflower in Brunswick.