Diners' Choice: Best Ambiance restaurants in Melbourne

OpenTable

Updated September 05, 2024

Looking for restaurants with the best ambiance in Melbourne? You’re in the right place. Each month, OpenTable analyzes nearly 2 million global diner reviews from the past four months. We sort the results by location and category to help you discover new favorite restaurants. It's a great partnership: you reserve, eat, and review. We listen...and deliver the results for all to benefit. Enjoy!

Shelanous

5.0

5 (58)

$101 and over

Australian

Port Melbourne

About the restaurant

Born from a Melbourne sunset, our pop-up restaurant, Shelanous, evolved into a multi-sensory journey, blending Melbourne’s seasons into each dish. As we transitioned to “Shelanous”, we retained the essence of sharing, embodied in “nous,” meaning “our” or “us” in Hebrew and French.

Top review

Theresa

Dined 5 days ago

Simply the most extraordinary evening! A true treat for your senses. A lovely entertaining reflection of food, drinks, presentation and company!!! A beautiful team, providing you with a lovingly and skilfully crafted journey through four seasons in one night. HIGHLY RECOMMEND 🤩😋

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Experience

10Course Degustation & Matching Beverages Weekend

Experience

10 Course Degustation & Matching Beverages Weekday

Toorak Cellars

4.8

4.8 (83)

$40 and under

Wine Bar

Armadale

About the restaurant

Toorak Cellars is equal parts bottle shop and wine bar, located just opposite Toorak station on Beatty Avenue in Armadale. Our aim is simple: to source, acquire and serve the best wines we can find at any given price point, from Australia and around the world.

We believe strongly in the idea that wine should taste like fruit and minerals instead of oak and alcohol. The wines we serve should reflect with great clarity the soil from which they were grown, and the four seasons that passed through that vineyard during a specific vintage.

We serve a constantly changing twenty wines by-the-glass, or you can open any bottle straight off the shelf. We don't have a kitchen, but if you're hungry we do have some creative ways of feeding you.

Great wine is for everyone, and everyone is welcome. See you soon at the Cellars!

Top review

Kate

Dined on Jul 5, 2024

Always a great night. Excellent by the glass selection and delicious food options. A favourite!

Bistra

4.9

4.9 (80)

$41 to $100

Australian

Carlton

About the restaurant

Bistra is an Australian bistro serving quality food and wine; our fare draws its influence predominantly from British, French and Italian cooking and technique, and yet it is quintessentially Australian. You can expect generous, memorable plates championing seasonal ingredients and an extensive list of wines.

Top review

Teresa

Dined 5 days ago

Exceptional wait staff. Food was good - well cooked and balanced dishes - the food sits alongside other many fantastic restaurants in Melbourne. What makes the restaurant stand out is the service of wait staff who were working upstairs on the night we visited. We found the potato rosti and prawns too oil for our liking (could not finish). Cheeseburger was good. Fries were good.

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Experience

Three Course Menu

The Standard Hotel

4.7

4.7 (391)

$40 and under

Pub

Fitzroy

About the restaurant

Located in the backstreets of Fitzroy, Melbourne. The Standard Hotel brings you the best pub food, wines & cold beers that Fitzroy has to offer.

Reservations:

-The maximum booking size is 20 people. If you would like a larger booking, please give us a call or e-mail to discuss. (03) 9419 4793 or bookings@thestandardhotel.com.au

-If you wish to make a booking on the same day, please give us a call and we will see if we can fit you in. We don’t accept same-day online bookings.

-Please note, we don’t take bookings outside after 5 pm Monday-Friday and after 3 pm Saturday, Sunday.

-We will not accommodate Bucks/Hens parties or Pub Crawls.

Top review

Michelle

Dined on Sep 3, 2024

Best food in Melbourne. Highly recommended. Amazing pub, it is like a big warm hug.

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Experience

Trivia Tuesdays with Comfortably Fun

Fleet Rooftop Bar Melbourne

4.7

4.7 (41)

$40 and under

Bar / Lounge / Bottle Service

Melbourne CBD

About the restaurant

Perched 22 levels above Vibe Hotel Melbourne, Fleet Rooftop Bar invites you to unwind in an elevated, urban oasis that pays homage to Melbourne’s maritime heritage, all while enjoying unparalleled, panoramic views of the iconic city skyline.

Fleet will be Flinders Street’s tallest rooftop bar, standing at 68m high, providing an elevated sanctuary to soak in the essence of Melbourne. With its contemporary design and refined elegance, Fleet showcases urban sophistication and offers a stylish retreat within chic décor.

The thoughtfully curated drinks menu has a nautical theme and combines classic favourites with locally inspired creations, all paired with a selection of delicious bar snacks, taking patrons on a voyage through Melbourne’s diverse tastes and flavours.

Top review

Janine

Dined 6 days ago

Beautiful rooftop with amazing view and great choice of cocktails

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Experience

A Very Merry Long Lunch at Fleet Rooftop Bar

Experience

Sundown Social

Kirbie

4.9

4.9 (351)

$41 to $100

Bistro

South Melbourne

About the restaurant

KIRBIE Caff' & Bistro

Coming Soon _________________

Top review

Brook

Dined on Aug 27, 2024

Fabulous dining experience, Kirby does such a fabulous job and creates the best dining experience.

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4.8

4.8 (35)

$41 to $100

Chinese

St Kilda

About the restaurant

For nearly 15 years, Mahjong has been serving up authentic Cantonese Chinese flavours from the iconic tree-lined Fitzroy street St Kilda restaurant precinct.

Top review

Andy

Dined on Aug 21, 2024

Started with delicious cocktails and then we really enjoyed the 'feed me' menu to give a sample of the chef's many talents. The food, drinks an ambiance were exceptional. Highly recommended.

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Experience

Bring it on

Joanne's Pizzeria & Bar

4.9

4.9 (47)

$40 and under

Pizza Bar

Carlton North

About the restaurant

Serving traditional and unauthentic pizza, including a plant-based & GF menu, in an intimate and cozy Victorian terrace in the heart of Rathdowne Village, Carlton North.

Top review

BETSYvip

Dined 1 day ago

We love this place! The pizzas are amazing and we always feel welcomed.

Lion and Wombat

4.8

4.8 (161)

$40 and under

English

St Kilda

About the restaurant

Locally owned and styled like the comfy pubs of the UK, here you can sip unique cocktails, wines and beers and enjoy tasty seasonal fare.

Top review

Yukivip

Dined 1 day ago

Always love Wednesday steak night though it’s getting harder to get tables at late notice as we sat out in the windy wet cold deck (our choice of course!). Looking forward to eating outside on warmer summer evenings especially since our dog can join us outside. The team is awesome and always welcoming. Nothing to fault!

Marquis of Lorne

4.8

4.8 (305)

$40 and under

Modern Australian

Fitzroy

About the restaurant

Perfect for intimate dinners to impress, boozy birthday celebrations and
“just the one” after work, Marquis of Lorne is a pub for all occasions.

Whether you’re after your new local haunt or looking to host a special
event, expect a cosy atmosphere with friendly staff and a menu that will
keep you coming back time and time again.

All bookings are for our 2nd level dining room. The Public Bar and Rooftop are available for walk-ins only. To make a function enquiry on our rooftop (30+ people), or for our set menu (15+ people) please call 9417 5001, or email hello@marquisoflorne.com.au

Top review

Vic

Dined on Sep 3, 2024

As always, great food, excellent attentive staff and warm and friendly ambiance. Best value steak night in Melbourne including best tasting steak!

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Experience

Tuesday Steak Night!

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