Diners' Choice: Innovative restaurants in Melbourne

OpenTable

Updated September 05, 2024

Looking for the best restaurants that are fit for foodies 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 (57)

$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

Elena

Dined 3 days ago

There is nothing ordinary about this place. The atmosphere, decorations, cutleries, food, people - everything is very unique. It's an unforgettable experience from the moment you walk through the door to the minute you leave. Rony's passion and team's effort makes the whole experience absolutely magical! Worth every cent! Highly recommend! Elena & Ed

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Experience

10Course Degustation & Matching Beverages Weekend

Experience

10 Course Degustation & Matching Beverages Weekday

Vue de monde

4.9

4.9 (1770)

$101 and over

Modern Australian

Melbourne CBD

About the restaurant

Vue de monde is a testament to the belief that dining can be a wondrous and unforgettable experience. The ever-changing chef’s menu pays homage to classical fine dining in a modern context by exploring the beauty of native Australian ingredients. While in the past the menu looked to Europe for inspiration, Executive Chef Hugh Allen continues to celebrate the unparalleled quality of home-grown produce with thoughtfully considered dishes committed to seasonality and locality.

Vue de monde has been synonymous with Melbourne dining for almost 20 years, continuing to present an exciting and dynamic experience with a progression of flavours and sense of curiosity. The whimsical spirit at the heart of the Vue de monde menu has not been lost throughout the years, with the lighter-handed and more natural approach to cooking being no less infused with theatre.

Top review

Grant

Dined 2 days ago

Vue De Monde was recommended to me by a close friend as a must have experience if one plans to travel to Melbourne and it is absolutely true. Every dish is crafted with the utmost dedication and perfection that is guaranteed to leave a lasting impression.

JAMES

4.9

4.9 (351)

$41 to $100

Modern Australian

South Melbourne

About the restaurant

JAMES

Chef, Kim Sangsoo and owner and front of house manager, Kirbie Tate have designed a sharing menu and chefs tasting menu that is a cultural embrace. Taking Kim's South Korean heritage and sourcing Australian native produce - the JAMES menu blends traditional technique, a play with the freedom of contemporary fusion and both their instinctive understanding of balance and restraint.

Sharing menu and Chefs tasting menu available for dinner from 5pm TUES to SATURDAY //
Snacks menu, sharing set lunch and express ramen bowls are on offer between midday _ 3pm WED to SATURDAY //

Hidden in plain sight on Clarendon St - Book in to experience fine dining, casually.

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 (117)

$41 to $100

Global, International

South Yarra

About the restaurant

In case you haven't travelled with us before, let us introduce ourselves. We are a fine dining restaurant located in the heart of South Yarra.

We first opened our doors in 2016, when a then, 22-year-old Charlie Carrington, decided to create a restaurant that changed cuisine every few months. Dubbed the most "Ambitious Restaurant Opening" of the year, Atlas Dining quickly rose to cult status. Within a month, Charlie became the youngest Australian chef to be awarded a Chef's Hat.

Eight years on, and (now) 23 cuisines later, Atlas Dining continues to be one of the most unique restaurants around.

We offer affordable fine dining, but most importantly, an unforgettable experience that helps guests' tastebuds travel the world.

Top review

OpenTable Diner

Dined on Aug 31, 2024

Lovely lunch for a birthday /Father’s Day. We’ll be back

Lagoon Dining

4.8

4.8 (508)

$41 to $100

Asian

Carlton

About the restaurant

Lagoon Dining is a restaurant and bar dishing up food that leans heavily on Chinese culinary traditions. It is an expression of food we love to eat and to cook, dished up heartily alongside booze we like to swill - a place for friends and fun.

Top review

Ashley

Dined on Aug 2, 2024

Great dining experience, delicious food, very good service, friendly staff, very nice ambiance

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Experience

Mid-week dining

Experience

Friday and Saturday dining

Kata Kita

4.8

4.8 (265)

$40 and under

Asian

Melbourne CBD

About the restaurant

Kata Kita delivers a new layer of modern Indonesian dining, combining traditional recipes with luxe local ingredients and sophisticated flavours all designed to share with family and friends. Be prepared for flavour bombs of zesty lemongrass, tongue spiking chilli, homemade aromatic sambal underscored with zesty lemongrass, shrimp and sweet palm sugar, served tastily together on a plate!

Top review

Martin

Dined 1 day ago

Right from the getgo everything was wonderful, we were greated warmmy and shown straight to our reserved seats. All the food chosen by my (Indonesian) friend was absolutely fantastic. I had a sabal cocktail which was unusual but magnificent.

Freyja

4.7

4.7 (477)

$41 to $100

Australian

Melbourne CBD

About the restaurant

Located within the historically rich confines of the Olderfleet building on Collins Street in Melbourne, our culinary philosophy celebrates harmonious fusion of Australian ingredients and flavours with the time-honoured principles of Nordic cooking. We seamlessly blend classic culinary techniques with innovative philosophies, presenting a modern interpretation of Australian dining with a unique twist.

Top review

Jackie

Dined on Aug 27, 2024

Highlight dishes - mussels - duck main - waffle

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Experience

An evening with Lethbridge Wines

Experience

Christmas with Freyja menu

Bansho

4.7

4.7 (90)

$101 and over

Japanese

Armadale

About the restaurant

Nestled in the heart of Armadale on High Street, Bansho is a sophisticated Japanese-fusion gem that invites you to embark on an exquisite culinary journey.

Here, the timeless elegance of French cuisine harmoniously intertwines with the refined artistry of Japanese flavors, creating a dining experience like no other.

Our menu is a celebration of both innovation and tradition, meticulously crafted with the finest ingredients from both culinary worlds. Complement your meal with our beautifully curated cocktail menu and an extensive selection of wines, designed to elevate your dining experience at Bansho.

Top review

John

Dined 2 days ago

What an amazing restaurant, we thoroughly enjoyed our evening. The food was amazing, the service was excellent, and the team was so friendly. We will definitely be back on a regular basis, based on our experience on Friday evening. A credit to the whole team at Bansho!!

Lee Ho Fook

4.6

4.6 (47)

$101 and over

Chinese

Melbourne CBD

About the restaurant

Lee Ho Fook means ‘good fortune for your mouth’ - inspired from the Warren Zevon lyrics in Werewolves of London.
A Chinese restaurant, hidden down a Melbourne laneway, off the iconic Flinders Lane dining precinct.

Our cuisine takes the legacy of deliciousness given to us by generations of Chinese Australians and taking it to a highly personal and creative direction.

A new style of Chinese cuisine.

From the mind of Victor Liong.

Top review

Rodney

Dined on Aug 21, 2024

Amazing restaurant. Everything's high quality. Tables are well spaced. Food is perfectly cooked. They have a lot of old favourites but done with a modern twist. Think prawn toast and sweet and sour pork, but not as you know it. And it' byo with no corkage Monday - Wed. What's not to love?

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Experience

Banquet Menu $180/per person

Experience

A'La Carte Menu with Pre-Order Options

Experience

Shared Banquet Menu for Groups - $140

FLINT

4.6

4.6 (112)

$41 to $100

Australian

Fitzroy

About the restaurant

Winners of the 2023 Timeout "Innovation Award"

Flint takes a unique approach to the modern dining experience, with our open kitchen and bar on the first floor, personable dining and open fire cooking. We provide an experience like no other in Fitzroy. Everything on the menu is cooked over an open fire in the middle of the restaurant creating unique flavours that cannot be found anywhere else.

Top review

Malcolm

Dined 3 days ago

Outstanding quality of food with a definite point of difference, with one of the friendliest vibes going.

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