Box Hill is arguably Melbourne’s most exciting food suburb. From legendary Cantonese roast duck and fiery Sichuan noodles to premium Korean BBQ and modern brunch cafes, this eastern suburb delivers extraordinary diversity and value.
Whether you’re chasing authentic Chinese regional cuisine, comforting Vietnamese classics, or stylish Japanese dining, Box Hill rewards hungry explorers with some of Melbourne’s most memorable meals.
Fitzroy and Collingwood are where Melbourne's food culture lives and breathes. Brunswick Street, Gertrude Street, Smith Street — these are strips shaped by decades of creative energy, migrant cooking, and an unwillingness to settle for average. The good news for your wallet is that the best eating here has never required a big spend. Locals have always eaten well and cheaply in the inner north, and that culture is very much alive in 2026.
I've spent more hours eating my way through Fitzroy and Collingwood than I could possibly count — with Sam, with groups, and on solo missions chasing down the best of a very competitive field. This is my personal guide to the best cheap eats in Fitzroy and Collingwood in 2026.
Brunswick and Brunswick East are two of Melbourne's greatest eating suburbs - and two of its most wallet-friendly. Sydney Road is a multicultural food corridor unlike anywhere else in the city: a Lebanese bakery that Anthony Bourdain visited on his Melbourne food tour, an Israeli falafel institution born from a farmers market food truck, Mexican birria tacos drawing queues from across the city, and a South American cafe where live music plays on the weekend. Brunswick East adds craft breweries, Polish dumplings, and the East Brunswick Village precinct to the mix.
I've spent years eating my way across both suburbs and this is my personally loved guide to the best cheap eats in Brunswick and Brunswick East in 2026.
Richmond is one of Melbourne's great eating suburbs - and it doesn't ask you to spend much to eat brilliantly. Victoria Street is Melbourne's Vietnamese food heartland, Swan Street is one of the coolest dining strips in the world, and Murphy Street now has Melbourne's most exciting brewpub. From a $14 bowl of pho that's been consistently exceptional for years to freshly made pasta with natural wines and an on-site smoker pouring craft beer, Richmond punches above its weight at every price point.
I've eaten across Richmond more times than I can count - with groups, with family, on the way to the footy, and specifically chasing down these spots. This is my personal guide to the best cheap eats in Richmond in 2026.
Perched 89 floors above Melbourne and soaring 300 metres into the sky, Eureka 89 is already renowned for its unparalleled city views. Yet after experiencing Executive Chef Renee Martillano’s new seasonal Signature 6-Course Tasting Menu, it’s clear the kitchen deserves just as much attention as the panorama outside the windows. This is an exceptional sensory experience in every way. I was invited to an exclusive media dinner for the launch of this stunning menu.
At Melbourne’s highest dining destination and the highest restaurant in the Southern Hemisphere, the views may initially capture your attention, but the food and impeccable service ensures they don’t steal the entire show.
Melbourne's CBD is one of the most exciting cities in the world to eat cheaply — if you know where to look. The tourist traps are real, but duck into the right laneway, food court, or side-street spot and you'll find extraordinary food for $10–$20 that rivals anything in the city's fine dining scene. I've eaten my way through the CBD more times than I can count, and this is my personal guide to the spots that genuinely deliver.
From hole-in-the-wall banh mi to Indian street food, modern Thai to Indonesian charcoal grills — the best cheap eats in Melbourne CBD are a reminder that this city's food culture runs deep at every price point. These are all places I've personally visited and recommend without hesitation.
Dining out in Melbourne in 2026 requires more strategy than ever. Whether you're spending $50, $100 or $200 per person, this Melbourne restaurant budget guide explains exactly what you can expect across the city's dining scene. I've been eating across the city this year (and for the last 15 years) - from counter stools at neighbourhood ramen joints to white-tablecloth rooms in the CBD - and this is a frank, current guide to what $50, $100 and $200 per person genuinely delivers right now.
Melbourne’s dining scene is no stranger to innovation, but few venues have built a reputation for inclusivity and excellence quite like SHOP 225. The beloved Pascoe Vale South pizzeria has officially become the first pizza restaurant in Australia to achieve Vegan Australia Accredited Business status, further cementing its position as one of the country’s most progressive and celebrated hospitality venues.
Fresh from international success, including being crowned Best Pasta in the Asia-Pacific Region and ranking among the Top 10 Pizzas in the Asia-Pacific at the prestigious 50 Top Pizza Asia-Pacific Awards, SHOP 225 continues to prove that exceptional dining can also be genuinely inclusive.
For founder Lorenzo Tron and his team, the latest accreditation isn’t simply another award to display on the wall. It represents years of commitment to ensuring every guest can enjoy an authentic Italian dining experience regardless of dietary requirements.
