Best Cheap Eats in Richmond (2026 Guide)

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.

Updated June 2026. See also: Best Cheap Eats Melbourne | Cheap Eats Melbourne CBD | Cheap Eats Fitzroy & Collingwood | Cheap Eats Brunswick and Brunswick East

1. Mountain Culture Brewpub — Melbourne's First, Murphy St

When Mountain Culture finally planted its flag in Melbourne, it chose Richmond — and it makes perfect sense. Good coffee everywhere, the MCG up the road, live music next door, dumplings around the corner. The Blue Mountains craft brewery that built a cult following across Australia on the back of its three-time GABS Hottest 100-winning Status Quo Pale Ale now has its first Melbourne home at 148-150 Murphy Street, and it's a serious venue.

This is a working brewery — not just a tap room — with 20+ taps pouring core and exclusive brews. We settled in for the afternoon and worked our way through the lineup: the Status Quo Pale Ale is as good as its reputation, crisp and hoppy and deeply drinkable. The Cold Pressed NZ Hopped IPA has a tropical brightness that's hard to put down. Seeing Red, a limited release, delivers on the name with a malt complexity that fans will love. And a rich stout rounded out an afternoon of serious beer exploration. Every pour was fresh, confident, and precisely what craft beer should be.

The food matches the ambition of the beer program. The on-site smoker gets a serious workout — ribs and brisket emerge with the kind of smoke ring and bark that takes all day to achieve, and the pub snacks that accompany the beer are genuinely delicious. The building itself, a striking warehouse space with a retractable roof that transforms into a sprawling beer garden on a Melbourne sunny day, is one of Richmond's best rooms. DJ McCready wasn't exaggerating when he described it as one of the most beautiful venues in Melbourne.

2. Nixie Nox — Richmond's Smallest Pub, Swan St

Nixie Nox is almost deliberately missable — from the outside on buzzing Swan Street it barely announces itself. But step inside and you understand immediately why it's become one of Richmond's most talked-about new venues. Named after a character from a Dr Seuss book, it's warm, intimate, character-filled, and run by three passionate Melbourne publicans — Stu Bellis, Marilla Gair and Chris Dore — who genuinely understand what a pub should be.

The philosophy here is community first. Sit at the bar and the publican will talk to you. The drinks list leans heavily independent — craft cans and stubbies, a considered wine list, and what might be Melbourne's best long-neck offering. Cocktails are classics and signatures executed with care: a spicy margarita for $15 in 2026 is remarkable value and it arrives in proper stemmed glassware. Happy hour runs Wednesday to Friday 4–6pm — $10 pints, $10 house wines, $15 margaritas — which makes Nixie Nox one of the best value drinking propositions on Swan Street.

The food menu is tight and well-conceived — share plates, a parma (the Nox Parm with sous vide chicken, smoked sugo and fresh mozzarella is outstanding at $25), a wagyu burger, and vegetarian-friendly options. Whether you're heading to a concert at the Corner Hotel or the footy at the MCG, Nixie Nox is exactly the kind of pub Richmond deserves on its main strip. The three spaces — public bar, atrium and upstairs private room — mean it works for every size group.

3. I Love Pho — Victoria Street's Pho Institution

In the pho-saturated stretch of Victoria Street, I Love Pho at number 264 has been the consistent standout for years. I've brought groups here more times than I can count and it has never disappointed. The broth is the thing — deeply flavoured, slow-cooked, properly done. Rich, aromatic, with that characteristic Vietnamese beef stock complexity that takes an entire day to build. You can taste the care in every bowl.

It's a family-run affair and that warmth shows — in the welcome, in the walls lined with photos, and in the consistency that keeps this place packed every day from open to close. No bookings, just rock up and join the queue. The queue moves fast. The beef pho with silky rice noodles, tender sliced beef, fresh herbs and bean sprouts is the must-order, but the spring rolls and rice paper rolls are equally good. Open seven days, 9am to 10pm — it's one of the most reliably excellent cheap eats in Melbourne at any hour.

4. Pastarami — Freshly Made Italian Pasta, Richmond

Pastarami is doing something genuinely special in Richmond — and doing it at prices that make it one of the best value Italian experiences in Melbourne. The pasta here is made fresh daily using an imported Italian pasta machine, and the difference between that and dried pasta from a box is immediately, undeniably apparent in every mouthful. These are noodles with texture, with weight, with the kind of satisfying bite that only fresh pasta delivers.

The sauces are all made on-site, and that commitment to making everything from scratch shows in the depth of flavour. The Garlic Prawn Spaghetti is exceptional — built on a divine prawn bisque that the kitchen has clearly spent serious time developing, with the kind of umami depth that lingers. The Beetroot Ravioli is a hit: visually stunning and texturally perfect, a reminder of what fresh pasta can be when it's treated with respect.

The drinks program is equally considered. Natural wines from up-and-coming young gun producers are the focus — confident, interesting, and often surprising. Cocktails range from classics executed well to reimagined signatures that show genuine creativity. This is a wine list that makes you want to explore rather than just order the safe option. Pastarami is the kind of neighbourhood Italian that a suburb like Richmond is very lucky to have.

5. 1090 Burger — One of Melbourne's Best Burger Joints

Melbourne's burger scene is fiercely competitive and 1090 Burger holds its own at the very top of that conversation. This is not a trend-chasing operation — it's a burger joint that has focused hard on the fundamentals and nailed them. The patty quality, the bun-to-filling ratio, the saucing, the structural integrity — all of it is considered and executed with real skill. We've experienced it a number of times now and it consistently delivers one of the best burgers in Melbourne.

At this price point — proper burgers for under $25, with sides — 1090 represents exceptional value in a category where it's easy to spend twice as much for a less satisfying result. Richmond is lucky to have it.

6. Bahari — Greek Restaurant, Swan St

Swan Street has a compelling Greek dining scene and Bahari sits comfortably in that tradition — a warm, convivial Greek restaurant that does the classics well and delivers them at prices that make a long, shared meal very easy to justify. Greek food at its best is designed for the table: dips, grilled meats, seafood, slow-cooked lamb, all arriving on shared platters with good bread and honest wine.

The grilled octopus and the lamb dishes are particular strengths — the kind of cooking where simplicity and quality ingredients do the heavy lifting. On a Swan Street buzzing with pre-footy energy or a quiet midweek evening, Bahari delivers a reliable, enjoyable experience at accessible prices.

7. Eazy Peazy — Victoria St, Richmond

Eazy Peazy does exactly what the name suggests — it keeps things simple, accessible and affordable on Victoria Street. In a strip defined by Vietnamese food institutions, Eazy Peazy carves out its own space with a menu of fresh, flavour-forward dishes at prices that make it a natural choice for a quick, satisfying meal. The casual, no-fuss approach suits the Victoria Street energy perfectly — relaxed, efficient, value-driven.

8. Flour Child — Richmond (Worth Every Cent)

Flour Child sits at the top end of the cheap eats bracket - borderline in terms of price - but earns its place here because the quality-to-cost ratio is genuinely outstanding. This Richmond restaurant takes its cooking seriously in a way that lifts every dish above what you'd expect at the price - check out their specialty pinsa pizzas (something we've enjoyed every time we've visited - a slice of Mediterranean magic). We recommend the Roquette and Parmesan pinsa pizza and the Margherita DOC. The fit-out is warm and inviting, the coffee is excellent, and the food has that crafted quality that keeps locals coming back week after week. We also love their balcony space on a hot summer day.

It's one of those Richmond spots that the locals guard closely - a neighbourhood gem that deserves wider recognition.

9. Victoria Street — Melbourne's Vietnamese Food Heartland

Victoria Street Richmond is Melbourne's Vietnamese food corridor — and one of the best cheap eating streets in Australia. The Vietnamese community has shaped this strip for decades and the result is a concentration of authentic, affordable, exceptional food that rivals anything in the city. This is where Melbourne's Vietnamese migrant food culture is at its most authentic and generous.

Beyond I Love Pho, the whole street rewards exploration. Super Bowl Pho serves both pho and bun bo hue — the spicier, lemongrass-rich noodle soup from the city of Hue — and is a brilliant option for those who want something beyond the standard. Most Victoria Street restaurants serve generously portioned bowls for $14–$18, with sides of spring rolls, rice paper rolls and Vietnamese salads rounding out a meal that costs less than most CBD coffees and snacks combined.

My advice: walk the strip, follow the packed restaurants, and trust your instincts. On Victoria Street, busy means good. The queue outside I Love Pho exists for a reason.

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