All of Melbourne’s new restaurant, cafe and bar openings have us excited in August 2022

• First Look: Pizza is anything but standard at Figlia, the third restaurant in Tipo 00 and Osteria Ilaria. Sit at the large bar and munch on duck bologna and barbecued king prawns, or reserve a table and share pizzas topped with Moreton Bay bugs, fermented cabbage and other center-left ingredients.

• Could pioneer chef Jo Barrett’s Lorne’s Little Picket be Australia’s most remarkable bowlo restaurant? Formerly of Oakridge in the Yarra Valley and Melbourne’s Zero Waste Future Food System, Barrett struck out on her own, taking over a nostalgic restaurant on the Great Ocean Road and keeping the local community at the heart of her business. In addition, there is a market garden in preparation. Expect dim sims with homemade chili oil and an a la carte dessert buffet.

• We lost Anchovy (so far) but won Jeow, a new Lao restaurant that really brings warmth. Thi Le and Jia-Yen Lee want to ditch the formality and cover your table with a family feast — “like eating at mom’s house.” Think hard-hitting larb, grilled whole spatchcock, and Swiss rolls with durian and white chocolate.

• First Look: Hidden away in a Melbourne heritage hotel is a gluten-free little bakery that deserves big kudos. By former Sunda pastry chef Felix Goodwin and his wife Elena Nguyen, Kudo serves up all sorts of celiac-friendly creations — like baguettes, cakes and cookies, and fluffy, pastry canelés with center-left flavors.

• The March of Ides: A leader in Melbourne’s dining scene is opening a sexy 26-seat bar on Smith Street. It’s a chance for chef and owner Peter Gunn to serve dishes that don’t match the specifications of his famous restaurant Collingwood – and for you to try them without a hefty tasting price (in the space next door) .

• First Look: Convoy Cafe at Mega Moonee Ponds is about to become a neighborhood favorite. Just opposite Queens Park, Terror Team Twilight and Tinker go beyond the rudimentary with their brekkie offering – expect cinnamon pancakes and curry scrambled egg muffins.

• It’s just off Swanston Street, but Leonie Upstairs, Carlton’s new sake and sushi sanctuary, feels like a world apart. It might take you a minute to find the door, hidden inside the Hareruya Pantry. But up the low-key staircase is a beautifully minimalist bar with expertly crafted (and DIY) temaki rolls and a list of 50 sakes.

• First Look: The Mile End empire expands as its ultimate Montreal-style bagels come to Richmond. This is the brand’s third (but certainly not the last) location. “We’re just getting started.” Opt for wood-fired bagels schmeared less than an inch from their life and filled to the brim with all sorts of deliciousness.

• A North Melbourne icon gets a makeover: Bobbie Peels now offers vintage wines and hand-rolled pasta. “We tried to leave a little nod to all of its previous iterations and reflect where North Melbourne has arrived now,” says co-owner Phil Gijsbers. “The pub has been great for so long. We thought we would upgrade it.

• First Look: Climb the spiral staircase to Harvie’s svelte rooftop bar in an art deco gem in Armadale. Check the website for the next sunset time, then reserve a spot to soak up the golden hour and wrap your hands around an overflowing lobster and shrimp roll. It’s in a historic old dairy on Wattletree Road.

• More seating, and more warmth, at the new-look (and newly expanded) Albert’s in Armadale. The bustling wine bar has doubled its footprint, with more indoor dining and a gorgeous new bar. And with a new chef, the menu will change every month or so, as will the wine list.

• Queuing speaks for itself at the Japanese-inspired Kōri, Awthorn’s new coral-colored ice cream parlour. In short, it’s hair. A former Coda chef serves up 24 flavors — eight of which are vegan — that really run the gamut. There’s tangy fuji apple, creamy matcha pistachio, and interesting savory options like nori and sweet potato.

• Now open in Collingwood: Cult bakery Tarts Anon finds an unlikely second home in a cycling clothing store. They may seem like strange bedfellows, but co-owner Gareth Whitton – the former pastry chef at Dinner by Heston – is an avid cyclist. “It was a wacky concept until it wasn’t.”

• Now open: Three hospitable talents – de Lume, Black Pearl and Bondi’s Rocker – bring a Mediterranean vibe to St Kilda. Inspired by European coastal restaurants, with an indigenous Australian twist, Loti is a nod to the building’s history as St Moritz’s former ice rink. Come for the butter-poached scampi tail, the dried red emperor with desert lime, or the barbecued ribs with salty old man.

• First Look: She’s Beautiful, She’s Gracie – introducing the new 14-seat sake and wine bar on Hardware Lane. It is a cozy and shaded space where you will also find fried fish sandos and ginger dumplings.

• There’s homemade Mortadella and Wagyu Bolognese at Abbiocco’s Second Pasta Palace, St Kilda. The chic Italian restaurant has grown so much in popularity since opening in Highett that the team replicated the concept in a moody space on Barkly Street. Now they “essentially limit the area of ​​the bay”.

• A low-key shed bakery among the gum trees produces some of Victoria’s best sourdoughs. Including breads, danishes and croissants which take five days to make. Since opening this dedicated spot in mid-2020, the team behind Ket Baker have been making waves – and drawing crowds – to the Bellarine Peninsula.

• First Look: A Cambodian sibling duo offer real family recipes at a cozy restaurant in Melbourne’s central business district. At Cambodia’s Kitchen, Ivanra and Linna Hun want to help us learn more about dishes from their home country, like fried chive cakes, stir-fried noodles and fragrant rice noodle soup.

• First Look: Slim’s, a retro and rowdy Italian-American pizzeria from the Wowee Zowee and Loosie’s team. With super cheesy pizzas, smashing “Italian Nonna Pilsners” and lots of 70s style.

• Neon neighborhood pub The Hotel Gertrude, of Fitzroy Tracey Lester royalty, is a living work of art for the publican. There is a cinema carpet, triangular chandeliers and walls covered with 1800 hand-blown glass domes.

• Big burger news: the legendary American chain Five Guys has opened its first store in Melbourne. Look for the restaurant’s signature red and white subway tiles.

• A large 600 square meter warehouse north of Melbourne is reborn as the new Ezistreat multicultural food hall. Among the maze-like “alleyways” find a Japanese convenience store with bento boxes, a Korean street food joint, a Turkish-inspired stall specializing in stuffed mussels, and more. It opens this Saturday.