November 22, 2017

Melbourne – The Food Capital of Australia

Melbourne is without a doubt the food capital of Australia. Down every lane way you will find the most amazing coffee, brunch and the best sharing plates you will ever have, along with quirky pubs and wine bars. It is genuinely a food lovers paradise! So, I’m sure you can guess what we got up to here.

Luckily for us, we happened to be in Melbourne for one of the biggest sporting events of the year – the Melbourne cup. When they say it’s the race that stops the nation, they are not exaggerating. The roads empty, the pubs fill up and as it is a public holiday, businesses close their doors. The atmosphere in the city was amazing, from the Friday evening the pubs were buzzing and it was so amazing seeing everyone wandering the streets dressed up to the nines!

Staying there

As we were in Melbourne for a few days, we chose an Airbnb. When we found this converted warehouse was available for our dates, we couldn’t believe our luck. Although it was a private room in the hosts house, we had our own living quarters which was just beautiful. Anne, our host was amazing. She couldn’t have been more accommodating and her recommendations were second to none. Every morning, she prepared the most amazing breakfast spread for us to help ourselves to. It was perfectly located in the hipster town of Fitzroy, and public transport was easily accessible to the CBD.

eating & drinking

As I said before, Melbourne is literally a foodie haven and we pretty much took full advantage of this! Below you will find my recommendations for food and drinks and coming soon I will share a massive list of places that we were advised to visit but didn’t quite make it to!

Food

  • Naked In The Sky – try the lamb ribs, popcorn chicken and prawn skewers. You won’t be disappointed!
  • The Kettle Black – really nice brunch spot
  • Addict
  • Jardin Tan – some amazing Vietnamese food
  • Ichi Ní Nana – Japanese

  • Hunters Roots – healthy lunch time salads
  • Hooked
  • Short Stop – amazing donuts but make sure to get there early in the day to have the best choice!
  • Industry Beans – brunch and great tea/coffee

Drinks

  • Ponyfish Island
  • The Provincial Hotel – 7$ everything during happy hour Monday to Friday
  • The Fitzroy Social
  • The Rum Diaries
  • Black Cat
  • Naked In The Sky
  • Black Pearl
  • Kirks wine bar

Things to do

Free walking tour

Everyday at 10.30am outside the state library, volunteers take tourists on two – three hour city tours. This is a great way to see the city in a day, learn about the history of Melbourne and also to get your bearings. I would highly recommend this. Although the tour is technically free, you are asked to pay how much you feel it was worth. Most people seemed to give about $15-20 which is still pretty reasonable.

Brighton Beach

Brighton beach is famous for the beautifully coloured bathing boxes along it’s beach front. It’s about an hour out of the city but definitely worth the trip!

Trapt Bar & Escape Room

We took part in the Wonderland TRAPT Escape Room. This Alice in wonderland themed challenge was such a fun activity to do, and was a nice change from the standard tourist attractions. At just $80 for the room, it’s a great activity for small groups. Although we didn’t quite make it out on time, we still had fun wracking our brains for the first time since August!

Street ARt

Melbourne is full of amazing street art. We checked out Hosier Lane, AC/DC Lane and wandered the streets of Fitzroy taking in the artistic displays. You can do organised tours but I’d recommend just wandering by yourself. Much more fun when you find a cool piece all by yourself!

Botanic Gardens & Shrine of Remembrance

We took a stroll around the grounds of the botanic gardens which are just beautiful. We stumbled upon the shrine of remembrance and climbed up. The views of Melbourne from here are just beautiful. Much later, we were told that it it is against the law for anything to be built that would obstruct the view from that point.

They say you are either a Sydney or Melbourne kind of girl. While I do believe my heart will always belong in Sydney, my stomach will forever be in Melbourne!