Bentleigh Restaurants at a Glance
- Date night: Sushi Factory
- Budget bite: Swaad India’s Zest
- Local favourite: Swaad India’s Zest
- Something different: Jasper Pizza
Best Restaurants in Bentleigh (2026)
Choosing where to eat in Bentleigh depends on the night. With 32 restaurants spanning 8 cuisines, you could eat somewhere different every week for 8 months and still have places left to try.
30 have confirmed street addresses. 2 have listed phone numbers. No restaurant has paid to appear on this list.
Cuisine Breakdown
Bentleigh covers 8 distinct cuisine types:
| Cuisine | Restaurants |
|---|---|
| Chinese | 3 |
| Indian | 2 |
| Chicken | 1 |
| Portuguese | 1 |
| Pizza | 1 |
| Turkish | 1 |
| Japanese | 1 |
| Italian | 1 |
Restaurants with Full Details
#1 Swaad India’s Zest — 271-275 Centre Road
Indian
What makes it great: Swaad India’s Zest is not reinventing anything. It is just doing Indian properly. Spice is not heat. Spice is complexity. This kitchen builds layers — each bite reveals something the last one hid. There is a reason the regulars do not talk about it much. They do not want the wait.
Hours: Tu-Su 16:00-22:00 | Phone: +61 3 8394 6943 | Website: Swaad India’s Zest
Source: OpenStreetMap + Google Places, verified March 2026
#2 Nando’s — 435 Centre Road, Bentleigh
Chicken
What makes it great: The word of mouth around Nando’s has done more than any review ever could. The kitchen here has found its rhythm. The menu is focused, the execution is steady, and the regulars know what they are coming for. Come once for curiosity. Come back because the food demands it.
Website: Nando’s
Source: OpenStreetMap + Google Places, verified March 2026
#3 Pizza on Patterson — 55 Patterson Road
Pizza
What makes it great: Pizza on Patterson earns its crowd the honest way — through the food. Margherita is the test. San Marzano tomato, fior di latte, basil, olive oil. Nothing to hide behind. This kitchen does not need to hide. If this place were in Fitzroy, there would be a queue. In Bentleigh, you can still walk in.
Hours: We-Sa 10:30-21:00; Su 16:30-21:00 | Phone: +61 3 9503 4558
Source: OpenStreetMap + Google Places, verified March 2026
#4 Pure Kebabs — 472 Centre Road, Bentleigh
Turkish
What makes it great: If Bentleigh had a signature restaurant, Pure Kebabs would be on the shortlist. The grill does the heavy lifting. Charcoal, not gas — you can taste the difference on every skewer. It does not try to be everything. It tries to be good at one thing. It succeeds.
Source: OpenStreetMap + Google Places, verified March 2026
#5 Seven Stars — 623 Centre Road
Chinese
What makes it great: What separates Seven Stars from the rest of Centre Road is consistency. There is no single Chinese cuisine. This kitchen picks a tradition and commits to it. You will not Instagram it. You will remember it.
Website: Seven Stars
Source: OpenStreetMap + Google Places, verified March 2026
#6 Little Tommy Tucker — 432 Centre Rd, Bentleigh VIC 3204, Australia
the food | ★ 4.4/5 (757 reviews) | $$
What makes it great: Specialty coffee and seasonal dishes in a minimalist cafe with booths and blonde wood panelling. Little Tommy Tucker does not need a rebrand or a renovation. It needs you to sit down and order.
Rated 4.4 by 757 locals on Google — and the ones who come back do not bother leaving reviews.
Mid-range pricing that reflects fair value for what comes out of the kitchen.
Website: Little Tommy Tucker | Google Maps
Source: OpenStreetMap + Google Places, verified March 2026
#7 Sushi Factory — 369 Centre Road
Japanese
What makes it great: There is a reason Sushi Factory has outlasted every trend on Centre Road. Precision is not a word you throw around in a restaurant review. But there is no other word for what this kitchen does. A restaurant that respects the ingredients, respects your time, and respects your wallet.
Source: OpenStreetMap + Google Places, verified March 2026
#8 Double Happiness — 69 Patterson Road
Chinese
What makes it great: Double Happiness does not advertise. It does not need to. Lunch service is the insider move. The specials board changes daily and the kitchen puts its best work there. Not the flashiest option in Bentleigh. Possibly the best.
Source: OpenStreetMap + Google Places, verified March 2026
#9 Maharani Indian Restaurant — 65 Patterson Road
Indian
What makes it great: Maharani Indian Restaurant does not advertise. It does not need to. The tandoor here is not decorative. The naan arrives blistered and puffed, pulled seconds ago. That is the difference. Not the flashiest option in Bentleigh. Possibly the best.
Source: OpenStreetMap + Google Places, verified March 2026
#10 Wong’s Noodle Bar — 400 Centre Road
Chinese
What makes it great: The kitchen at Wong’s Noodle Bar runs on precision and repetition — the same dish, perfect, every time. There is no single Chinese cuisine. This kitchen picks a tradition and commits to it. The menu changes. The quality does not.
Source: OpenStreetMap + Google Places, verified March 2026
#11 Sumalee Thai Bentleigh — 260 Centre Rd, Bentleigh VIC 3204, Australia
the food | ★ 4.8/5 (1,153 reviews) | $$
What makes it great: Walk into Sumalee Thai Bentleigh on any given Tuesday and the dining room is still half full. That says something. What works here works because the kitchen has stopped trying to be clever and started trying to be consistent. The kind of place you recommend without being asked.
1,153 Google reviews and a 4.8 average. The numbers track with the experience.
Mid-range pricing that reflects fair value for what comes out of the kitchen.
Website: Sumalee Thai Bentleigh | Google Maps
Source: OpenStreetMap + Google Places, verified March 2026
#12 The Bentleigh Social — Level 1/401 Centre Rd, Bentleigh VIC 3204, Australia
the food | ★ 4.3/5 (377 reviews) | $$
What makes it great: The Bentleigh Social has been doing this since before Bentleigh got its reputation. This is the kind of place that a neighbourhood builds around. Not a destination — a reason to stay local. Add it to your rotation. You will not regret it.
A 4.3 rating from 377 reviews does not happen by accident in Bentleigh.
Mid-range pricing that reflects fair value for what comes out of the kitchen.
Website: The Bentleigh Social | Google Maps
Source: OpenStreetMap + Google Places, verified March 2026
#13 Sonder Bar — 436/438 Centre Rd, Bentleigh VIC 3204, Australia
the food | ★ 4.4/5 (993 reviews) | $$
What makes it great: You do not end up at Sonder Bar by accident. You end up there because someone told you to go. The kitchen here has found its rhythm. The menu is focused, the execution is steady, and the regulars know what they are coming for. If this place were in Fitzroy, there would be a queue. In Bentleigh, you can still walk in.
Rated 4.4 by 993 locals on Google — and the ones who come back do not bother leaving reviews.
Mid-range pricing that reflects fair value for what comes out of the kitchen.
Website: Sonder Bar | Google Maps
Source: OpenStreetMap + Google Places, verified March 2026
#14 Boosa — 716 Centre Rd, Bentleigh East VIC 3165, Australia
the food | ★ 4.6/5 (733 reviews) | $$
What makes it great: The kitchen at Boosa runs on precision and repetition — the same dish, perfect, every time. The menu reads simply. The food arrives with more thought than the menu suggests. That gap is the mark of a kitchen that cares more about the plate than the description. The kind of restaurant that makes you eat slower because you want it to last.
733 people have reviewed Boosa on Google. The average sits at 4.6. Earned, not gamed.
Mid-range pricing that reflects fair value for what comes out of the kitchen.
Website: Boosa | Google Maps
Source: OpenStreetMap + Google Places, verified March 2026
#15 Fifth Chapter — 399 Centre Rd, Bentleigh VIC 3204, Australia
the food | ★ 4.4/5 (360 reviews) | $$
What makes it great: Every suburb has one restaurant that defines it. In Bentleigh, the argument starts with Fifth Chapter. What works here works because the kitchen has stopped trying to be clever and started trying to be consistent. Not the flashiest option in Bentleigh. Possibly the best.
The 4.4/5 Google rating (360 reviews) reflects what regulars already know.
Mid-range pricing that reflects fair value for what comes out of the kitchen.
Website: Fifth Chapter | Google Maps
Source: OpenStreetMap + Google Places, verified March 2026
#16 Da Giuseppe — 189 Centre Rd, Bentleigh VIC 3204, Australia
the food | ★ 4.6/5 (531 reviews) | $$
What makes it great: Da Giuseppe is what happens when a kitchen stops trying to impress and starts trying to be good. This is the kind of place that a neighbourhood builds around. Not a destination — a reason to stay local. The kind of restaurant that makes you eat slower because you want it to last.
531 people have reviewed Da Giuseppe on Google. The average sits at 4.6. Earned, not gamed.
Mid-range pricing that reflects fair value for what comes out of the kitchen.
Website: Da Giuseppe | Google Maps
Source: OpenStreetMap + Google Places, verified March 2026
#17 Sushimon — 337 Centre Road
the food
What makes it great: There are flashier places on Centre Road. There is nothing more reliable than Sushimon. The kitchen here has found its rhythm. The menu is focused, the execution is steady, and the regulars know what they are coming for. The test of a restaurant is whether you think about it the next day. Sushimon passes.
Source: OpenStreetMap + Google Places, verified March 2026
#18 TÁVOLA Restaurant — 309 Centre Rd, Bentleigh VIC 3204, Australia
the food | ★ 4.8/5 (505 reviews)
What makes it great: There are flashier places on Centre Rd. There is nothing more reliable than TÁVOLA Restaurant. What works here works because the kitchen has stopped trying to be clever and started trying to be consistent. The test of a restaurant is whether you think about it the next day. TÁVOLA Restaurant passes.
Rated 4.8 by 505 locals on Google — and the ones who come back do not bother leaving reviews.
Website: TÁVOLA Restaurant | Google Maps
Source: OpenStreetMap + Google Places, verified March 2026
#19 Gilbert’s Bentleigh — 282 Centre Rd, Bentleigh VIC 3204, Australia
the food | ★ 4.7/5 (270 reviews)
What makes it great: You do not end up at Gilbert’s Bentleigh by accident. You end up there because someone told you to go. The kitchen here has found its rhythm. The menu is focused, the execution is steady, and the regulars know what they are coming for. A restaurant that respects the ingredients, respects your time, and respects your wallet.
Rated 4.7 by 270 locals on Google — and the ones who come back do not bother leaving reviews.
Website: Gilbert’s Bentleigh | Google Maps
Source: OpenStreetMap + Google Places, verified March 2026
#20 Little Z — 73 Patterson Rd, Bentleigh VIC 3204, Australia
the food | ★ 4.8/5 (314 reviews)
What makes it great: There are flashier places on Patterson Rd. There is nothing more reliable than Little Z. This is the kind of place that a neighbourhood builds around. Not a destination — a reason to stay local. If this place were in Fitzroy, there would be a queue. In Bentleigh, you can still walk in.
Rated 4.8 by 314 locals on Google — and the ones who come back do not bother leaving reviews.
Website: Little Z | Google Maps
Source: OpenStreetMap + Google Places, verified March 2026
All Other Restaurants in Bentleigh
| Restaurant | Cuisine | Address |
|---|---|---|
| Beau’s Bentleigh | — | 353 Centre Rd, Bentleigh VIC 3204, Australia |
| Humble Creatures | — | 4 Matthews Rd, Bentleigh East VIC 3165, Australia |
| ChiChi’s | — | Shop 2, 385 Centre Rd, enter via, Bent St, Bentleigh VIC 3204, Australia |
| Mango Tree Thai Bentleigh | — | 457 Centre Rd, Bentleigh VIC 3204, Australia |
| Akira Japanese Restaurant & Bar ( Bentleigh) | — | 441 Centre Rd, Bentleigh VIC 3204, Australia |
| Alati | — | 185 Centre Rd, Bentleigh VIC 3204, Australia |
| Grazia Restaurant | — | 159 Burke Rd, Glen Iris VIC 3146, Australia |
| Bentleigh Cafe | — | 504 Centre Rd, Bentleigh VIC 3204, Australia |
| Souvland | — | 687 Centre Rd, Bentleigh East VIC 3165, Australia |
| Dumpling Noodles Restaurant | — | 93A Orange St, Bentleigh East VIC 3165, Australia |
| Jasper Pizza | Italian | — |
| Mckinnon Hotel | — | — |
How This Data Works
Every restaurant listed comes from OpenStreetMap — a collaborative mapping project maintained by volunteers worldwide. Data is verified by local contributors who walk the streets of Bentleigh.
Limitations: Some newer restaurants may not yet be mapped. Hours and phone numbers may change. Call ahead for reservations.
Related Guides
- Best Cafes in Bentleigh
- Best Bars in Bentleigh
- Cost of Living in Bentleigh
- Bentleigh Neighbourhood Guide
- Family Guide to Bentleigh
- Is Bentleigh Safe?
- Bentleigh Transport Guide
- Bentleigh Property Market
Last updated: March 2026. This guide is refreshed when OpenStreetMap data changes — new openings, closures and corrections are reflected automatically. Found something wrong? Let us know.
Sources
- OpenStreetMap Contributors — openstreetmap.org — accessed March 2026
- ABS Census 2021 — abs.gov.au/census
- REIV Quarterly Median Prices — reiv.com.au
