Blackburn South Restaurants at a Glance
- Local favourite: The Food Republic Cafe
Best Restaurants in Blackburn South (2026)
Choosing where to eat in Blackburn South depends on the night. With 22 restaurants spanning 1 cuisines, you could eat somewhere different every week for 5 months and still have places left to try.
20 have confirmed street addresses. 0 have listed phone numbers. No restaurant has paid to appear on this list.
Cuisine Breakdown
Blackburn South covers 1 distinct cuisine types:
| Cuisine | Restaurants |
|---|---|
| Mexican | 1 |
Restaurants with Full Details
#1 The Food Republic Cafe — 28/30 Blackburn Rd, Blackburn VIC 3130, Australia
the food | ★ 4.4/5 (1,085 reviews) | $$
What makes it great: This modern locale with outdoor tables offers elegant fusion cuisine & tapas, plus cocktails. If this place were in Fitzroy, there would be a queue. In Blackburn South, you can still walk in.
1,085 people have reviewed The Food Republic Cafe on Google. The average sits at 4.4. Earned, not gamed.
Mid-range pricing that reflects fair value for what comes out of the kitchen.
Website: The Food Republic Cafe | Google Maps
Source: OpenStreetMap + Google Places, verified March 2026
#2 Piccolino Restaurant — 55 Blackburn Rd, Mount Waverley VIC 3149, Australia
the food | ★ 4/5 (1,329 reviews) | $$
What makes it great: Contemporary space offering Italian cuisine, wines & cocktails, plus vegan & gluten-free options. The kind of restaurant that makes you eat slower because you want it to last.
The 4/5 Google rating (1,329 reviews) reflects what regulars already know.
Mid-range pricing that reflects fair value for what comes out of the kitchen.
Website: Piccolino Restaurant | Google Maps
Source: OpenStreetMap + Google Places, verified March 2026
#3 Mazaj Lebanese Restaurant & Lounge | Forest Hill — Forest Hill Chase shopping center, level 3 Shop 329/270 Canterbury Rd, Forest Hill VIC 3131, Australia
the food | ★ 4.8/5 (1,574 reviews) | $$
What makes it great: Mazaj Lebanese Restaurant & Lounge | Forest Hill is what happens when a kitchen stops trying to impress and starts trying to be good. The kitchen here has found its rhythm. The menu is focused, the execution is steady, and the regulars know what they are coming for. The kind of restaurant that makes you eat slower because you want it to last.
1,574 people have reviewed Mazaj Lebanese Restaurant & Lounge | Forest Hill on Google. The average sits at 4.8. Earned, not gamed.
Mid-range pricing that reflects fair value for what comes out of the kitchen.
Website: Mazaj Lebanese Restaurant & Lounge | Forest Hill | Google Maps
Source: OpenStreetMap + Google Places, verified March 2026
#4 Yoon’s Kitchen Blackburn — 294A Middleborough Rd, Blackburn South VIC 3130, Australia
the food | ★ 4.5/5 (796 reviews) | $$
What makes it great: Yoon’s Kitchen Blackburn is not reinventing anything. It is just doing the food properly. The kitchen here has found its rhythm. The menu is focused, the execution is steady, and the regulars know what they are coming for. It does not try to be everything. It tries to be good at one thing. It succeeds.
A 4.5 rating from 796 reviews does not happen by accident in Blackburn South.
Mid-range pricing that reflects fair value for what comes out of the kitchen.
Website: Yoon’s Kitchen Blackburn | Google Maps
Source: OpenStreetMap + Google Places, verified March 2026
#5 Michu Korean Restaurant — 6 Lawrence St, Blackburn South VIC 3130, Australia
the food | ★ 4.5/5 (279 reviews) | $$
What makes it great: The word of mouth around Michu Korean Restaurant has done more than any review ever could. The kitchen here has found its rhythm. The menu is focused, the execution is steady, and the regulars know what they are coming for. Come once for curiosity. Come back because the food demands it.
The 4.5/5 Google rating (279 reviews) reflects what regulars already know.
Mid-range pricing that reflects fair value for what comes out of the kitchen.
Website: Michu Korean Restaurant | Google Maps
Source: OpenStreetMap + Google Places, verified March 2026
#6 Aunt Billies Cafe — 184 Surrey Rd, Blackburn VIC 3130, Australia
the food | ★ 4.4/5 (1,251 reviews) | $$
What makes it great: Aunt Billies Cafe treats the food like it matters. Because it does. What works here works because the kitchen has stopped trying to be clever and started trying to be consistent. This is not destination dining. This is your neighbourhood doing what it should.
1,251 people have reviewed Aunt Billies Cafe on Google. The average sits at 4.4. Earned, not gamed.
Mid-range pricing that reflects fair value for what comes out of the kitchen.
Website: Aunt Billies Cafe | Google Maps
Source: OpenStreetMap + Google Places, verified March 2026
#7 The Groove Train - Best Restaurant in Blackburn Near You — 160 Whitehorse Rd, Blackburn VIC 3130, Australia
the food | ★ 4.7/5 (166 reviews)
What makes it great: Buzzy restaurant chain preparing an eclectic international menu including wood-fired pizza. Come once for curiosity. Come back because the food demands it.
A 4.7 rating from 166 reviews does not happen by accident in Blackburn South.
Website: The Groove Train - Best Restaurant in Blackburn Near You | Google Maps
Source: OpenStreetMap + Google Places, verified March 2026
#8 The Saffron House — Shop 7&8/96 Canterbury Rd, Blackburn South VIC 3130, Australia
the food | ★ 4.4/5 (508 reviews)
What makes it great: Casual curry house with deep ochre-coloured walls and white tablecloths, making traditional dishes. Add it to your rotation. You will not regret it.
508 Google reviews and a 4.4 average. The numbers track with the experience.
Website: The Saffron House | Google Maps
Source: OpenStreetMap + Google Places, verified March 2026
#9 Platform Pantry Cafe Restaurant — 25 Railway Rd, Blackburn VIC 3130, Australia
the food | ★ 4.7/5 (109 reviews)
What makes it great: The word of mouth around Platform Pantry Cafe Restaurant has done more than any review ever could. 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. Worth crossing Blackburn South for. Worth crossing Melbourne for, honestly.
The 4.7/5 Google rating (109 reviews) reflects what regulars already know.
Website: Platform Pantry Cafe Restaurant | Google Maps
Source: OpenStreetMap + Google Places, verified March 2026
#10 Blackburn Eatery — 155 Whitehorse Rd, Blackburn VIC 3130, Australia
the food | ★ 4.5/5 (246 reviews)
What makes it great: The word of mouth around Blackburn Eatery has done more than any review ever could. What works here works because the kitchen has stopped trying to be clever and started trying to be consistent. Worth crossing Blackburn South for. Worth crossing Melbourne for, honestly.
The 4.5/5 Google rating (246 reviews) reflects what regulars already know.
Website: Blackburn Eatery | Google Maps
Source: OpenStreetMap + Google Places, verified March 2026
#11 96 Cafe & Eatery – Best Cafe in Blackburn Near You — 96 South Parade, Blackburn VIC 3130, Australia
the food | ★ 4.7/5 (413 reviews)
What makes it great: The menu at 96 Cafe & Eatery – Best Cafe in Blackburn Near You is shorter than most. That is not a weakness. The kitchen here has found its rhythm. The menu is focused, the execution is steady, and the regulars know what they are coming for. Not the flashiest option in Blackburn South. Possibly the best.
The 4.7/5 Google rating (413 reviews) reflects what regulars already know.
Website: 96 Cafe & Eatery – Best Cafe in Blackburn Near You | Google Maps
Source: OpenStreetMap + Google Places, verified March 2026
#12 Star Fruit Cafe — 8 Lawrence St, Blackburn South VIC 3130, Australia
the food | ★ 4.8/5 (156 reviews)
What makes it great: Star Fruit Cafe has been doing this since before Blackburn South got its reputation. 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. There is a reason the regulars do not talk about it much. They do not want the wait.
A 4.8 rating from 156 reviews does not happen by accident in Blackburn South.
Website: Star Fruit Cafe | Google Maps
Source: OpenStreetMap + Google Places, verified March 2026
#13 Carlos Cantina - Blackburn — 73 Railway Rd, Blackburn VIC 3130, Australia
the food | ★ 4.7/5 (294 reviews)
What makes it great: Carlos Cantina - Blackburn is not reinventing anything. It is just doing the food properly. 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 4.7 rating from 294 reviews does not happen by accident in Blackburn South.
Website: Carlos Cantina - Blackburn | Google Maps
Source: OpenStreetMap + Google Places, verified March 2026
#14 BOSEONG — 168 Whitehorse Rd, Blackburn VIC 3130, Australia
the food | ★ 4.4/5 (172 reviews)
What makes it great: What BOSEONG does well, it does better than anywhere else in Blackburn South. 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. You will not Instagram it. You will remember it.
172 Google reviews and a 4.4 average. The numbers track with the experience.
Website: BOSEONG | Google Maps
Source: OpenStreetMap + Google Places, verified March 2026
#15 Ichikuro — shop 6/55/65 Railway Rd, Blackburn VIC 3130, Australia
the food | ★ 4.4/5 (257 reviews)
What makes it great: Ichikuro has been doing this since before Blackburn South got its reputation. This is the kind of place that a neighbourhood builds around. Not a destination — a reason to stay local. There is a reason the regulars do not talk about it much. They do not want the wait.
A 4.4 rating from 257 reviews does not happen by accident in Blackburn South.
Website: Ichikuro | Google Maps
Source: OpenStreetMap + Google Places, verified March 2026
#16 Doner House — 134A Canterbury Rd, Blackburn South VIC 3130, Australia
the food | ★ 4.6/5 (88 reviews)
What makes it great: There is a reason Doner House has outlasted every trend on 134A Canterbury Rd. 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. A restaurant that respects the ingredients, respects your time, and respects your wallet.
Rated 4.6 by 88 locals on Google — and the ones who come back do not bother leaving reviews.
Website: Doner House | Google Maps
Source: OpenStreetMap + Google Places, verified March 2026
#17 Poppies on Canterbury — 102A Canterbury Rd, Blackburn South VIC 3130, Australia
the food | ★ 4.4/5 (102 reviews) | $$
What makes it great: Nobody goes to Poppies on Canterbury for the decor. They go for a kitchen that has nothing to prove. This is the kind of place that a neighbourhood builds around. Not a destination — a reason to stay local. The test of a restaurant is whether you think about it the next day. Poppies on Canterbury passes.
Rated 4.4 by 102 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.
Source: OpenStreetMap + Google Places, verified March 2026
#18 Premier HK Cafe 百味雅 — 292A Middleborough Rd, Blackburn South VIC 3130, Australia
the food | ★ 4.9/5 (228 reviews)
What makes it great: Ask anyone on 292A Middleborough Rd where to eat and Premier HK Cafe 百味雅 comes up before you finish the question. The kitchen here has found its rhythm. The menu is focused, the execution is steady, and the regulars know what they are coming for. There is a reason the regulars do not talk about it much. They do not want the wait.
A 4.9 rating from 228 reviews does not happen by accident in Blackburn South.
Source: OpenStreetMap + Google Places, verified March 2026
#19 CatchUp Place — 106 Canterbury Rd, Blackburn South VIC 3130, Australia
the food | ★ 4.6/5 (113 reviews)
What makes it great: Ask anyone on Canterbury Rd where to eat and CatchUp Place comes up before you finish the question. The kitchen here has found its rhythm. The menu is focused, the execution is steady, and the regulars know what they are coming for. Add it to your rotation. You will not regret it.
A 4.6 rating from 113 reviews does not happen by accident in Blackburn South.
Source: OpenStreetMap + Google Places, verified March 2026
#20 Dragons’ Banh Mi — 89 Railway Rd, Blackburn VIC 3130, Australia
the food | ★ 4.8/5 (173 reviews)
What makes it great: You could walk past Dragons’ Banh Mi without noticing it. Regulars prefer it that way. This is the kind of place that a neighbourhood builds around. Not a destination — a reason to stay local. The kind of place you recommend without being asked.
173 Google reviews and a 4.8 average. The numbers track with the experience.
Source: OpenStreetMap + Google Places, verified March 2026
All Other Restaurants in Blackburn South
| Restaurant | Cuisine | Address |
|---|---|---|
| Guzman y Gomez | Mexican | — |
| Tooky’s Thai Restaurant | — | — |
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 Blackburn South.
Limitations: Some newer restaurants may not yet be mapped. Hours and phone numbers may change. Call ahead for reservations.
Related Guides
- Best Cafes in Blackburn South
- Best Bars in Blackburn South
- Cost of Living in Blackburn South
- Blackburn South Neighbourhood Guide
- Family Guide to Blackburn South
- Is Blackburn South Safe?
- Blackburn South Transport Guide
- Blackburn South 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
