Canterbury Restaurants at a Glance
- Date night: Squisto
- Budget bite: Block 7 Kitchen
- Local favourite: Block 7 Kitchen
- Something different: Blue River Thai Restaurant
Best Restaurants in Canterbury (2026)
Choosing where to eat in Canterbury depends on the night. With 25 restaurants spanning 4 cuisines, you could eat somewhere different every week for 6 months and still have places left to try.
22 have confirmed street addresses. 0 have listed phone numbers. No restaurant has paid to appear on this list.
Cuisine Breakdown
Canterbury covers 4 distinct cuisine types:
| Cuisine | Restaurants |
|---|---|
| Thai | 2 |
| Chinese | 1 |
| Pizza | 1 |
| Italian | 1 |
Restaurants with Full Details
#1 Block 7 Kitchen — 726 Riversdale Road, Camberwell
Chinese
What makes it great: Block 7 Kitchen treats Chinese like it matters. Because it does. Dumplings are the test. If the dumplings are good, everything else follows. These are good. The menu changes. The quality does not.
Source: OpenStreetMap + Google Places, verified March 2026
#2 Charntra Classic Thai Restaurant — 740 Riversdale Road, Camberwell
Thai
What makes it great: Charntra Classic Thai Restaurant is what happens when a kitchen stops trying to impress and starts trying to be good. The balance between sweet, sour, salty and hot is what separates good Thai from great Thai. This kitchen understands the ratio. This is not destination dining. This is your neighbourhood doing what it should.
Source: OpenStreetMap + Google Places, verified March 2026
#3 Fiorelli Restaurant — 209 Camberwell Rd, Hawthorn East VIC 3123, Australia
the food | ★ 4.7/5 (918 reviews) | $$
What makes it great: Homestyle Italian staples in a bustling bar/restaurant with a sandstone facade and outdoor tables. If this place were in Fitzroy, there would be a queue. In Canterbury, you can still walk in.
918 people have reviewed Fiorelli Restaurant on Google. The average sits at 4.7. Earned, not gamed.
Mid-range pricing that reflects fair value for what comes out of the kitchen.
Website: Fiorelli Restaurant | Google Maps
Source: OpenStreetMap + Google Places, verified March 2026
#4 Oliver’s Restaurant — Canterbury International Hotel, 326 Canterbury Rd, Forest Hill VIC 3131, Australia
the food | ★ 4.3/5 (50 reviews) | $$$
What makes it great: Elegant hotel restaurant offering a traditional menu of steaks, seafood & pasta amid a genteel vibe. There is a reason the regulars do not talk about it much. They do not want the wait.
50 Google reviews and a 4.3 average. The numbers track with the experience.
Not cheap, but the quality justifies the spend. This is a deliberate night out.
Website: Oliver’s Restaurant | Google Maps
Source: OpenStreetMap + Google Places, verified March 2026
#5 Gimlet — 33 Russell St, Melbourne VIC 3000, Australia
the food | ★ 4.6/5 (1,986 reviews) | $$$
What makes it great: Premium restaurant & bar featuring oysters, caviar & hearty wood-fired mains, plus cocktails & wine. The test of a restaurant is whether you think about it the next day. Gimlet passes.
1,986 people have reviewed Gimlet on Google. The average sits at 4.6. Earned, not gamed.
Not cheap, but the quality justifies the spend. This is a deliberate night out.
Website: Gimlet | Google Maps
Source: OpenStreetMap + Google Places, verified March 2026
#6 The Refectory Kitchen — 16 St. Dunstans St, Canterbury CT2 8AF, UK
the food | ★ 4.8/5 (1,070 reviews) | $$
What makes it great: Casual spot for daytime dining on comfort-food fare with coffee & seasonal sidewalk seating. The kind of place you recommend without being asked.
Rated 4.8 by 1,070 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: The Refectory Kitchen | Google Maps
Source: OpenStreetMap + Google Places, verified March 2026
#7 Cafe du Soleil — 4-5 Pound Ln, Canterbury CT1 2BZ, UK
the food | ★ 4.7/5 (1,563 reviews) | $$
What makes it great: A low-lit, brick-walled 18th-century mill restaurant has a terrace and serves Mediterranean cuisine. It does not try to be everything. It tries to be good at one thing. It succeeds.
1,563 Google reviews and a 4.7 average. The numbers track with the experience.
Mid-range pricing that reflects fair value for what comes out of the kitchen.
Website: Cafe du Soleil | Google Maps
Source: OpenStreetMap + Google Places, verified March 2026
#8 Bill’s Canterbury Restaurant — 5 Rose Ln, Canterbury CT1 2SJ, UK
the food | ★ 4.7/5 (5,271 reviews) | $$
What makes it great: Contemporary European chain dishing up separate breakfast, afternoon tea, lunch and dinner menus. The kind of place you recommend without being asked.
Rated 4.7 by 5,271 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: Bill’s Canterbury Restaurant | Google Maps
Source: OpenStreetMap + Google Places, verified March 2026
#9 Old Weavers House — 1-3 St Peter’s St, Canterbury CT1 2AT, UK
the food | ★ 4.5/5 (2,539 reviews) | $$
What makes it great: Homemade pies and traditional roasts served in a timbered, 16th-century house with riverside garden. This is not destination dining. This is your neighbourhood doing what it should.
The 4.5/5 Google rating (2,539 reviews) reflects what regulars already know.
Mid-range pricing that reflects fair value for what comes out of the kitchen.
Website: Old Weavers House | Google Maps
Source: OpenStreetMap + Google Places, verified March 2026
#10 Café des Amis — 95 St. Dunstans St, Canterbury CT2 8AA, UK
the food | ★ 4.7/5 (2,049 reviews) | $$
What makes it great: Quirky, colourful diner with modern artworks, serving Mexican fare alongside Mediterranean dishes. Add it to your rotation. You will not regret it.
2,049 Google reviews and a 4.7 average. The numbers track with the experience.
Mid-range pricing that reflects fair value for what comes out of the kitchen.
Website: Café des Amis | Google Maps
Source: OpenStreetMap + Google Places, verified March 2026
#11 The Cook’s Tale Restaurant — 14-15 Beer Cart Ln, Canterbury CT1 2NY, UK
the food | ★ 4.8/5 (3,262 reviews) | $$$
What makes it great: Ask anyone on Beer Cart Ln where to eat and The Cook’s Tale Restaurant comes up before you finish the question. The kitchen here has found its rhythm. The menu is focused, the execution is steady, and the regulars know what they are coming for. Add it to your rotation. You will not regret it.
A 4.8 rating from 3,262 reviews does not happen by accident in Canterbury.
Not cheap, but the quality justifies the spend. This is a deliberate night out.
Website: The Cook’s Tale Restaurant | Google Maps
Source: OpenStreetMap + Google Places, verified March 2026
#12 El Sol Tapas Bar & Restaurant — 7-8 Sun St, Canterbury CT1 2HX, UK
the food | ★ 4.7/5 (694 reviews) | $$
What makes it great: El Sol Tapas Bar & Restaurant earns its crowd the honest way — through the food. What works here works because the kitchen has stopped trying to be clever and started trying to be consistent. If this place were in Fitzroy, there would be a queue. In Canterbury, you can still walk in.
Rated 4.7 by 694 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: El Sol Tapas Bar & Restaurant | Google Maps
Source: OpenStreetMap + Google Places, verified March 2026
#13 Chicken Or The Egg Cafe — 76-78 Maling Rd, Canterbury VIC 3126, Australia
the food | ★ 4.4/5 (421 reviews) | $$
What makes it great: Chicken Or The Egg Cafe is what happens when a kitchen stops trying to impress and starts trying to be good. The menu reads simply. The food arrives with more thought than the menu suggests. That gap is the mark of a kitchen that cares more about the plate than the description. The menu changes. The quality does not.
421 people have reviewed Chicken Or The Egg Cafe on Google. The average sits at 4.4. Earned, not gamed.
Mid-range pricing that reflects fair value for what comes out of the kitchen.
Website: Chicken Or The Egg Cafe | Google Maps
Source: OpenStreetMap + Google Places, verified March 2026
#14 Mazaj Lebanese Restaurant & Lounge | Forest Hill — Forest Hill Chase shopping center, level 3 Shop 329/270 Canterbury Rd, Forest Hill VIC 3131, Australia
the food | ★ 4.8/5 (1,574 reviews) | $$
What makes it great: Mazaj Lebanese Restaurant & Lounge | Forest Hill treats the food like it matters. Because it does. 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. This is not destination dining. This is your neighbourhood doing what it should.
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
#15 The Havelock Place — 206 Canterbury Rd, Canterbury VIC 3126, Australia
the food | ★ 4.8/5 (70 reviews)
What makes it great: The Havelock Place is what happens when a kitchen stops trying to impress and starts trying to be good. 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 menu changes. The quality does not.
70 people have reviewed The Havelock Place on Google. The average sits at 4.8. Earned, not gamed.
Website: The Havelock Place | Google Maps
Source: OpenStreetMap + Google Places, verified March 2026
#16 Calla and Cups Cafe — 225 Canterbury Rd, Canterbury VIC 3126, Australia
the food | ★ 4.9/5 (130 reviews)
What makes it great: Walk into Calla and Cups Cafe on any given Tuesday and the dining room is still half full. That says something. This is the kind of place that a neighbourhood builds around. Not a destination — a reason to stay local. Calla and Cups Cafe does not need a rebrand or a renovation. It needs you to sit down and order.
130 Google reviews and a 4.9 average. The numbers track with the experience.
Website: Calla and Cups Cafe | Google Maps
Source: OpenStreetMap + Google Places, verified March 2026
#17 Grazia Restaurant — 159 Burke Rd, Glen Iris VIC 3146, Australia
the food | ★ 4.7/5 (803 reviews)
What makes it great: What separates Grazia Restaurant from the rest of Burke Rd is consistency. 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 place you recommend without being asked.
803 Google reviews and a 4.7 average. The numbers track with the experience.
Website: Grazia Restaurant | Google Maps
Source: OpenStreetMap + Google Places, verified March 2026
#18 The Good Food Collective — 123 Maling Rd, Canterbury VIC 3126, Australia
the food | ★ 4.8/5 (153 reviews) | $
What makes it great: The Good Food Collective opened quietly and got loud fast. 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 Good Food Collective does not need a rebrand or a renovation. It needs you to sit down and order.
153 Google reviews and a 4.8 average. The numbers track with the experience.
Prices here are honest — you eat well and the bill does not punish you for it.
Source: OpenStreetMap + Google Places, verified March 2026
#19 KAMADA — 1/288 Canterbury Rd, Surrey Hills VIC 3127, Australia
the food | ★ 4.9/5 (67 reviews)
What makes it great: You could walk past KAMADA without noticing it. Regulars prefer it that way. 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.
67 Google reviews and a 4.9 average. The numbers track with the experience.
Website: KAMADA | Google Maps
Source: OpenStreetMap + Google Places, verified March 2026
#20 HAHA KITCHEN — 1 Theatre Pl, Canterbury VIC 3126, Australia
the food | ★ 4.6/5 (7 reviews)
What makes it great: What separates HAHA KITCHEN from the rest of Theatre Pl is consistency. What works here works because the kitchen has stopped trying to be clever and started trying to be consistent. HAHA KITCHEN does not need a rebrand or a renovation. It needs you to sit down and order.
Website: HAHA KITCHEN | Google Maps
Source: OpenStreetMap + Google Places, verified March 2026
All Other Restaurants in Canterbury
| Restaurant | Cuisine | Address |
|---|---|---|
| Enoteca Boccaccio | — | level 1/1046 Burke Rd, Balwyn VIC 3103, Australia |
| Lennox Wine Bar & Shop | — | 114 Maling Rd, Canterbury VIC 3126, Australia |
| Boss Pizzeria | Pizza | — |
| Squisto | Italian | — |
| Blue River Thai Restaurant | Thai | — |
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 Canterbury.
Limitations: Some newer restaurants may not yet be mapped. Hours and phone numbers may change. Call ahead for reservations.
Related Guides
- Best Cafes in Canterbury
- Best Bars in Canterbury
- Cost of Living in Canterbury
- Canterbury Neighbourhood Guide
- Family Guide to Canterbury
- Is Canterbury Safe?
- Canterbury Transport Guide
- Canterbury 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
