Eltham Restaurants at a Glance
- Date night: Solana
- Budget bite: Walk The Wok
- Local favourite: Solana
- Something different: Nongkhai Thai
Best Restaurants in Eltham (2026)
Choosing where to eat in Eltham is getting easier as the dining scene grows. 18 restaurants are verified here — every one sourced from OpenStreetMap contributor data, not paid listings.
3 have confirmed street addresses. 5 have listed phone numbers. No restaurant has paid to appear on this list.
Cuisine Breakdown
Eltham covers 9 distinct cuisine types:
| Cuisine | Restaurants |
|---|---|
| Italian | 2 |
| Chinese | 2 |
| Indian | 2 |
| Sushi | 2 |
| Thai | 2 |
| Vietnamese | 1 |
| Mexican | 1 |
| Pizza | 1 |
| Greek | 1 |
Restaurants with Full Details
#1 Solana — 410 Main Road, Lower Plenty
Italian
What makes it great: What Solana does well, it does better than anywhere else in Eltham. The espresso at the end of the meal is not an afterthought here. Neither is the bread. You will not Instagram it. You will remember it.
Hours: Tu-Th 17:00-21:30; Fr,Sa 12:00-22:00; Su 12:00-21:00 | Phone: +61 3 9841 0162 | Website: Solana
Source: OpenStreetMap + Google Places, verified March 2026
#2 Walk The Wok — 561 Main Road, Eltham
Chinese
What makes it great: The queue outside Walk The Wok tells you everything before you walk in. There is no single Chinese cuisine. This kitchen picks a tradition and commits to it. The kind of restaurant that makes you eat slower because you want it to last.
Phone: +61 2 9431 2551
Source: OpenStreetMap + Google Places, verified March 2026
#3 Machan Indian Restaurant
Indian | Takeaway
What makes it great: Every suburb has one restaurant that defines it. In Eltham, the argument starts with Machan Indian Restaurant. Spice is not heat. Spice is complexity. This kitchen builds layers — each bite reveals something the last one hid. Come once for curiosity. Come back because the food demands it.
Hours: Mo-Su 17:30-21:00 | Phone: +61 3 9439 0088 | Website: Machan Indian Restaurant
Source: OpenStreetMap + Google Places, verified March 2026
#4 Franco & Co — 720 Main Road
Italian
What makes it great: There is a reason Franco & Co has outlasted every trend on Main Road. They do not call it authentic because that word has lost all meaning in Melbourne. They just cook Italian food the way it is supposed to taste. A restaurant that respects the ingredients, respects your time, and respects your wallet.
Phone: +61 3 9431 0116
Source: OpenStreetMap + Google Places, verified March 2026
#5 Ginger Garlic
Indian
What makes it great: You could walk past Ginger Garlic without noticing it. Regulars prefer it that way. The biryani is the benchmark dish. If a restaurant nails the biryani — the rice, the protein, the seal, the aromatic lift — it can cook anything. The kind of place you recommend without being asked.
Phone: +61 3 9439 4423
Source: OpenStreetMap + Google Places, verified March 2026
#6 Sushi Wushi
Sushi
What makes it great: The word of mouth around Sushi Wushi 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. Not the flashiest option in Eltham. Possibly the best.
Source: OpenStreetMap + Google Places, verified March 2026
#7 Pho Evr 68
Vietnamese
What makes it great: Pho Evr 68 opened quietly and got loud fast. Pho is the anchor, but the menu goes deeper than most places on this strip bother to. Pho Evr 68 does not need a rebrand or a renovation. It needs you to sit down and order.
Source: OpenStreetMap + Google Places, verified March 2026
#8 Yang’s Kitchen
Chinese
What makes it great: The first thing you notice at Yang’s Kitchen is the bread basket arriving before you have ordered anything else. Dumplings are the test. If the dumplings are good, everything else follows. These are good. Come once for curiosity. Come back because the food demands it.
Source: OpenStreetMap + Google Places, verified March 2026
#9 Hecho en Mexico
Mexican
What makes it great: The kitchen at Hecho en Mexico runs on precision and repetition — the same dish, perfect, every time. The tortillas are the foundation. If they are made in-house from nixtamalized corn, you are in the right place. If not, you are eating a wrapper. The menu changes. The quality does not.
Source: OpenStreetMap + Google Places, verified March 2026
#10 Nando’s Pizza & Pasta
Pizza
What makes it great: Nando’s Pizza & Pasta is not reinventing anything. It is just doing Pizza properly. The dough is everything. Fermentation time, hydration level, oven temperature — get any of them wrong and it is just bread with stuff on it. This place gets them right. There is a reason the regulars do not talk about it much. They do not want the wait.
Source: OpenStreetMap + Google Places, verified March 2026
#11 Sushi Sushi
Sushi
What makes it great: Sushi Sushi 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. This is not destination dining. This is your neighbourhood doing what it should.
Source: OpenStreetMap + Google Places, verified March 2026
#12 Thai Sontaya
Thai
What makes it great: Thai Sontaya treats Thai like it matters. Because it does. 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
#13 Kuzina Kitchen & Bar
Greek
What makes it great: The word of mouth around Kuzina Kitchen & Bar has done more than any review ever could. Greek food in Melbourne has a 70-year head start on most cuisines. This kitchen carries that history without being weighed down by it. Worth crossing Eltham for. Worth crossing Melbourne for, honestly.
Source: OpenStreetMap + Google Places, verified March 2026
#14 Nongkhai Thai
Thai
What makes it great: The kitchen at Nongkhai Thai runs on precision and repetition — the same dish, perfect, every time. They make the curry paste in-house. You can tell because the flavour has edges that pre-made paste rounds off. The kind of restaurant that makes you eat slower because you want it to last.
Source: OpenStreetMap + Google Places, verified March 2026
#15 Small Plates
the food
What makes it great: You could walk past Small Plates without noticing it. Regulars prefer it that way. 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. Small Plates does not need a rebrand or a renovation. It needs you to sit down and order.
Source: OpenStreetMap + Google Places, verified March 2026
#16 The Boulevard @ Montsalvat
the food
What makes it great: The menu at The Boulevard @ Montsalvat is shorter than most. That is not a weakness. 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 Eltham for. Worth crossing Melbourne for, honestly.
Source: OpenStreetMap + Google Places, verified March 2026
#17 Mercer’s Restaurant
the food
What makes it great: The kitchen at Mercer’s Restaurant runs on precision and repetition — the same dish, perfect, every time. 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.
Source: OpenStreetMap + Google Places, verified March 2026
#18 Third Chapter
the food
What makes it great: You do not end up at Third Chapter by accident. You end up there because someone told you to go. 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. Third Chapter passes.
Source: OpenStreetMap + Google Places, verified March 2026
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 Eltham.
Limitations: Some newer restaurants may not yet be mapped. Hours and phone numbers may change. Call ahead for reservations.
Related Guides
- Best Cafes in Eltham
- Best Bars in Eltham
- Cost of Living in Eltham
- Eltham Neighbourhood Guide
- Family Guide to Eltham
- Is Eltham Safe?
- Eltham Transport Guide
- Eltham 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
