Melbourne’s hospitality machine never stops. Here are 19 new restaurants, bars and bakeries that opened in February and March 2026 — from a Tokyo ramen institution making its Australian debut to a mother-daughter dumpling shop in Carlton, a CBD Lune flagship and a Korean burger joint that’s already generating serious hype.
What’s inside:
- International arrivals: Ginza Kagari (Tokyo ramen), Gaon (ex-Nobu Korean)
- Carlton renaissance: Garfield Pizzeria, Aunty’s Dumplings, Bar Carnation, Florian To Go
- CBD power moves: Lune flagship, Seoul Tiger 1988, Apa’s Canteen
- Inner suburb gems: Santito (Collingwood tacos), Brewpub Huzzah (Glen Iris)
- Late-night & drinking: Miscellania rooftop, Blackhearts & Sparrows Fitzroy, Otoya at Crown
Melbourne added 19 new venues to its already ridiculous dining scene in the past month. Some are international arrivals that chose Melbourne over Sydney (always satisfying). Some are neighbourhood joints born from lockdown hustle. A few are straight-up bucket list additions. All of them are worth your time and money right now.
Here’s what opened, what’s good, and where you should be eating this month.
The Big Arrivals
1. Ginza Kagari — CBD
What: Tokyo’s cult chicken ramen shop makes its Australian debut on Russell Street.
Ginza Kagari has had queues wrapped around the block in Tokyo’s Ginza district for years. Their signature is a chicken paitan ramen — a creamy, cloudy broth made from slow-simmered chicken bones that’s richer and more complex than most pork-based tonkotsu bowls. The Melbourne outpost is the brand’s first international location, and the fact they chose Melbourne over Sydney says everything about where Australia’s ramen scene actually lives.
Order this: Chicken paitan soba Address: Russell Street, Melbourne CBD Vibe: Queue-worthy Tokyo import
2. Lune Croissanterie — CBD Flagship
What: Kate Reid’s biggest flex yet — a new CBD flagship that’s part bakery, part croissant cathedral.
The original Lune in Fitzroy turned croissant-buying into a Melbourne pilgrimage. The new CBD flagship on Russell Street takes the concept further: more space, more pastries, and the same obsessive attention to lamination that made Lune one of the most respected bakeries in the world. If you’ve ever tasted a Lune cruffin and understood why people queue at 6am, this is your new temple. If you haven’t, start here.
Order this: Original croissant ($8.50) Also try: The seasonal cruffin (price varies) Address: Russell Street, Melbourne CBD Vibe: Croissant perfection, scaled up
3. Gaon — Koornang Road
What: An ex-Nobu chef makes traditional Korean dishes the hard way at a neighbourhood spot in Carnegie.
When a chef leaves Nobu to open a small Korean restaurant in suburban Carnegie, you pay attention. Gaon’s focus is traditional Korean cooking done with the kind of technique and ingredient sourcing you’d expect from fine dining, but at neighbourhood prices. Think slow-fermented kimchi, hand-ground sesame, soups that simmer for hours. This is Korean food for people who care about craft.
Order this: The daily soup special Address: Koornang Road, Carnegie Vibe: Serious Korean craft in an unassuming room
Carlton’s New Wave
4. Garfield Pizzeria — Carlton
What: Jamie Valmorbida brings the King & Godfree building back to life with classic and creative pizzas, natural wines and Pidapipo soft serve.
The heritage-listed King & Godfree building on Lygon Street sat dormant for 18 months. Garfield is the first of three planned venues from Valmorbida, and it’s landed with swagger — woodfired pizzas in a beautiful room, natural wines by the glass, and Pidapipo soft serve for afters. It’s the most exciting thing to happen on Lygon Street in years. Two more venues are coming to the building in 2026.
Order this: Margherita ($18) Address: 293 Lygon Street, Carlton Vibe: Lygon Street reborn. Read more in our Carlton cheap eats guide.
5. Aunty’s Dumplings — Carlton
What: A mother-daughter duo folding 1,000 dumplings a day from a tiny Carlton shopfront. Northern Chinese handmade dumplings, all made the day they’re sold.
This is the kind of venue that makes Melbourne’s food scene special. No PR machine, no celebrity chef, just a family making exceptional handmade dumplings every single day. Already featured in Broadsheet’s “$20 lunch” roundup. Expect queues within months.
Order this: Pork and chive dumplings (12 for $12) Address: Lygon Street, Carlton Vibe: The next cult dumpling spot
6. Bar Carnation — Rathdowne Village
What: A new wine bar and eatery in Carlton’s Rathdowne Village from Audrey Shaw.
Bar Carnation brings a European-leaning wine bar sensibility to Rathdowne Village — one of Carlton’s most charming pockets. Natural wines, seasonal small plates, and the kind of neighbourhood warmth that makes you want to become a regular immediately. It fills a gap in the Rathdowne strip that locals have been waiting for.
Order this: Ask the staff for a wine rec — they know the list Address: Rathdowne Street, Carlton Vibe: Neighbourhood wine bar done right
7. Florian To Go — Carlton North
What: The beloved Florian team’s new takeaway window — $16 porchetta rolls and sandwiches on proper bakery bread.
When your cafe is permanently packed, the move is obvious: open a takeaway next door. Florian To Go offers the same quality ingredients as the sit-down restaurant — Iris the Bakery bread, Austro Bakery focaccia, proper Italian charcuterie — in grab-and-go sandwich form. The porchetta roll with gem lettuce, dijonnaise and salsa verde for $16 is already one of the best sandwiches in the inner north.
Order this: Crispy porchetta roll ($16) Address: Rathdowne Street, Carlton North Vibe: Premium ingredients, zero pretension
CBD & Inner Suburbs
8. Seoul Tiger 1988 — CBD
What: Korean-American burgers on house-made potato buns from the Baguette Studios team. Bulgogi cheeseburger for $13. Yes, really.
Seoul Tiger maps Korean flavours onto American burger architecture, and the result is extraordinary. A $13 beef bulgogi-inspired cheeseburger on a house-made potato bun. An $18 Korean fried chicken burger coated in sweet-spicy sauce. A $16 veggie burger inspired by yachae twigim. Plus buttermilk soft-serve sundaes. This is the kind of venue that makes you resent every $22 smash burger you’ve ever paid for.
Order this: Bulgogi cheeseburger ($13) Also try: KFC burger ($18) Address: Melbourne CBD Vibe: Korea meets America. Budget-friendly genius.
9. Santito — Collingwood
What: A taqueria making hand-pressed tortillas using traditional nixtamalisation and volcanic-stone grinding. $9 tacos that justify the process.
Santito occupies the former Hotel Jesus site on Smith Street and takes Mexican cooking more seriously than almost anywhere else in Melbourne. The tortillas are made using the full traditional process — corn soaked in alkaline solution, ground on a volcanic-stone Molinito grinder, pressed and grilled to order. The al pastor, suadero (confit beef brisket) and longaniza (house-made pork sausage) tacos are $9 each and come properly dressed with three house-made salsas on the side.
Order this: Al pastor taco ($9) Also try: Suadero taco ($9) Address: Smith Street, Collingwood Vibe: The most serious taqueria in Melbourne
10. Apa’s Canteen — CBD
What: Melbourne’s first Bhutanese cafe, serving $16 ema datshi (the national dish of Bhutan) and buckwheat dumplings on Little Collins Street.
Apa’s Canteen fills a gap nobody knew existed. Owner Sonam Thinley brings authentic Bhutanese cuisine to a small CBD shopfront — ema datshi (a fragrant cheese-and-chilli stew), buckwheat dumplings, and Bhutanese-style momos that are less spicy than their Nepalese cousins but come with fiery ezay condiment on the side. Everything is $16-17. It’s one of the most unique and affordable new lunch spots in the CBD.
Order this: Ema datshi ($16) Address: Little Collins Street, Melbourne CBD Vibe: Bhutanese home cooking in the city
11. Fannys Sannys — Prahran
What: Former Grill Americano exec chef Douglas Keyte opens a sandwich shop on Commercial Road. Seven-item menu, all bread sourced from local bakers, nothing over $21.
When a chef who ran the kitchen at one of Melbourne’s most respected restaurants opens a sandwich shop, the sandwiches are going to be next level. Keyte sources bread from two local bakers — Blanc Bakery in Berwick and Manna Bakery in Oakleigh — and builds sandwiches that punch well above their $17 price point. The crispy porchetta roll and poached veal panini are standouts.
Order this: Crispy porchetta roll ($17) Also try: Krispy Green — fried John Dory with green goddess sauce ($21) Address: Commercial Road, Prahran Vibe: Fine dining chops, sandwich prices
12. Gamja Hotteok — Queen Vic Market
What: Crispy, chewy Korean potato pancakes from a new takeaway at Queen Vic Market.
Gamja Hotteok brings one of Korea’s most beloved street snacks to Melbourne. The hotteok — a sweet, filled pancake — gets a potato twist here, resulting in something crispy on the outside, chewy and molten on the inside. It’s a market snack that costs a few dollars and makes you wonder why this hasn’t existed in Melbourne for decades.
Order this: Potato hotteok Address: Queen Victoria Market Vibe: Korean street food perfection
Drinking & Late Night
13. The Pinnacle — Fitzroy North
What: This beloved Fitzroy North pub has reopened after a refresh, keeping the same community energy with an elevated food offering.
The Pinnacle’s return is a win for Fitzroy North’s pub scene. The bones are the same — a proper neighbourhood local where you can have a quiet pint on a Tuesday or a rowdy dinner on a Saturday — but the kitchen has been sharpened. Good beer, solid pub food, and the kind of atmosphere you can’t manufacture. Welcome back.
Address: Fitzroy North Vibe: The neighbourhood pub, version 2.0
14. Blackhearts & Sparrows — Fitzroy
What: The cult bottle shop chain opens a hybrid wine bar and bottle shop in Fitzroy.
Blackhearts & Sparrows has been one of Melbourne’s best bottle shops for years. The new Fitzroy location adds a wine bar to the mix — sit in, drink natural wines by the glass, and buy bottles to take home. It’s the natural evolution of the brand and gives Fitzroy another quality drinking spot that doesn’t require a reservation.
Address: Fitzroy Vibe: Drink here, buy there
15. Brewpub Huzzah — Glen Iris
What: A new brewpub from a Stomping Ground founder in the former Deeds Brewing space.
The craft beer scene in Melbourne’s inner east just got a proper brewpub. Huzzah takes over the Deeds Brewing space in Glen Iris with house-brewed beers, a solid food menu, and the kind of industrial-chic room that works equally well for a Saturday arvo session or a Tuesday night quiet one.
Address: Glen Iris Vibe: Your new local brewery
16. Miscellania Rooftop — CBD
What: The vibey rooftop bar at Miscellania is back open for the season.
Miscellania’s rooftop has reopened, bringing back one of the CBD’s best warm-weather drinking spots. The views, the cocktails, and the atmosphere are all intact. Get up there before autumn properly hits.
Address: Melbourne CBD Vibe: Rooftop season, extended
17. Otoya — Crown
What: A Japanese listening bar-inspired pop-up at Crown Melbourne.
Otoya brings the Japanese listening bar concept — dimly lit rooms designed for appreciating music through high-quality sound systems, with drinks to match — to Crown Melbourne as a pop-up. It’s niche, it’s atmospheric, and it’s the kind of experience you don’t get anywhere else in Melbourne.
Address: Crown Melbourne Vibe: Tokyo listening bar, Melbourne edition
More New Spots
18. Tatik’s Delights — Armenian Bakery
What: 12-layer honey cake and other Armenian bakes from a family bakery.
Melbourne’s Armenian food scene barely existed until Tatik’s Delights arrived. The 12-layer honey cake is the signature — impossibly thin layers of sponge held together with honey cream — and the broader range of Armenian pastries and bakes fills a genuine gap in Melbourne’s bakery landscape.
Address: Check @tatiks.delights for location Vibe: Armenian baking tradition, Melbourne debut
19. Cafe Ogawa — Ascot Vale
What: A Tokyo ramen master opens a ramen-and-coffee shop in suburban Ascot Vale.
With shops in Tokyo and Kanagawa, the Ogawa team picked Ascot Vale for their Australian outpost — a combination ramen restaurant and coffee shop that serves proper Japanese ramen during the day and specialty coffee throughout. It’s a weird combo that somehow works perfectly.
Address: Ascot Vale Vibe: Tokyo ramen + Melbourne coffee
The Takeaway
Melbourne added 19 new venues in the past month and not one of them is boring. The standouts: Ginza Kagari for ramen obsessives, Seoul Tiger for the best $13 burger in the city, Aunty’s Dumplings for handmade perfection, and Santito for tacos made the way they should be.
The trend: international arrivals choosing Melbourne (Ginza Kagari, Cafe Ogawa), fine dining chefs going casual (Fannys Sannys, Gaon), and Carlton having a genuine renaissance (four new openings in one month).
For more suburb-specific food guides, check our Carlton cheap eats, Fitzroy restaurants, or St Kilda bars.
Last updated: March 14, 2026. Spotted a new opening we’ve missed? Email hello@melbz.com.au.