Best Restaurants in Hawthorn 2026: Glenferrie Road & Beyond

Updated 16 March 2026 | 6 places tested | Jules Marchetti reporting

Hawthorn sits in a funny spot on Melbourne’s dining map. It’s not trying to be the next Richmond — no queue-out-the-door ramen joints or hype-driven degustation counters. It’s not as polished as Camberwell or as leafy-intimate as Kew. What Hawthorn does, and does well, is feed its locals without fuss. The strip along Glenferrie Road has quietly stacked itself with serious restaurants — Japanese, Italian, Sri Lankan, Mediterranean — that would hold their own anywhere in the inner east.

I walked the strip, ate through the menus, and tracked down the spots actually worth your Saturday night booking. Here are the six places we rate in Hawthorn right now.

1. Izakaya Jiro — The Sake Specialist

Address: 830 Glenferrie Road, Hawthorn VIC 3122 Cuisine: Japanese izakaya Price: $$–$$$ (mains $24–$38) Open: Lunch Tue–Sun 12–3pm; Dinner Tue–Sun 6–10:30pm

Izakaya Jiro has been anchoring the Glenferrie Road dining strip since 2012, and it shows no signs of slowing down. Named after owner-head chef Jiro, this semi-fine-dining Japanese spot captures the spirit of a proper Tokyo izakaya — the kind where you settle in with a carafe of warm sake and don’t rush through a single course.

The teishoku (set meals) are the weekday power move: your choice of protein comes with rice, miso soup, salad, and an appetiser for around $25. It’s genuinely excellent value for Hawthorn. But dinner is where Jiro earns its stripes. The grilled wagyu tataki with ponzu and shiso is a standout, as is the sashimi platter — thick-cut salmon belly, kingfish, and tuna that tastes like it left the water an hour ago. The sake list is one of the deepest you’ll find this side of the CBD, with over 30 varieties organised by flavour profile.

The room itself is compact — dark timber, ambient lighting, a sushi bar up front — which means weekend bookings are essential. Don’t turn up at 7:30pm on a Friday and expect a table without calling ahead.

Signature dishes: Wagyu tataki with ponzu, sashimi platter, teishoku lunch sets

2. Ocha — Hawthorn’s Best-Kept Japanese Secret

Address: 3 Church Street, Hawthorn VIC 3122 Cuisine: Contemporary Japanese Price: $$$ (shared plates $18–$35; set menus from $75pp) Open: Lunch Tue–Fri 12–3pm; Dinner Tue–Sat 6–10pm

Ocha started life in a tiny butcher’s shop in Kew before outgrowing it and moving to its current Church Street home in Hawthorn. It was one of the first modern Japanese restaurants in the inner east, opening back in 2011, and even now — over a decade later — getting a walk-in table on a weekend is near impossible.

The menu walks the tightrope between traditional Japanese technique and seasonal Australian produce with real precision. The soft-shell crab with yuzu mayo is still on the menu for good reason: crispy, tangy, gone in four bites. The miso-glazed black cod remains the dish regulars order without looking at the menu. Chef’s selections rotate with the seasons, but expect things like aburi salmon with wasabi cream, or duck breast with a shiso-and-plum reduction that haunts you for days.

Ocha offers BYO wine at all lunches and Tuesday through Thursday dinner — a genuine rarity for a restaurant of this calibre in Hawthorn. The set menu format (around $75–$95 per person) takes the guesswork out and puts you in the chef’s hands. That’s the move.

Signature dishes: Miso-glazed black cod, soft-shell crab with yuzu, chef’s selection sashimi

3. Santoni Pizza & Bar — The Glenferrie Institution

Address: 634 Glenferrie Road, Hawthorn VIC 3122 Cuisine: Modern Italian Price: $$–$$$ (pizza $18–$28; pasta $22–$32) Open: Mon–Sun 10am–11pm

Santoni is impossible to miss. Three storeys of buzzing Italian energy right on Glenferrie Road, packed with families, students, and date-night couples who’ve figured out this is the best value Italian in the inner east. The ground floor is the main dining room with that gorgeous open kitchen. Upstairs, the rooftop bar opens in warmer months and transforms into one of Hawthorn’s best spots for a negroni and a calzone.

The pizza is the headliner, and it should be. The bases hit that sweet spot — charred leopard-spotted crust with a soft, chewy centre. “The Greek Boy” (olive, feta, red onion, oregano) has a cult following, and the margherita is a textbook example of how good simple ingredients taste when you don’t muck them up. But don’t sleep on the pasta: the mafaldine with wagyu ragu is indulgent and slow-cooked, while the spaghetti aglio e olio proves that four ingredients can carry an entire main course if the technique is right.

Rotating seasonal specials keep repeat visits interesting, and the wine list leans Italian without being pretentious. With seven-day-a-week service and walk-ins usually possible on weeknights, Santoni is Hawthorn’s default “where should we eat tonight?” answer — and that’s entirely deserved.

Signature dishes: The Greek Boy pizza, mafaldine with wagyu ragu, margherita

4. Pettah Road — Sri Lankan Soul Food

Address: Burwood Road, Hawthorn VIC 3122 Cuisine: Sri Lankan Price: $$ (buffet from $25pp; mains $16–$26) Open: Tue–Sun (check website for hours)

If you haven’t eaten Sri Lankan food in Melbourne, you’re missing one of the city’s most underappreciated cuisines. Pettah Road fixes that. It operates as a modern Australian café by day and a full Sri Lankan restaurant with beer garden by night, and the weekend buffet is one of the best-value feeds in Hawthorn — bar none.

The all-you-can-eat buffet runs around $25 per person and includes yellow rice, cassava, two vegan curries, two meat curries, a devilled stir-fry dish, and roti. The chicken curry is slow-simmered with cinnamon, cardamom, and curry leaves until the meat falls apart at the suggestion of a spoon. The fish curry — a coastal-style preparation with tamarind and turmeric — has a depth of flavour that punches well above the price point.

For à la carte, the hopper pack with chicken and fish curries and kotthu roti is the move. Kotthu — that glorious Sri Lankan street food of chopped roti wok-fried with vegetables, egg, and curry sauce — is a dish that explains itself after the first bite. Staff are warm, the beer garden is relaxed, and the whole experience feels like eating at a mate’s family dinner. Just a very good one.

Signature dishes: Weekend buffet, hopper pack with curries, kotthu roti, chicken biryani

5. Short Straw — Brunch Done Right

Address: 743B Glenferrie Road, Hawthorn VIC 3122 Cuisine: Café / Brunch Price: $–$$ (mains $16–$24) Open: Mon–Sun 7am–4:30pm

Every suburb claims to have the best brunch spot. Hawthorn actually does. Short Straw occupies a light, airy space just off Glenferrie Road down Mary Street, with a fit-out by designer CJ Wright that manages to feel both stylish and genuinely relaxed — no small feat in a suburb where brunch culture runs hot near Swinburne University.

The all-day breakfast menu is Melbourne-standard, which means it’s excellent. The corn fritters with avocado, roasted tomato, and chilli jam are the go-to for first-timers. The eggs benedict with house-made hollandaise is done properly — no packet shortcuts, no skating-on-top shortcuts. Coffee is roasted locally and pulled well, which matters when your café sits three blocks from Swinburne and half your customers are caffeinated architecture students.

Short Straw also does a solid lunch menu with burgers, salads, and bowls that keep the 1pm crowd happy. It’s not reinventing the wheel — it’s just rolling the wheel very, very well. If you’re visiting Hawthorn on a weekend morning and haven’t eaten yet, start here.

Signature dishes: Corn fritters with avocado, eggs benedict, house-made banana bread

6. Nini’s Hawthorn — Rooftop Mediterranean

Address: 302 Burwood Road, Hawthorn VIC 3122 (Level 1) Cuisine: Middle Eastern / Mediterranean Price: $$–$$$ (mains $22–$38; shared plates $14–$22) Open: 7 days a week (function bookings and special event dining)

Perched above Burwood Road with a rooftop that seats 265 guests, Nini’s is where Hawthorn goes when it wants dinner with a view. Founded by Bita Lowry — who grew up in Persia and brings her grandmother’s herb-and-spice knowledge to every dish — Nini’s blends Middle Eastern and Mediterranean flavours in a space that works equally well for a casual Wednesday dinner or a full-blown wedding reception.

The mezze selection is generous and genuinely homemade: think smoky baba ganoush, whipped feta with honey and za’atar, and kofta skewers grilled over charcoal. The lamb shoulder — slow-roasted with pomegranate and Persian spices — is the dish to order when you’re here with a group and feeling generous. Vegetarians are well looked after; the grilled haloumi with roasted peppers and tahini is substantial enough to be a main.

The rooftop deck is the real draw on warm evenings, with Melbourne’s eastern skyline providing the backdrop. Cocktails are competent, and the wine list covers both Australian and Mediterranean labels without breaking the bank. Nini’s also doubles as one of the inner east’s best function venues, so check availability if you’re planning a birthday or corporate event.

Signature dishes: Slow-roasted lamb shoulder, mezze platter, grilled haloumi with tahini

Honourable Mentions

A few spots that didn’t quite make the main list but deserve a nod:

• The Kilburn (348 Burwood Road, Hawthorn) — More bar than restaurant, but the food menu punches above its weight. This heritage-listed whisky and cocktail bar has a Spritz Garden out back and a food offering that’s perfect for post-work drinks with substance. Go for the whisky list; stay for the fried chicken.

• Blood Orange (659 Burwood Road, Hawthorn East) — A café, foodstore, and catering hybrid run by Laura and Will that the Swinburne crowd swears by. The all-day brunch menu is honest and well-priced, and the specialty foodstore is worth browsing for gifts and pantry staples.

• Sushi Matsuri (near Hawthorn Station) — A hole-in-the-wall sushi spot that locals adore. The fish is fresh, the portions are generous, and it’s perfect for a quick lunch when you don’t want to sit down for a full restaurant experience.

What We Skipped and Why

Every restaurant guide includes things that don’t make the cut. Here’s ours:

• La Cabra — The value-for-money proposition just isn’t there. Hawthorn locals have told us this repeatedly, and we agree. You can eat as well for less at three other places on this list.

• Sofia’s — Mixed reviews from our testing panel. Some dishes hit, others miss. Consistency is what separates a recommendation from a gamble, and we’re not comfortable sending you somewhere inconsistent.

• Generic Glenferrie Road chains — We skipped the usual suspects (pizza chains, fast-casual Thai, the identikit cafés) because this list is about the places that make Hawthorn worth the trip from Kew, Richmond, or Camberwell. You already know where to get a pad thai in a hurry.

The Verdict

Hawthorn’s dining scene doesn’t shout — it just quietly delivers. Whether you’re after a $25 lunch teishoku at Izakaya Jiro or a $95 set menu at Ocha, the quality-to-price ratio across this suburb is one of the best in the inner east. Glenferrie Road is the spine, but Burwood Road and Church Street hold their own discoveries.

The thing about Hawthorn is that it sits perfectly between its neighbours. If Richmond is Melbourne’s most exciting dining suburb and Camberwell is the most polished, Hawthorn is the one you’ll actually end up eating at most often — because it’s where the good stuff lives without the fanfare.

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“Hawthorn doesn’t shout about its food scene — and that’s exactly why it’s one of Melbourne’s best-kept dining secrets. Six restaurants, six reasons to cross the Yarra.”

Have a favourite Hawthorn restaurant we missed? Tell us on Instagram @melbzcomau or email editors@melbz.com.au.

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