The Best Cheap Eats in Northcote
Northcote’s food scene has always been about substance over pretension. While some suburbs charge $28 for a bowl of granola with a gold leaf garnish, Northcote’s best kitchens are busy making genuinely brilliant food at prices that don’t require a second thought. This is the inner north’s most underrated eating strip — and the fact that you can eat like royalty for under $20 is the worst-kept secret on High Street.
Here’s where your money goes furthest.
Last updated: 16 March 2026 | Northcote Vibe Score: 81/100 🟢
1. Wazzup Falafel
The vibe: Open kitchen, cowboy hat, vegan food that makes committed carnivores forget about meat
Ahmad Al Alaea has been running Wazzup Falafel with the kind of single-minded dedication that turns a suburban shopfront into a Melbourne institution. Everything is made in-house — the falafel, the fatteh, the hummus, the pickles, everything — and you can watch him work the kitchen from your seat. Time Out named Wazzup one of Melbourne’s top 25 venues in 2025, which is a long way of saying: this place is legit.
Order this: The falafel plate ($16) with extra fatteh. The fatteh — layered with crispy pita, warm chickpeas, tahini, and a hit of cumin — is the kind of dish that changes your entire afternoon. If you’re just passing through, grab a falafel pita ($12) and eat it on the walk down High Street.
Address: 363A High Street, Northcote Hours: Tue–Sun, 11am–9pm Insider tip: Ahmad does two types of falafel — traditional and a beetroot version. Get both. The beetroot one is vivid pink and tastes like something from a fancy degustation, except it costs $16 total.
2. Tahina
The vibe: Israeli street food that proves vegetarian doesn’t mean boring
Tahina is one of those places that regulars try to keep quiet about. A vegetarian Israeli street food spot slinging loaded pita pockets, shakshuka, two types of falafel, and salads that actually taste like something. The smoothies are basically a meal in themselves — thick, fragrant, and about $9.
Order this: Loaded pita pocket ($14) with everything stuffed in. The shakshuka ($13) on a weekend morning with a fresh pita for dipping is peak Northcote brunch without the 45-minute wait that Fitzroy brunch spots demand.
Address: 363 High Street, Northcote Hours: Mon–Sun, 11am–9pm Insider tip: They do a lunch special during the week — pita + drink + side for around $15. It’s the best value meal on High Street and the reason you see the same office workers eating here three days a week.
3. 300 Grams
The vibe: Compact, no-pretence burger joint where the patties do all the talking
Twenty-five seats. That’s it. 300 Grams is the anti-gourmet burger joint — no truffle aioli, no wagyu blends with a backstory, just properly smashed beef patties on soft buns with the usual suspects. They also do a plant-based version with vegan cheese that’s genuinely worth ordering, not just a concession to the menu.
Order this: The original beef burger ($14) with a side of southern fried chicken ($12) if you’re sharing. The Cocowhip sundae ($8) for dessert is dairy-free and tastes like a tropical holiday had a baby with a milkshake.
Address: 304A High Street, Northcote Hours: Wed–Sun, 11:30am–9pm Insider tip: They’re tiny, so takeaway is often faster than dining in. Grab your burgers and walk five minutes to the Rucker’s Hill lookout for a sunset burger with a city skyline view. It’s $14 for a meal and a view. Name a better deal.
4. Curry Cafe
The vibe: Bustling Indian joint where the tables fill up by 6:30pm and nobody’s here for the décor
Curry Cafe is a Northcote institution in the most unpretentious sense. The tables are basic, the lighting is fluorescent, and the curry is absolutely sensational. This is the kind of place where you see three generations of a family sharing a table on a Tuesday night. The lamb pasanda is creamy and fragrant, the paneer makhani is rich without being heavy, and the eggplant curry — the staff favourite — is the dark horse on the menu that rewards the adventurous.
Order this: Lamb pasanda ($17) with rice and a mango lassi ($5). If you’re with a group, get the eggplant curry as a side — it’s what the regulars order and what the kitchen is most proud of.
Address: 286 High Street, Northcote Hours: Tue–Sun, 5:30pm–10pm Insider tip: BYO wine — no corkage fee. They’ll even lend you a glass. House wines in tumblers are available if you forgot to stop at the bottle shop. A bottle from Samuel Pepys (directly opposite Palace Westgarth, five minutes’ walk) and dinner at Curry Cafe is the Northcote power move.
5. Yuni’s Kitchen
The vibe: Hidden Indonesian gem tucked behind a church, BYO, and worth every minute of the search
Yuni’s Kitchen is the kind of restaurant you find by accident and then spend the next six months telling everyone about. It’s located behind Northcote’s old Uniting Church — you literally walk down a path alongside the building to find it. Husband and wife team Yuni and Matthew Kenwrick serve food inspired by Yuni’s upbringing in Yogyakarta, Java, and the result is some of the most honest Indonesian food in Melbourne.
Order this: Nasi campur ayam ($16) — a plate of rice surrounded by small portions of different dishes, which is basically the Indonesian equivalent of a tasting menu. The ikan pepes ($18) — barramundi steamed in banana leaves with sambal — is stunning. Laksa ($15) on a cold day is mandatory.
Address: Behind the Uniting Church, 255–257 High Street, Northcote Hours: Wed–Sun, 11:30am–2:30pm, 5:30pm–9pm Insider tip: BYO with zero corkage. This is genuinely one of the cheapest and best date dinners in Melbourne — two mains, a side, and a bottle of wine you brought from home will set you back about $50 total for two people. You’d pay that for a single main at half the restaurants in Fitzroy.
6. Mesob Ethiopian
The vibe: Communal dining, injera bread you eat with your hands, and live jazz on weekends
Mesob isn’t just a restaurant — it’s a pillar of Northcote’s community. Ethiopian food is inherently communal (you share from the same platter, tearing injera and scooping stews), which makes it perfect for groups. The doro wat is rich and slow-cooked, the vegetarian platters are enormous and colourful, and the live jazz on weekends turns dinner into something closer to an event.
Order this: Mixed platter for two ($35) — it’s enough food for three people honestly, with doro wat, misir wat, gomen, and stacks of injera. If you’re solo, the vegetarian combo ($16) is massive and comes with five or six different preparations.
Address: 303 High Street, Northcote Hours: Mon–Sun, 5:30pm–10pm Insider tip: Friday and Saturday nights get packed, especially when the jazz is on. Book ahead or arrive before 6pm. The BYO policy is legend — no corkage, and they’ll keep your bottle behind the bar if you want to spread dinner over a few hours.
7. Brother Bon
The vibe: Pan-Asian vegan food in a converted church — sounds weird, works perfectly
Brother Bon proves that vegan food doesn’t need to be preachy or expensive. Set in a converted space on High Street, the pan-Asian menu covers brunch through dinner with fragrant noodle soups, dumplings, stir-fries, and gua bao that rivals the meat versions. Vietnamese-style cocktails and local beers round out an offering that feels more like a neighbourhood restaurant than a “vegan place.”
Order this: Gua bao ($14 for three) — fluffy steamed buns with crispy tofu, pickled veg, and a peanut crumble that’s properly crunchy. The laksa ($16) for brunch on a rainy day is medicinal in the best possible way.
Address: 448 High Street, Northcote Hours: Wed–Sun, 10am–3pm, 5pm–9pm Insider tip: The cocktail list is unexpectedly good — a Vietnamese-style espresso martini ($16) made with condensed milk is the move for an after-work drink that also counts as dessert.
8. Va Penne
The vibe: Cosy Sicilian neighbourhood spot where forgetting to book means a spritz at the bar
Va Penne is the Italian restaurant Northcote didn’t know it needed until it arrived. Home-style Sicilian fare — think hearty pastas, nostalgic desserts, and a bread basket you’ll want to smuggle home. If you can’t get a table (and on weekends, you’ll need to book), grab a seat at the bar, order a spruz, and soak in the Palermo-meets-Melbourne atmosphere.
Order this: The namesake penne ($19) with whatever sauce is seasonal. Sicilian-style cannoli ($9) for dessert — crisp shell, ricotta filling, pistachio crumble. Non-negotiable.
Address: 371 High Street, Northcote Hours: Wed–Sun, 5:30pm–10pm Insider tip: Walk-in bar seats are always available, even when the dining room is full. Sit at the bar, eat the bread, drink the spritz, and watch the kitchen work. It’s dinner and a show for the cost of a drink.
9. Pizza Meine Liebe
The vibe: Produce-driven, woodfired pizza that earned its staying power
German name (“pizza my love”), Italian soul, Melbourne attitude. Pizza Meine Liebe was part of the new wave of produce-driven pizza joints that hit Melbourne and the ones that survived did so because they’re genuinely excellent. Thin, slightly chewy bases topped with clever combos, woodfired to a perfect char.
Order this: Whatever’s seasonal — the menu changes based on what’s good. A margherita ($17) to start is the test, and if the base and sauce hit, everything else will too. Add a burrata ($8) if they have it.
Address: 301 High Street, Northcote Hours: Thu–Sun, 5:30pm–10pm Insider tip: They don’t deliver, which is deliberate — pizza doesn’t travel well and they know it. Dine in or takeaway within walking distance. Grab your pizza and eat it on the Northcote Social Club deck if you’re buying a drink there.
10. Ruckers Hill
The vibe: French-leaning bistro at the base of the hill, ex-Bistro Thierry chef, generous wine list
Ruckers Hill is the cheapest “fancy” dinner in Northcote, which is a weird compliment but it’s meant as one. The French-leaning menu from an ex-Bistro Thierry chef delivers bistro classics — think duck confit, steak frites, a soup of the day that’s always worth ordering — at prices that would be half of what you’d pay in South Yarra for the same quality.
Order this: Steak frites ($26) — it’s at the top end of “cheap eats” but the portion size and quality make it an absolute steal. If you’re staying under $20, the soup and bread ($14) with a glass of house red ($10) is the move.
Address: 87 High Street, Northcote Hours: Wed–Sun, 5:30pm–10pm Insider tip: Right next to Palace Westgarth. Movie + dinner at Ruckers Hill is the classic Northcote date night for about $60 total.
The Bottom Line
Northcote’s cheap eats scene is the real deal — not “cheap” as in compromise, but cheap as in these kitchens genuinely care more about making great food than charging Melbourne’s latest ridiculous prices. A solo dinner at Wazzup Falafel costs $16. A date night at Yuni’s Kitchen with BYO wine costs $50 for two. A burger and a Cocowhip sundae at 300 Grams costs $22. This is what Melbourne’s food scene should be everywhere, and Northcote’s doing it on a Tuesday without breaking a sweat.
Your Northcote Vibe Score this week: 81/100 — High Street is humming. The cheap eats scene is carrying the inner north right now while the $30-pasta crowd figures itself out.
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