The Best New Openings in Preston
Preston’s dining and bar scene is in a constant state of flux. While the Vietnamese and Italian institutions along High Street have been serving locals for decades, there’s a steady stream of new openings that are reshaping what Preston means as a food and drink destination.
Here are the most notable new spots to open in Preston in late 2025 and early 2026 — the ones that have earned their place on your radar and are worth the trip.
Café Mellow Fellow — High Street area
Opened: Late 2025
What it is: All-day café with bottomless brunch and a vibe that’s impossible to dislike
Café Mellow Fellow brings a level of polish to Preston’s brunch scene that you’d usually have to travel to Fitzroy for. The space is bright, modern, and designed for both quick takeaways and long, lingering brunches. The bottomless brunch option (unlimited cocktails and coffee for two hours) has become a weekend staple for Northcote and Preston brunch crowds.
The food menu does the classics well — eggs benedict, avocado toast, pancakes — but also includes some creative twists that show the kitchen isn’t just going through the motions. The coffee program is excellent, using beans from a local roaster and pulling shots with precision.
For a weekend brunch that feels like an occasion without the inner-city price tag, Café Mellow Fellow is one of Preston’s best new additions.
Oliva Social — High Street
Opened: 2024 (newer to Preston, recently expanded)
What it is: European-style cocktail bar and eatery with a courtyard that draws crowds
Oliva Social is worth including here because it represents a new category for Preston: the cocktail-forward neighbourhood bar that doesn’t sacrifice accessibility for sophistication. The Chinotto Connection (whiskey, Chinotto San Pellegrino, lemon juice, honey) is their signature, and it’s earned its reputation.
The food menu is solid enough that you can make a proper meal of it — pizzas, tapas, grazing platters — but the real draw is the space. The high ceilings, polished concrete, and fairy-lit courtyard create an atmosphere that feels special without being exclusive.
It’s become one of Preston’s go-to venues for groups and dates, and the courtyard fills up fast on warm evenings.
Arepa Days — Dundas Place
Opened: 2023 (established but gained prominence in 2025)
What it is: Colombian arepa cafe bringing something genuinely different to Melbourne’s brunch scene
Arepa Days isn’t brand new, but its influence on Preston’s food identity has only grown in 2025–26. The arepas — thick, griddled corn flatbreads — are filled with everything from scrambled eggs and cheese to pulled pork and black beans. The coffee is Colombian-style: rich, full-bodied, served alongside spiced hot chocolate and sugarcane juice.
Arepa Days represents the kind of opening that diversifies a suburb’s food scene. It’s not doing the standard Melbourne brunch playbook — it’s bringing a different cuisine and doing it well enough that it’s become a destination.
Eat Cannoli — High Street area
Opened: 2024
What it is: Gluten-free, hand-crafted cannoli specialist
Eat Cannoli does exactly one thing and does it better than anyone in Melbourne’s north. Every cannoli is hand-crafted, gluten-free, and accredited by Coeliac Australia. The “OG” is piped with whipped ricotta, candied orange, chocolate chips, and sweetened with honey from the owners’ own rooftop beehive.
The coffee is solid, the space is small (mostly takeaway), and the rotating seasonal flavours keep regulars coming back. It’s the kind of specialist opening that makes a food destination feel complete — you come for the cannoli, but you stay for the community vibe.
##window_corner_cafe — Plenty Road
Opened: Early 2025
What it is: Quiet corner cafe with a focus on local community
Window Corner Cafe is exactly what its name suggests: a cafe with windows, a corner location on Plenty Road, and a vibe that says “we’re here for the neighbourhood.” The coffee is well-made, the food is honest, and the atmosphere is peaceful in a way that’s increasingly rare.
It’s not flashy, it’s not famous, and it doesn’t need to be. It’s become a go-to for the residents of northern Preston and the border with Reservoir — the kind of place where you’re more likely to be sitting next to someone who lives two streets away than a tourist.
Moon Rabbit Expansion — High Street
Opened: 2024 (expansion and renovation)
What it is: Community-focused cafe with expanded seating and menu
Moon Rabbit has been a Preston institution for years, but recent renovations and menu expansions have elevated it from “good local cafe” to “destination.” The jaffles remain, the house-made slices are still excellent, and the coffee is consistently good. But the expanded seating area means the weekend crowds can spread out more, and the new menu items show a kitchen that’s evolving without abandoning its roots.
Chumanchu Renovation — Gilbert Road
Opened: Original 2018, major renovation 2025
What it is: Established Vietnamese-Thai spot upgraded its space and kitchen
Chumanchu has been serving Preston from its Gilbert Road location since 2018, but a 2025 renovation expanded the kitchen, added more seating, and upgraded the dining experience while keeping the food quality consistent. This isn’t a brand-new venue, but the improvements have made it more viable as a dinner destination rather than just a lunch spot.
The menu — Vietnamese with Thai influences — hasn’t changed much, and that’s the point. The pho, bun cha, and Thai curries are still excellent, and the larger space means less waiting for a table.
Preston Market Food Hall Upgrades
Completed: Ongoing through 2025
What it is: Not a single venue, but the market’s infrastructure improvements have changed the game
The Preston Market has been undergoing phased upgrades to its facilities, seating, and vendor management throughout 2025. The result is a cleaner, better-organised market that’s attracting more diverse vendors while keeping the soul of the original.
New Lebanese bakeries, upgraded Vietnamese stalls, and expanded seating areas mean you can now spend hours at the market without feeling like you’re fighting for space. The gözleme stalls are still the main draw, but the overall experience has improved significantly.
The Raccoon Club Expansion
Opened: Original 2020, expanded 2025
What it is: The grungy bar doubled its indoor space and added outdoor seating
The Raccoon Club was already a Preston favourite with its taxidermy, political statements, and board games. A 2025 expansion added more indoor seating and an outdoor courtyard, solving the venue’s biggest problem: lack of space when it got busy. The original charm remains — the mismatched decor, the vintage lamps, the drinks list — but now it can accommodate more of the people who want to be there.
What Counts as “New” in Preston
We define “new” as anything that opened in 2024, 2025, or 2026 and has sustained quality for at least 6 months. Some venues we considered but left out are too new to properly assess — they might be excellent, but we prefer to recommend spots that have proven they can maintain standards over time.
We also left out venues that opened but failed to maintain quality. Preston’s food scene is competitive, and several 2024 openings have already closed or changed direction. These listings are the survivors — the ones that have earned their place.
What’s Coming in 2026
Several projects are in development for Preston in 2026:
- A microbrewery on High Street near Bell Street, rumoured to be from the team behind a northern suburbs favourite
- A Greek restaurant converting a former warehouse on Cramer Street
- A second location of a popular Thornbury wine bar considering Preston for its expansion
These are still in planning stages — we’ll update this guide as they open and prove themselves.
Keep an eye on these streets for the next wave:
- High Street between Murray Road and Bell Street
- Plenty Road north of the intersection with Bell
- The Cramer Street corridor near the market
- Side streets off High Street with warehouse conversions
Explore more of Preston’s food scene: → Best Restaurants in Preston — established and newer spots → Best Bars in Preston — including recent openings → Best Cafes in Preston — new and classic alike → Cheap Eats in Preston — new market vendors included
This guide was researched and written by the MELBZ team. Opening dates and details are accurate as of March 2026. We recommend checking venue websites or social media before visiting, as hours and offerings can change. MELBZ is an independent Melbourne guide — we don’t accept payment for listings.
