The Best New Openings in St Kilda
St Kilda’s hospitality scene has always had a revolving-door quality — places open, places close, and the ones that survive tend to be genuinely good. 2025 and early 2026 have brought a solid wave of new spots to the suburb, and we’ve done the legwork to tell you which ones are actually worth your time (and money).
Here’s what’s new, what’s worth visiting, and what we’re watching.
The Cat’s Kaka — Japanese-Fusion Brunch (Late 2025)
Where: 52 Acland Street What: Japanese-inflected brunch menu with dishes like miso scrambled eggs on shokupan ($19), matcha waffles with black sesame ice cream ($21), and a Japanese iced coffee ($6.50) that puts most Melbourne flat whites to shame. Vibe: Clean lines, light timber, minimal. Seats about 30. Feels like a Tokyo side-street café transplanted to Acland Street. Verdict: This is the real deal. The miso eggs alone are worth the inevitable Sunday queue. The kitchen is small and the menu is tight — everything we tried in two visits was excellent. Expect a 20–30 minute wait on weekends before 11am. Go at 10am on a weekday and you’ll walk straight in. The matcha waffles are worth a special mention — the black sesame ice cream melts into the warm waffle and creates a combination that’s savoury, sweet, and deeply satisfying. It’s the kind of dish that makes you wonder why more Melbourne cafés haven’t tried this.
Price point: Brunch for two with coffee runs about $55–$65. Affordable by St Kilda standards.
What to order first: Miso scrambled eggs, Japanese iced coffee, and share the matcha waffles if there’s two of you.
📊 MELBZ POLL — Have you tried The Cat’s Kaka yet? Yes, obsessed | On my list | Japanese brunch sounds weird
Limbo Cocktail Bar (Early 2025)
Where: 8 Acland Street What: A moody, intimate cocktail bar with a focus on live jazz and a short, sharp drinks list. Cocktails run $22–$28. The signature “Limbo Old Fashioned” (bourbon, smoked maple, Angostura) is outstanding. Wine from $14 a glass. Vibe: Low lighting, velvet banquettes, a tiny stage for the jazz trio that plays Friday and Saturday nights. No cover charge, but tables fill fast after 8pm. Verdict: This填补 a genuine gap in St Kilda’s nightlife. Before Limbo, there wasn’t really a sophisticated late-night option between the Espy and the Fitzroy Street pubs. It’s not cheap, but the quality justifies the price. Book a table if you’re going Friday or Saturday — walk-ins are possible but you’ll be at the bar.
The room: The interior design deserves attention. Velvet banquettes in deep navy, brass light fixtures, exposed brick walls, and a small stage area that’s been cleverly integrated into the room. It seats about 45 people total. The cocktail menu changes seasonally — the current winter list includes a smoky mezcal number ($26) and a pear-and-thyme spritz ($24) that’s lighter than it sounds.
The jazz: The Friday and Saturday night trio (piano, upright bass, saxophone) plays from 8:30pm to midnight. They lean into standards — Miles Davis, Coltrane, Ella — with occasional modern arrangements. The volume is conversation-friendly, which is a rare and welcome quality in live music venues.
Price point: Two cocktails and a shared snack plate will run about $70–$80 for two. Not cheap, but the quality is bar-grade, not pub-grade.
Code Black Coffee — Elwood Extension (Mid-2025)
Where: 33 Ormond Road, Elwood (just a short walk from St Kilda’s southern border) What: Specialty coffee roasters who opened their first south-side café here. Single-origin pour-over ($6), flat white ($5), and a food menu built around eggs, toast, and a banana bread ($8) that is genuinely the best in the area. Vibe: Industrial-meets-beach. Polished concrete, hanging plants, a small courtyard out back. Busy but not chaotic. Verdict: Worth the walk from St Kilda’s southern end. The coffee is roasted in-house and the team knows their stuff. If you’re already heading to Elwood Beach or walking the canal, this is your mandatory stop. The banana bread is genuinely the best we’ve had south of the river — dense, moist, loaded with walnuts, and served warm with a slab of cultured butter. It’s $8 and it’s enough for two to share.
Why Elwood? Code Black chose Ormond Road intentionally — the St Kilda café scene is saturated, but Elwood has been underserved for specialty coffee. The residents here have been walking to the nearest chain for years, and Code Black is the first independent roaster-café to plant a flag. If you’re in southern St Kilda, skip the Acland Street queues and walk the extra five minutes.
Price point: Coffee and banana bread for two: about $20. Breakfast for two with eggs: $35–$40.
Hot Chicken Project — St Kilda outpost (Late 2025)
Where: 212 Carlisle Street What: Nashville-style hot chicken with Melbourne attitude. Quarter bird with slaw and fries ($18), whole bird ($32), and a range of heat levels from “Country” (mild) to “Reaper” (the kind that makes your eyes water for an hour). Sides include mac and cheese ($8) and corn on the cob with chipotle butter ($7). Vibe: Loud, fast, casual. Bright orange branding, no bookings, order-at-counter. Seats about 40 inside with a small outdoor area. Music is hip-hop at a volume that says “this isn’t a café.” Verdict: St Kilda’s Carlisle Street has been crying out for a solid casual dining option that isn’t Indian (though we love the Indian). Hot Chicken Project delivers. The chicken is properly crispy, the heat levels are genuinely differentiated, and the prices are reasonable. Late-night hours on Friday and Saturday (until midnight) make it a post-bar hero.
The heat levels, explained:
- Country (mild) — Buttermilk-brined, lightly seasoned. Perfect for kids or heat-wimps.
- Nashville (medium) — The classic. Cayenne-forward, with a kick that builds.
- Hot (hot) — Serious heat. You’ll sweat. The flavour is still there underneath.
- Reaper (extreme) — Carolina Reaper-based. They make you sign a waiver. We’re not joking. One of our writers tried it and couldn’t taste anything for two hours afterwards. Do it for the story, not the flavour.
The sides: The mac and cheese ($8) is baked with a crispy breadcrumb top. The corn on the cob ($7) comes with chipotle butter and cotija cheese. The coleslaw ($5) is vinegar-based rather than mayo, which cuts the richness of the chicken perfectly. Build a plate of a quarter bird, mac and cheese, and slaw for $31 and you’ll eat like royalty.
Late-night energy: On Friday and Saturday nights, Hot Chicken Project becomes the unofficial after-party food spot. The queue at 11:30pm is often longer than at lunchtime. The music gets louder, the crowd gets rowdier, and somehow the chicken still comes out perfect. It fills a niche that St Kilda has needed for years.
Price point: Quarter bird meal deal with sides: $25–$30 per person. Whole bird to share (feeds 3–4): $32 plus sides.
Baked. — Artisan Bakery (Early 2026)
Where: 67 Fitzroy Street What: Sourdough, pastries, and a small but excellent toastie menu. The twice-baked almond croissant ($7.50) is flaky and rich and worth getting up early for. A full sourdough loaf is $9. Vibe: Minimal, airy, good natural light. A few tables inside. Feels like it belongs in Collingwood but has found a home on Fitzroy Street. Verdict: It’s early days but the quality is obvious. The bakers start at 3am and by 7am the display is full. By 11am on weekends, the almond croissants are gone. Go early. The sourdough loaf ($9) is a genuine everyday bread — the crust is thick and blistered, the crumb is open and slightly tangy, and it keeps well for three days. We’ve been buying one every Saturday and it’s become a neighbourhood habit.
The toastie: Don’t sleep on the toastie menu. The ham, cheese, and pickle ($14) is served on their own sourdough with a proper sharp cheddar and house-made pickle reline. It’s the toastie elevated without being pretentious. There’s also a seasonal special that rotates weekly — we tried a roasted tomato and gruyère version that was extraordinary.
The space: Bright, minimal, with about 10 seats inside and a small bench out front. The natural light comes through large front windows and the walls are bare concrete with a single shelf of bread loaves displayed like art. It’s the kind of place that feels deliberately simple — the focus is on what comes out of the oven, not the décor.
Price point: Coffee and a pastry: $12–$15. Toastie and coffee: $20. Bread and butter to take home: $12.
Things We’re Watching
Unnamed wine bar on Barkly Street — There’s a fitout underway at the old hairdresser site between 80–90 Barkly Street. No signage, no social media yet. Locals are speculating natural wine bar. We’ll update when we know more.
Carlisle Street precinct renewal — St Kilda Council has approved streetscape upgrades for Carlisle Street between Hotham and Clarendon. Expect more foot traffic, better outdoor dining, and possibly some new openings as a result. The upgrades include wider footpaths, new street trees, and improved lighting — which should make the strip significantly more pleasant for evening dining. Timeline is late 2026 completion.
The Espy kitchen rebrand — The Esplanade Hotel has quietly been revamping its food offering. The bistro space is getting a refresh and the menu is shifting toward more modern Australian with a seafood focus. No official launch date, but locals have noticed the change in direction.
Acland Street sweet spot — There are reports of a new gelato laboratory opening in the old newsagent space on Acland Street. If true, it would fill a gap — St Kilda has plenty of cake shops but no dedicated artisan gelato producer. We’ll verify and report back.
Fitzroy Street activation — St Kilda Council is running a trial of weekend footpath dining activations on Fitzroy Street between Carlisle and the Esplanade. If successful, this could bring new pop-up food vendors and extended trading hours to the strip. The trial runs through April 2026.
What We Skipped and Why
Pop-up markets on Fitzroy Street — These appear and disappear monthly. We can’t verify if they’re running when you read this. Check local Facebook groups for dates.
Retail store openings — MELBZ focuses on food, drink, and experiences. New clothing shops and retail stores aren’t our lane.
Short-term Airbnb-style experiences — Cooking classes and foraging walks that appear on platforms like Airbnb Experiences aren’t permanent openings. We’ll cover them if they stick around for 6+ months.
Nearby Guides Worth Reading
- New Openings in Elwood — the beachside suburb’s growing food scene
- New Openings in South Melbourne — market-adjacent innovation
- New Openings in Prahran — Chapel Street’s latest wave
Last verified March 2026. New openings change fast — follow us on Instagram @melbz.com.au for weekly updates.
About this guide: MELBZ is Melbourne’s hyperlocal intelligence platform. Every venue is visited, every price is checked, every recommendation is earned. No sponsored content, no pay-to-play. If we list it, we’d go there ourselves.
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