218 Eat & Drink in Melbourne

Melbourne is known world-over for its quality of life, culture, sports, entertainment and most famously for their wonderful food scene. The locals are renowned for their love of great food and there is high demand for beautifully-cooked, international cuisine with an emphasis on quality. Melbourne restaurants, cafes and bars are also leading the way in ensuring allergies and dietary issues are more than well-catered for throughout the city, which is great news for diners suffering with coeliac or non-coeliac gluten sensitivity, who are unable to tolerate gluten. There are various dedicated gluten-free restaurants in Melbourne, and plenty of venues which sell clearly marked gluten-free options alongside their 'regular' menus. So if you want to avoid gluten for any reason, you can relax and do so in Melbourne's gluten-free restaurants without missing out.

You may be asking yourself whether Melbourne has always been such a food city or whether this sort of hype is a relatively new thing. Truth be told, we think it’s been a very gradual revolution – heck, you could even called it evolution – that stemmed from the tangible soul of the city. By that we mean that here in Melbourne, arguably more so than anywhere else in Australia, the attitude to life is unflustered. As we said before, it’s anything goes. One of many by products of this is that rules and regulations in the context of great food and drink are, quite simply, ignored. You go to Italy and order a cappuccino in the afternoon and you’ll be gawked at like an uneducated novice. Go to France and ask for parmesan on your seafood and you’re the devil. Melbournians and thus Melbourne’s restaurants say to hell with all of that, and the result is something special – the revolution, or evolution, of a food scene that’s impossible to resist.

A growing number of people throughout the world are being diagnosed as being allergic to gluten or being extremely sensitive to it. Gluten is a protein which can be severely damaging to people with intolerances or conditions like coeliac disease, which can make dining out extremely difficult in many areas. Not in Melbourne though. The growing number of gluten-free restaurants in Melbourne reflects a broad awareness of gluten-free dining, which makes dining out a far more relaxing affair for those with coeliac disease, NCGS or IBS. What’s more, the menus and cuisines on offer in Melbourne’s gluten-free restaurants are excellent, and even entice diners who have no dietary restrictions. This makes it possible for everyone to enjoy the finest food together in high-quality and trendy gluten-free restaurants in Melbourne.

All of that may sound as though the restaurant scene in Melbourne could overwhelm a visitor or someone new to town, but the reality is quite the opposite. Whether in the suburbs or in the CBD, as you wander the vibrant streets of Melbourne, quality restaurants will be there waiting on almost every corner and it’s a breeze to book at a table at any one of them via Quandoo. You can ease yourself in with a hole-in-the-wall Chinese joint, work your way up to a casual French lunch and then before you know it you’ll be dining at world-revered evening restaurants headed by some of the best chefs on the planet. That, folks, is just how Melbourne rolls.

The awareness from restaurants regarding gluten-free dining in Melbourne means that you'll find gluten-free menu options clearly marked at most venues, as well as some dedicated gluten-free restaurants in Melbourne where absolutely no trace of gluten is found on the premises. Fox in The Box is one example of being a strictly gluten-free dining haven. It’s located in trendy Brighton and serves some seriously mouthwatering dishes. Expect incredible food from breakfast through to dinner, with dishes like Italian pork belly infused in rosemary and thyme served on demiglace risotto with a red wine reduction; and the salt and pepper calamari served with aioli. You'll find the venue on Martin Street, but remember to book in advance with Quandoo as this Melbourne restaurant is a gluten-free favourite and does tend to get very busy.

Melbourne also rolls with an enormous international influence, so much so that it’s estimated around 40% of Melbourne’s population was born overseas. The result – and yes there is a pattern emerging – is exceptional diversity when it comes to Melbourne’s restaurants. But let’s break it down a bit. By far the most influential communities are the Chinese, Greeks and Italians, most of whom settled in Melbourne during the gold rush and the two world wars. Melbourne’s Chinatown has restaurants by the bucketload and is easily one of the oldest outside Asia, meanwhile, Melbourne’s Greek community is the largest outside of Greece. The Melbourne CBD has Greek restaurants, delis and bakeries on pretty much every street and the warmth of these places is utterly charming. Then, of course, there is Little Italy, home to Australia's first pizza joint and the best Italian restaurants in Melbourne by a country mile. It’s also here, in Melbourne’s northern suburbs, that the city’s cafe culture emerged…

The quality of food on offer in Melbourne's gluten-free restaurants is excellent. Highly skilled chefs will whip up meals so delicious that you won't even know that you're dining with any restriction. Enjoy dressed crayfish with mango salads, roasted blackened salmon with Asian slaw, or homemade burgers with sweet potato fries and spicy mayonnaise. Chilli, curries and lasagne are all often on the menu, along with pizzas made from gluten-free bases. Look forward to dessert too, with all of your favourite cakes, bakes and puddings served gluten-free. How does chocolate parfait with real vanilla ice-cream sound? When you dine in Melbourne's gluten-free restaurants, you'll discover that a whole world of delicious food awaits you – without the worry of gluten or contamination making you unwell and spoiling your dining experience!

For us not to discuss cafes and coffee would, quite simply, be a crime against Melbourne. Restaurants are fantastic as we now know, but cafes are also an undeniable and irreplaceable part of what makes Melbourne so great. The people of Melbourne understand good coffee and they know how it should be served and how it should taste. Coffee is respected here and you certainly won’t find many global coffee house chains like in other major cities. And, just like restaurants in Melbourne, the cafes contribute so much to the chilled atmosphere of the place as a whole. Locals and visitors spend hours sat drinking coffee and enjoying creative and homecooked cafe food along with it – it’s all really rather captivating. Via Quandoo you can find Melbourne restaurants and cafes that are ready to be booked and ready to be utterly enjoyed. There ain’t no place like it, friends, so what are you waiting for? Find your favorites and go and get stuck in.

Join the millions of Quandoo users who are reserving tables online and start reaping the benefits. Just a few clicks – or taps if you’re using the Quandoo App – and you’re on your way to a fabulous meal at some of the very best Live-Music restaurants in Melbourne.

Join the millions of Quandoo users who are reserving tables online and start reaping the benefits. Just a few clicks – or taps if you’re using the Quandoo App – and you’re on your way to a fabulous meal at some of the very best Tavern restaurants in Melbourne.

Join the millions of Quandoo users who are reserving tables online and start reaping the benefits. Just a few clicks – or taps if you’re using the Quandoo App – and you’re on your way to a fabulous meal at some of the very best Organic restaurants in Melbourne.

Join the millions of Quandoo users who are reserving tables online and start reaping the benefits. Just a few clicks – or taps if you’re using the Quandoo App – and you’re on your way to a fabulous meal at some of the very best Pierogi restaurants in Melbourne.

Join the millions of Quandoo users who are reserving tables online and start reaping the benefits. Just a few clicks – or taps if you’re using the Quandoo App – and you’re on your way to a fabulous meal at some of the very best Pancake House restaurants in Melbourne.

Join the millions of Quandoo users who are reserving tables online and start reaping the benefits. Just a few clicks – or taps if you’re using the Quandoo App – and you’re on your way to a fabulous meal at some of the very best Steamboat restaurants in Melbourne.

Join the millions of Quandoo users who are reserving tables online and start reaping the benefits. Just a few clicks – or taps if you’re using the Quandoo App – and you’re on your way to a fabulous meal at some of the very best Hakka restaurants in Melbourne.

Have you been on a quest to find the best Organic restaurants in Melbourne? It’s simple using Quandoo. Just filter your search to Organic restaurants in Melbourne and voila, the choice is now yours. Book tables at over 0 Organic restaurants in Melbourne, and when you get bored of those, try out one of the many other cuisines in Melbourne. Happy hunting!

Have you been on a quest to find the best Tavern restaurants in Melbourne? It’s simple using Quandoo. Just filter your search to Tavern restaurants in Melbourne and voila, the choice is now yours. Book tables at over 0 Tavern restaurants in Melbourne, and when you get bored of those, try out one of the many other cuisines in Melbourne. Happy hunting!

Have you been on a quest to find the best Hakka restaurants in Melbourne? It’s simple using Quandoo. Just filter your search to Hakka restaurants in Melbourne and voila, the choice is now yours. Book tables at over 0 Hakka restaurants in Melbourne, and when you get bored of those, try out one of the many other cuisines in Melbourne. Happy hunting!

Have you been on a quest to find the best Pierogi restaurants in Melbourne? It’s simple using Quandoo. Just filter your search to Pierogi restaurants in Melbourne and voila, the choice is now yours. Book tables at over 0 Pierogi restaurants in Melbourne, and when you get bored of those, try out one of the many other cuisines in Melbourne. Happy hunting!

Have you been on a quest to find the best Live-Music restaurants in Melbourne? It’s simple using Quandoo. Just filter your search to Live-Music restaurants in Melbourne and voila, the choice is now yours. Book tables at over 0 Live-Music restaurants in Melbourne, and when you get bored of those, try out one of the many other cuisines in Melbourne. Happy hunting!