Best sichuan restaurants in Melbourne, autumn 2023

MELBOURNE
It may not be the most inexpensive option on this list, but you’ll most definitely continue your day feeling more than satisfied, knowing that you’ve just filled your stomach full of fresh and nutritious food. This Yum Cha spot has fifty years of culinary experience chinese restaurant and you can therefore expect to experience the most authentic, taste experience at this restaurant. Plant only kitchen inspired by Southwest of China's Sichuan cuisine, using local and seasonal produce, executed with a creative mind and contemporary philosophy.

This bustling first-floor Cantonese restaurant is renowned for  its seafood-forward dishes. Tables are large, so big group catch-ups or extended family gatherings are usually conducted here, with ginger and scallion stir-fried lobster over egg noodles and winter melon soup crowning each table. A family-run business, this place is great for those who love spicy food. The mother runs the kitchen, making some of the spiciest dan dan noodles  known to man, while the son and daughter run the floor. Highlights from the menu include Sichuan styled prawns with garlic and spicy salt, poached fish, Sichuan cold noodle, spicy pork dried green beans, and cucumber with hot and sour sauce, among others.
Dishes are inspired by the seasons to create fresh and unique fare, using only the best of locally sourced ingredients. To find high-end kaiseki dining in Melbourne you’ll need to visit acclaimed chef Tomotaka Ishizuka’s ultra-exclusive, hidden basement restaurant. Seating just  16, all guests are served the 11-dish tasting menu in which luxe ingredients, exceptional technique, and art gallery-level plating shine in complex yet restrained dishes.

One of the hippest eateries in a city brimming with hip eateries – it may have been on the scene for quite a few years now, but everyone’s still raving about Supernormal. The sleek Japanese inspired décor matches a menu that is in equal parts adventurous and moreish, offering everything from crispy suckling pig to yuzu tuna. Why a menu reminiscent of old world Europe, that mines the traditions of rural France, Italy and Spain.
Pre-order the dish to avoid disappointment and good luck fighting over the parson’s nose. Bringing your own bottle of wine can help keep down the cost of eating out. Best Italian Restaurants in Melbourne Wear your stretchy pants to a Venetian-inspired diner; a northern Italian spot with its own “pasta lab”; a Melbourne icon around since '8... The jungle curry and papaya salad are loaded with addictive scud chillies. But if you're a real hero, order the Isaan-style barbequed chicken.

The wine list is a cracker, but we're more partial to the smart cocktail menu and its wealth of refreshing, South Asian-inspired mixes. There are still constant queues during the dinner rush at this buzzing Thai diner. The pay-off is some of Melbourne’s best Thai food, including more than a dozen kinds of papaya salad, a crowd-pleasing tom yum with instant noodles and mookata, the signature hotpot-barbeque hybrid. This double-storey dumpling house is a Melbourne institution. Follow the vast red door to find its iconic pink walls and steaming hot plates of dumplings coming from the kitchen.
Suited for any occasion, from a glass and a bite at the bar to a private dinner party, you can expect classic European dishes with a twist. The 100-seater bistro is ensconced in a rich palette of dark green, checkerboard tiling and dark timber, emulating old-world charm and opulence of La Belle Epoque. Antique brass and textured gold details are featured throughout. After a bunch of successful pop-ups the lobster roll-hawking Pinchy’s has finally found a permanent home in Bourke Street’s Mid City arcade. An eternally humming bistro opposite Parliament House, The European is something of a Melbourne institution, where diners go to order some snacks and a bottle of wine.
Today, Wonton House and Secret Kitchen, a yum cha specialist, are the most sought-after tables. We do not seek or accept payment from the cafes, restaurants, bars and shops listed in the Directory – inclusion is at our discretion. Venue profiles are written by independent freelancers paid by Broadsheet.

Tom Yum is a quintessential Thai soup that has a spicy and sour flavour profile. DoDee Paidang regularly attracts hordes of hungry diners for their rendition of this classic soup. David’s has long been Melbourne’s go-to spot for Shanghai cuisine, first starting as a tea store on Chapel Street before becoming the place it is today. If all you want are dumplings, we've rounded up a list ofthe best dumplings in Melbourne. With so many options – and a very cool dining space – SHU restaurant sits firmly on our rundown of the best Sichuan food in Melbourne.
Lanterns hang from above, diffusing the light across the room. The level of craft here is top-notch, and that's why it's considered one of the best restaurants in Melbourne's CBD. Tipo 00 exploded onto the scene with its quaint and intimately spaced restaurant on Little Bourke Street back in 2014 and in 2023 it's still a favourite for many. Tipo earned its best CBD restaurant status by introducing curious diners to pasta house-made and cooked to perfection with a series of different sauces and accompaniments.