The Places · Australia
Melbourne
Made By profiles 21 places in Melbourne, spanning distillery, bar, modern australian fine dining — each tied to the people and producers behind it.
01.Bar
Caretaker's Cottage
Melbourne, Australia
Ranked #21 on the World's 50 Best Bars list in 2024 and #47 in Top 500 Bars for 2025, Caretaker's Cottage occupies a converted 19th-century caretaker's residence on Little Lonsdale Street. The bar's reputation rests on two anchors: a freezer-cold signature martini made with custom-commissioned gin, and what many consider Australia's definitive boilermaker pairing. Open Tuesday to Saturday from 4pm.
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02.Modern Australian Indigenous Fine Dining
Attica
Melbourne, Australia
Attica sits in Ripponlea, south of Melbourne's CBD, where Ben Shewry's tasting menu draws on native Australian ingredients, from outback flora to local rivers and farms, in compositions that have placed the restaurant inside the World's 50 Best Restaurants list every year from 2013 to 2018. La Liste awarded 96 points in 2025 and 95 in 2026. The format is formal, the commitment to indigenous produce is foundational, and bookings require significant lead time.
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03.Modern Italian Grill
Grill Americano
Melbourne, Australia
Grill Americano in Melbourne is a Northern Italian-inspired steakhouse that places premium Australian beef over a hand-built wood oven and Josper charcoal grill. Must-try offerings include the 1.2kg Bistecca alla Fiorentina, the 650g Rib-eye on the bone and the 200g Wagyu Eye Fillet MB 4+. Each cut arrives with finishing touches such as black truffle butter or a green peppercorn and Cognac sauce, and sides like Parmesan-crusted onion rings and truffle mac & cheese amplify the flavors. Owned by restaurateur Chris Lucas, Grill Americano pairs its wood-fired steaks with an extensive wine list of more than 2,000 bottles, creating a bold, tactile dining experience on Flinders Lane that suits celebrations and serious steak lovers alike.
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04.Modern French Bistro
Gimlet
Melbourne, Australia
Housed in the grand Cavendish House on Russell Street, Gimlet is Andrew McConnell's all-day Melbourne CBD institution where European elegance meets an open-fire grill programme built around dry-aged Victorian and South Australian beef. The wine list spans serious Australian producers and European labels, and the room, velvet banquettes, mirrored walls, vintage chandeliers, delivers the kind of atmosphere that makes a Tuesday lunch feel like an occasion.
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05.Modern Australian Fine Dining
Vue de Monde
Melbourne, Australia
On the 55th floor of Rialto Towers, Vue de Monde occupies one of Melbourne's most altitude-defining dining rooms, pairing Australian fine dining with a wine list of 2,000 selections spanning Burgundy, Bordeaux, and Australia's own regions. Rated 97.5 points on La Liste's 2025 global ranking, the restaurant under chef Hugh Allen draws serious attention from both the local and international dining circuit.
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06.Bar
Byrdi
Melbourne, Australia
Byrdi occupies a ground-floor tenancy on La Trobe Street with a drinks programme built around Australian native ingredients and a track record that puts it among the world's most recognised bars. Ranked #35 on the World's 50 Best Bars list in 2024, it holds a 4.7 Google rating across 356 reviews. For Melbourne's bar scene, it represents the cleaner, more produce-led end of the spectrum.
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07.Bar
Black Pearl
Melbourne, Australia
Black Pearl on Brunswick Street has held a position in the World's 50 Best Bars rankings for over a decade, peaking at number seven globally in 2013. Open nightly until 3am, it functions as both a serious cocktail destination and a genuine Fitzroy local, the kind of bar that draws regulars as reliably as it draws out-of-towners. Rated 4.6 across 708 Google reviews, its longevity in a competitive field says more than any single award.
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08.Modern Australian Fine Dining
Amaru
Melbourne, Australia
Amaru on High Street in Armadale puts Australian produce at the centre of a menu shaped by techniques drawn from multiple international traditions. Chef Clinton McIver's cooking has earned consecutive La Liste recognition, 76.5 points in 2025 and 80 points in 2026, placing it firmly in the upper tier of Melbourne's fine dining circuit. Google reviewers rate it 4.7 from nearly 480 responses, a consistency that speaks for itself.
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09.Modern European Bistro
Cumulus Inc.
Melbourne, Australia
Cumulus Inc. sits on Flinders Lane in Melbourne's CBD, a Star Wine List White Star recipient and 3-Star Accredited address that positions itself in the serious end of the city's all-day dining tier. Its wine credentials are formally recognised, and its format reflects the broader Flinders Lane tradition of rooms that work from early morning through late evening without losing focus.
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10.Authentic Italian Pizza & Pasta (Gluten-Free)
SHOP225
Melbourne, Australia
A Neapolitan-style pizzeria in Pascoe Vale South built on years of Italian product importing, SHOP225 pairs quality-sourced dough and ingredients with a beverage selection that extends the Italian table. The room aims for the kind of unhurried familiarity associated with Italian domestic hospitality, and the menu accommodates vegan and gluten-free guests alongside the full Neapolitan repertoire.
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11.Winery
Boatrocker Brewers & Distillers
Melbourne, Australia
Boatrocker Brewers & Distillers operates from Braeside in Melbourne's south-east industrial belt, holding a Pearl 2 Star Prestige rating in 2025. The operation spans both brewing and distilling under one roof, placing it in a narrower peer group than single-discipline producers. For those tracking Melbourne's independent spirits and craft beer scene, Boatrocker represents one of the few dual-discipline producers working at recognised prestige level.
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12.Winery
The Gospel Distillers
Melbourne, Australia
The Gospel Distillers, operating from Coburg North in Melbourne's inner north, holds a Pearl 2 Star Prestige rating for 2025, placing it among a select group of Melbourne distilleries drawing serious attention. The operation sits on Gawan Loop, a light-industrial address that has become shorthand for the city's craft spirits ambition. For those tracing Melbourne's distilling scene, Gospel is a reference point worth understanding.
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13.Cafe
Proud Mary Coffee
Melbourne, Australia
Proud Mary Café in Melbourne is a pioneer in the Australian coffee scene and a must-visit for coffee lovers and food enthusiasts. Known for its exceptional coffee program, the café takes pride in sourcing high quality coffees through longstanding producer relationships, delivering magic in every cup. The menu features a delicious mix of seasonal fare, from indulgent breakfasts to lighter bites, house-made pastries to fresh juices and an extensive tea program. The décor is stylish and inviting, w
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14.Authentic Italian Pizza and Gnocchi
48h Pizza e Gnocchi Bar
Melbourne, Australia
48h Pizza e Gnocchi Bar brings long-fermentation Neapolitan-style pizza to South Yarra and Elsternwick, with a 48-hour dough process that produces a light, digestible base with a soft, slightly crisped crust. Chefs Michele Circhirillo and Fabio Biscaldi also run a location in Italy, and the Melbourne menus span classic and creative pizzas, house-made gnocchi, and a focused selection of imported Italian ingredients.
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15.Modern Australian Steakhouse
Victor Churchill
Melbourne, Australia
At 953 High Street in Armadale, Victor Churchill extends the legacy of the Sydney butcher into full-service fine dining, anchored by a 28-day self dry-aged beef programme and a charcoal grill that draws serious carnivores from across Melbourne. Glass-walled ageing chambers display prime cuts in full view of the dining room, making the case for butchery as both craft and spectacle before a single dish reaches the table.
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16.Contemporary Australian Wood-Fire Grill
Matilda 159 Domain
Melbourne, Australia
Scott Pickett's South Yarra restaurant makes a direct argument for fire as the defining technique of Australian cooking. A Josper oven, rotisserie, and wood-fired grill anchor a menu built on wet- and dry-aged beef and local produce, all inside a room fitted with Otway Blackwood tables and seasonal botanical installations. At 159 Domain Road, the kitchen is the spectacle.
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17.Distillery
Patient Wolf Distilling Co
Melbourne, Australia
Patient Wolf Distilling Co operates from Southbank, Melbourne, earning a Pearl 2 Star Prestige rating in 2025 and positioning itself among the city's serious independent distillers. The Southbank address places it within reach of Melbourne's cultural and dining precinct, making it a natural stop for those mapping the city's craft spirits circuit. Its prestige recognition separates it from entry-level distillery tourism.
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18.Distillery
Starward Distillery
Melbourne, Australia
Starward Distillery in Port Melbourne holds a Pearl 2 Star Prestige rating (2025), placing it among Australia's most recognised whisky producers. Operating from a working distillery on Bertie Street, Starward has built its reputation around using Australian wine barrels for maturation, a technique that positions it within a small peer group nationally and draws comparison with Scotch-lineage houses internationally.
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19.Distillery
Bakery Hill Distillery
Melbourne, Australia
Bakery Hill Distillery in Kensington has earned a Pearl 2 Star Prestige rating for 2025, placing it among Melbourne's most credentialed craft spirits producers. Operating from 411 Macaulay Road, it represents the serious, terroir-conscious end of the city's distilling scene, a counterpoint to volume-driven operations, where provenance and process take precedence over scale.
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20.Distillery
Top Shelf (Ned Whisky)
Melbourne, Australia
Located at a working distillery facility on Melbourne's northern fringe, Top Shelf (Ned Whisky) earned a Pearl 2 Star Prestige rating in 2025, placing it among a select tier of Australian spirits producers. The Somerton operation is part of the Top Shelf International group, the producer behind Ned Australian Whisky, and represents a serious commitment to domestic grain-to-glass whisky production at scale.
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21.Bakery
Madeleine de Proust
Melbourne, Australia
Most promising pastry chefs of the year (across pastry shops, bakeries, tea rooms, and dessert restaurants).
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