The best restaurateurs in Melbourne are excellent at reading the moment; giving people what they want even before they want it. And this point in time belongs to tighter budgets. The reality bites hard as corporate entertainment spending is capped and cost-of-living concerns continue.
Of course, classic three-course meals and dégustations will always have their place, but increasingly, diners are looking for more entry points to the establishments they love. They want snacks at the bar, set lunch menus, express lunch deals and generous golden hours.
They want it with finesse, knowing the cash they are parting with is money well spent. As ever, hospitality is about being hospitable and some of Melbourne’s best industry minds are tailoring their menus to oblige.
Here are Melbourne’s best lunch deals, set menus, happy hours, and bar menus in winter 2025.
Best lunch specials and set menus in Melbourne
Omnia
South Yarra’s Euro-leaning bistro, Omnia, ticks all the right boxes: an award-winning chef, voluminous wine list and slick interiors. And now, from Thursday to Saturday, guests can dine in the light-filled conservatory room and enjoy a two-course lunch set for $49. Choose from a king prawn or kingfish starter, and finish with the likes of a crackling pork belly or confit swordfish.
Greta
Located in Flinders Lane, this sophisticated Euro-centric wine and sandwich joint has been satisfying all our carby cravings for almost four years. And now, it’s giving us bang for our buck with a $35 set menu. Split a serve of pommes frites and pickles du jour before tucking into a beef cheek baguette dipped into napoli sauce between mouthfuls. Bellissimo!
Daughter in Law
From the brightly coloured walls and lively ambience to the bold flavours, “unauthentically Australian-Indian” restaurant and bar, Daughter in Law, knows how to pack a punch. From Wednesday to Sunday, the team delivers a one-two hit with a $25 lunchtime thali (tasting menu). Select dishes from the street, tandoor and pots portions of the main menu and try not to fall asleep on your return to the office.
Beverly
The stunning rooftop oasis above the hustle and bustle of Melbourne’s CBD now offers a two- or three-course mid-week set menu for lunch, starting from $65. Choose a small plate and a main, sit back and enjoy the view.
Nomad Melbourne
Bottomless wine and Spritzes match a European small plate feast on weekends at basement-level Flinders Lane restaurant Nomad. Its $110 Lunch and Linger offer on weekends is a don’t-book-dinner sort of affair. Daily, Nomad offers a $60 mezze lunch, too.
Society
A democratic peek into one of Melbourne’s most glamorous — and expensive — fine-dining restaurants, the Society Social‘s lavish lunchtime set-price menu (available Friday to Sunday) offers the choice of two or three courses. With a starting price of $55, it’s a steal.
Entrecôte
If your heart belongs in Paris (and whose doesn’t?), book a ticket for south-of-the-river darling Entrecôte’s two- or three-course prix fixe menu. Featuring dishes like pork rillette and the Entrecôte Cheeseburger with frites, it’s a flurry of Gallic charm enjoyed amid a fit-out that conjures up fin de siècle France.
Kisumé
Chris Lucas’ towering Japanese restaurant on Flinders Lane has unveiled a new seasonal offering of weekday lunch set options, perfect for the time-poor and hungry. Every Tuesday–Friday, choose from one of four main dishes: chicken katsu with mustard miso and fried shallots; Teriyaki misuji don with seasonal vegetables; tempura tofu with chilled soba and fennel ponzu; or chirashi tuna, salmon, kingfish and ikura. Mains can be paired with a miso seafood soup and will cost guests a cruisy $29.50.
Ides
Lazy Sundays are most definitely a thing at Peter Gunn’s bijou finer-diner Ides. Changing weekly, the three-course One Day Sunday set menu is tailor-made for a late lunch or early dinner – or why not segue from one to the other with the help of a killer wine list that leans into minimal-intervention, biodynamic labels from across the globe?
Centonove
Private school belt favourite Centonove has won the hearts of locals over the past 25 years with its confidently luxe Italian food, and its prix-fixe menus are the cherry on the panna cotta. Tuesday to Saturday lunches offer a particularly wallet-friendly two courses for $89 from the á la carte menu – just don’t forget school pick-up.
Best happy hours in Melbourne
Chancery Lane
Scott Pickett’s ever-elegant Chancery Lane is leaning into golden hour. Drop by the historic Normanby Chambers building between 5–7pm, Wednesday to Friday, for $3 oysters, $7 croquettes and $15 Champagne.
Bar Olo
Say ciao to Bar Olo’s apertivo hour, where gourmet bites come complimentary with your drinks. From 4-6 pm every Tuesday to Saturday, enjoy a host of free aperitivi when you order a beverage. Cin CIn!
Amarillo
Steeped in Fitzroy cool, this neighbourhood wine bar wins bonus points for its daily happy hour, from open until 7pm. Nab $10 wines, $14.5 Aperol Spritzes and more, same time, same place, every day.
Henry Sugar
Get shucked at cosy Carlton North bolthole Henry Sugar, where oyster happy hour features $3 bivalves every Thursday to Monday from 5pm to 6pm. For an extra 50 cents each, you can have your Sydney rock oysters anointed with a Vietnamese-inspired mignonette.
Botanical Hotel
Even the well-heeled residents of South Yarra love a happy hour bargain. Their favourite clubhouse, the legendary Bot, is the scene of happy hour revelry every day from 4pm to 7pm, with cut-price sommelier-selected wines plus cocktails to really perk things up.
Saké
Melbourne’s contemporary Japanese diner Saké has launched Saké Hour, running every Monday to Friday from 4–5pm and again Saturday and Sunday from 3–5pm. Available exclusively in the bar area, the happy hour sees $7 beers, $10 wines and $12 classic cocktails, plus a stack of value-packed snacks — think edamame, chicken karaage, and popcorn shrimp.
Bang Bang
Bang Bang’s happy hour goes off with a, well… bang. Guests are invited to enjoy shucked-to-order oysters for just $2 each, as well as a raw tasting plate (a tantalising combination of punchy snapper ceviche, Hiramasa kingfish sashimi and Pacific oysters with a black garlic ponzu sauce) for $35, and rotating cocktail specials for just $15 each.
Mesa Verde
How does a $10 margarita sound? Make that a Don Julio base, and we think Mesa Verde might be slinging some of the most affordable happy hour Margs in Melbourne. This very happy hour runs from 4-6pm Tuesday–Saturday, with a snack menu served from 4pm and the full à la carte menu available from 5pm. To make things even sweeter, every Tuesday from 4pm till late, enjoy every taco on Mesa Verde’s menu for $5 each.
Half Moon
We see an oyster and Moët deal, and we fall a little bit in love. If you’re looking for a pre-dinner treat or a casual catch-up with some friends, Half Moon is serving $3 freshly shucked oysters and $15 glasses of perfectly chilled Moët on Fridays from 4-6pm. Salud!
Best bar menus in Melbourne
Caretaker’s Cottage
Taking out the title of Best Bar in Australasia in 2024, Caretaker’s Cottage is quintessentially Melbourne. Its drinks-only menu changes monthly, with the exception of two staples – the house Martini served ice-cold from the freezer and the seasonal punch.
MoVida Next Door
The little sister of Frank Camorra’s MoVida, MoVida Next Door presents more of a dine-and-dash offering. Enjoy a quick Fino along with some chargrilled octopus and a host of daily chalkboard specials.
Neighbourhood Wine
It may be moody and dim-lit, but this Fitzroy wine bar welcomes guests with warmth, an extensive wine list featuring labels from across the globe, and punchy snacks.
Apollo Inn
Younger sibling of celebrated restaurant Gimlet at Cavendish House by Andrew McConnell, Apollo Inn is an intimate space with only 30 cosy seats. Gimlet head chef Colin Mainds has created a sharp-shooting menu of snacks and share plates to match the timeless venue’s petite space. Time to rethink that dinner reservation at Gimlet!
Lui Bar at Vue de Monde
What does fried chicken taste like on the 55th floor of the Rialto Towers? Obscure, but guests can now enjoy the famous Tower’s panoramic views without committing to Vue de Monde’s full dégustation at the in-house Lui Bar. Fried chicken isn’t the only thing this sleek little bar is serving up, though; think fresh wagyu beef tartare served with a crisp potato rosti or waffles, dressed up with caviar and crème fraiche.
Jayda
Shane Delia’s 1960s Beirut-meets-New York bar Jayda is home to Levantine-accented cocktails such as the Golden Bazaar and a list of bar snacks that read like a full meal, from the pillowy Turkish Manti dumplings with spiced butter and garlic yoghurt, to the gutsy slow-roasted lamb with green olive tabuleh.
Navi Lounge
It takes time to score a seat at Julian Hills’ Yarraville fine-diner, but the arrival of Navi Lounge next door has thrown open the doors of spontaneity. Joined to the dining room through an archway, the little sibling has expanded the Navi repertoire into a moody-hued bar with next-level cocktails and high-flying snacks that might even give a sneak peek at Navi dishes in the making.
Estelle
Ignore the dressed-up couples in the low-lit dining room and take a seat in the conjoined wine bar. Here, Scott Pickett delivers a commitment-free, reward-heavy retinue of snacks that exert their own gravitational pull, alongside cocktails and a killer wine list.
Cutler
Second string but not second fiddle, the vibrant bar at Andrew McConnell’s Fitzroy fine-diner is a destination unto itself. Overlooking the kinetic energy of the impressive kitchen, it’s a place to park yourself for the tuna on toast and dazzling array of seafood, including a crispy abalone katsu sandwich and anchovy and sage fritters.
Stokehouse
The “relaxed fine dining” of St Kilda’s Stokehouse becomes even more chilled at its adjoining Stokebar. Primed to enjoy the dazzle of the beach and the bay, the chic bar and terrace is the place for snacky bites, backed by a list of cocktails with the dial set to artisanal.
Check out our favourite Sydney happy hours, express lunches, set menus and bar menus over here.
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