St Kilda, Melbourne’s emblematic beachside suburb, has a fair share of the city’s best restaurants for all budgets and cuisines, offering a diverse dining scene well worth exploring.

Seaside dining just hits differently and you’ll quickly realise that when ducking in and out of all the St Kilda restaurants that locals and visitors alike never get enough of. From fine-dining stalwarts like Cafe Di Stasio to energetic late-night kitchens such as Las Tapas and Radio Mexico, St Kilda is like a microcosm of Melbourne’s famously rich culinary chops.

Clustered around St Kilda Beach, restaurants like Stokehouse and Donovan’s wave the flag high for one of Melbourne’s trendiest suburbs. But hearty casual dining on the backstreets and around the densely packed Acland Street Plaza is easily just as important to the breezy lifestyle that serves thousands each day.

Below you’ll find a hit list of our favourite restaurants in St Kilda so you can keep your finger on the pulse of this seaside community and its obsession with eating and drinking exceptionally well.

The Shortlist

Hottest new opening: Charlong
Great for special occasions: Donovans
Casual eats: Quan 88
Best date spot: Stokehouse
Best wine list: Cafe Di Stasio

1. Stokehouse

Gourmands across the nation were devastated when Stokehouse was destroyed by a fire in 2014. St Kilda’s most recognisable restaurant, which first opened in 1989, was given a new life two years later and immediately shot back to glory. Designer Pascale Gomes-McNabb has doubled down on those sparkling Port Phillip Bay views, complementing the visual impact of 2000 blush pink glass tubes dangling from the ceiling.

The oval bar is available for walk-ins, but for lunch, we suggest a reservation so you can sit as close to those dramatic floor-to-ceiling windows as possible. An extensive selection of Australia’s finest seafood like a roasted John Dory fillet with white almond gazpacho gives the kitchen a tight focus, lifted by sharp, attentive service and a whopping 650-bottle wine list hinged on tried-and-true classics – a nod to the type of crowd you’ll find here.

Downstairs, the more casual Stokehouse Pasta & Bar is equally viable, with a small format selection of the kitchen’s greatest hits.

Cuisine: Modern Australian
Average price: $$$$
Atmosphere: Elegant and luxurious
Location: 30 Jacka Blvd, St Kilda

2. Charlong

This clever and creative addition to St Kilda’s dining scene asks what a neighbourhood Thai diner looks like in the modern age, pitched as an evolution but still something so quintessentially Melbourne.

Charlong opened on Carlisle Street in 2024, resting heavily on co-owner Alex Kaew’s love of regional Thai cuisine. She particularly favours the highly underrated east coast of Thailand, given she’s from the flavourful town of Chanthaburi, a village that’s always been known for doing things a bit differently in Thailand (their signature dish: chicken massaman curry with durian).

And so you’ll always find us umming and ahhing over the ever-evolving menu, which always seems to have something new to explore, from the turmeric-cured eggplant green curry with pickled papaya, and then jaw-dropping 12-hour lamb shank massaman. Charlong is St Kilda’s best new restaurant without any doubt.

Cuisine: Thai
Average price: $$$
Atmosphere: Smokey and sociable
Location: 2/124 Carlisle St, St Kilda

3. Quan 88

Family-owned, friendly, completely committed to serving any and all dietary needs, and a stalwart that’s been open since 1987. Quan 88 doesn’t stand out for its quietly chaotic ambience, furiously fast service and extensive menu. It stands out because it really is some of the best Vietnamese food you can find anywhere outside of Box Hill.

The reasonable prices are why we often choose this over some of St Kilda’s many dining institutions, delivering the level of consistency and depth of flavour that’d typically be priced much higher in the CBD.

Consider it a hidden gem in that sense; locals would riot if this Acland Street Village favourite ever shut up shop, or took staples like the Saigon beef coconut curry, prawn-stuffed eggplant, or the crowd-pleasing Vietnamese spicy fried rice off the menu.

Cuisine: Vietnamese
Average price: $$
Atmosphere: Busy and charming
Location: 217 Barkly St, St Kilda

4. Cafe Di Stasio

Classic fine Italian holds the reins at this St Kilda dining institution. Consistently referenced as one of Melbourne’s best restaurants, the Fitzroy Street staple first opened in 1988 under the guidance of owner Ronnie Di Stasio. And he’s kept a strong sense of identity since, despite the many changes in Melbourne’s dining landscape.

The theatrical frame of elaborate masks and pops of blue, discreet service, and popular seasonal set lunch menu keep Di Stasio’s regular clientele well satisfied. As such, a booking at any time of day can be hard to come across but it’s worth the effort for dishes like cotoletta alla bolognese and spaghettoni vongole veraci.

Cuisine: Italian
Average price: $$$$
Atmosphere: Classic and sociable
Location: 31 Fitzroy St, St Kilda

5. Donovans

Personable fine dining on the doorstep of St Kilda Beach. Donovans is another one of the suburb’s most endearing dining icons, centred on Australian comfort food and a breezy lifestyle to match the nearby sands.

Owners Kevin and Gail Donovan like to call the kitchen their little “house on the beach"; the homely atmosphere certainly echoes that idea. It feels like a bright, airy dinner party each evening, where family photos and kitschy, mismatched furniture frame epic feasts. The Donovans like changing “theme" every few months as well, keeping regulars on their toes with a sense of dynamism.

The top-notch cooking is similarly approachable and values simplicity. Australian and New Zealand produce dance across the wide-ranging menu with dishes like spanner crab ravioli and slow-cooked lamb shoulder, nicely matched with wines mostly championing both countries.

Cuisine: Modern Australian
Average price: $$$$
Atmosphere: Intimate and personal
Location: 40 Jacka Blvd, St Kilda

6. Saint Hotel

Perfectly charred seafood and steaks are the domain of Saint Hotel’s downstairs kitchen, Saint Dining, while a separate gastropub keeps it casual with burgers and a hefty wine list. The popular pub, set in a heritage 1915 building on Fitzroy Street, has five distinct venues, including a vintage bar that feels like it comes straight from the set of Studio 54.

You’ll find plenty of energy across all spaces, but whenever we head along, it’s almost straight to Saint Dining with its hard-working Josper grill. The kitchen’s secret weapon touches almost everything on the menu, so expect bold flavours across the board

Cuisine: Modern Australian
Average price: $$$$
Atmosphere: Intimate and personal
Location: 54 Fitzroy St, St Kilda

7. Las Tapas

With one of the best beaches in Melbourne a stone’s throw away, this tapas bar might conjure up the feeling of strolling through the backstreets of Barcelona. Spanish flavours are dialled in with top-shelf produce: an authentic experience steered confidently by owners Javier Pardo-Vinals and Linus Kovats.

Simple, fresh ingredients are honoured with restraint and a nice dose of olive oil, while bread is baked to a traditional Catalan recipe and a massive wine list ties it all together. Although most regulars go straight for the pitcher of sangria that sits on the bar each night. Dishes change daily, driven by produce and seasonality, ensuring flavours are consistently rich and expressive.

Cuisine: Spanish
Average price: $$
Atmosphere: Vibrant and sociable
Location: 100 Chapel St, St Kilda

8. Southall

Southall is a slick and sturdy BYO Indian restaurant helmed by Ravnish Gandhi, whose parents’ definitive Caufield South staple Bombay By Night is still one of Melbourne’s finest South Asian diners.

Gandhi has picked up plenty of panache from his days in the family kitchen, turning the West London-inspired Southall into a bustling traditional Indian restaurant worth travelling for.

Classics like saag paneer and signature chicken tikka marinated in hung yoghurt are prime orders, as are the seafood curries made with fresh Australian catches. Although we’d say no feast is complete without some of those perfectly marinated Gippsland lamb cutlets straight from the Tandoor.

Cuisine: Indian
Average price: $$$
Atmosphere: Vibrant and sociable
Location: 2/120 – 124 Carlisle, St Kilda

9. Babu Ji

Jessi Singh’s growing empire of eccentric modern Indian restaurants includes this Grey Street favourite. Much like his other venues, Daughter In Law and Horn Please, Singh’s “un-traditional" approach has given the kitchen free rein to take bold twists to classic Indian food.

A self-service fridge stocked with over 40 beers from around the world helps anchor Babu Ji as a fun, arrestingly casual dining experience. Snappy, exceedingly polite staff march plates of Indian nachos and other eccentric Indian street food from the kitchen, but classics like butter chicken and palak paneer still reign supreme.

Cuisine: Indian
Average price: $$$
Atmosphere: Vibrant and sociable
Location: 4/6 Grey St, St Kilda

10. The Espy Kitchen

Melbourne’s most multifaceted pub, The Espy, has 12 bars, three stages for live music, and two restaurants. Needless to say, it’s almost always heaving at this iconic venue and there’s never a shortage of things to do or people to meet.

But if you want dinner, you’re best off planting yourself in The Espy Kitchen. A bespoke barrel-ageing program means the cocktails here are consistently excellent, but there’s a strong list of Victorian brews as well. As for food, think elevated pub grub like whole rotisserie chicken and some of the best pizzas in St Kilda.

The amount of options you have at The Espy always feels like the wildest adventure, but whenever we go we like to keep it simple: a good meal, a live gig and dozens of new friends. Few things are as quintessential Melbourne as a night out in this mega-pub.

Cuisine: Pub food
Average price: $$
Atmosphere: Energetic and sociable
Location: 11 The Esplanade, St Kilda

11. Mya Tiger

Fast, fun and super reliable, Mya Tiger is The Espy’s resident Cantonese diner, taking after small Chinese cook-shops that once populated Melbourne’s outer suburbs.

You’ll find that most locals head here for the atmosphere first and food second, but that’s not to say there aren’t some stunners on the menu like, our favourite, the pan fried barramundi with green chilli, or the signature half roast duck served with all the requisite sides so you spend the night rolling up some pancakes.

The team have wisely curated the wine list to precisely match the flavours of Cantonese cooking, so expect those bigger, bolder whites and reds sourced from all over the world.

Cuisine: Cantonese
Average price: $$
Atmosphere: Communal and buzzy
Location: 11 The Esplanade, St Kilda

12. Radio Mexico

Head into Acland Street Plaza and you’ll quickly spot Radio Mexico. It’s the shopping centre’s busiest spot for good reason, given it’s built up a national following since 2012 – back when Mexican restaurants were a rarity in Australia.

Owner Adele Arkell is exacting when it comes to ingredients, earning Radio Mexico’s place as one of the best Mexican restaurants in Melbourne. And that’s despite fierce competition from the likes of Mamasita in the CBD and Superchido in Seddon.

Everything from organic white-corn tortillas to good quality Tequila and mezcal gives the menu consistency, so order up anything and you’ll leave satisfied. Just don’t skip those BBQ pork belly and pineapple tacos.

Cuisine: Mexican
Average price: $$
Atmosphere: Colourful and loud
Location: 11-13 Carlisle St, St Kilda

13. Cicciolina

A long-established fixture of St Kilda’s dining scene, Cicciolina is pitched as a haven of authentic Italian cuisine; unfussed with being much more. Since 1993, this kitchen has been dishing excellent handmade pasta and delicious dolci, elevated by a huge wine list of around 250 local and international drops.

You’ll need a booking for lunch, but our usual spot is up in the walk-in-only back saloon. The full menu is still available here, and we daresay it’s much more vibey – a seamless extension of the dining room with a plethora of interesting art pieces.

The approachable atmosphere, similar to Donovan’s, feels like more of a dinner party where everyone is welcome, rather than a restaurant. Friendly service definitely helps maintain that image, which is likely why you’ll have to contend with a long list of regulars if you want to book ahead.

Cuisine: Italian
Average price: $$$
Atmosphere: Welcoming and sociable
Location: 30 Acland St, St Kilda

14. Chinta Ria Soul

China Ria Soul is St Kilda’s signature Malaysian restaurant, best known for their fragrant nasi goreng and speedy service. And while it doesn’t take long between ordering and eating, everything is made fresh with quality ingredients and a great deal of restraint when it comes to sauces.

Cheap and cheerful is the vibe, but that just means you can order more servings of roti with curry and noodle dishes. While the value helps soften the cost of living blow, it’s the happy buzz that keeps regulars coming back, seamlessly fitting into St Kilda’s notably relaxed lifestyle.

Cuisine: Malaysian
Average price: $$
Atmosphere: Welcoming and sociable
Location: 94 Acland St, St Kilda

15. Machi

Although original chef Tatsuya Yamazaki has since left the kitchen, his legacy of preparing some of the best sashimi and sushi in Melbourne lives on.

Machi may be overshadowed by the expensive fine-dining Japanese giants of Melbourne CBD, but there’s no mistaking the quality and consistency on offer as Machi’s kitchen slices and dishes through lunch and dinner.

And while tradition has its place, there’s also a great deal of experimentation with top Victorian produce. Think wagyu steak topped with lush grilled foie gras, creamy uni risotto, and the fan-favourite oyster rice. All dished up in a calm space with soft lighting and gentle Douglas fir timber – a transporitve atmosphere that feels like it’s been imported straight from Ginza.

Cuisine: Japanese
Average price: $$$
Atmosphere: Welcoming and sociable
Location: 14 Inkerman St, St Kilda

16. Claypots Seafood Bar

While St Kilda has several great spots for seafood, Claypots (not to be confused with Claypots Barbarossa in the CBD), is still seen as the gold standard of simple, fresh catches, enjoyed outdoors and washed down with local beer.

Regular live music fills the interior with life, but the romantic outdoor courtyard is hard to pass up with its flickering candles and quietly luxurious feel. We’ll never stop snapping photos of those tiny boats hanging from tall trees, mirroring the sea as the kitchen cracks open mussels and oysters, slathers stingray with sambal, layers Spanish anchovies on toast, and grills local octopus.

Cuisine: Seafood
Average price: $$
Atmosphere: Cosy and  romantic
Location: 213 Barkly St, St Kilda

17. i Carussi II

A sequel to the popular Brunswick East spot, i Carussi II takes a more sophisticated approach as it stretches its legs in Acland Street Village. Where the original skews industrial chic, this is beachside elegance at its finest, framing beautiful 12-inch pizzas that touch on all the classics and rest heavily on the notion that simple is almost always best.

The signature caprese with fior di latte and sopressa may just be one of the best pizzas in Melbourne. Dinner service is especially buzzing, as the upstairs bar gets plenty of traffic before groups of locals sit down to rip apart these glorious pies.

Cuisine: Pizza
Average price: $$
Atmosphere: Busy and sociable
Location: 231 Barkly St, St Kilda

18. Rufio

Opened in 2023, Rufio isn’t your archetypal gluten-free and vegan-friendly kitchen. There are plenty of those dotted around Melbourne now. But this St Kilda favourite takes a Latin American twist, filling the minimalist dining space with the wafting aroma of lobster tostadas, cheesy empanadas, and corn tamales.

With the kitchen’s grill doing all the hard work and flavours packed tightly, the drinks list skews fun with no less than six different margaritas that are constantly changing. The well-dressed restaurant may look classy and calm, but there’s a certain energy in the atmosphere that we could never get enough of.

Owned by the same team behind Elwood stalwart Repeat Offender, the Rufio feels like it’s carved out a new era of St Kilda dining.

Cuisine: Latin American
Average price: $$
Atmosphere: Busy and sociable
Location: 188 Carlisle St, St Kilda

19. Post Office Club Hotel

The long-standing Post Office Club Hotel is always coursing with energy, but from Friday to Saturday afternoon, things really dial up a notch.

This is when you should be heading along to this popular Melbourne pub, where simple is best and the pub food takes a classier turn with the likes of steak frites, and prawn toast with smoked chilli aioli. Our top tip: head along on a Wednesday when the steak frites is $29.50 as opposed to $44

Cuisine: Pub food
Average price: $$
Atmosphere: Energetic and loud
Location: 306 St Kilda Rd, St Kilda

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