The Best Asian Fusion Restaurants in Melbourne for Bold Dining

Melbourne has always blurred boundaries at the table — dumplings for breakfast, sashimi sliding in before steak, laksa carrying the flavour of whole suburbs in a single bowl. But in 2025, the city’s chefs have tossed the rulebook aside and started scripting their own stories. Call it fusion if you must, though the word hardly captures the ambition.

This isn’t novelty for novelty’s sake — it’s food forged from heritage and imagination, where cultures collide and brilliance sparks. From neon-lit noodle bars to polished Thai or Chinese temples of fire and spice, these are the kitchens redefining how Melbourne eats right now.

Regale

Regale lives up to its name — this is dining as ceremony. In a restored 1800s brewery, plush booths cradle diners while a menu bends European classics through an Asian lens. Grilled butter scallops arrive swimming in native saltbush butter, while a chicken cordon bleu finds its swagger with Sichuan sugo. Even dessert winks: a velvet avocado and jasmine tiramisu that’s both playful and decadent. With two Chef Hats gleaming above its door, Regale proves fusion can be sumptuous without a shred of kitsch.

555 Swanston Street, Carlton

Bansho

Bansho is haute couture on a plate — French technique stitched to Japanese purity with a seam so fine it disappears. Chef Tomotaka Ishizuka treats wagyu like silk, draping it in sauces as delicate as origami folds, while sashimi becomes a lesson in restraint, sharpened by Gallic flair. The room is all clean lines and hushed tones, a minimalist theatre where three Chef Hats glitter like constellations. This is where East meets West, and both walk out looking better dressed.

960 High Street, Armadale 

Lagoon Dining

Lagoon doesn’t dabble in borders; it raids them with gusto. The menu ricochets from sambal-stung greens to wok-seared noodles slicked with gochujang, each dish as bold as the neon strip of Lygon Street outside. A green curry risotto hums with coconut richness, while small plates sing of vinegar, chilli, and smoke. It’s a place that thrives on the clatter of chopsticks and the buzz of friends ordering one dish too many — a joyful free-for-all disguised as dinner.

263 Lygon Street, Carlton

Anchovy

Anchovy is the rebel poet of Richmond, rewriting Vietnamese cooking in a distinctly Melbourne accent. Forget faithful pho; here, pork belly is lacquered in tamarind until it glows, seafood is cured into tangy salads that spark like fireworks, and banh mi is deconstructed into something sharp and witty. Chef Thi Le calls it Viet Kieu cooking — diaspora flavours retold for a new audience. It’s not nostalgia, it’s reinvention, and every dish feels like a conversation between memory and imagination.

338 Bridge Road, Richmond

JUNI

JUNI is Michael Lambie’s triumphant return — a neon-lit stage where Southeast Asian spice and European finesse collide with flair. Half-shell scallops sizzle in tom yum brown butter, seared tuna tataki sings with wasabi and ginger, and dry-aged duck with spicy hoisin and pancakes demands centre stage. Even vegetarians are spoiled with pumpkin and eggplant red curry laced with lychee and hot mint. With cocktails flowing and drama in every corner, JUNI redefines Melbourne fusion with unapologetic swagger.

Sitchu Tip: The crispy tapioca Moreton Bay Bug tails with betel leaves, nori dust, and citrus ponzu are dangerously good. Order them, or you’ll regret it.

136 Exhibition Street, Melbourne 

Kushiro

Kushiro takes Fitzroy’s heritage bones and sets them ablaze with imagination. Chef Jan Chung — armed with Michelin stripes and audacious flair — turns fusion into high art. Scampi tartare finds its match in lobster bisque panna cotta; beetroot-stained pork belly is reborn as glossy char siu; slow-roasted short rib gleams under a whisky-rosemary glaze. Every dish feels like theatre, every sip of bespoke sake a prologue. Kushiro isn’t dining. It’s storytelling — textured, transcendent, and utterly unforgettable.

175 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy 

Mr. Tam

Mr. Tam is where cuisines collide in the most elegant way. Imagine lacquered to medium-gloss perfection Fire Angus beef ribs, floral sashimi and dim sum that flutters with truffle and ocean brine. Emerald & White Jade Soup whispers of umami and greens; Xiao Long Bao offer that juicy explosion everyone waits for. The space is polished but warm — low lights, modern Japanese design, hush of good conversation. Every dish arrives with bold textures, flirtatious flavours and a side of showmanship. If you want Asian fusion that feels like couture, Mr. Tam is your stopping point.

306 Toorak Road, South Yarra

Hochi Mama

Hochi Mama isn’t just a crowd-pleaser — it’s Melbourne’s fusion firecracker. Here, Vietnamese tradition collides head-on with modern swagger, and the results are unapologetically addictive. Smoky meats get tangled in fistfuls of fresh herbs, banh mi are reimagined with attitude, and every plate is a riot of heat, crunch and zest. The menu thrives on surprise, balancing cheeky playfulness with respect for its roots. If you’re chasing flavour turned all the way up, Hochi Mama delivers it in spades.

35 Little Bourke Street, Melbourne

65 Swan Street, Richmond 

Sleepy’s

Sleepy’s Cafe & Wine Bar is pure Carlton North charisma — cafe by day, wine bar by night, always humming with locals who treat it like a second lounge room. Mornings bring congee, mi goreng and coffee with cult toasties; evenings slip into candlelight and a wine list that stretches across Victoria. The food is Shanghai-meets-Melbourne in the most audacious way: anchovies on you tiao instead of toast, mushroom dumplings in chilli oil, buttery Hokkien noodles with doubanjiang and parmesan. It’s northside dining at its most deliciously unbuttoned.

787 Nicholson Street, Carlton North

Mongkok Tea House

Mongkok Tea House is Camberwell’s neon-lit ode to 1970s Hong Kong, where retro glamour meets bold, boundary-pushing fusion. Start with pillowy pineapple buns layered with char siu butter and pork floss before diving into drunken kingfish cured in Shaoxing and splashed with chilli, ginger and scallion oils. Honey-roasted duck, dry-aged for a week, is pure theatre, while cocktails arrive under smoky cloches, as playful as they are potent. Equal parts nostalgia and innovation, Mongkok makes fusion feel dazzlingly fresh.

734 Burke Road, Camberwell 

ARU

ARU charts its own adventurous course through modern Australian and Asian flavours. Named after the fabled islands of the Sino-Indonesian-Australian trade route, it leans on age-old techniques — fermenting, smoking, curing, preserving, and fire-licking — to craft dishes that hum with depth. Plates arrive designed for sharing, from wood-fired meats to delicately preserved seafood, each carrying a whisper of smoke and spice. Elevated yet intimate, ARU is a voyage of flavour best enjoyed together.

268 Little Collins Street, Melbourne

Casa Chino

Casa Chino in Brunswick is a neon-lit playground where Cantonese precision collides with Peruvian spice. Pisco cocktails flow freely while share plates spark with colour and heat — tempura fish bao laced with ají amarillo, crab and prawn toast layered with rocoto cream, and wok-seared lomo saltado served with fries and rice. Moody interiors and leafy alfresco corners make it as suited to late-night dates as lively group feasts, proving Casa Chino is fusion at its bold, joy-filled best.

212-214 Albion Street, Brunswick

Dessous

Moody and dripping in old-world allure, Dessous is the subterranean hideaway every Melburnian whispers about. Beneath the city streets, marble and velvet glow under low light as cocktails and fine wines easily flow. The menu straddles Modern Australian and Asian influences with effortless style — baked vermicelli tangled with king prawns and pork belly, char-grilled squid paired with sambal, salted egg aioli and pillowy potato bread. Dessous is equal parts indulgent and intimate, where dinner easily becomes a lingering nightcap.

164 Flinders Lane, Melbourne

Yan

At Yan, smoke isn’t a whisper — it’s the headline act. This East Asian fusion spot applies flame and smoke directly, creating dishes that are bold, aromatic and utterly memorable. Kick off with grilled corn slicked in teriyaki butter and nichifuri, perfect alongside a cocktail, then move to mains like steamed bass grouper with spring onion relish and Cantonese sauce, or chicken katsu with smoky house barbecue. Not every plate is smoked, but every flavour plays beautifully with fire.

Sitchu Tip: The moody interiors set the scene for date night.

22 Toorak Road, South Yarra

Yoi Indonesian Fusion

At Yoi, Indonesian street food takes a victory lap through the future. Robot servers glide between tables while martabak pancakes ooze pandan and condensed milk, perfumed like a Jakarta night market. The Sanusi family’s signature Salted Egg Chicken crunches under golden batter, releasing a rich yolk sauce tangled with fried curry leaves. Chilli crab noodles splash with spice and sweetness, the kind of bowl you don’t share no matter how politely asked. It’s joyful, brash, and absolutely unmissable.

1/155 Franklin Street, Melbourne

Bobbi Pearl

Bobbi Pearl has become a bayside darling, tucked away on Church Street, and it’s easy to taste why. The menu is a passport stamped in Hanoi, Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur, each dish weaving flavours into vibrant, share-worthy harmony. Fiery curries, smoky noodles and tangy street-style snacks beg to be shared, chopsticks in hand. With generous set menus and curated degustations, Bobbi Pearl slips easily between a breezy midweek catch-up and a milestone celebration — feeding both appetite and occasion with flair.

131 Church Street, Brighton

Supernormal

Supernormal is the CBD’s eternal party trick — always buzzing, always deliciously unpredictable. The lobster roll is a cult seductress: brioche stuffed with buttery lobster, slicked with a chilli hit. Spicy tteokbokki sets your palate alight, chewy and fiery in equal measure, while bao bulge with slow-roasted pork. The room hums with communal chatter and sake cocktails; this isn’t dining, it’s theatre in real time. Years on, Supernormal proves that when Asian fusion in Melbourne is this fun, it never goes out of style.

180 Flinders Lane, Melbourne

Miss Mi

Miss Mi is a passport stamped with spice. A tasting menu leads you from Sri Lanka’s pickled vegetables to Laos’ green mango salad, with pit stops for Thai-dressed oysters and a wagyu short rib luxuriating in rendang curry. Desserts sweeten the journey with coconut flans and pandan-laced confections, while cocktails carry whispers of turmeric and tamarind. In the sleek Mövenpick Hotel, Miss Mi turns Southeast Asia into a narrative, each course a chapter rich with heat, colour and surprise.

Movenpick Hotel, Corner of Godfrey & Bourke Street, Melbourne

Loved our guide to the best Asian fusion in Melbourne? There’s plenty more to feast on — dive into the latest food and drink news across the city, or cross the culinary border to explore Melbourne’s most irresistible French restaurants.