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The Best Lunch Spots in Melbourne CBD for a Quick Bite
You can trust these buzzy lunch locales to hit the spot and power you through to the rest of the day.
While we absolutely adore a long lunch, we’re unfortunately unable to set aside three to four hours every single day to indulge in a gastronomic journey. However, that doesn’t mean we can’t appreciate bold flavours and comforting feeds — it just needs to be on a quicker clock. Thankfully, Melbourne is a city that’s always on the move, meaning there are plenty of lunch spots offering quick and convenient meals to satisfy hungry bellies.
If you’re in a jiffy, we’ve rounded up the best lunch spots in the Melbourne CBD for a speedy feed that won’t disappoint.
Yum Sing House
Melbourne’s favourite Cantonese night owl is finally clocking on before dark. From Thursday, 3 September, Yum Sing House will open for regular lunch service for the first time, with a new bento-inspired set built for CBD appetites and lunch breaks that deserve better.
Choose masterstock Pure Black Wagyu brisket, crispy Sichuan duck leg with house hoisin, steamed tuna with preserved egg relish, five-spice poached chicken or Typhoon Shelter tofu, then settle in for the full spread: truffled pork and prawn siu mai, steamed greens, a jammy soy egg, seasonal pickles, rice and chrysanthemum and wolfberry jelly to finish.
Lunch runs Thursday to Saturday from noon to 3pm, priced at $45 for meat or fish and $35 for vegetarian. Book across opening weekend and they’ll even throw in a complimentary soft drink. Karaoke can have you back after dark.
22 Sutherland Street, Melbourne
Bar Lourinhã
A fancy little lunch at Bar Lourinhã can still fit neatly between meetings… although the temptation to cancel the afternoon is very real! Lunch Rapido is $40 for three courses, with the menu changing weekly across the Iberian and Mediterranean flavours the Little Collins Street favourite does so well.
Sitchu Tip: Sundays are looser: paella hits the bar from 1pm for $35, or $45 with a Tinto Verano.
37 Little Collins Street, Melbourne
Denmark House
Go upstairs at Denmark House and lunch suddenly looks a lot more interesting. The Feed Me Danish menu lands three chef-selected smørrebrød for $38, beautifully built open sandwiches with a rotating line-up of toppings. Feeling spirited? Add three 30ml akvavit matches for $30, with house-made pours joining the line-up soon. It’s a sharp little CBD lunch that feels miles away from the usual desk-day routine.
Level 3, 428 Little Bourke Street, Melbourne
Hofbräuhaus
There are days that call for a light lunch. Then there are days that scream for schnitzel and a beer. Hofbräuhaus has the latter covered with its weekday Express Lunch, serving Bavarian favourites from $19 between noon and 3pm. Schnitzel, currywurst, German sausages and veggie Schupfnudel are all in play, with a German bier or house wine another $6.
And should lunch run late, $6 tap beers kick off from 4pm Tuesday to Friday.
18–28 Market Lane, Melbourne
Luci
Set the calendar reminder for noon: Luci is serving one of the CBD’s better pasta bargains right now. The first 25 diners from Tuesday to Friday score house-made pasta, focaccia and a drink for $25, before the deal moves to $29.
Pick from duck ragu gnocchi, nduja strozzapreti, prawn casarecce or cavatelli with miso-buttered corn.
Sitchu Tip: Monday gets its own little treat too, with brisket and chicken sandwiches going for $14.
472 Bourke Street, Melbourne
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Ahma
Ahma Taiwanese Street Food brings the comfort of grandma’s cooking to the heart of Melbourne. Tucked away in 206 Bourke Street, it’s a go-to for a quick-but-satisfying lunch that feels anything but rushed. The salt and pepper popcorn chicken is seriously moreish — crispy, punchy, and impossible to stop eating — while the pillowy pork belly baos are rich and full of flavour. Don’t miss the signature braised pork rice, a hearty classic done right, or their fresh, sweet soy milk drink.
Honestly, everything on the menu hits the spot, making this one of those easy, go-to lunch spots you’ll want to keep in your regular rotation.
Nana’s Green Tea
Nana’s Green Tea might be best known for its smooth, earthy matcha drinks and desserts, but don’t sleep on the savoury side of the menu. This Melbourne CBD lunch spot is made for days that call for a no-frills comfort bowl: hearty Japanese rice dishes and chazuke topped with everything from tender beef and chicken karaage to unagi, then finished with a light, savoury tea broth. Warm, filling and deeply satisfying without sending you straight into a 3pm food coma.
165A Bourke Street, Melbourne
Onigiri Kitchen
Decision fatigue has no place at Onigiri Kitchen & Sake Bar. The tiny Degraves Street spot turns out seven varieties of its namesake rice balls throughout the day, stuffed with everything from karaage chicken and Tasmanian salmon to pulled pork with ginger, garlic and honey. Much of the produce comes from the team’s own organic farm in Sassafras, right down to the cucumber tucked inside your lunch.
Grab a couple to go, or take a seat and work your way through bento boxes, Japanese curry, cucumber salad and tofu doughnuts, with boutique Japanese sake, wine and beer on hand if lunch is heading in a more leisurely direction. Even the ceramics are made by the team at their pottery studio in the Dandenong Ranges.
1 Degraves Street, Melbourne
Göz City
Göz City started life at South Melbourne Market under sister business Köy Gözleme before spinning off into its own CBD concept. The specialty here is, unsurprisingly, gozleme: hot, crisp-edged Turkish flatbreads stuffed with fillings designed to make a desk lunch considerably more exciting. The menu also runs to freshly baked pide, flaky börek and bright salads, making it an easy city stop when you want something fast, filling and far more interesting than another sandwich.
502 Little Collins Street, Melbourne
Ceylon Wok
Ceylon Wok is a no fuss Sri Lankan lunch spot in the heart of the CBD. Tucked away in the Paramount Food Court, this stall doesn’t look like much — until you let the flavours speak for themselves. Each day brings a new rotation of hearty meat and vegetarian curries served with rice and vegetables, dished up fast and full of spice. It’s comforting, wallet-friendly, and perfect for those seeking an authentic, flavour-packed lunch break in Melbourne that’ll leave you with the warm and fuzzies.
Shop 3/108 Bourke Street, Melbourne
Saluministi
It’s almost impossible to walk past Saluministi without being derailed by the smell of something very good happening inside. Across its three CBD locations, the Italian paninoteca stacks freshly baked ciabatta with slow-roasted porchetta, house-made meatballs, crisp cotoletta and plenty more besides. The bread has just enough crunch, the fillings are generous and lunch suddenly feels like a significantly better idea than whatever you had planned.
388 Flinders Lane, Melbourne
892 Bourke Street, Docklands
Shop 3/697 Collins Street, Docklands
It’s Bagel
Melburnians rarely discriminate when carbs are involved. We like our bread square, rectangular and, in the case of It’s Bagel, round with a hole punched through the middle. These bagels don’t mess around either, stacked generously with thick-cut deli meats, cream cheese and all the good stuff required of a proper lunch. Meat-free? Go straight for the truffle cream cheese, spread thick enough to make choosing anything else feel slightly foolish.
2/50 Queen Street, Melbourne
Union Kiosk
Union Kiosk is a hole-in-the-wall cafe that has won the hearts of vegans far and wide with their creative, comforting jaffles. Hidden down Howey Place, this little spot serves up an all-vegan menu with flavour-packed toasties filled with everything from vegan pulled pork to slow cooked ‘beef’ birria or classic baked beans. With great coffee, a cosy vibe and friendly service, it’s the ultimate plant-based pit stop in the city.
10 Howey Place, Melbourne
Feeling satisfied after filling up at one of the best lunch spots in Melbourne? Pick up a pastry at one of these tasty bakeries to fight off the 3pm sleepies, or sip on a matcha for a refreshing kick.
