Dine Out: The Best New Restaurants in Melbourne in 2026

Melbourne’s dining scene moves with real momentum, always searching for new ways to surprise. In 2026, a fresh wave of openings is shifting the city’s flavour map, celebrating produce-first cooking, playful global influences and dining rooms that balance theatre with ease. Fire-driven kitchens are back in focus, chefs are leaning into handmade technique, and neighbourhood restaurants are showing just how refined casual dining can be. From intimate spaces guided by seasonality to bold newcomers making big statements, this year’s arrivals are shaping where Melbourne eats next.

These are the best new restaurants to book in 2026, each offering something distinct and genuinely exciting.

Frenchie

Frenchie has swept onto Collins Street with the confidence of a Parisian who knows they look good. Everything is $14 — the plates, the cocktails, the caviar bumps — turning dinner into a mischievous little power move. You enter via a mirrored staircase, spill into a room glowing ruby red, and suddenly you’re saying yes to another round. Beef cheek, cordon bleu meatballs, duck confit, dirty martinis and a Champagne-and-caviar trolley making laps like it owns the place. It’s delicious, theatrical and dangerously fun. Melbourne, welcome to your new foodie crush.

Shop 1/15 Collins Street, Melbourne

Garfield

Garfield arrives on Lygon Street with a nostalgic, slightly mischievous energy. The space, designed by Dion Hall, nods to retro Italian pizzerias without drifting into pastiche — granite, timber, steel and warm light setting the tone. The menu, led by Karen Martini and Executive Chef Mark Glenn, shows its intent in eight precise pizzas shaped by Head Pizzaiolo Sangsub Ha’s Tokyo-stretch method. The signature Garfield layers meatballs, bechamel and basil; the Tokyo Bianco runs smoky and briny with katsuobushi and tuna. Soft-serve from the neighbours at Pidapipo closes the loop.

Quick, generous and built for locals, it’s a new restaurant in Melbourne that suits Carlton immediately.

297 Lygon Street, Carlton

Coupette

Coupette is exactly the sort of hotel bistro Melbourne has been waiting for: stylish, confident, and genuinely worth staying in for. Set inside Southbank’s striking new Hannah St Hotel, the curved, Flack Studio-designed dining room wraps around a central bar, serving all-day classics with polish.

On the menu, expect a chilli crab omelette at breakfast that’s already a signature. Later, it’s crudités, house bread with whipped butter, a Fraser Island crab salad finished tableside, steak frites with Victorian wagyu and herb butter, Western Australian scampi with citrus butter and sea herbs, and lamb rump with sweetbreads for those who like a little drama.

90 Queens Bridge Street, Southbank

Common Cuts

Common Cuts is the new Russell Street obsession, serving steak frites that absolutely understand the assignment. The room feels fun without trying, the cocktails go down a little too easily, and the menu keeps delivering hits, from wagyu brisket lasagne with bone marrow to the A5 Wagyu Burger loaded with indulgent slices and house special sauce. It’s giving city crush and an instant CBD ritual. A fast favourite.

Ground Floor/380 Russell Street, Melbourne

From polished tasting menus to clever neighbourhood gems, the restaurants opening in 2026 are setting the tone for Melbourne’s next chapter in dining. Book the places calling your name, revisit your favourites and keep exploring the ideas reshaping the city’s palate. For more ways to eat your way across Melbourne, browse our guides to bayside dining and Italian favourites loved by locals.

Writer

Kelsey Harrington

25 February 2026

Kelsey Harrington is a Melbourne-based writer with a sharp eye for the city's ever-evolving food, wine, arts, and culture scene. Her journey into the creative industry took the scenic route—what started as a passion for capturing Melbourne’s energy through a camera lens led her to Sitchu, where she worked her way up to Melbourne Editor. With over four years in the industry, she’s all about uncovering the best places to eat, drink, and explore. Off the clock? You’ll find her diving into a platter of fresh oysters and crudo, gallery-hopping, or sipping an extra dirty martini while plotting her next adventure.