From Vietnamese to Ethiopian: The Best Restaurants in Footscray

Hungry food lovers can travel the world via Footscray, a multicultural melting pot that rewards locals and visitors with flavours from every continent. From Vietnamese to Italian to Ethiopian, the best restaurants in Footscray will ply you with injera, tiramisu and banh xeo – without ever leaving the postcode.

Plus, there are plenty of fantastic Footscray bars to head to for a nightcap, once you've had your fill of foodie finds. 

Begin your gastronomic adventure with our top picks for when you feel like…

Sapa Hills 

Settle into the airy and bustling Sapa Hills restaurant in Footscray for some of the best food in the 'burb. Surrounded by colourful murals of the Sapa region of northern Vietnam, set the mood with a round of delicious and fruity cocktails before ordering as much as you can physically stomach off the menu. 

Food is fresh, colourful and carefully crafted here. They offer an extensive menu including all your favourite Vietnamese dishes as well as some truly authentic cuisine from Northern and Southern Vietnam. If you’re vegetarian or gluten free, you’ll also be impressed by the choices available.

Highlights include the gua bao with braised pork belly, the crispy chicken ribs, the beef skewers in betel leaves, the crunchy prawn toast, the bowls of rice vermicelli heaving with glistening pork, Hanoi spring rolls and herbs abundant...wait, what are we saying...pretty much everything at Sapa Hills is guaranteed to hit the spot. 

No matter what evening it is, there's always a healthy crowd clambering for a table here, too. All signs point to yes when it comes to Sapa Hills being one of the best restaurants in Footscray. 

112 Hopkins Street, Footscray

Banh Xeo Tay Do

As their name suggests, Banh Xeo Tay Do’s house specialty is the sizzling savoury crêpe known as banh xeo. Fabulously crisp and lacy, they’re dotted with chunks of bouncy prawn meat and served with tangy dipping sauce and a generous heaping of fresh herbs. Here they make them “mien trung” style, arriving three hand-sized crêpes to a plate (rather than the big tear-and-share kind you see elsewhere) making them dangerously easy to eat. The friendly husband and wife team at this spick-and-span little eatery will make you feel right at home.

4/62 Nicholson Street, Footscray

Huong Viet Vegan 

Vietnamese food, with its love of fish sauce, pork and seafood, doesn’t normally come to mind as a vegan-friendly cuisine. However, you’ll find that the folks at Huong Viet are doing magical things with plants, recreating all of your favourite dishes in vegan form. They use soy and spices to recreate everything from sizzling beef and sweet’n’sour flounder to smoky pork sausage, and it’s all so moreish that even the omnivores will be happy. With silky sauces and fabulous tofu and veggie dishes to boot, eating sustainably has never tasted so good.

36A Leeds Street, Footscray 

Dong Ba

While nothing satisfies like a big bowl of pho on a cold night (or a hungover morning), there’s more to Vietnamese noodle soups than the ubiquitous pale beef broth. At Dong Ba you can acquaint yourself with punchy bun bo hue, a beef soup that’s golden-red with chilli and lemongrass, or aromatic bun rieu, which marries delicate crab meat and tomato in a pork-based stock. Dong Ba is a cosy, no frills kind of neighbourhood joint, but you can be assured that the service is always quick and the noodles are gloriously bouncy.

133 Hopkins Street, Footscray

Ras Dashen

Acquaint yourself with the rich, spicy and colourful cuisine of Ethiopia at Ras Dashen, a beloved Footscray restaurant that’s been delighting locals for over a decade. Cover your table in earthenware bearing slow cooked beef stews, saucy lamb tibs (addictively seasoned diced lamb) and a range of vegetarian and vegan stews that will renew your belief in the tasty potential of lentils and fava beans. It’s all scooped up with paddles of injera, the staple flatbread of Ethiopia that’s pillowy, chewy, nutty and gently sour from fermentation. 

247 Barkly Street, Footscray 

Konjo Ethiopian Restaurant

Open from breakfast to dinner, Konjo is known for providing some of the best traditional Ethiopian meals in an inviting, modern setting. One of the best restaurants in Footscray, head for delectable plates of scrambled eggs cooked in onions, tomatoes and berbere (an Ethiopian spice blend), served with crusty bread and spiced tea, right through to a magnificent injera spread, with a sampler of five vegetarian stews, or with a spicy lamb stew. For just $25, try the shared platter, where multiple dishes are shared out of a communal plate using your hands. 

Sitchu Tip: One of the best coffees in Melbourne can also be had here, an Ethiopian blend brewed in a clay pot and served along with myrrh and frankincense. 

89 Irving Street, Footscray

Yetenbi

Yetenbi’s décor may be on the spare side, but their cooking is anything but. This deliciously authentic spot for Ethiopian will surprise you with rarer specialties like dulet – spicy lamb tripe and liver mixed with onion, garlic and butter – or kitfo, a beef tartare served with fresh cheese, collard greens and flatbread. Depending on how adventurous you’re feeling, you can even choose to have your meat well done, medium or raw. Can’t choose? Get one of their generous platters, which heap a serving of many different dishes onto a huge circle of spongy injera, so you can try a bit of everything.

249 Barkly Street, Footscray

Matsu

Step through an unassuming yet warmly lit frontage on a quiet pocket on Barkly Street to discover Matsu, an intimate omakase experience the West has been missing. A masterful approach to the finest produce from Australia and Japan...this is one of the newest Melbourne dining destinations that's not to be missed!

157A Barkly Street, Footscray

Bar Thyme

A fun local bistro meets wine bar in Footscray, Bar Thyme is an excellent date spot, where natural wine, great cocktails, delicious eats and groovy vinyl come into play. 

Sip on a gin martini to start, before dipping into their thoughtfully curated, sustainable wine list that lays claim to crisp whites from the Mornington Peninsula and juicy, herbaceous blends from Scintilla Wines. 

On the food front, indulge in progressive bar snacks like nduja scotch eggs; pickled, saffron-infused mussels escabeche, and smoked beetroot salad with almond cream and caraway. Or, if you're looking for something a little more substantial, try their steak with Cafe de Paris butter, weekday pies, or three-course set menu for just $50 come Sunday. The a la carte menu is always available; it's hyper seasonal and changes daily; they also offer a $75 six-course set menu if you're looking to kick things up a notch. 

227 Barkly Street, Footscray

Harley & Rose 

This welcoming neighbourhood joint is the place WeFo locals go for a convivial meal with friends and family. Warm and unpretentious, Harley & Rose has a woodfire oven spinning out pizzas with puffy, blistered crusts in fancy renditions like pippies, parsley and lemon. Elsewhere on the menu you’ll find funky bar snacks and small plates, plus crowd pleasing pastas, schnitzels with caper butter and slow cooked lamb shoulders to share and savour.

572 Barkly Street, West Footscray 

Chibog

Chibog, one of Melbourne’s most exciting recent openings, is introducing the wonders of Filipino food to new audiences. They’re doing this by faithfully respecting traditional reciples while adding modern flair in dishes like kinilaw – wild caught tuna ceviche in spiced coconut dressing – and kare kare, a tender oxtail and peanut stew. Expect plenty of bold flavours and colourful plating, enjoyed in a stylishly sleek space to boot.

553 Barkly Street, West Footscray

Roti Road

A 7-course banquet menu for less than $45?! Unheard of! There's a reason why Roti Road is such a staple for many a Footscray local. Not just for the stellar value, but for how ridiculously delicious the food is too. Of course, you'll need to try their true to name, signature dish; the smooth and crispy roti. Made fresh to order, it's served with a side of sambal, curry and dhal lentil, for less than $10 a pop. Enjoy the roti experience even more by accompanying it with a side of beef rendang. 

189/193 Barkly Street, Footscray

MS. SUE 

For Asian fusion dining we can't stop bangin' on about here in the Sitchu Melbourne office, head to MS. SUE in Footscray. 

Jack Bradley, a proud Chinese-Australian born and bred in the western suburbs, channels his past travels and culinary heritage into every layer of MS.SUE, which in its name also pays homage to his mother. The menu blends traditional and contemporary flavours, embodying Jack's quest for a modern Asian-Australian identity within the culinary world. 

It's a must for your next foodie adventure; think nori tacos and chilli prawn wontons, fluffy bao buns, mi goreng and curries that range from a yellow curry with crispy barramundi to everyone's favourite braised beef massaman. Be right back, we're drooling! 

100 Hopkins Street, Footscray

Papelon

For mouthwatering arepas, incredible empanadas and a whole lot more, Papelon has got you sorted. This is one of our favourite low-key restaurants in Footscray, perfect for comfort eating without an inch of regret. 

We urge you to try their creamy black bean, shredded beef, salty cheese and sweet plantain arepa, quail egg and cheese arepa, and any or all of their empanadas. They're some of the best in Melbourne, and we're particularly partial to the fish empanada, a typical Venezuelan recipe from the island of Margarita.

You'll also love the twice-fried green plantain, served up with layers of salad, cheese, your choice of protein and plenty of sauces. It's called patacon, and is a traditional Caribbean dish that needs to be on your devour list. 

Latin food is hard to come by in Melbourne, and that's why you need to check this place out. The team's warm hospitality seals the deal even more. Run, don't walk. 

Footscray Market, 190/81 Hopkins Street, Footscray

Now that you've had your fill of Footscray's best restaurants, treat yourself to one of Melbourne's best desserts, or head to the city for a fancy cocktail or two...