Best Degustations in Melbourne for a Fine Dining Experience

Unlike a typical à la carte menu, degustations ask you to cede all control; instead placing yourself in the hands of the chef to know what will excite your palate.

That’s why you’ll only find them at the crème de la crème of restaurants, where a reputation for excellence means guests trust that they’ll be taken on a sensory journey worth every penny.

For your next special occasion (or just because you) book into one of these fine diners plating up the best degustations in Melbourne. 

Minamishima

If you’ve got a pretty penny to spend, there’s arguably nowhere in Australia doing finer sushi than this luxe, intimate diner tucked away on a quiet Richmond street.

Here they only serve omakase, or ‘chef’s choice’, a daily changing procession of deftly sliced, shaped, torched and brushed nigiri, presented piece by piece.

The knife skills of sushi master Koichi Minamishima have been honed for over 30 years, resulting in his ability to create tastes and textures in sushi you’re unlikely to quickly forget.

It's one of the best degustations in Melbourne that's entirely worth it. 

4 Lord Street, Richmond

Yakikami

If you want to impress a loved one with a fine dining degustation, treat them to the premium Niku Kappo Wagyu Omakase experience at South Yarra's Yakikami.

This 70-seat restaurant presents two offerings; a casual yakitori-style eatery and the fine dining and moodily-lit Josper room, where you can settle in for some of the finest wagyu dishes in the world in an intimate setting.

Experience, education and quality are at the helm of this offering, whereby each dish is prepared, cooked and explained to guests at the counter-set dining table.

150 Toorak Road, South Yarra 

Ostēr

This unassuming Italian gem in the heart of Richmond is one of our favourite restaurants for degustation-style dining in Melbourne.

Ostēr offers a six-course set menu, with a tight, sage wine list from some of Australia's most intriguing wineries to match. Ostēr is all about unfussy, seasonally driven plates with a little bit of flair.

You might try a fresh and vibrant crudo to start, followed by very impressive handmade pasta dishes, like a cavatelli or pumpkin ravioli, a heartier main, and tiramisu for dessert, of course.

Leave it all in the hands of these master chefs and you'll leave having experienced one of the best casual degustations in Melbourne. Buon appetito! 

76/78 Bridge Road, Richmond 

Atlas Dining

Atlas isn’t your typical restaurant. Chef Charlie Carrington’s ambitious project changes its menu entirely every four months, creating a new degustation that celebrates a different country’s cuisine.

The result? A thoughtful, exciting experience that takes you around the world without leaving Melbourne. Previous iterations have included Israel, India, China, Sri Lanka and Lebanon.

Take an unforgettable food journey and devour a special  tasting menu that is without a doubt one of the best degustations in Melbourne. 

133 Commercial Road, South Yarra 

Maha

Fourteen years on, Maha is still Melbourne’s premier destination for Middle Eastern fine dining. The set-menu-only restaurant offers a nonstop procession of finely tuned, contemporary take on the region’s cuisine.

The menu changes to reflect the best produce available, though you can expect hummus and flat bread, dishes with fetta and tuna crudo, heaty mains with chicken or lamb, and something sweet to finish.

In short: to die for degustation dining. 

21 Bond Street, Melbourne 

Longrain

Some things never go out of style, and Longrain – Melbourne’s favourite Thai restaurant – is one of them.

The recently revamped venue is offering a banquet-style spread chockful of punchy northern Thai flavours. With a contemporary take on classic dishes, the chefs are delighting diners with the likes of caramelised pork hock alongside freshly shucked oysters, and chargrilled chicken skewers.

40-44 Little Bourke Street, Melbourne

Freyja

Freyja, the dreamy Nordic restaurant on Collins Street, puts a Michelin-trained chef and his team's superior skills on show through traditional Nordic cooking methods such as pickling, curing, smoking and preserving.

The result? A bold yet beautifully balanced degustation menu that celebrates Scandinavian flavours using the best local produce. Honourable mentions include the lamb tartare and fresh oysters.

477 Collins Street, Melbourne

Matilda

Occupying the ground floor of a flashy South Yarra hotel, Domain Road's culinary sweetheart Matilda offers the perfect backdrop for a decadent degustation.

Using woodfire, charcoal and smoke to tease intense yet finely tuned flavours out of produce, the four-course chef’s selection menu promises a visual and sensory journey showcasing exemplary modern Australian cuisine.

159 Domain Road, South Yarra

Kisumé

This world-class Japanese restaurant spans three levels of sleek dining spaces, each with its own vibe. Kisumé’s top floor, however, is home to their crowning jewel.

The Chef’s Table has just 10 seats, with guests treated to a stunning array of nigiri and delicate seasonal dishes that are the apex of both traditional technique and cutting-edge creativity. 

175 Flinders Lane, Melbourne 

Vue de Monde

Situated on the 55th level of the Rialto building, the modern Australian degustations at Vue de Monde are accompanied by breathtaking views of the glittering Melbourne cityscape.

What’s on the plate is an equally impressive progression of delicate, mind-bending bites that toe the line between food and art with one of the best degustations in Melbourne in a stylish setting.

Rialto Towers, 525 Collins Street, Melbourne 

Gaea

When the head chef has stints at Attica and Vue de Monde under their belt, you know you’re in for a good time. This 16-seat degustation-only restaurant is fronted by a Henan-born chef passionate about creative cooking and local produce.

Those unafraid of the novel will be delighted by imaginative flavour and textural combinations within Gaea's multi-course menu, with dishes guaranteed to have you deep in thought at the dinner table.

1/166 Gertrude Street, Fitzroy

Ishizuka

Ishizuka’s exclusive, hidden basement restaurant embodies the ultra-seasonal ‘kaiseki’ style of Japanese dining, where courses are constantly changed to match the best available produce.

Seating just 16 guests, Ishizuka serves a tasting menu showcasing luxe ingredients, exceptional technique and breathtaking plating.

Complex yet restrained dishes are a masterclass in Japanese perfectionism, with a stellar wine pairing offered to match.

139 Bourke Street, Melbourne

Attica

Ground-breaking fine dining at Attica is as tough to book as ever - and for good reason! Regularly featured in the world’s best lists, Attica is acclaimed for its wildly imaginative dishes, thoughtful use of native ingredients and impeccably warm service.

Drawing on personal memories and a sense of place, there’s a story behind every dish served on the multi-course tasting menu, expressed in a way that’s meaningful but never pretentious. 

74 Glen Eira Road, Ripponlea 

Amaru

Unbound by geography and genre, Amaru continually chases exciting new flavours and textures, with the ‘Sensory’ menu utilising peak produce and inspired cooking techniques.

Meanwhile, the cosy yet elegant fit-out creates instant intimacy while being simple enough to let the sophisticated dishes sing.

1121 High Street, Armadale

Navi

Serving a degustation menu to a maximum of 34 guests each night has given Navi's chef-owner Julian Hills more space to flex his creative muscles, with the ‘wild food’ - inspired chef constantly foraging for new ingredients and inspiration.

Adventurous diners are bound to love the genre-bouncing playlist and unique and impeccably crafted drinks list, while the five and eight-course tasting menus include adventurous bites you likely won't have seen elsewhere. 

83b Gamon Street, Yarraville 

IDES

This special occasion fine dining destination is known for its thrillingly original modern Australian food. Seating just 36 people, the tasting menu at IDES evolves constantly with the seasons and is full of novel ingredients and combinations.

The risks pay off, with each of the seven dishes artfully marrying flavour, technique and immaculate plating, all of it culminating in their iconic ‘black box’ dessert – a bucket list Melbourne dish everyone should try.

92 Smith Street, Collingwood 

Made your way through the best degustations in Melbourne? Discover more dining inspiration with our picks for the best Japanese, Greek, and Italian restaurants in town.