Subscribe
Subscribe
The Dining Spots in Melbourne & Surrounds That Feel Like a Scene Straight Out of The Summer I Turned Pretty
These are the dining spots that make you pick a brother, fall in love with a menu, and never want summer to end.
The Cousins Beach era isn’t over just because the finale is near. We’re still craving sun-bleached afternoons, golden-hour dinners, and nights that beg for a Taylor Swift soundtrack. Melbourne may be half a world away from North Carolina. Still, it’s serving plenty of The Summer I Turned Pretty energy — seaside terraces, string-lit courtyard feasts, and beach bars where time slows and everything feels cinematic. These are the spots to channel your inner Belly, Conrad, or Jeremiah… without leaving town.
Melbourne
Henrys, Brighton
A sunlit terrace by the bay, seafood towers glistening, and Aperol spritzes catching the light — Henrys is Hamptons polish meets Belly’s birthday dinner vibes. The interiors are breezy, whitewashed, and built for golden-hour glamour, while oysters and crudo anchor the menu in seaside decadence. It’s the place you fall a little too hard for, plotting your return before dessert arrives. Older-brother coded and endlessly magnetic, Henrys is a sequel-worthy romance in restaurant form.
3 Well Street, Brighton
Sebastian, Williamstown
With its white arches, Spanish menu, and panoramic water views, Sebastian feels like a beach scene scripted for summer nostalgia. Tapas, paella, and rosé flow easily here, best shared with a group that laughs too loudly and lingers too long. The soundtrack? Waves crashing outside, glasses clinking inside. It’s warm, open, and social — a Jeremiah-coded hangout that makes every meal feel like a sun-drenched montage you’ll replay in your head.
26 Esplanade, Williamstown
Donovans, St Kilda
If Cousins Beach had a chic aunt’s house, it would be Donovans. A Melbourne classic that feels as comfortable as it does stylish, with fireplaces for the cooler nights and bay windows that frame sunsets like film stills. The seafood is timeless, the Bombe Alaska iconic — and yes, it’s giving Conrad: broody, a little dramatic, but impossible not to love.
St Kilda Marina & Surrounding Foreshore, 40 Jacka Boulevard, St Kilda
Stokehouse Precinct, St Kilda
Standing tall on St Kilda’s sand, Stokehouse feels like the show’s central set piece. Upstairs is Champagne, caviar, and linen shirts billowing by the window; downstairs, cocktails and handmade pasta with sandy feet tucked under the table. The dual personality is its charm — a love triangle in restaurant form, and the only right choice is both. It’s bold, beautiful, and staged for golden-hour perfection.
30 Jacka Boulevard, St Kilda
Elwood Bathers, Elwood
Golden sands, crisp interiors, and an open terrace made for summer nights that never end. Elwood Bathers has the kind of sun-soaked atmosphere that turns lunch into dinner, dinner into after-dark cocktails. Order the seafood linguine and watch as the bay blushes pink — pure finale-scene material. You’ll swear you just spotted Belly and the boys at the next table.
Elwood Park & Elwood Foreshore Reserve, 15, Elwood
Pipis Kiosk, Middle Park
Minimalist and effortlessly cool, Pipis Kiosk feels like a soft boy in restaurant form. A kiosk by name but no simple beach shack, it’s a shrine to Victoria’s seafood with a natural-wine list that reads like a love letter. It’s breezy, salt-licked, endlessly Instagrammable, and will leave you in that Jeremiah headspace: carefree, a little messy, and perfect for summer nights.
129a Beaconsfield Parade, Albert Park
Mornington Peninsula
Cptn Jack’s, Somerville
Perched on a marina, Cptn Jack’s is the place you stumble upon and never forget. Boats bob in the harbour, seafood arrives shimmering with freshness, and cocktails taste better with the salt air on your skin. It’s nautical romance turned up loud — you’ll feel like you’ve wandered into a scene where everyone’s laughing a little too hard and you’re falling for the wrong brother again.
Yaringa Boat Harbour, 1 Lumeah Road, Somerville
The Rocks, Mornington
Right on the water’s edge, The Rocks has North Carolina coastline energy baked into every detail — timber finishes, harbour views, and seafood that comes straight off the boats in front of you. Mussels, oysters, frutti di mare pasta: it’s all there, and it’s all begging to be shared. If this were Cousins Beach, this would be where Belly has her big realisation scene.
1 Schnapper Point Drive, Mornington
Hawkes Farm, Boneo
Not coastal fine dining, but hear us out: Hawkes Farm’s legendary hot chips have main-character energy. Triple-cooked, perfectly golden, and famed across the Peninsula, they’re absolutely worth the detour. Grab a serve, claim a sunny spot outside, and try to convince us it doesn’t feel like a peach-stall moment — casual, crunchy, unforgettable. Proof that sometimes, it’s the simplest food that truly steals the scene.
661 Boneo Road, Boneo
Portsea Hotel, Portsea
Striped umbrellas, Hamptons interiors, a terrace that stretches out over Port Phillip Bay — Portsea Hotel is one long tracking shot of coastal glamour. Order fish tacos, sip a spritz, and watch the sun dip low. This is the balcony party you dreamed of crashing, the one where summer could go on forever.
3746 Point Nepean Road, Portsea
Martha’s Table, Safety Beach
Modelled after Martha’s Table, Martha’s Table is Victoria’s Conrad-coded dream. Nautical interiors, yachts drifting outside, oysters and lobster served with low-lit glamour. Every dish whispers of long summers by the sea — burrata, crudo, flatbread still warm from the oven. This is serious, glamorous, completely unforgettable.
5 Waterfront Place, Safety Beach
St Paul’s General Store, Sorrento
Smoothies, flaky croissants, good coffee — St Paul’s General Store has The Summer I Turned Pretty energy written all over it. Laidback, beachy, and perfect for a post-swim snack, it’s a scene you’ll replay in your head long after. Sometimes it’s not the fancy dinners, but the cafe mornings, that capture the vibe of a summer you never want to end.
69 St Pauls Road, Sorrento
Great Ocean Road
The Kyn, Torquay
The Kyn is where sleek design meets salty air. Warm timber, toffee-hued walls and rattan booths set the stage for oysters on ice, prawns with chilli salt, and natural wines that sparkle in the late-afternoon sun. It feels like the dinner party scene where all the siblings finally sit down, every glance carrying subtext. Chic and entirely magnetic — this is your Conrad-coded restaurant, where the drama is plated as beautifully as the food.
41 The Esplanade, Torquay
Fishos, Torquay
This is your clam-shack fantasy come true. Barefoot diners fresh from the surf, sandy-haired kids in the sandpit, baskets of golden fish and chips disappearing faster than Jeremiah’s grin. A cold beer in hand, the bay turning pink, laughter drifting as someone strums a guitar. Fishos is carefree, sandy-toed, and the definition of summer serotonin — Jeremiah-coded through and through.
36 The Esplanade, Torquay
Fish by Moonlite, Anglesea
Fish by Moonlite is where you’d sneak off with the brother you know you shouldn’t root for. Run by the crew behind Captain Moonlite, this tiny seafood haven delivers crisp fried fish, gourmet potato cakes, and raw catch so fresh it practically glows. It’s not fancy, but it’s charged — like a dockside conversation that changes everything.
Shop 4, Anglesea Shopping Village, 87/89 Great Ocean Road, Anglesea
a la grecque, Aireys Inlet
Aireys Inlet meets the Aegean at a la grecque, where Mediterranean soul collides with surf-town ease. Grilled octopus, crisp salads, chargrilled lamb — dishes arrive in a flurry of clinking glasses and loud laughter. Kids run barefoot on the lawn, the veranda hums with golden light, and you’re suddenly in a seaside dinner party where you fall a little bit in love with everyone at the table.
60 Great Ocean Road, Aireys Inlet
Bellarine Peninsula
TARRA, Queenscliff
Sophisticated and modern with its gaze firmly on the sea, TARRA is for the ones who want every detail just right. The menu is refined, the interiors polished, and the mood set for long, wine-soaked evenings. This is a Conrad dinner scene if ever there was one: serious, magnetic, unforgettable.
1 Wharf Street East, Queenscliff
Arlo Wine Bar, Port Arlington
Laidback and intimate, Arlo Wine Bar is all about good pours and easy nights. Local drops flow freely, matched with charcuterie, cheese, and small plates that keep conversations circling long after sunset. It’s a “when everyone’s getting along” coded hangout — soft, fun, and a little chaotic in the best way. The kind of place where laughter drifts out the door with the sea breeze, and every glass feels like a secret shared.
1A Harding Street, Portarlington
At The Heads, Barwon Heads
On the jetty, wrapped in ocean on three sides, At The Heads feels like the big kiss scene waiting to happen. By day, sunlight spills across seafood platters; by night, fairy lights glow above the waves. Casual, romantic, and dripping with seaside nostalgia — it’s summer magic in widescreen.
Temporarily closed for planned renovations; reopens in October-November
1A Jetty Road, Barwon Heads
The Dunes, Ocean Grove
Beachfront, breezy, and buzzing with energy, The Dunes is a seaside crush made permanent. Big decks overlook the sand, cocktails sparkle in the sun, and plates of fresh seafood and shareable bites keep the good times rolling. It’s stylish without trying too hard — rattan chairs, sun-bleached wood, and views that do most of the talking. Here, summer feels endless, conversations are easy, and the vibe is pure Jeremiah-coded fun. A beach romance you’ll replay over and over.
Surf Beach Road, Ocean Grove
Gippsland Lakes
SARDINE
SARDINE is the refined end-of-summer dinner party that lingers in your memory. Run by celebrated chef Mark Briggs, this waterside restaurant serves plates that are delicate yet deeply expressive — seared scallops, tuna tartare, and seasonal produce that shines with every bite. The dining room is polished but never stuffy, buzzing with energy as locals and visitors toast to another golden evening. This is where Cousins Beach characters would gather for one last hurrah, laughter echoing into the night.
69 Esplanade, Paynesville
Sodafish
Floating right on the water, Sodafish feels like a carnival scene spliced into a restaurant. Bright, casual, and lively, it serves everything from fish and chips to share plates of prawns, calamari, and oysters that are as fresh as the sea breeze blowing across the deck. Drinks are easy — frosty pints, crisp ciders, spritzes — and the vibe is pure Jeremiah: carefree, fun, a little chaotic. It’s the kind of place where the night could take any turn.
Middle Boat Harbour, The Esplanade, Lakes Entrance
The credits might roll on Cousins Beach, but the summer main-character era is alive and well here. These restaurants are your golden-hour montages, messy Jeremiah-coded hangouts, broody Conrad dinners, and every peach-stall moment in between. All that’s missing is a Taylor Swift track and a love triangle you’ll be overthinking until next season. Until then, Melbourne and its coastlines are giving you the sequel — no beach house key required. For more Melbourne cinematic moments, explore these dreamy cinemas and romantic restaurants.
