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Subscribe Caulfield North Has Quietly Become Melbourne’s Most Alluring Neighbourhood
Old-world flavour meets new-school energy in Melbourne’s most quietly confident culinary comeback story.
Once a quiet enclave best known for its leafy streets and old-school delis, Caulfield North is having a quiet renaissance — and it’s delicious. Found just beyond the city’s more obvious hotspots, this pocket of Melbourne is luring a new crowd with its slow-burn charm, thanks to a new wave of wine bars, neighbourhood diners and wellness spots redefining what it means to live local.
From gravlax and pét-nats to brain-tapping and breathwork, it’s a suburb where old-world soul meets new-school cool. Whether you’re here for the schnitz or the sound healing, Caulfield North is undeniably on the up.
Where to Eat & Drink
Ruzia’s Wine
A bar built from memory, Ruzia’s feels less like a new opening and more like a homecoming. Chef Ravi Presser named it for his grandmother — a Polish-Jewish survivor whose grace and generosity ripple through the room. There’s comfort in every detail: jars of house pickles catching the light, plates of ocean-trout gravlax and chicken meatballs in velvety tomato sauce, glasses filled with Australian wines that feel chosen, not curated. It’s food with a heartbeat — humble, soulful, and deeply human — and a space that reminds you how warmth can be its own language.
215 Balaclava Road, Caulfield North
Banksia
Banksia is where refinement wears its weekend clothes. Led by Nishant Arora, it’s the restaurant every suburb dreams of — elegant yet grounded, with dishes that balance fine dining finesse and quiet comfort. Tuna tartare with stracciatella, charcoal-kissed lamb, and a room that glows with understated confidence. Named for the resilient native bloom, Banksia brings a little wild beauty to Caulfield — polished, poetic, and perfectly unpretentious.
Sitchu Tip: Go all in on the $75 Journey Feed Me — it’s where Banksia’s brilliance truly unfolds. Their weekday lunch specials are also a big win.
98 Hawthorn Road, Caulfield North
Baker Bleu
Every suburb deserves a bakery like Baker Bleu — though few are this serious about crumb structure. Mike Russell’s cult Caulfield outpost has people queueing before the ovens have cooled, lured by 48-hour fermented loaves that crackle like campfire kindling and croissants so buttery they barely hold their shape. The vibe? Equal parts Parisian boulangerie and Melbourne neighbourhood ritual. Arrive early, grab a coffee, and pretend the second croissant you order is for someone else.
119/121 Hawthorn Road, Caulfield North
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Potluck
Potluck feels like the best kind of family secret — one shared over too many dumplings and a bottle of something good. Esther Sun has turned her mother’s recipes into a tender ode to Chinese-Australian home cooking; prawn toast gets the star treatment, and beef noodle soup is slow-braised, soulful perfection. The room glows softly, the service is easygoing, and the food has that rare, nostalgic pull — the flavour of memory, served with modern confidence.
829 Glen Huntly Road, Caulfield
The Gangjung
The Gangjung brings a hit of Seoul to Caulfield — bold, golden, and unapologetically good. Here, the fried chicken arrives impossibly crisp, lacquered in soy, garlic, or fiery chilli, while bulgogi bowls, creamy rose tteokbokki, and molten corn cheese complete the picture. It’s bright, busy, and fun, easily turning a midweek dinner into a mini celebration. Bring friends, order too much, and let the sauces do the storytelling.
741 Glen Huntly Road, Caulfield
Green Cup
Green Cup has mastered Melbourne’s health-meets-pleasure equation. Bright, breezy and quietly disciplined, it serves smoothies and acai bowls that make virtue feel indulgent. Blenders hum, granola crackles, and every bowl lands like a piece of edible art — layered, luminous, and unapologetically good. The crowd spans Pilates regulars, uni students, and caffeine devotees chasing their “Green Cup 1.” Light, fresh, and full of life — clean eating elevated into something genuinely joyful.
207a Balaclava Road, Caulfield North
Lenny’s Fine Food Deli
Lenny’s is Caulfield’s pantry of comfort — where chicken soup soothes, bagels emerge hot from the oven, and matzo balls drift in broth like little promises. Behind the counter, smoked fish gleams beside jars of pickles and dips steeped in memory. Locals come for brisket, stay for the warmth, and leave with armfuls of nostalgia wrapped in brown paper. It’s generous, unpretentious and enduring — the beating heart of a suburb that still knows how to feed its own.
636 Inkerman Road, Caulfield North
The Pita Man
The Pita Man brings Tel Aviv’s bustle to Caulfield with soft, house-baked pita and fillings that hit every note of spice, crunch and freshness. Falafel comes in shades of green, red and olive-flecked purple, while cauliflower, sabich, and hummus bowls round out a menu that’s as vibrant as it is wholesome. The energy is fast, friendly and full of flavour — a midday escape wrapped in warm bread and sunshine.
97 Hawthorn Road, Caulfield North
Where to Explore
Caulfield Park
Caulfield Park is where the city exhales. Sunlight filters through grand elms, rippling across the lake’s mirrored surface, while joggers trace its edges and children’s laughter drifts from hidden playgrounds. Between the Bandstand and the War Memorial, time softens — an invitation to notice the small pleasures: the shimmer of water, the perfume of mown grass, the gentle choreography of daily life. Picnic rugs unfurl under leafy canopies, tennis balls thud in rhythm, and the suburb hums with quiet energy.
280 Balaclava Road, Caulfield North
Thinkers & Makers
On Hawthorn Road, Thinkers & Makers brings a touch of quiet beauty to Caulfield North’s shopping strip. More than a boutique, it’s a celebration of thoughtful design — hand-poured candles, artisan ceramics, refined homewares and elegant baby gifts, each piece chosen with care and a discerning eye. Founders Maggie May and Joshua Moshe have created a space that feels personal and inspiring, where giving feels as good as receiving. With complimentary wrapping and same-day collection, Thinkers & Makers makes gift shopping feel like an everyday luxury.
126 – 128 Hawthorn Road, Caulfield North
Caulfield Food & Craft Market
Caulfield Food & Craft Market is the suburb at its most social — a monthly gathering that transforms fresh produce and handmade crafts into something far more spirited. Think sizzling street food, still-warm loaves, boutique wines and local makers chatting beneath striped tents, all soundtracked by live music that turns browsing into a slow, happy meander.
Come for the shopping, stay for the atmosphere; it’s the neighbourhood’s weekend heartbeat, wrapped in good taste and good company.
120 Neerim Road, Caulfield
Labassa Mansion
Labassa Mansion might just be Caulfield North’s most unexpected show-off — a grand 19th-century beauty that’s all chandeliers, gilt edges and scandalous stories whispered through its hallways. Once home to Melbourne’s elite (and later a bohemian commune of artists and actors), this National Trust gem opens its doors monthly for tours that are part history lesson, part time travel. Climb the tower, gasp at the trompe-l’œil ceilings, sip tea in the garden, and imagine the soirées that once echoed through those gilded rooms. It’s drama, decadence and local lore in one elegant afternoon.
2 Manor Grove, Caulfield North
Ripponlea Estate & The Trust Makers Market
Ripponlea Estate is a jewel of calm just beyond Caulfield North, and once a month it trades serenity for sparkle. The Trust Makers Market turns the heritage gardens into a kaleidoscope of handmade finds, artisan treats and design pieces too beautiful to pretend you don’t need. Take your time, grab something delicious, and let the afternoon unfold — you’ll leave with a few treasures and that unmistakable feeling of having found somewhere special.
192 Hotham Street, Elsternwick
Caulfield North feels like a suburb hitting its stride — confident in its past, excited about what’s next. Between its delis and design stores, its bakeries and bars, there’s a rhythm to life here that’s distinctly its own: generous, unhurried, quietly magnetic.
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