Asian fusion cuisine blends recipe ingredients and cooking styles from two or more cultures to create a new dish. Rejuvenate your taste buds with any of these Asian Fusion restaurants in Melbourne.
Some offer a contemporary twist on conventional cultural foods, while others are a real fusion of different cuisines. No matter the case, the dishes will leave you full and grateful for the culinary experience. Here are the best Asian fusion restaurants in Melbourne that you can try:
1. Abbiocco Pasta & Wine
Located in St. Kilda, the Abbiocco Pasta and wine restaurant is winning over new customers with its culinary delights. Popular Italian dishes are given an innovative twist, and while the menu is similar to the most popular pasta restaurant with the same name, there are several new additions.
Pasta is the main dish in this restaurant, and it’s made fresh in-house daily. The restaurant serves delicious dishes like pumpkin gnocchi topped with vincotto and walnut cream ($33), pork casarecce ‘al la Romana ($34), and globe artichoke bucatini with crustacean sauce ($35).
Their menu also features a strong lineup of dishes like leek arancini and cheesy porcini ($12), the restaurant’s pistachios with Veneti peppers ($17), and swordfish carpaccio ($23). The dessert menu features revamped traditional dishes like orange cannoli and gianduja ($15) and semifreddo with bush pepper pistachios.
Their wine menu celebrates Australian wines and also features many Italian wines. With the restaurant’s impressive wine range, you can enjoy after-work snacks with wines like Tenuta Orsumella Tuscan Sangiovese ($20) or Barringwood’s Tassie Chardonnay ($16).
The restaurant also features a strong craft beer lineup with Bad Shepherd ($11) headlining the menu, and cocktails are distinctly European with grapefruit spritz and limoncello ($16) and blood orange negroni ($21) featuring on the menu.
2. David’s Hot Pot
If you want to experience the real Sichuan hot pot feat, head to David’s Hot Pot restaurant in the CBD. David’s Hot Pot originated from Chengdu’s heartland and found a place on Melbourne’s plates in 2017.
Since then, the restaurant has launched three other outposts, including one in Brisbane, where they serve traditional Sichuan-style hot pots with a twist of fresh flavours.
The restaurant is colourful, buzzy, and perfect for large groups of people; it features rainbow lanterns from the ceiling and steam drifting from fragrant pots on every table.
3. LOTI
The LOTI restaurant is located in St. Kilda and overlooks the Esplanade beach. The restaurant leans into its seaside look with its breezy ambience and Mediterranean cuisine.
LOTI, short for the Lady of the Ice, the restaurant’s name references a female skater’s neon signage near the St Moritz ice rink until 1981. Unlike who the restaurant was named after, the LOTI restaurant isn’t frosty. Its Mitchell and Eades interiors are filled with statement curves and complemented with relaxing soft green, peach, and sand hues; all imbued with coastal holiday energy.
Elijah Holland, the restaurant’s head chef, is renowned for his cooking over-the-flame skills, where he uses conventional techniques like preserving, fermenting, and curing. Traditional ingredients are prominent in the restaurant’s seafood menu.
On the snack menu, you’ll find treats such as scampi skewers which are butter coated, grilled, and topped with kelp glaze at $14, along with yellowfin tuna mousse cornettos ($10) and house-made meat charcuteries and seafood, as well as artichoke Tarte train ($18).
The menu also features a signature ceviche topped with a flavour-filled ‘ice rink’ waiting to be dispersed and broken through the ingredients below it ($29). The menu also includes culinary delights such as beach spinach spaghettini, which has sheep milk pecorino, asparagus, and wild mushrooms for $36.
The restaurant serves its venison with mountain pepper and blackcurrant ($55), mushroom butter grilled squash, and smoked kelp ($14) as a side dish. You can also call before your visit to place an order for barbequed lobster with kelp ditalini pasta and lemon-scented tea.
LOTI has a solid drink offering with classic cocktails with a local twist, such as a dirty martini with vermouth and uni butter vodka or cacao and river mint-infused rum. Its wine list highlights various organic and biodynamic Australian manufacturers, favouring producers making varieties that hail from Europe’s coastlines.
4. Nourish Collingwood
If you love food presentations that are almost too nice to eat or playful secret messages, the Nourish Collingwood restaurant should be your new lunchtime go-to. The restaurant has won over the hearts of many customers with its cheery wellness cafe, sushi bar, and health food store. The restaurant features unique sushi art and Australia’s first customised sushi service.
Their signature nigiri and hand rolls are carved with floral patterns; this was achieved using a German-imported laser etching machine. For personalised cuteness, the owners, Michael Whelan and Freddy Raftellis, do sushi designs to order, engraving various graphics and messages into the seaweed.
They add customised messages like congratulations for a friend who can finally enjoy raw fish or a Will You be my bridesmaid for a sushi-obsessed friend. Besides its wide array of sushi, the restaurant also whips up various sweet and savoury smoothies ($16.50), plush juices, sippable smoothies, and daily-changing fresh salads.
They also offer hearty sangas between locally produced sourdough, treats like a pickled red onion ($16.50), and sriracha-grilled pumpkin with zucchini or lemon oregano chicken finished with avocado and mayo ($13.50).
5. Hareruya Pantry
The Hareruya Pantry is a take-away-only restaurant that overlooks Lincoln square. The restaurant is the brainchild of Kantaro Okada, the genius behind other Japanese restaurants like Le Bajo and 279.
The restaurant is a blend of a small Japanese cafe and convenience store specialising in gelato and bento. The cafe’s name translates to sunny shop, and true to its name, it’s as cheery as they come, attracting long queues from morning till evening. Their shelves are full of takeaway snacks and treat while the counter staff serves customers scoops of gelato.
The bento boxes are filled with various side dishes (osouzai), beef and egg soboro ($24), vegan soy tofu sushi ($22), and fish of the day ($23). They also have savoury snacks such as sandos, onigiri, and chicken karaage tossed in sweet vinegar (dashi amazu). In cold months, they serve Japanese stew (Oden boxes) served with soup to pour over the dry ingredients.
Sweet-toothed customers will be delighted by the rotation of house-baked pastries like matcha cookies, miso brownies, and castella that cost $5.50. The drinks range from matcha-infused or caffeinated lattes ($6) to freshly-squeezed juices ($7).
The gelato offerings are a fusion of Japanese classics made with Italian techniques. Some of the varieties offered include red fruits with yuzu and elderflower, sweet potato, and shirogoma. The gelato costs $6.50 when wrapped between rice wafer crisps and $5.80 when enclosed in mochi skin. Gelato in a cup costs $5.80, while in a take-home tub, it costs $16.50.
The small cafe has several bench seats; however, if the sun’s too hot, you can enjoy your gelato in the adjacent park.
6. Babajan Eatery
Babjan eatery is a lovely addition to the CBD’s lunch scene with its Turkish-inspired culinary treats. The Eatery is a haven for takeaway dishes from morning coffee, hand-made desserts, pantry goodies, and middle eastern lunches.
Kristy Chiaplias, the owner and chef, has stuck to her winning recipes for this grab-and-go spot, where she makes a rotating mix of traditional Babajan with modern creations. Classics such as
Flakey Boreks are stuffed with potato and lamb combos, feta, and silverbeet.
Sandwiches are filled with pickled chilli in pumpkin bread and falafel ($13.50), while lamb shoulder served with pistachio tabouli costs $13.50.
There are various house-made simits: scrambled egg with harissa and pastirma, cheddar, and eggplant Aleppo. Daily selections of delicious salads ($14) are showcased in huge bowls; some of the salads served in this restaurant include roast carrot and pilaf starring braised fenugreek or zucchini and broccoli with avocado and zoug.
For dessert, treats such as Persian love cake ($8.50), walnut baklava ($4.50), Turkish delight cookies ($4.50, and Chiaplias’ chocolate ($4.50) feature on the menu.
You can make the most out of the lunch break by placing your order beforehand on the Babajan app, which is available on the app store. The Babajan shelves have signature pantry products and other Middle Eastern classics if you want to grab something to take home.
7. The Kingston
The team behind the Public House makeover gave the Kingston public bar and parlour a new lease of life by giving it a $1.5 million makeover which included a new dining area called Marble and Pearl.
The restaurant’s remake saw its front bar remodelled with sleek leather banquettes and timber panelling with a deck that overlooks the new beer garden. At the front bar, you’ll be treated to an elevated public bar fare with dishes such as duck or pork bangers with mash ($34/32), wagyu beef burgundy pie ($35), and yellowfin tuna Nicoise ($39) on the menu.
They also have drinks like spiced pineapple whisky sour ($24) and retro-leaning cocktails with caviar at $28.The Marble and Pearl is a chic pop of sea green and marble and isn’t a regular pub restaurant. The pub features a nab caviar bump served with Grey Goose Vodka at $25.
Their charcoal parrilla grill and dry aging cabinet hint at the restaurant’s strong meat focus. The restaurant is headed by Chef Yallambar Bantaawa, who was trained by renowned Argentinian chef Carlos Lopez.
There are several carry-overs from the upstairs bar, such as the rich seafood chowder ($32), crunchy Brazilian pasteis ($59), and miso-glazed bone marrow ($22). The Marble and Pearl also serve classics like the hand-cut steak tartare ($22/40), silken tofu and king browns ($21/34), and Peruvian red snapper ceviche ($25/38). They also serve beef wellington with truffle mushroom duxelles and O’Connor eye filet ($68).
There’s also a wide selection of seafood like grilled or normal-styled Southern rock lobster, buttery Askalan king crab legs ($55/110), and pan-fried whole flounder ($52).
If you love steak, you’ll be pleased to know that this restaurant has over 11 cuts done on the parilla, served with green chimichurri and housemade red. If you want to splurge, there are various luxe add-ons like grilled lobster tail and sliced foie gras.
8. Victoria by Farmer’s Daughters
This Victoria restaurant is an ambitious project by Alejandro Saravia following the success of his restaurant, Farmer’s Daughter, which has become a three-level celebration of Gippsland.
In Fed Square, the team spreads their love for the future, heroing Victoria and its many regions. The restaurant overlooks Yarra and pays tribute to the places, people, and products that are part of this region.
9. Deep-End Pizza
For Pizza lovers, there’s a lot to love about Deep End Pizza, a debut restaurant from Rasmus Gundel, Kate Paterson, and Paul Kasten.
Situated off Brunswick Street, this restaurant is proving it has several tricks up its sleeves; while pizza is the main meal, there are other things on the menu, like craft beer, snacks, and share plates.
Their restaurant has different pizza styles, from classics to innovative toppings. They also have a New York-inspired pizza topped with either bacon and whole clams ($40) or gorgonzola, roast capsicum, and artichoke ($28). They also have Detroit-style pizza on their menu, which resembles a puffy focaccia with a crunchy cheese rim ($26).
The Chicago-style pizza that treads the line of lasagne, pie, and pizza is also included ($42). They also offer chicken liver parfait Brulee ($18), caesar salad with miso dressing ($15), whipped taleggio topped with charred spring onion ($18), and saucy limoncello chicken wings ($16).
The drinks menu is headlined with local craft beer and features Molly Rose’s farmhouse sour ($13) and Deed’s haze pale ($10). You can pair your pizza with a signature cocktail like Lion’s tail, made with allspice dram, bourbon ($20), or wine.
10. Osteria Renata
Osteria Renata is another popular Italian restaurant behind Park Street Pasta and Wine South Melbourne. The restaurant is co-owned by Gus Cadden and Alex Ghaddab, and they offer a warm contemporary twist to the traditional osteria.
The restaurant oozes an air of comfort, hospitality, and innovative food offerings complemented by a beautiful ambience. The restaurant’s main dishes blend creativity and tradition, and it serves culinary delights like mushroom, porcini, and caramelised leek quadratti ($34) or spicy pork shoulder ragu ($35).
You can place an order 48 hours beforehand for a chance to eat the statement spaghetti dish topped with half a rock lobster and swim in rich brodetto. The restaurant also has a strong lineup of antipasti such as currency fritto with Iberico Jamon ($28), burrata knot sat topped with fava puree and sprinkled with butter vinaigrette ($24), and barbequed skewers with nduja ($22).
They also have roasted garfish topped with bottarga, a fregola ($42), and the veal cotoletta stars crunchy pecorino and crispy capers ($55). For dessert, they have treats like the spiced pumpkin semifreddo ($16).
Their cocktail selection is Euro-inspired and combines wine from Australia, Spain, France, and Italy.
11. Anchor Restaurant
The Anchor Restaurant gives you a slice of Mediterranean cuisine on home soil. This restaurant was launched in 2021 with Oliver Vinik and Rosalin. It’s an inviting restaurant with an exposed brick lush atrium and colourful wall art.
The Kitchen is a clever fusion of Australian with Mediterranean flavours, and the menu has both souls and finesses with treats such as garfish tartare with lemon myrtle aioli ($18), Cape Grim beef dumplings ($24), and Victorian mussels with ras el hanout sauce ($18).
Their grilled spatchcock is elevated with pomegranate salsa and hummus ($42), duck cassoulet ($44), and slow-roasted pumpkin is also elevated with tahini ($15). They also serve the chocolate pudding with caramelised eggplant ($22). You can also opt to explore their five-course tasting menu for $75.
Anchor restaurant is the first in Australia to use Australian-grown sesame seeds in their recipes, including tahini dishes.
12. Moonhouse
This restaurant has made a name for itself when it comes to modern Japanese and Vietnamese cuisines. The restaurant also features modern Chinese cuisine on its menu.
This restaurant was formerly the home to Iliona staler, but it has been remodelled and now features colourful marble counters, pendant lights, and customised vinyl tabletops. Its upper level houses a 30-seats private dining area, a cocktail bar, and a fireplace.
The menu plays to Melbourne’s cuisine by dishing up modern reworking of classic Chinese dishes like prawn bisque dip ($16), Sichuan-spiced steak tartare ($20), and Hainanese chicken club sandwich ($16).
They also have dan dan noodles with sesame and mushrooms ($22), crispy-skinned chook with sweet chilli and lemon pepper ($29), and grilled cod with broth ($44). Their Duck feast comes with confit duck leg sam, hoisin, plum salt, pancakes, and half-roast duck at $44.
Chef Enza Soto heads their dessert menu, and it features mandarin sorbet ($14) and coconut soy pudding. Their drinks menu features an all-Australian wine and craft beer list, with featured drinks such as Stomping Ground and Hop nation. The Stomping ground manufacturer has teamed up with the restaurant for Czech-style pilsner.
13. Botswana Restuarant
This restaurant has been in the New Zealand food scene and has opened two Australian outposts, one in Melbourne and the other in Sydney.
The restaurant is giving Aussies their expansive and swanky signature dishes that feature premium seafood and meat. The restaurant’s interior features marble counters, ample booth seating, a deck with Flinders Lane views, and a recessed eating area.
The kitchen uses a woodfired oven to grill the vast array of Australian meat, while artisan charcuteries and premium seafood are heroes through a cured and dedicated bar.
Fresh from-the-ocean dishes may include the Alaskan crab with iceberg lettuce and remoulade ($39), snapper ceviche with tiger milk ($29), and eggplant relish with burnt orange dressing ($28). They also have caviar, or one can pair charcuterie with wagyu bresaola ($23) or chicken pate ($19).
Meat fanatics will be delighted with the restaurant’s 14 steak cuts from Victoria and its surroundings. Their deer meat tartare is reimagined with wasabi ($32); their grilled blue eye is paired with saffron butter ($47), and Berkshire pork strips star roasted figs and fennel pollen ($52).
Their drinks menu features more than 1000 New Zealand and Australian wines, and their upstairs bar has rare spirits, top-shelf drinks, and a wide array of cocktails.
14. Connie’s Italian Diner & Pizza
Initially, this restaurant was a hole-in-the-wall restaurant offering New York-style pizza; however, it’s since been reimagined as an Italian diner and pizza palace and built on Italian hospitality spirit.
This 100-seater restaurant features tables covered in white and red checks, red vinyl banquettes, and walls draped with classic film posters. The restaurant is named after the owner Nonna Connie and points back to his memories of growing up in his family’s Italian diners.
Headed by chef Matteo D’Elia the menu includes classics like Pugliese-style pizza, vongole spaghetti ($28), and eggplant parmigiana ($24). They also have a family set in their menu that feeds four individuals and goes for $120.
The neighbouring rooftop terrace features festoon lighting and offers breathtaking city views. It also has a dance floor that gets a solid workout on weekends.
They have a wide array of drinks on their menu, from sparkling cocktails to classic sips poured through taps and pre-batched bottles. Their lineup of Italian wines is courtesy of Tom Smith’s Bar Margaux.
15. Freyja
Freyja restaurant gives Melbourne refined modern Nordic cuisine, and two Michelin-starred restaurants headline it.
The restaurant has a creative menu that fuses contemporary and traditional Scandinavian dishes. Their decor bears similar respect for traditional and modern designs and is fitted with exposed brick and timber ceilings alongside striking artwork and a blue marble. When you descend the staircase, you’ll find another dining area that seats 65.
The menu features conventional practices such as curing, smoking, and pickling and are used against traditional ingredients with a touch of contemporary flair.
You can expect culinary delights like school prawns with egg on cayenne smorrebrod and mustard greens ($16); waffles with Yarra Valley Caviar in smoked sour cream ($38); and a squid custard, oat, and dashi finished with Tasmanian truffle and bacon consomme ($24).
Beef tartare is sprinkled with nasturtium, quandong, and Tasmanian mountain pepper ($28); duck breast is paired with mostarda and finger lime ($48). The menu also features a 7-course menu for $180.
Their drinks menu consists of biodynamic and organic compounds. Craft beer fans can also enjoy Northern European favourites like Lerving and Omnipollo.
16. Mr. Miyagi
This restaurant has been operational for ten years and has withstood the ever-rotating hospitality door. The Miyagi restaurant has withstood the test of time by brushing off trendy recipes and constant rebranding; they have stuck with the original idea that made them win the hearts of their loyal customers.
They also serve contemporary Japanese dishes such as kimchi, sushi rice, Salmon Nori Taco with Huon Valley Salmon, and Japanese mayo. The most popular Japanese dishes are miso-glazed butter paired with mango salad, ikura, and pickled kumquat with duck betel leaves on the table.
Their wagyu tataki is served with sesame ponzu with nashi pears; they also serve Japanese cuisine with an Italian twist, such as ramen gnocchi served with buffalo ricotta and Bolognese.
They also have a charming drink menu, such as a Hello kitty Sour (vodka drink made with egg whites, citrus, and lychee).
They also have a naughty but nice cocktail that consists of egg white, white chocolate, passionfruit, blood orange, and gin. Their drinks menu is perfectly blended with sweet, sour, and spicy. The management has put a lot of effort into training the staff, who are very professional.
The hotel’s ambience is carefully throughout, from the front door to the booths at the back, and it creates a fabulous, fast, and sunny atmosphere. The restaurant’s focus on the fun, from its staff and menu to the interior decor, makes it a force to reckon with in Melbourne’s restaurant scene.
17. The Postina
This is an Italian-themed restaurant designed by the crew that designed The Hamptons bakery and Lulu White.
Headed by chef James Turno the restaurant features a family-style menu that celebrates Italian cuisine. If you’re a pizza fan, the restaurant has various pizzas, a vast array of classic pizza toppings, and pizza dipping.
There are various handmade pasta options, such as pappardelle with porcini ragu and slow-braised duck ($32), toasted hazelnut and gorgonzola ($27), and pumpkin cappelletti with sage brown butter.
There are various fresh options for vegetarians, including vegetarian pizza, shaved cabbage with preserved lemon and pea ($12), and heirloom tomatoes with black olive crumbs and burrata ($17).
Their drink menu features European cocktails and spritz that’ll transport you into a holiday mood. Their wine list consists of Italian-inspired wines from Yarra Valley and Margaret River. Their interior decor is also Italian inspired, and it features foliage heavy al fresco eating area and intimate wooden decor.
18. Grand Lafayette
After the effects of the pandemic, the Grand Lafayette has reopened its doors with a bang with a revamped menu and a new chef.
With chef Johnny Wu on the wheel, the 100-seater restaurant celebrates traditional Japanese cuisine with a modern twist and has a dedicated tempura section. Enjoy the delicious crispy morsels ranging from kingfish ($29.5), mushrooms ($26.5), and oysters with rose salt and yuzu maple ponzu (4 pc, $25.5).
Their new a la carte menu features raw bites and sushi such as the beef tataki ($26.5), scallop carpaccio with black wine glaze, soft shell crab with sweet corn miso, and broccolini (8pc, $23.5).
You can expect a blend of new creations and familiar favourites like plump salmon bao ($12), prawn or chicken with prune or ume sauce, and crab croquettes topped with spicy jalapeno miso (3pc, $22.5).
They also offer a range of rice bowls, udon soups, and noodles, including tempura with chicken dashi soup ($22). Fans of the old Grand Lafayette’s will be pleased with the dessert menu, which features faur variations of their signature raindrop cake ($9).
19. Grill Americano
The Grill Americano is a 145-seater restaurant owned by Chris Lucas, Melbourne’s hospitality stalwart. Its interior will envelop you right from the entrance with its rich blue banquettes and staff clad in white jackets.
The restaurant drips in modern elegance with its steak-house-style Northern Italian cuisine offerings. The restaurant’s name is derived from the Americano cocktail. It has an impressive 14-metre bar that gives customers front-row views of the open kitchen, which features a handmade custom oven from Naples and a charcoal grill.
The restaurant has solid traditional hospitality complemented by the main chef’s menu steeped in European cuisines that are made using traditional Italian techniques. You can also expect fancy tableside finishes.
Their aperitivo aficionados and snack fiends are all about the Cicchetti offering, and it features culinary delights like aged Parmigiano Reggiano with organic chestnut honey ($22.5) and creamy chicken croquettes ($16.5). They also have freshly baked focaccia with green olive butter ($11.5) and an excellent Italian salumi lineup.
Simone Giorgianni makes the restaurant’s signature pasta dishes. Standouts include spicy pork sausage rigatoni ($36.5) and saffron tagliolini finished with scampi ($44.5).
Their steak selection is all topped with rosemary, lemon, and a splash of olive oil. The sandou steak is the Fiorentina t-bone and 1.2kg Bistecca ($165). Their dessert menu features various sweet creations like an elegant twist on trifle ($17.5) and a reimagined tiramisu ($21.5).
The restaurant also has a vast global wine circulation, and its cocktails have various Italian influences with subtle twists.
20. Pilgrim Bar
Suppose you’d like to sip some beverages at a location with waterfront views, head over to Pilgrim Bar in Melbourne. The bar is located at Melbourne’s historic Federation Wharf Vault in the heart of the CBD, making it the perfect spot to catch up with friends and soak in Yarra River’s views.
The menu features seasonal share plates perfect for soaking in the afternoon sun. If you want bite-sized treats, you can try the charcuterie board of baguette, bush chutney, noix de jambon, and wild boar salami.
If you want something more filling, you can opt for lamb rib bush surr with saltbush and mint honey and cured gin ocean trout with sea succulents and creme fraiche, taro crisps, and Davidson plum.
The bar also specialises in gin tea cocktails; if you want something spicy and sweet, you can try the gin cocktail with sweet chai spices. You can also opt for the earl grey drink consisting of wonder foam and blood orange or chamomile loaded with tropical fruits.
Conclusion
Asian fusion is a cuisine that most people enjoy; even the fussiest eaters who never know what to order love Asian fusion. This article has rounded up Melbourne’s best Asian fusion restaurants where you can satisfy your adventurous palate and comfort those who prefer sticking to the familiar.