Excellent food. In…read moreMelbourne on holiday/vacation and came to this place on the first night. When we walked in the hostess stand wasn't apparent but was placed in the middle of the restaurant. The Gnocchi I received by mistake but it was a much welcomed one. The truffle was very pronounced. My husband had the Sofia Pizza, he said it was pretty solid but "had a lot going on".....full disclosure he says pizza has a lot going on when there are more than 3 ingredients on it. I would definitely come back if I lived here.

Was staying at the Marriott hotel and quite literally it's right next door. Read the reviews and…read moreit sounded like one of the Melbourne hot spots. Tried to go on our first evening in Melbourne, but unfortunately the place was closed due to a private function (Christmas party). Came back a few days later. The weather had changed so it was unfortunately not the sitting outside kind of weather we had hoped and what looked like Trunk was designed for. Decided that we would go to the diner side, instead of the Italian side. Walked in and what struck us immediately was the noise! We had our hearts set on trying this very cool little spot. We initially had to wait for some seats to be cleaned up, even though there was a number of open tables. Once seated our server(s) were very friendly and we had our food on the table in no time. I went for the burger and my wife went for the chili salad. My burger was ok, but the bun was such that it nearly disintegrated and I was left trying to eat a squished out mess. I tried my wife's meal and it was definitely very tasty. Overall, The food was good, but not fabulous, like I had hoped. Even though the place was only 1/2 full, the noise levels were such that we had to nearly yell at each other to be heard. The entire place is glass, hardwood floors and metal chair (which make a seriously loud noise when moved). This would have been a cool place to linger and chat, but unless you have a blowhorn that's just not possible. Out servers were very friendly and good. I think had we been able to sit outside this would have been a fabulous spot. I'll go back, as long as I can enjoy my meal outside.

While The Commoner may sound like the name of a traditional English pub, this fancy wine bar and…read morerestaurant is anything but. Sure they serve up English cuisine inspired by modern cooking trends of adding Mediterranean and middle eastern spices that have apparently crept into British kitchens over the years. This coupled with the fact that they are keen on serving up local and seasonal produce, makes The Commoner very un-British in my view. Still The Commoner serves up a refined set of ever changing dishes. It may not be cheap but you have to realise this place takes its food seriously, and if anything it is quite reasonably priced. Although the servings are quite small so don't go here expecting to eat a horse. The wine list is absolutely brilliant and also actually quite reasonably priced considering the wines. My favourite is the Pennyweight Shiraz or Pinot Noir (not always available), if you are looking for a bit of a treat.

I'm really not sure why The Commoner isn't better-known than it is. It's in a prime position on…read moreJohnston Street just near the corner of Brunswick Street, it's been there for years, and it's great. Perhaps it's because British food isn't considered very good. But the way it's done here is miles away from the sludge served up in average pubs across the UK. The Commoner integrates different cuisines into the traditional British dishes, like Mediterranean and north African. Yum. On my last visit I had pork, sage and cider sausages with cabbage and it was to die for! But the main reasons I adore The Commoner is their cheese and wine. Although the dessert menu (or selection of 'Pudds') looks pretty good, I can't go past a cheese plate that has Stilton and Cheshire. The wine list features a balanced mix of local, European and a few American bottles and half bottles. I really appreciate a half bottle - when you can't quite go another full bottle, the half bottle is far more economical than ordering 2-3 single glasses. And it doesn't stop at wine - The Commoner has some mean spirits including my personal favourite, Fifty Pounds gin. In my opinion, gin is the UK's greatest export. Although hard to find in Australia, once you've had such a beautiful, smooth floral gin you'll never touch a drop of skuzzy Gordon's again...

OMG, where do I start?! HORRENDOUSLY aggressive staff. We had booked a birthday party for 19 people…read moreat $75 a head. Our waiter, Egon, was so rude! He was constantly shouting at everybody, yelling, "You gotta be joking!" and "Organize it yourself!" if he was asked for something! He told us we needed to get out of there after we had barely sat down because he needed the table (I had booked for this birthday dinner ages in advance), and he said he would be giving us the birthday cake in takeaway boxes instead of being allowed to have it there and singing happy birthday. I wish I had read all the other horrified reviews on TripAdvisor and Google reviews about this once good place before booking it for a birthday. What a mistake to come here. Our waiter Egon (not sure of the spelling of his name) made Basil Fawlty from the TV show Fawlty Towers look sane and professional. I have never encountered such rudeness from a waiter in my life. Oh and they also overcharged us: Egon, I hope you use our money to pay for anger management classes!

Bustling atmosphere; delicious food; decent portions - a fabulous treat in Melbourne!read more

I'll start this review with the proverbial "Hella Good is hella good."…read more We came here to this area to do some shopping while we were in town, and this place grabbed my attention. The wait was definitely not for very long. We got a pager that buzzed pretty soon after we wandered off. For those who are/were unfamiliar as myself (being American on holiday), Hella Good is a place that serves Mediterranean-style wraps with pita bread filled with meat, veggies, and very delicious sauce. I got the Arnie, which includes the lamb leg meat. It was good. I don't know how it compares to other local offerings since this was one of a kind during our trip. FYI: - When you charge your card, it gives you a choice between charging in AUD or your home country's currency. Not sure if that makes a difference, but I think that's interesting. - It can get messy if you unwrap it a certain way, so have napkins and sanitizer available. - There are multiple locations.

This place is actually the traditional Greek souvlaki joint. Well, not quite since it is relatively…read moreknew, but with all of the kebab places appearing everywhere, this one does it in a traditional Greek style. Well, actually, no, namely because there is little difference between the two. However, the souvlakis are actually pretty awesome anyway. They also do chips, and while the herbs used in making the chips were pretty nice, I did find them a little soft. Still, the place isn't all that bad.

Bar Louhina is a Mediterranean tapas restaurants. A small restaurant with indoor and outdoor…read moreseating. Service is very good and the drinks are really tasty. We had the ? And the roaster chicken and the special roasted pork with white beans. Very good food in downtown Melbourne.

If you're looking for a great place for drinks after work, or to meet a friend for a drink (then…read moremaybe a bite to eat), do come here. This is handy to workplaces at the Paris (Spring St) end of Collins Street and is great. There's seating indoors and outdoors. I came here for a drink after work with two colleagues. We didn't have a booking. We sat outside and enjoyed wines - thank you to our very helpful server who allowed us to taste first and then decide on our wine. We decided to stay for dinner and enjoyed the Kingfish and the Zucchini dishes. I would definitely come again - service is friendly, professional and respectful. Thank you.

Legit…read more Not sure if its the fluffy pita... or the juicy chicken..... damn the souvlaki is just the bomb. Love it. Rate it... We've dropped in here a few times when we've come to town and its still OLD SCHOOL. Please stay that way and dont change

My sister loves Greek Food and I think in West End (Queensland) we are pretty spoilt for it there…read morebecause you'd never get a bad souvla.. Not only was it overpriced, there was a slight mix-up with the order. We ordered 3 souvlaki's and the meat was just warm which always makes me worry with chicken I'm gonna get food poisoning... the sauce not enough and the bread was just blah. Definitely keen to try a different place on Brunswick St to see if it's any better...

The waiter was aggressive about offering us a place to sit, but then took forever to take our…read moreorder. We wanted coffee and snacks (pastries or similar) but they had nothing short of a full breakfast. Seems like some of the 5-star reviews may have come from insiders - not a great experience for us

Not a bad little stop for breakfast if you are in the area. We tried the Smashed avo and Danish…read morefeta which came with some toasted seeds, 2x slices of sourdough and a poached egg. It was tasty and kept me full for hours. My partner had the Eggs Benedict. 2 eggs, ham, spinach and hollandaise on one slice of sourdough. He liked it. Nothing ground-breaking but you don't always want that. Sometimes you just want a solid benny and that's what it was. Hot chocolates were good. Creamy and the right Goldilocks temp. Would definitely return if staying in the area again.

Really enjoyed the food and service when I visited recently. The staff were very friendly.read more

The hummus was not good, bread old and the owner is sly. The decor is nice but overall would not…read morerecommend.