Great open air dining area overlooking the river walk. Came early enough where we were seated…read moreright away. The tables filled up soon after. Full bar and a great wine list with all wines from Australia. Wedge salad was not a traditional type. Heavy use of mint throws it off. Not what i expected. The filet was overcooked but was seasoned well. I prefer not to use a steak sauce when the flavor and meat is done right. But in this case, I used it all. Wonderful mushroom mustard sauce. Potatoes were seasoned with garlic and fried perfectly. Excellent side.

Bad service Food is ok at best…read moreChicken wings are bland. The server said they were cooked in Louisiana hot sauce. No way.

What at amazingly remarkable find in the basement!!!…read more This restaurant was recommended by a local of Melbourne! We always try to support local establishments, especially while traveling! I have to say, THIS is by far.... THE BEST recommendation we've ever received! The restaurant was a tad bit difficult to find, having not been to Australia and not being familiar with basement restaurants, lol. It had quite a unique secluded vibe from the moment the door swung open. The atmosphere was almost hypnotic! There weren't too many patrons eating when we arrived .. but we did arrive shortly after opening. By the time we were finished the tables were 75% occupied, I think in part to only being open for dinner Tuesday-Saturday. The food, as well as the service were both TOP NOTCH! I don't typical care for red meat... but I ordered steak and it was extremely well-prepared! So delicious!!! I asked for it to be well done! It DID come out charcoaled so I made a comment to my husband that was over-heard by the chef, himself! Moments later, he personally delivered a new dinner plate to me with a replacement! Now THAT'S what I call top-notch service! I REALLY wish Meatmaiden would expand to the US! That would be the icing on the cake!!!

We have fallen in love with another Melbourne restaurant. We are even thinking about changing our…read morehotel for next year so we can be closer...we actually have! We can't brag enough about our new find. COVID stopped our travels to Melbourne for three years but hopefully no longer. We selected some winners. They were: 1) Grilled Bread with Beef Fat Butter; 2) 350g Westholme Wagu NY Strip; 3) GEM Lettuce salad; and 4) Hand cut chips. - The Grilled Bread was actually a fried bread that was then brushed with honey and lightly grilled on the bbq. The Beef Fat Butter was awesome. My spouse didn't care for it but I adored it. - Grilled Wagu NY Strip was 330+ day grain fed which only intensified the marble and added so much taste. Not a bite left and it was almost 13 ounces of pure meat. It was perfectly cooked to medium rare (-) temperature. It came with a choice of a sauce and we paid for an additional one. The Three Pepper Sauce and the Beef Fat Bernaise. Both were awesome. I need the recipes! - GEM Lettuce Salad with radishes and dressed with a Burnt Grapefruit Vinaigrette. The vinaigrette made the salad. - Hand Cut Chips w/ a Garlic Aioli - another perfect taste. The chips had a great crispy outside with a very smooth inside. And the Aioli was addictive. Do no pass this great place by. We did not have reservations but should have. We got there early and they were slammed. We saw two empty tables and they offered us one by the front entrance. We eyed the other table and they said "if you can be finished in 1 1/2 hours...we laughed and said there would be no problem and probably be out of here in an hour! MeatMaiden was so upbeat. We just kept looking around in awe. Two old ladies eating in a basement. The atmosphere is awesome. Somewhat darkly lit but light enough to see your food. Very high energy crowd. Service was spectacular. Toward the end of our meal the hostess came over and said we could stay a bit longer. We said thanks but not needed. Highly recommend and also recommend making an advanced booking. Enjoy.

This place had been on our list and we are so glad we finally made it. It's a beautiful space, warm…read moreand inviting. Great for special dinners. We started with the fresh bread, which is not normally warm but we asked for it toasted. We ordered the ribeye and the beef short ribs with chips and the rocket salad. The beef short ribs were the favorite. They were super flavorful and tender. The ribeye was tender and cooked beautifully but not as flavorful even with the chimichurri sauce. We enjoyed the rocket salad. The chips were fine but probably wouldn't order again. The most unexpected treat was the sticky date pudding. We were set on the chocolate cake as we had never tried sticky date pudding but our server suggested otherwise and wow!! So glad we listened...he did not steer us wrong! Overall, we had a wonderful dining experience with excellent food, generous portions and great service. We would happily return.

Incredible 40+ day bone in ribeye. So much marbling makes 500g way too much of a serving if not…read moreused to such rich food. Guarantee extra trip to bathroom that night. Better to share and get something else as well. I prefer to dip in coarse ground salt. The truffle butter didn't add anything for me. Fried cauliflower and broccoli a good accompaniment.

Fantastic contemporary Australian cuisine! Our Aussie friends suggested this restaurant for our…read morefirst night in Melbourne. Service was friendly, everything was delightful and the wine selection was fantastic!! Great introduction to Melbourne dining. The roast lamb for the table was particularly memorable!

Host appears to have too many additional duties causing delays being greeted and seated. Asked for…read moreand received a different table as the one offered was in an awful location. They rush your choices for drinks/food evidently to turn the tables on time. As requested we gave our full order at once. I don't want to have my food start appearing before my cocktail is finished! Long delay between a couple of the tapas style courses. Limited dessert options and overly high priced wines, especially by the glass, although the list is quite extensive. The food is very good. The atmosphere is very loud and slightly chaotic. It's worth a meal but with so many options I doubt we would return.

They have a dining rewards program that gives you $10 for signing up and $15 for your birthday. I…read morelove loyalty programs. Celebrated my birthday here. It was great! The service was attentive and the atmosphere was warm and very inviting. The food was good as well. The burger was phenomenal while the steak was just ok. It was the Aged Rib Eye. Looking around after we realized everyone knew to add salt to their steak. They give you a complementary birthday dessert as well. Really have to appreciate places that know how to make the customer feel valued!!! I would go back for sure to get the burger and give the steak another shot.

Isn't worth the return with so many other great options in the area. Just ok food and service…read more We had a party of six for dinner and the only available time was 4:15. We took it because we had just flown in that morning and couldn't/didn't want to stay out late. Interesting thing is the restaurant was half full the entire time so we didn't understand why there wasn't availability any later. Enough of that, on to the food. Appetizer sampler was ok. Nothing stood out. Calamari, mini sausages, pork belly, bruschetta, salad. Wouldn't order again. Regular and garlic breads for another appetizer. Ok but nothing to make me order again. Lots of meat options and I chose the filet out of preference and suggestion by the waiter. Cooked well but the cut of meat was just ok. Good sized portion and in this case, as it should never be with a good cut of meet, the peppercorn sauce came in handy. Side salad instead of "chips" (fries) which wasn't anything special. Service was slow and we didn't have one consistent waiter.

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.

"FOR SHAME, JACKIE" I hear you all yelling. Yes, I know. I have lived in Melbourne for umpteen…read moreyears and have never once set foot in Trunk. It seems almost impossible, huh? I don't know how I managed it. So finally, last night was the night. It was a 42 degree day but was an absolute DELIGHT to be sitting in the Trunk courtyard, under their gorgeous candy-striped umbrellas and stunning fairy lights. The atmosphere was perfection. The four of us ordered a couple of pints of Kosciusko Pale Ale, while I went for the Chicken Club Sandwich and my friends went for the Mushroom Pizza, Chicken Burger and a Super-sized Chicken Burger (it was pretty big). Everyone's plates were clear within 15 minutes (you can't go wrong with a chicken club, right?) however it really would have made my day had it come with fries - it just looked so lonely on the plate. Then the dares came... We noticed on the menu that for a measly three clams you could try "STUPID HOT WINGS - 900 times hotter jalapeño!!!!" Game. Set. Match. The staff actually tried to talk us OUT of buying them. When they arrived on the table the spicy scent was ominous. Dripping with sauce, only two of us were game to give it a bite with one left gasping for air for twenty minutes after. The Stupid Hot Wings are stupidly hot. You've been warned. Trunk is the perfect spot for a mid-week lunch or dinner on lovely, summers day. It's just so damn pretty!

Extremely overpriced for food and drinks similar to our local pub. The bottle of wine we purchased…read morefor $170 was the same one we get from Dan Murphy's for $40. Bogans getting drunk and loud and swearing at the table behind us. Kid screaming. Good food but not for the price. Overall this place gives mutton dressed as lamb.

Always a great meal. Exceptional staff who go the extra mile yo make your visit memorable. We've…read moretried quite a few dishes and nothing has ever been a disappointment.

We were with a tour group and went to Grill Steak Seafood for one of our group dinners…read more Here's what we noticed: - It made me worried when we walked down Hardware Lane and every restaurant was busy/full outside except the one we headed into. But, I can see why after eating there. - Overall, it was pretty average. - Luckily, we started with some plates of kangaroo to share on the table, and that was the highlight of the entire meal. Otherwise, the Barramundi was just OK and the steak was pretty tough. The fries though were tasty. - My wife and I split both the Panna cotta and the Pavlova dessert and left about half of each on our plates. Bottom line: With all the great restaurants in Melbourne, I would go somewhere else if it was up to me.

Was walking on the waterfront when saw the place. Came in for steak night special and was surprised…read moreby the quality of steak! Usually deals like that are just ok, but here it was amazing! Seating outside is nice and service is very quick. Definitely good