A kingdom where meat is the monarch, Charcoal Grill On The Hill is a Melbourne Institution, and the…read morebest venue in the city for steak. Be warned, it isn't for the light hearted: cases of meat will catch your gaze as you enter, and make sure you order your steak rare or medium-rare (you may get some strange looks otherwise). Melbournians and visitors travel miles to sample some of the quality steak that Charcoal Grill On The Hill delivers. Call ahead and book a table to be sure that you'll get a seat. While the entrees and desserts are worthwhile, they pale into insignificance when compared to the main event: the steak. My advice would be to get a simply get a premium cut; the sizes vary from the modest (300g) to the enormous (900g). Add a bowl of coleslaw for the sweet flavour, and a serve of fries (because you need chips with steak after all) are the perfect accompaniments. Charcoal Grill On The Hill also boasts an impressive wine menu. The staff are extremely helpful when it comes to choosing the perfect bottle of red to go with your steak.

Wow. Well. What can I say about Charcoal Grill on the Hill that hasn't already been said by someone…read moreelse in some glowing review. If you love steak - and I mean LOVE steak - this is one of two places in Melbourne that I (so far) insist you MUST go to. It's not cheap, but if it takes you a little while to save up to go here, you still won't regret it. This is an up market but minimalist restaurant. There is not fluff and decoration, it is all about the steak. The menu is short, and covers the essentials. When you order your steak (I had the scotch fillet) don't be afraid to order at least one degree rarer than you usually get (e.g. rare if you normally get medium-rare). When you're eating meat of this quality, all you'll notice is the flavour and the melt-in-your-mouth magic of perfectly cooked steak. While the steaks are served on a plain white plate, there is a minimalist salad and some fries brought out to the table to share. No, there isn't a large variety of sides available, however if that's what you are after there are plenty of other places you can go to, particularly the abundance of creative modern Australian restaurants. Grill on the Hill is for when you want to focus all your attention on steak. That slightly charred, flavourful outside and the meltingly tender, juicy meat on the inside. The restaurant itself is quite intimate with a simple white and (reddish) color scheme, it's quite small. Recommend for groups of 2 to 4 people. The wine list is also astounding, and there are some great cheeses on the dessert menu here too. On both counts be prepared to spend a bit, but the staff are incredibly helpful and happy to discuss the (constantly changing) wine and cheese list, and make recommendations if need be. If you are a regular, they will remember you and go out of their way to cater to your preferences.

I have since gone back two more times!…read more The steaks and salad are the best parts but I also tried the homemade baked lemon tart! It was nice but next time I think I will save room for the king prawns instead. I was able to speak to the chef upon this visit and learned that he chooses the meat every morning carefully and spends hours preparing it himself. He then spends time getting the grill ready and that can take hours too. Sooo much passion and knowledge go into cooking a single steak. Def going to go back again soon. So happy I stumbled to this place and almost don't want to share it as it might get too busy and run out of tables when I go. My own selfish little slice of meaty heaven.

I don't know what it is about Zagars which keeps me coming back. Maybe it's the rustic and homily…read morelook and feel of the restaurants dining area or maybe it's the always delicious reasonably priced eye fillet steak which melts in your mouth. Either way this is by far the best steak in this part of Melbourne. Be warned though this is a small two man show so service can be a bit laissez-faire so be prepared for a bit of a wait if there are a few tables (generally packed on weekends so book ahead).

I like it at this location, other than the tricky parking (at peak times). It's two levels and no…read morematter which section you sit in, the service is usually really good and food is always nice. With that said, I'm not a big meat eater, so I usually either have the burger or salmon and I recommend both; each are really delicious. Everyone I've ever gone with loves the meat there too, and from the entrees to even desserts, it never really disappoints. I love the vibe in here; the decor is funky and the music adds a nice ambience, but you can still hear yourself think. I think the food is reasonably priced, and it's always a good meal here.

Tasteless meat with no redeeming features, awful oil drowned fries, self-conscious, in-your-face…read morepresentation, extremely noisy venue so unable to have a conversation (the purpose of the visit). Wait staff disengaged. Extremely disappointing.

Very busy but worth having to book. Great steaks and excellent seafood. If you get through the…read moregenerous servings for mains they have a small but very good quality selection of desserts and great coffee to finish off. I've been there five times, with various people and have great food and a terrific experience every time. This place is a hidden treasure.

Always packed and having to book months in advance, Georgio's is well worth the wait…read more Owned and operated by the Chef, the food is cooked to perfection and the Seafood freshness is something you would expect living next to an ocean. Attentive staff and a Creme Brulee like none you have tasted...... Oh that Creme Brulee, perfectly set and creamy, warmed through without being runny and a lovely crisp sugar coating, not too thikk and just browned enough for taste If for nothing else, I will become a regular just for that creme brulee mmmmmmm

Went here for the $95 menu sampler and I was very impressed. I was concerned that in general it way…read moreoverpriced ($13 mock tails and $60 ribeye) but all in all it was very high quality. The service was excellent. Steak Diane was something different. Nice and vinegary sauce, went beautifully with the aged steak. Many of the melas were very gastronomic, which I liked. Blobs of purres and such and always a great combination of taste and colour. I recognized some of the wines. The mark up on wine was nearly 300%! Will be back, without the wine.

Not at all value for money; with a 200g fillet steak costing $49 and accompanied by chips OR salad…read moreOR baked potato - not to receive chips AND salad OR baked potato AND salad (particularly when we are only taking about a green salad) is pathetic! And then the absolute RIP OFF is when they ask if you would like a sauce with your steak and there is a CHARGE OF $5.50!!!!!! WTF!!! The sauces run in a line at the bottom of the mains listing and you don't necessarily see the charge costing so when. asked, it should be followed up with the declaring that there is a CHARGE - yes, you get a boat of sauce but who needs that quantity for a mere 200g piece of steak - this is a disgrace - as Meg R also commented "the sauces are a rip off" so BE WARNED and BEWARE. Returning customer or recommending Squires Loft.......not this little duck.

Had our staff Christmas dinner here and we all had a great time booked for 15 and ended up with a…read morefew extras which they were able to accommodate without much fuss! My steak was great, a prefect M/R and had the garlic feta stuffed mushrooms on the side. All in all everyone was happy and would have a group function here again.

This is my favourite steakhouse in Melbourne. Extremely friendly staff. Emilio makes you feel like…read morefamily, and goes out of his way to make sure you have a special night. He cooks steak to perfection. As I understand he also cuts the meat himself too. I'd highly recommend the Eye Fillet set, cooked rare. Get the ribs for entree and your choice of dessert. The béarnaise sauce is fantastic with steak, chips and sides. Also, they make an unforgettable coleslaw/cabbage salad. I keep coming back because I love the fantastic food and family-like service!

3 months later I am finally getting around to writing my review for Ivanhoe Tavern Charcoal Grill…read moreSteakhouse. Not sure why it has taken me so long... perhaps because nothing was really SUPER amazing or SUPER bad about this place... for us anyhow. We had a pretty good normal kind of experience here... it was not mind blowing and I think the steak was a little undercooked. Service - very friendly and attentive. Food came out very quick. Bread & Butter beginning course - something in that butter was unique but we could not put our fingers on what it was - it was very tasty. I ordered the Scotch fillet and my friend ordered some the Graziers paddock choice rib eye. We both asked for medium rare. In a very short time the steaks were presented and looked quite good. My main issue was that mine was almost bordering rare (instead of medium rare) and my friends steak (which was ALOT larger) was pretty much rare... they had obviously cooked both cuts of meat for the same amount of time but due to the size of the rib eye that one came out rarer in the end. We both got a mushroom sauce also, I found it to be a little bit too creamy for my liking but my friend loved it and finished mine off very easy. Greek salad and chips were fine. All in all a very filling meal... the hospitality from the chef and waitresses was outstanding. My steak was pretty nice but I think my friends steak was a bit too rare, however he is not really one to complain about food while we are out (his choice I guess) so... I think I'll give 3 starts for this visit :)

Oh my the food here is delicious. The staff were happy and friendly. Even got a glass of wine on…read morethe house cause the one i chose was no longer available. What place does that? People get the word out.

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.

This is truly a meat place so be ready! Lots of people, including us, had skewers. I had the lamb…read moreand they were ok. Some pieces were good, some a bit chewy. My husband had the kangaroo skewer and it was very tender. He really liked it. Meals come with meat and choice of fries or salad. We had salad, quite over dressed. We had the garlic bread to start and it was good- not too garlicky and grated cheese on top. Nice atmosphere, busy. Had a bottle of wine- reasonably priced.