Gathering with friends, family, or colleagues over a meal is an experience that unites us all. In the bustling culinary scene of Melbourne, finding the perfect restaurant to accommodate a large group can be both exciting and overwhelming.
With all the end-of-year celebrations underway, we thought we’d help you out, and round up the best Melbourne restaurants catering for group bookings.
Embla
CBD
Embla, the brainchild of Christian McCabe and executive chef Dave Verheul, embodies a relaxed and unpretentious dining experience in Melbourne. With its cosy ambience reminiscent of a lounge room, the restaurant offers a rustic setting with dark floors, naked wood, and sandy brick walls, ideal for intimate group dining. Although they can only accommodate up to eight people for dinner, lunch offers more flexibility if you have a larger group. The food is designed to be shared. Think lamb neck with romesco sauce and a whole rainbow trout paired with horseradish and foraged purslane.
Henrietta
Windsor
The beloved Sydney eatery Henrietta recently joined Melbourne’s coveted Chapel Street, bringing with it Middle Eastern flavours. With the capacity to seat 90, Henrietta is the ultimate group dining destination. The banquet menus cater to large groups, featuring several dish options, including classics like hummus and duck koftas to start, and heftier mains, including charcoal chicken, served with house condiments and spiced cauliflower. It’s also one of the more affordable options for groups, with the Henrietta’s Feast banquet available at $88 per person or a classic banquet available at $68 per person.
Odd Culture
Fitzroy
Another Sydney original moving into Melbourne is Odd Culture, which was a game-changer in Sydney and will undoubtedly impact Melbourne. The hybrid bar and bottle shop explores fermentation in a beautiful heritage building that used to serve as Fitzroy’s post office generations ago. Gather the friend group for glasses of natural wine, and share small signature plates, including beer bread and cultured butter.
Victoria by Farmer’s Daughters
Fed Square
The man behind Farmer’s Daughters, Alejandro Saravia, has doubled down on his love of Victorian ingredients at Victoria, a larger space with a formal dining room, perfect for group bookings. The venue offers a rotating ‘region in residence’, which sees ingredients, guest chefs, winemakers, and bespoke cocktails from specific regions around Victoria. Whether you need a place to celebrate a special occasion or haven’t seen your friends in a while, this restaurant is guaranteed to please everyone.
Grill Americano
CBD
Nothing shouts group dining quite like an American grill with a Naples twist. Grill Americano is an expansive venue, seating 145 diners. Inspired by elegant Venetian architecture, the interiors are nothing short of luxurious. Dishes from the wood grill and bespoke wood oven imported from Naples form the heart of the menu with Italian classics like Bistecca a la Florentina and handmade pasta.
Chin Chin
CBD
Everyone knows Chin Chin is the place where you bring people for good food, good wine, and riotous good times. The iconic neon bunny sets the tone for the evening, echoed with a mix of old and new tunes. It’s always a little bit too loud, but that’s part of its charm. The menu is seemingly endless with Southeast Asian plates, from chilli salt chicken wings to rendang beef curry and crab fried rice. There are several set menus to choose from, including a chef’s banquet or the ultimate celebration feast that comes with eight dishes.
Bar Bambi
CBD
When it comes to group bookings with a party vibe, look no further than Bar Bambi. Bar Bambi merges food, drinks and entertainment whilst paying tribute to their Nonno’s original Bar Bambi that stood in their hometown of Trieste, Italy, 80 years ago. Guests will be treated to a menu of classic Italian gems along with some fun additions, including a carbonara toastie.
Taxi Kitchen
CBD
Have a big group? Need a lot of space? Look no further than Taxi Kitchen. Just a stone’s throw from Flinders Street Station, this open, light-filled restaurant offers panoramic city views and an Asian-fusion menu that will have everyone talking about the team Christmas party for years to come. At lunchtime, there is a Feed Me menu for just $45pp, which includes three small plates and one large plate to share. As for the bites, expect king prawn dumplings, candy pork belly on a pickled papaya salad, lamb shoulder, and drunken chicken — just to name a few. While they have a crafty cocktail list, the wine is the star of the show, and not to be missed.
Mr. Miyagi
Windsor
Mr. Miyagi also has a party vibe, with 80s nostalgia cemented in neon hearts and graffiti walls. The menu is all shareable and organised by rounds. For round one, expect bang bang cracker tuna and silken tofu — the smaller bites. Round two gets into the comfort foods, like a schnitty bao, salmon nori taco, and then round three is where you’ll find something more substantial like lamb shoulder or the Dan Dan pork. The playful cocktail list is bound to serve everyone in your group or team. Should you like to book for a Tuesday, you’re in luck to try Mr. Miyagi’s Takosu Tuesdays, a delicious new offering of their most popular tacos.
Daughter In Law
CBD
Indian cuisine is all about sharing food with a group, which makes Daughter-in-Law the perfect venue for those looking for a lively setting with great food. Helmed by Jessi Singh, this colourful establishment on Little Bourke Street peddles ‘unauthentic’ Australian Indian cuisine. What does that look like? Well, think Indian fried chicken, a take on nachos, tandoori chicken, and so much more. The Feed Me menu is perfect for groups, with a few dishes from each section across street food, tandoor, curry, and dessert.
Related: 34 of the Best New Restaurants and Bars in Melbourne Right Now
Related: Once a Car Showroom, The Royce Is Now an Opulent Melbourne Hotel
Read more stories from The Latch and subscribe to our email newsletter.