Here are my top recommendations for the best places to eat in Richmond for brunch, lunch, dinner and dessert (the most important meal of the day).

During my time living in Melbourne (round two), I resided in Richmond – a very large but convenient inner-city suburb. In the end, I loved living in Richmond, where there are so many delicious food options an easy walk/tram ride away. I did a fairly good job eating my way around the suburb when I lived there, but there are a lot of Richmond restaurants, cafes and pubs. Nevertheless, here are my top picks. I broke the post down into four of the main thoroughfares in Richmond as well – Swan Street, Bridge Road, Church Street and Victoria Street.

Richmond foodie recommendations

Swan Street 

Hunky Dory

Hunky Dory is my favourite fish and chips spot in Melbourne. I’ve been a few times now and always get the Coupled Up to share with my dining companion. It allows you to taste a little bit of everything.

Beer and Burger Bar

Beer and Burger Bar is a great lunchtime option as they do weekly combo deals.

Gelato Messina

One of the best ice cream spots in Melbourne, Gelato Messina is conveniently located across the road from Hunky Dory. It’s known for its delicious array of ice cream flavours. There are dairy-free options and I highly recommend the dulce de leche 🤤.

Friends of Mine

This is a great brunch spot to check out on Swan Street. Friends of Mine serves many brunch staples: shakshuka, smashed avo, French toast and chilli scrambled eggs.

The Meatball & Wine Bar

I’ve only visited The Meatball & Wine Bar in the city, but both locations have the same menu. It’s a great Richmond restaurant and you can make your own meal, where you choose the meatballs, the sauce and “something for your balls sit on.”

Bridge Road

Penny For Pound

O.M.G. You must go to Penny For Pound for a delicious pastry. Their selection is always changing, but if there’s a Nutella croissant in the display cabinet, snatch it up immediately and thank me later 😉.

Monroe

I visited Monroe a couple of times when I lived in Richmond. The team at Monroe own quite a few cafes across Melbourne, so you know they know what works – delicious brunch dishes, appealing interiors and good coffee. Both times I got the egg and bacon roll with the additional potato rosti and it was great.

Fifty Acres

Another Richmond cafe with a beautiful interior is Fifty Acres. I visited with friends one hungover morning, so the Fifty Acres Breakfast went down a treat. On your plate is eggs, bacon, vegetables, sausage and potato croquette. But other items on the menu include chorizo scotch eggs, pumpkin pancakes and a breakfast burrito.

Touchwood

Yep, I ate a lot of brunches when I lived walking distance from Bridge Road. I loved that Touchwood has footpath dining for those days when the sun is shining in Melbourne. I devoured their shakshuka, but looking at the menu now Touchwood does a ‘wonut’ dish – a waffle/doughnut combination with toasted macadamia nuts, cinnamon sugar, seasonal fruits, ice cream AND cotton candy. If I’d known about this I would have definitely re-visited before I left!

Mister Minh

Finally, Mister Minh is a very popular and modern Vietnamese restaurant in Richmond. You can choose from pho, spring and rice paper rolls, stir-fries and meat dishes. I am a sucker for a good noodle dish, which Mister Minh perfects. If you’re in the area at lunch, Mister Minh also does a lunch special, with many delicious mains available for under $15. We’re talking caramelised pork belly, satay chicken or roast duck on rice.

Victoria Street

Kitty Burns

Because Victoria Street is the border between Richmond and Abbotsford, Kitty Burns is technically on the Abbotsford side of the street. But I had to include it because it has a beautiful Scandi-inspired interior, is located on the Yarra River and there are excellent food and drink options available. The drinks menu includes smoothies and interesting warm drinks like the red velvet beetroot cacao latte. Food-wise, check out the popcorn chilli chicken and waffles or the French toast. Opposite Kitty Burns, you’ll find Frankie Says, another great cafe I’ve visited.

Singa Pura

There are a lot of Asian eateries along Victoria Street, so picking your favourite can be difficult. However, Singa Pura won points for its $14.90 lunch deal, which includes an entree and main. Their portions are generous and prices are reasonable any time of the day. Serving traditional Singaporean food, I couldn’t resist the mee goreng (my favourite meal in Bali). But there’s Hainanese chicken rice, chilli crabs, laksa and Singapore noodles as well.

Seoul Soul

A recent addition to Victoria Street, Seoul Soul is also located in Northcote and Emporium. As the name suggests, it’s all about Korean food here, at very reasonable prices. Choose from favourites like bibimbap and stir-fried bulgogi, as well as kimchi fries, hotpot and pancakes.

Holla Coffee Roasters

Holla is one of the only places on this list I didn’t get to when I lived in Richmond. However, I did know they do an epic bottomless brunch, where you get a meal plus bottomless espresso martinis, Aperol spritz, wine, prosecco, mimosas and tap beer for $59 for two hours. I think it would be a fun way to start your weekend with your best friends. Holla also does a weekday lunchtime happy hour, boozy milkshakes and a s’mores croissant/waffle hybrid. Please try this dish for me!

Church Street

Top Paddock

Located on Church Street, I can’t do a post about the best Richmond restaurants and cafes without mentioning Top Paddock. Run by the people behind Higher Ground in the CBD, Top Paddock is known for its perfectly-presented brunch dishes. There are blueberry and ricotta hotcakes, crushed avocado and peas, a breakfast salad or the Top Paddock itself.

Pillar of Salt

Last but certainly not least is Pillar of Salt. This is another cafe in Richmond serving up delectable brunch options, like the Iced Vovo buttermilk pancake stack and a Greek board. There are also lunch options, including blue corn tacos and slow-braised beef brisket.

I hope this list helps you decide where to eat in Richmond – one of Melbourne’s best suburbs in my opinion 😉.

For more Melbourne foodie recommendations, check out this post and this post. You may also like these posts: things to do in Melbourne at night, where to photograph the Melbourne skyline and the Melbourne vs Sydney debate!