Restaurants

Kanteen Cafe
150 Alexandra Avenue, South Yarra
From the Olsen, stroll along the Yarra for 15 minutes and you’ll find Kanteen cafe. Perched on a bank above the river, the rustic, stick-covered exterior of Kanteen is unmistakable. This indoor-outdoor restaurant is a favourite for those looking to refuel after walking or riding along the river. Kanteen specialises in breakfast and coffee, with dishes like kanteen eggs - served on pidé with smoked salmon, spinach, mascarpone cheese & lemon vinaigrette . A selection of pidés and salads are available for lunch, as are some sweet treats to balance out all that physical activity.

Cafe e Cucina
581 Chapel Street, South Yarra
Ciao Bella/o! Expect to be greeted with authentic Italian hospitality as you step into this ivy-covered restaurant on Chapel Street. Authenticity is paramount at Cafe e Cucina, with an emphasis on dim lighting, Italian ingredients and classic dishes such as bruschetta, pasta and calamari. For their efforts Cafe Cucina was recently awarded the Ospitalita Italiana Seal by the Italian Government. Try to snag a seat on the intimate Romeo e Giullietabalcony upstairs to overlook passing shoppers.

Lawson Grove Shop
1 Lawson Grove, South Yarra
Borrow a cup of sugar neighbour? 15 minutes walk from The Olsen is like taking a journey back in time as what was once a communal kitchen for Warrick House apartments is now a thriving basement cafe. The feel in the Lawson Grove Shop is cosy, with antique-looking grocery shelves along the far wall and seating in the form of upside-down milk crates. Lawson Grove Shop serves traditional, expertly-prepared cafe fare, with daily specials written out on blackboards. It also still maintains its role as a corner shop, offering pre-prepared meals like curries fresh from the cafe’s kitchen.

The Millswyn
131-133 Domain Road (Corner Millswyn Street) South Yarra
If Melbournians seem obsessed with Scandanavian design, that’s because we are. Feeding this latest obsession is ‘The Millswyn’, located opposite the Botanic Gardens. Inside, the menu is surprisingly French and emphasises seasonal ingredients. Despite this, a Nordic minimalism runs throughout the menu in “simple yet thoughtful dishes”. The result is European style at its best.

Prince Alfred Hotel
619 Church St Richmond
Deep, polished woods, walls adorned with tounge-in-cheek quotes and a leafy courtyard complete with elegant water features is not what one would normally expect from a pub. But then again the Prince Alfred on Church St is no ordinary pub. Less than five minutes walk from The Olsen, the Prince Alfred serves traditional pub fare with a modern gourmet twist, such as pizzas with fresh prosciutto and rocket and mouth-watering mini burgers.

France Soir
11 Toorak Road, South Yarra
In a city where so many restaurants are the next-big-thing one day, then gone the next, France Soir (10 minutes walk from the Olsen) prides itself on its consistency, and has 20 years of success to back it up. Traditional French food like French onion soup, steak tartare and duck a l’orange are delivered with the impeccable execution that can only come from years of practice. An authentic, award-winning and extensive wine list, most of which is available by the glass, is the crowning glory of Jean-Paul Prunetti’s enduring legacy. Bon Appetit!

Cutler & Co.
55-57 Gertrude Street, Fitzroy
Located in a renovated metal work factory in bohemian Fitzroy, Cutler and Co offers a modern, unpretentious approach to fine dining and attracts consistent acclaim from critics. From their encased-glass wine cellar and the accompanying bar food, to their mouth-watering and artfully-presented degustation menu, to their unique industrial-inspired interior, it’s not hard to see why Cutler and Co is a Melbourne favourite.