I AM SHARING my guide to the best healthy restaurants in both Melbourne and Sydney, Australia. My taste buds are still buzzing from all the fresh and delicious food we ate on our trip down under.
David and I made a bonus trip to the Great Barrier Reef and stayed on Hamilton Island between city-hopping, where we ate some of the freshest seafood and most delicious meals. We just returned LAST weekend and I am already missing the pristine beaches, friendly people and amazing food on this beautiful continent! If you have an upcoming trip to Australia, or are just looking for an excuse to book one, here are my not to miss places to eat.
The yogurt and granola bowl from Porch & Parlour in Sydney.
So let’s get down to it in the down unda! First stop was Melbourne. I absolutely loved Melbourne, it’s kind of a mix of Vancouver and San Francisco with a European flair and amazing food. My list of places to eat food was so long, I thought about having 8 meals a day. But for the sake of my stomach, we settled on a few gems which I share below with photos and what I ordered. I am also sharing my list of the places I wanted to go but sadly didn’t have time to make it. We will need to go back!
MELBOURNE
ARCHIE’S
This was our first stop for breakfast and luckily was just down the street from our Airbnb in the warehouse district of Fitzroy. Fell in love with the menu on first glance. Could have ordered everything on it. David got their homemade cashew milk yogurt topped with house made granola. I was extra hungry and went with their avocado toast - sourdough topped with major avo chunks and dukkah with a side of the most amazing smoked salmon I have ever had. Topped with a big squeeze of lemon and I was feeling it. We also both had chai lattes with their housemade cashew milk. So good!
Loved the curbside tables and vibes
From Archie’s, check out that sunflower and pumpkin seed dukkah though!
CHIN CHIN
So many people recommended this place, and we were so glad we went! The menu was insane and everything was made with the freshest and tastiest ingredients. The only two drawbacks was the noise (the old lady in me likes more quiet restaurants) and the location. Chin Chin is located in the CDB (central business district) which is touristy and nothing special. If you are from San Francisco, think of Fisherman’s Wharf and Union Square combined. No thanks! Come here for the food and then walk it off through one of the many surrounding parks instead of the CBD. Back to the food! We ordered the do it yourself veggie wraps, salmon tartare and their pad thai. I also enjoyed a delicious local sour beer and David had a good local kolsch. NAILED IT.
MARION
This gem of a place came highly recommended by our Airbnb host. We went here for dinner on a night with nice weather and sat outside. Al fresco dining at it’s finest. The menu here is made up of mostly small plates which allows you to mix and match to your heart’s desire. The food was amazing and the service was exceptional. When it started to get dark and the temperature dropped, they kindly moved us inside and made a spot for us in the already crowded restaurant for our dessert. Loved that!
VACATION
Came here when craving a green smoothie and David wanted a chai latte. Cutest interior and menu of fancy toasts, smoothies, teas and coffees. Just what we needed.
CHIN CHIN veggie wraps
Marion al fresco dining
Kale and Date smoothie from Vacation
OTHER MELBOURNE PLACES TO EAT AND SHOP
Since we ran out of time to go to all the places, here is the rest of my list if you wanted to check these restaurants out too! I also highly recommend shopping in Melbourne. My favorite stores were Assembly which is an Australian version of Everlane, and Bul which has amazing well made basics with an edge.
Burnside - Coffee
South of Johnston - Breakfast
Cibi - Cool Japanese place
Bar Liberty - small plates
Gertrude Street Enoteca - small plates
Madras Bros. - Indian
Ladro - amazing pizza
Shop Ramen - in-house made noodles
Rice Paper Scissors - Vietnamese (highly recommended)
Aka Siro - japanese
Whitehaven Beach
Took a break between Melbourne and Sydney on Hamilton Island in the Whitsunday Islands near the Great Barrier Reef. If you follow me on Instagram (@balancebymolly) you can check out this part of our trip in my story highlights. We stayed at Qualia Resort for David’s birthday and ate lunch daily on their deck looking out on the water. The quinoa salad with roasted carrots, fennel, greens and feta was a staple for us along with the fresh catch of the day.
Qualia Resort Quinoa Salad
SYDNEY
BILL’S
We only had two nights and one day in Sydney so time was short but our appetite’s were not! Bill’s was so good that we ate here for breakfast and also for dinner. Hey, when it’s good it’s good. They make their own kimchi in house which I added to my avocado toast and eggs (the fluffiest I have ever had!) and their dinner was incredible and a low key and unstuffy environment. Favorite place for sure.
PORCH & PARLOUR
This restaurant was on the other side of Bondi Beach from Bills and such a little gem. I loved the decor, the drinks and delicious food. David got the veggie burger, I took a bite and it was the perfect texture and taste. I heard the green pea pancakes are delightful too.
MOMOFUKO SEIBO
Made a reservation here (I am a big David Chang fan) and then cancelled because we were so tired that night and not that hungry to splurge on a fancy dinner. Back to Bill’s. hahaha.
OTHER SPOTS
We didn’t make it to these but were on my list:
The Nines - Bondi Beach
The Paddington
Yellow
Anason - open-air and waterfront
UMU - Bondi Beach
Lox, Stock and Barrel - Bondi Beach
Breakfast at Bill’s in Bondi Beach with housemade kimchi