10 of the most beloved Bendigo restaurants for seasonal feasting

Chloe CannBy Chloe Cann
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Bendigo’s dining scene has flourished in recent years, plating up a delicious and diverse spread of farm-focused fare.

A Central Victorian city sitting pretty amid farmland, Bendigo abounds with quality produce, locally reared meat and locally grown grain right at its doorstep. Whether you’re in the market for a long, meandering lunch or a fancy sit-down dinner, this Goldfields city delivers with flair. To further entice, Bendigo and the neighbouring region of Heathcote are strongholds for wine growing, so visiting one of the best Bendigo restaurants will often accompany a knockout regional pour.

When you’re looking for a break between activities in the region, relax at one of these standout restaurants.

The shortlist

Best family-friendly spot: Borchelli Ristorante
Best casual eats: El Gordo
Hottest new opening: Terrae Restaurant
Best for large groups: Malayan Orchid

1. Alium Dining

an arched window at Alium Dining, Bendigo
The upscale restaurant features elegant stained glass windows. (Image: Alium Dining)

If you’ve only got time for one lengthy lunch or dinner, make a booking with Alium Dining . A special occasion standout, this is undoubtedly one of the best Bendigo restaurants, masterfully shining a light on fresh local and seasonal produce while a dedicated and informed team keep the mood light and welcoming. Sink into an inside table or one in the street-facing courtyard to make sure you catch the eye of envious onlookers. The food itself? Delicately balancing flavours and technique to create unfussy, generous plates, the team nails the likes of Confit pork belly with peach chutney, chimichurri and parsnip chips while the grill menu (which is larger at dinner than lunch, FYI) always boasts excellent cuts with Hasselback potato, a salad and your choice of sauce.

Cuisine: Modern Australian

Average price: $$$$

Atmosphere: Warm yet refined

Review: 4.5/5

Location: 17 View Pt, Bendigo

2. Terrae Restaurant

a close-up of a dish with wine at Terrae Restaurant, Bendigo
The menu at Terrae Restaurant is Modern European with meat-focused mains. (Image: Leon Schoots)

Another restaurant championing the region’s renowned produce (including goodies sourced from the team’s own kitchen gardens), Terrae Restaurant is a newer jewel in Bendigo’s culinary crown. Located inside Hotel Ernest Bendigo, one of the best Bendigo accommodation picks, this fine dining, achingly chic restaurant opened in December 2024 to level up the local foodie scene to soaring heights. A minimalistic fit-out allows sensational plates to steal the show, spanning a tight collective of house-made pastas (think carrot agnolotti with rabbit and broad beans), meat-focused mains (like the charcoal grilled beef with dauphinoise potato) and one killer cheese menu.

Cuisine: Modern European

Average price: $$$-$$$$

Atmosphere: Elevated

Review: 4.5/5

Location: 10-12 View St, Bendigo

3. Ms Batterhams

the Gothic-style diner with an alfresco spot at Ms Batterhams, Bendigo
The two-storey red brick Gothic-Revival-style diner is tucked in the historic Mackenzie Quarters. (Image: Visit Victoria)

Ms Batterhams is perched in a plum spot. This slick lounge bar is housed within the historic Mackenzie Quarters – a two-storey red brick Gothic-Revival-style that dates to 1877 and formerly housed a school – within the city’s renowned arts precinct. Head chef Travis Rodwell’s Chef’s Share menu changes with the seasons but frequently pays its respects to European destinations such as France, Greece and Italy. Think Confit pork cheek with pico de gallo and a wagyu M7 scotch fillet with tomato and sherry salsa, sweet potato with chorizo butter and lime. Open since early 2020, Ms Batterhams has established itself as one of the best spots to fine dine in Bendigo.

Cuisine: Modern Australian

Average price: $$$

Atmosphere: Elegant

Review: 4/5

Location: 10-12 MacKenzie St, Bendigo

4. Ghosty’s Diner

the dining interior of Ghosty’s Diner, Bendigo
Nab a cosy spot in the retro booth. (Image: Visit Victoria)

Step into the set of Seinfeld with a visit to Ghosty’s Diner , Bendigo’s all-day eatery complete with retro booth seating, a record player and low-slung pendant lights. All your classic diner cravings are met, including a collection of five hearty burgers and optional add-ons like bacon jam. There are also three-cheese toasties, pastrami on rye, fried chicken, disco fries and popcorn cauliflower. It doesn’t get much more Americana-indulgent than this.

Cuisine: American comfort food

Average price: $$

Atmosphere: Chilled out

Review: 4/5

Location: 35 View St, Bendigo

5. The Woodhouse Bar & Grill

a large share steak spread at The Woodhouse Bar & Grill, Bendigo
Feast on prime cuts at The Woodhouse Bar & Grill. (Image: Leon Schoots)

Get your caveman on at The Woodhouse Bar & Grill —an unapologetic temple of beef. Beamed ceilings, dim lighting, brick walls and roaring fireplace will greet you, as will the smoky scent of redgum blazing on the woodfired grill. Then, you’ll spy dry-ageing loins hanging in chiller cabinets. Offering premium cuts sourced from Australian farms, pure grass-fed scotch fillets and F1 grain-fed wagyu eye fillets are among this Bendigo restaurant’s culinary attractions. Not into steak? You’re also sorted with the menu’s raw bar selection of outstanding seafood delicacies such as yellowfin tuna with apple and mint consommé, plus a market fish and seasonal pasta on the mains menu.

Cuisine: Steakhouse

Average price: $$$$$

Atmosphere: Sexy

Review: 4/5

Location: 101 Williamson St, Bendigo

6. El Gordo

Huevos Rancheros at El Gordo, Bendigo
Huevos Rancheros is a classic Mexican dish with fried eggs and salsa. (Image: El Gordo)

Whether you’re rolling into El Gordo for brunch or pulling up a pew for a booze-laced lunch, this tapas bar delivers the fun. Located on Chancery Lane, it’s a little slice of hipster Melbourne laneway life in the heart of Bendigo. Pick your poison from a rotating menu of authentic tapas plates including dazzlers like the cured meat Bresaola with orange, Jamon croquetas and everyone’s beloved patatas bravas. Signature Portuguese tarts with homemade pastry is a non-negotiable chaser—trust us.

Cuisine: Spanish tapas plates

Average price: $$

Atmosphere: Casual

Review: 3/5

Location: 3/70 Chancery Lane, Pall Mall, Bendigo

7. Harpoon Social Club

Japanese food and drinks at Harpoon Social Club, Bendigo
Harpoon Social Club offers a variety of cuisines. (Image: Harpoon Social Club)

Although this snug Bendigo restaurant hangs its hat on ramen, there’s oh so much more to Harpoon Social Club ’s playful menu, which toys with a number of cuisines spanning Asia and beyond. For example, the half a dozen bao buns crammed with 5-spiced pork, tofu and more, plus the burnt cabbage with homemade sticky sauce. There’s even a hot jam bao with matcha ice cream for dessert. Leave your wheels at your digs to take full advantage of the drinks list, where an extensive array of Japanese beers, saké and spirits should keep you lubricated. It’s also an accommodating spot for vegans and gluten-free diners, too.

Cuisine: Japanese

Average price: $$-$$$

Atmosphere: Relaxed

Review: 4/5

Location: 36 High St, Bendigo

8. Red Smoke Bendigo

While Red Smoke Bendigo ’s street-facing windows earmark the address as a ‘tapas, bar and grill’ restaurant, it’s this CBD hot spot’s barbecue that leaves a lasting impression. Think tender, melt-in-the-mouth brisket with maple sauce, smoky, chargrilled bourbon-glazed baby back ribs, and slow-cooked free-range pulled pork. Expect generous serves and very reasonable prices at this popular spot, which also boasts all the classic barbecue accompaniments you could wish for, like homemade slaw, mac and cheese, cornbread and pickles.

Cuisine: Barbecue

Average price: $$-$$$

Atmosphere: Rowdy

Review: 4/5

Location: 61 High St, Bendigo

9. Malayan Orchid

the restaurant interior of Malayan Orchid, Bendigo
The space is the perfect spot for a nightcap. (Image: Malayan Orchid)

A local institution, Malayan Orchid has been going strong since 1993. What keeps locals coming back for more is the consistently good Chinese and Malaysian staples (that’s a big yes to drunken chicken, honey prawns, thai green curry and san choy bao) paired with warm and friendly service. The house banquets are also a steal (and holy grail for indecisive diners who want to sample the full gamut of dishes). They start from $45 a head if you’re dining with a minimum of three pals, otherwise couples can do the more extensive $75 per person set menu, which never disappoints.

Cuisine: Pan-Asian

Average price: $$$

Atmosphere: Lively

Review: 3.5/5

Location: 155/157 View St, Bendigo

10. Borchelli Ristorante

Lean into serious comfort food at Borchelli Ristorante , an Italian fine dining establishment in Bendigo where flavours transport you all the way to your favourite European vacay. A two-level Bendigo restaurant with al fresco tables on the pavement and even more on the upstairs balcony, the romantic spot dishes up classics like Pork Cotoletta and pastas of every red-sauce and white-sauce description. Additionally, there’s the wonderful Pasta Misto (which translates to ‘mixed pasta’) platter, filled with any three pastas or risottos that take your fancy. Kids can keep the indulgence rolling with ice-cream and sprinkles, while grown-ups can’t refuse the likes of tiramisu and chocolate Jaffa mousse topped with honeycomb and berries.

Cuisine: Italian

Average price: $$$

Atmosphere: Family-friendly

Review: 3.5/5

Location: 18 Mitchell St, Bendigo

Originally written by Chloe Cann with updates by Kristie Lau Adams

Discover the best places to stay in Bendigo

Chloe Cann
Chloe Cann is an award-winning freelance travel and food writer, born in England, based in Melbourne and Roman by adoption. Since honing her skills at City St George's, University of London with a master's degree in journalism, she's been writing almost exclusively about travel for more than a decade, and has worked in-house at newspapers and travel magazines in London, Phnom Penh, Sydney and Melbourne. Through a mixture of work and pleasure, she's been fortunate enough to visit 80 countries to date, though there are many more that she is itching to reach. While the strength of a region's food scene tends to dictate the location of her next trip, she can be equally swayed by the promise of interesting landscapes and offbeat experiences. And with a small person now in tow, travel looks a little different these days, but it remains at the front of her mind.
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Goat yoga to gastronomy: The ultimate guide to Wimmera Mallee, Vic

    Gemma KaczerepaBy Gemma Kaczerepa
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    A world away from the hustle, bustle and chaos of the big smoke – yet with a distinct sense of familiarity – Victoria’s Wimmera Mallee region is an incomparable place.

    Victoria’s Grampians are a visual feast, a seemingly endless vista of craggy cliffs, rolling valleys and untamed bushland. But they’re also much more than a scenic mountain landscape. Diverse and storied, each region within the range has its own rhythm. The Wimmera Mallee – a pocket in the state’s north-west, stretching from Horsham to near Mildura – is one of the most captivating. 

    Once known as Victoria’s agricultural heartland, the Wimmera Mallee has evolved in recent years into a dynamic, slightly offbeat hub. It buzzes with a creative hum and welcoming energy, and harbours an eclectic mix of long-time locals and tree-changers. Once you encounter its unmistakable charm, feel its warm country hospitality and taste its nationally celebrated vanilla slice, you may find yourself lingering longer than planned. 

    Eager to explore? These must-visit spots let you experience the inimitable spirit of this special part of the world. 

    Wimmera Mallee’s quirky attractions

    The Dimboola Imaginarium, Wimmera Mallee victoria
    Step into the whacky Dimboola Imaginarium. (Image: Denis Bin)

    If you’re after something a little more unconventional, the Wimmera Mallee delivers in droves. 

    The Dimboola Imaginarium – located in a historic bank building in its namesake town – is a gift shop and boutique accommodation in one. Shop for unique and whimsical keepsakes, stay overnight in an elegant themed room, and lose yourself in one of the Imaginarium’s interactive experiences.  

    Also in Dimboola, just a short drive from the Imaginarium, is a menagerie of utter delight. Tiny Goats and Co. is home to a herd of miniature goats, with the farm offering group visits and special events like goat yoga and cuddle sessions. 

    Arcade aficionados should visit the Australian Pinball Museum in nearby Nhill. Here, you’ll find the biggest selection of playable pinball machines in the country, featuring modern models and classics dating all the way back to 1931.  

    Arts and culture in Wimmera Mallee

    Step into the Wimmera Mallee’s storied history at the Stick Shed
    Step into history at the Stick Shed. (Image: Visit Vic)

    As a thoroughly creative community, it’s no wonder the Wimmera Mallee has a host of venues focused on its rich arts and culture scene. 

    Wander Trickbots Metal Art & Sculpture Garden in Nullawil, a winding trail filled with unique and quirky creations fashioned from metal odds, ends and scrap. A walk through the garden is inspiring enough, but consider buying a piece to take home and treasure. 

    The town of Nhill also has a significant Karen-Burmese refugee community, who make up 10 per cent of the local population. Discover the artistry of this vibrant culture at Paw Po , where you can purchase traditional hand-woven and textile products. Choose from a selection of beautifully crafted homewares, fashion and dolls. 

    Step into the Wimmera Mallee’s storied history at the Stick Shed , the only WWII emergency grain store still standing today. This National Heritage-listed structure takes you on a journey through the region’s agricultural past and is a dramatic sight with its towering and eerily striking timber poles. 

    Nature escapes around Wimmera Mallee

    pink Lake Tyrrel, Wimmera Mallee, Victoria Australia
    Take in the pink hues of Lake Tyrrell. (Image: Visit Vic)

    Much like the majestic beauty of the wider Grampians, the Wimmera Mallee is a mélange of serene and spellbinding nature escapes. 

    Victoria’s pink lakes are famed nationwide, and two of them are found right here. See the flamingo-pink hues of Loch Iel, particularly vivid after a heavy downpour, or the vast and ancient Lake Tyrrell , which turns pink during wet and warm conditions. 

    The Snowdrift dunes in Wyperfeld National Park are ideal for adventurers. Set amid the area’s semi-arid landscape, the dunes are expansive mounds of sand deposited around 40,000 years ago. Hike or sandboard them and make sure to visit at sunset, when the sand glows golden. 

    And while some travellers chase the highest peaks, you can see the most modest in the Wimmera Mallee. Standing a mere 43 metres above the surrounding terrain, Mount Wycheproof is considered the smallest registered mountain in the world. Courtesy of its relatively gentle inclines, it’s a lovely spot for a walk and a picnic. 

    Culinary adventures in Wimmera Mallee

    border inn in the Wimmera Mallee
    Meet the locals at Border Inn.

    As a region rich in agricultural bounty, it’s little surprise the Wimmera Mallee has such a robust and vibrant food scene. The community is fiercely proud of its local produce, showcasing the flavours and heritage of the area. 

    The Border Inn in the village of Apsley is a quaint country pub and meeting spot for the local community, featuring a classic country menu and warm hospitality. 

    The Horsham Golf Club is a popular spot for golf buffs with an adjoining bistro and bar. Try a modern twist on hearty favourites while taking in views of the green.  For a taste of the area’s vintages, head to Norton Estate Wines – a boutique wine producer and cellar door open weekends.  

    A Wimmera Mallee jaunt wouldn’t be complete without a visit to the famed Sharp’s Bakery in Birchip. Here, you’ll find a velvety vanilla slice that’s been crowned as Australia’s best seven times. 

    Wimmera Mallee accommodation

    Fulham Homestead in wimmera mallee
    Escape to Fulham Homestead.

    If you’re enjoying an extended trip, you’ll need somewhere to rest. After a day tackling Wyperfeld’s epic dunes, visit Pine Plains Lodge , also in the national park. Built from reclaimed timber planks and logs, and anchored by rugged stone fireplaces, the lodge is a rustic and cosy hideaway. 

    For a refined yet relaxing escape, head to Fulham Homestead – a gorgeously restored guesthouse on an idyllic working farm, complete with farm animals and scenic vistas. Built in the 1840s, it has all the elegance and charm of its heritage, plus contemporary comforts like a modern kitchen, wi-fi and air-conditioning. 

    The Hermitage Hotel is Victoria’s oldest inland pub and an equally delightful blend of old and new. The restored rooms are perfectly appointed and adorned with period furnishings and high-quality linens. The pub itself is a favoured food and wine spot among locals and travellers alike. 

    If camping is more your style, the Lake Lascelles Cabins and Camping (formerly Mallee Bush Retreat) is a sprawling oasis with powered and unpowered sites and snug cabins. The setting is stunning too, the pristine Lake Lascelles sitting right in its centre. 

    Annual events

    Wimmera Mallee Nhill Aviation Museum
    Time your visit to Nhill Aviation Museum for the annual air show.

    You may not need an excuse to revisit the Wimmera Mallee, but these annual and bi-annual events will almost certainly have you returning again and again. 

    Each year, the Lake Chalegrark Country Music Marathon takes over the town for a spectacular line-up of musicians from around Australia. The event is easygoing, family-friendly, and set in scenic surrounds on the shores of Lake Charlegrark. 

    Every two years, the region holds colourful events like the Wimmera Steampunk Festival , a raucous celebration of 19th-century steampunk culture with a different theme each time; the Nhill Air Show , which features jaw-dropping aerial stunts, aircraft displays, music, activities and more; and the Nati Frinj , a festival of art, culture and performance showcasing the many talents of the Natimuk community. 

    From the quirky to the tasty, start planning at visitwimmeramallee.com.au