15 Best Restaurants In The Dandenong Ranges (2024)

Come for the greenery, stay for the food, here’s how to plot a culinary itinerary around the Dandenong Ranges.

The Dandenong Ranges is well-known as a playground for outdoors enthusiasts, a hop, skip and a jump away from the Yarra Valley.

But the region is home to plenty more than just a swathe of enchanting greenery.

In between the scenic lookouts, fern-draped trails and winding, tree-lined roads, you’ll find teahouses with ornamental gardens, cosy pubs with plenty of character, smart-casual Modern Australian restaurants and schmick cafes dishing up inventive fare.

Read on to uncover the best restaurants in the Dandenong Ranges.

The shortlist

Best Value: Ms Banh Mi

Best drinks list: Killik Handcrafted Rum

Best for dinner: The Independent

Best for casual eats: White Thai Ginger

1. Babaji’s Kerala Kitchen

Best for: South Indian food, interiors

This vivaciously decorated restaurant (both inside and out) is a bright beacon of hope for those who crave authentic South Indian food. Specialising in Keralan cuisine, Babaji’s is perhaps best known for its sadya: a meal composed of many small dishes, served together on a banana leaf. Typically, it’s vegetarian and reserved for special occasions.

Here, the sadya includes 12 different morsels, which vary depending on the season, but might include papadam, sambar (a lentil-based vegetable stew), rasam (a tomato and tamarind broth), or payasam (a ‘rice pudding’ made with vermicelli, sago, cashews and raisins).

Babajis Kerala serves homely Indian food.

Beyond Babaji’s banana leaf feast, you’ll find standalone dosas, curries, and deep-fried street food snacks on offer too.

Address: 1/1644 Burwood Hwy Belgrave

2. Chae

Best for: Exclusivity, Korean food

Don’t even think about rocking up to this Cockatoo restaurant without a reservation. A hallowed Melbourne institution, formerly located in Brunswick, Chae operates a lottery system that can entail a months-long slog to get in. Accommodating just six diners per sitting, this intimate Korean restaurant is actually situated within chef Jung Eun Chae’s house.

It’s worth the wait, however. Showcasing foods that require time- and labour-intensive practices, which few other more commercial kitchens could justify, lucky lottery winners might sample gam-sikcho (a Korean persimmon vinegar that can take over a year to ferment and age adequately), homemade kimchi and gochujang, and a selection of house-brewed drinks, such as barley tea and makgeolli (a sparkling rice wine liquor).

Address: 33 Mountain Rd, Cockatoo

3. Paradise Valley Hotel

Best for: Relaxed meals, views

If it’s good pub grub and schmick surrounds you’re after, Paradise Valley Hotel could be the venue for you. While a pub has occupied this spot since 1882, ‘The Clemo’ (found in the small township of Clematis) is anything but old-timey inside. It reopened in late 2019 under the careful guidance of some of Melbourne’s hospo heavyweights, and has emerged into an airy, bright, modern, quasi-minimalist bar and bistro, with a leafy beer garden that offers front seat views of local icon Puffing Billy.

Since its reboot, one dish in particular has become a signature: the duck and mushroom pithivier, served with mashed potato, spinach and lentils, and composed, almost entirely, of Victorian-sourced ingredients.

Address: 249 Belgrave-Gembrook Rd, Clematis

4. Bam Bam Italian

Best for: Parents, Italian food

Parents, rejoice! This neighbourhood Italian joint not only serves an enticing array of pizza and pasta, it also boasts a gorgeous fully fenced playground and turfed play area, which is fully visible from the restaurant’s own family dining room. There’s a kid’s menu and baby change facilities to boot. And did we mention that this Avonsleigh venue is also entirely wheelchair-accessible?

Dog owners aren’t left in the dark either. Bam Bam Italian’s front outdoor dining area is available to fur babies and their humans, with dog water bowls and a nature strip in easy reach.

the dining of Bam Bam Italian — Bam Bam Italian also caters to humans with furry friends in the outdoor dining area.

Address: 445 Belgrave-Gembrook Road, Avonsleigh

5. White Ginger Thai Restaurant

Best for: Thai food, a casual dinner

Something of a local institution, White Ginger Thai Restaurant is not short of local ambassadors; they wax lyrical about the authentic flavours as much as they do the warm, attentive service.

This isn’t the spot for groundbreaking fusion food. Instead, you’ll find a comforting roll call of Thailand’s greatest hits, from green curry to tom yum soup, spring rolls, pad Thai and neua nam tok (Thai beef salad).

Address: Unit 4/1526-1528 Mount Dandenong Tourist Rd, Olinda

6. Killik Handcrafted Rum

Best for: Cocktails, a fun night out with friends

Don’t let the name of this Belgrave establishment fool you; there’s much more to Killik than rum. Part distillery door, part smart casual eatery, cosy Killik offers a little something for any occasion.

Killik restaurant — Killik offers a little something for any occasion.

A lazy Sunday arvo for two, accompanied by a share board (cheese, cured meats and house-fermented pickles) and a gin tasting paddle* perhaps? A hot buttered rum for one next to the fireplace on a quiet winter’s eve? Or a full-on ‘feed me’ feast with friends, devouring dishes such as cauliflower and truffled pecorino beignets, cured scallop carpaccio, and housemade linguine served with pesto Trapanese? Take your pick at Killik.

*Killik is also home to gin distillery GinFinity .

Address: 64 Monbulk Rd, Belgrave

7. Lorna Cafe, Ferntree Gully

Best for: Coffee, breakfast, cake

At the foothills of the Dandenong Ranges, this whitewashed minimalist cafe has a breakfast menu that strikes the perfect balance between salubrious and indulgent.

Keep hunger at bay all morning with a plate of southern fried chicken that sits atop a cheesy waffle bed, drizzled with jalapeno maple sauce and speckled with gremolata. Or fuel up with a nourishing bowl of cinnamon myrtle porridge sprinkled with spiced walnut crumb and festooned with poached pear pearls.

Lorna serves up an enticing array of towering cakes to boot, should you feel like stopping by for a tea and a slice.

Address: 1053 Burwood Hwy, Ferntree Gully

brunch meals at Lorna Cafe — Lorna Cafe’s breakfast menu is a trendsetter in the Dandenong Ranges. (Image: Lorna Cafe)

8. Maria Cafe, Upwey

Best for: Vegan, Mexican

Sister venue to Lorna Cafe, we couldn’t not give this Upwey venue a shout-out. Though the fitout and design here bears a fair resemblance to its Ferntree Gully sibling, the menus are surprisingly distinct, with Maria featuring a decidedly Mexican lean .

Beyond the standard eggs Benny and smashed avo you’ll find beef birria tacos, baked eggs with frijoles (refried beans) and chilaquiles (fried tortilla chips simmered in a brothy sauce). There’s also a solid selection of vegan items for those so inclined, such as tofu scramble and jackfruit birria tacos.

Address: 56-58 Main St, Upwey

meal at Maria Cafe — Maria Cafe is all glammed up, from chic interiors to aesthetically pleasing plates. (Image: Maria Cafe)

9. The General Food Store, Emerald

Best for: Lunch

Small in size but big on accolades, husband-and-wife team Paul and Belinda Douglas – a chef and a graphic designer, respectively – craft The General Food Store ’s monthly menu based on what’s in season.

With quirky pardon-the-pun dish names like Flame and Fortune (chilli scrambled eggs with housemade sambal), and The Juan That I Want (smashed avo with pico de gallo and a poached egg), the menu is as creative as the food.

The cafe caters for food intolerances and offers a sizable kid’s menu to boot, plus owners Paul and Belinda are committed to supporting local producers, local artists (whose work is exhibited in the cafe) and stepping lightly on the earth – check out the worm farm in the courtyard.

Belgian waffles at The General Food Store, Dandenong Ranges restaurants — Their Belgian waffles have macerated strawberries and toasted pistachios on the side. (Image: Sam Stuart)

Address: 377 Belgrave-Gembrook Rd, Emerald

10. Olinda Tea House and Restaurant

Best for: High tea, setting

While this Olinda venue is open for both lunch and dinner six days a week, it’s the Asian fusion restaurant’s high tea that has become something of a signature.

Featuring savoury and sweet morsels (think macarons, profiteroles, croquettes and pork buns) alongside a selection of internationally sourced teas, the offering is as ornately presented as Olinda Tea House and Restaurant ’s immaculately manicured gardens.

Address: 86 Olinda-Monbulk Rd, Olinda

pastries at Olinda Tea House, Dandenong Ranges restaurants — Satisfy your sweet cravings with these decadent pastries. (Image: Olinda Tea House)

11. The Pig and Whistle Tavern, Olinda

Best for: Lunch, setting

The sun-dappled deck at this English-style pub is an inviting spot to while away a summer’s afternoon post-hike, but there are several more reasons to visit.

Not only are the portions generous, but the tavern’s roast pork belly and parmies (Italian, Irish, Southern-style, or classic) in particular keep the locals coming back for more. Chase it all down with one of The Piggy’s British beers, such as Old Speckled Hen, London Pride or Hobgoblin.

Address: 1429 Mount Dandenong Tourist Rd, Olinda

burger and fries combo, The Pig & Whistle Tavern — The Pig & Whistle Tavern is your go-to stop for a classic brunch. (Image: The Pig & Whistle Tavern)

12. Ms Banh Mi

Best for: Lunch, value

Located just on the cusp of the ranges lies this ever-reliable pork roll shop. Crusty rolls are filled with tender and juicy hunks of freshly roasted pork and crunchy crackling, and laced with slivers of carrot, chilli, cucumber and coriander.

Ms Banh Mi ’s Vietnamese iced coffee also receives top marks – it’s so moreish that you may in fact want to hook yourself up to a drip of it. Better still, you can buy both and still leave with change from a $20 note.

crusty rolls, Ms Banh Mi — Crunch-filled delight at Ms Banh Mi. (Image: Ms Banh Mi)

Address: 253 Colchester Rd, Kilsyth South

13. Le Voltaire Bistro Francais, Belgrave

Best for: Dinner, French

Le Voltaire Bistro Francais is the type of consistently good neighbourhood restaurant that everyone wishes they had just around the corner. And given the culinary pedigree of its owner, Jean-Noel Langlet, who moved to the area after 20-odd years as a waiter at Melbourne institution, France-Soir, it’s little surprise.

Offering all the Gallic classics (with a few Australian twists), his menu mightn’t win any awards for boundary-pushing, but it has won a legion of fans.

Expect moules marinière, canard à l’orange, oysters shucked in front of you and, of course, snails, alongside house-churned butter, bread made from scratch and a well-balanced wine list of new- and old-world styles.

Address: 1677 Burwood Hwy, Belgrave

14. Citrine Bistro and Bar, Olinda

Best for: Lunch, Modern Australian

One of the smartest restaurants in the Dandenong Ranges region, both in terms of its refined Modern Australian menu and impeccably styled interior, Citrine is a bit of a failsafe local go-to .

The dining room is warm and homely – its open fireplace, tables dressed in white linens, and timber bookshelves decked with books and vintage curios lending a bit of a stately home feel.

The menu is similarly inviting, showcasing seasonal ingredients in familiar ways alongside daily specials. Sample everything from handmade spinach and ricotta tortellini to calamari fritti and cider-roasted pork cheek.

Address: 543 Mount Dandenong Tourist Rd, Olinda

Calamari, Citrine Bistro & Bar — Calamari fritti with lemon aioli makes for a great appetiser. (Image: Citrine Bistro & Bar)

15. The Independent, Gembrook

Best for: Dinner, share plates

Rustic, industrial charm is taken to the next level in this heritage-listed hardware-store-cum-restaurant that attracts diners from near and far. The Independent specialises in Argentinian cuisine, to reflect chef/owner Mauro Callegari’s heritage, and features a variety of share plates that are guaranteed to satisfy your taste buds as well as your appetite.

This Dandenong Ranges restaurant also caters well to those with dietaries, offering a slew of dishes to suit vegetarians, vegans, coeliacs, or those with intolerances to dairy, onion and garlic.

And if indecision overwhelms your party, opt for the chef’s set menu, which promises a seven-course tour de force.

Address: 79 Main St, Gembrook

Lime cured scallops, The Independent Gembrook — This lime-cured scallop dish could be your new comfort food. (Image: The Independent Gembrook)

Check out our Victoria travel guide, so you can read up on the very best the region has to offer.

Slow down and find your rhythm on a Murray River journey through time and place.

Trust is a funny thing. It seems not that long ago that my mother was insisting on pouring the milk into my cereal bowl, because she didn’t trust me not to slosh it over the table, and yet here I am on the Murray River at Mildura in far north-west Victoria, being handed the keys to a very new and very expensive luxury houseboat.

After a crash course in how not to crash, I’m at the wheel of the good ship Elevate – pride of the All Seasons fleet – guiding her upstream past red-ochre cliffs as pelicans glide above the rippled river and kookaburras call from reedy banks. There’s a brief moment of breath-holding while I negotiate a hairpin turn around a jagged reef of skeletal, submerged gum trees, before a cheer rings out and calm descends as the timeless river unfurls in front of us.

The Murray River winding through Yarrawonga. (Image: Rob Blackburn)

Setting sail from Mildura

Murray River birds — Home to a large number of bird species, including pelicans. (Image: The Precint Studios)

A journey along the Murray River is never less than magical, and launching from Mildura makes perfect sense. Up here the river is wide and largely empty, giving novice skippers like myself the confidence to nudge the 60-tonne houseboat up to the riverbank where we tie up for the night, without fear of shattering the glass elevator (the boat is fully wheelchair accessible) or spilling our Champagne.

My friends and I spend three days on the water, swimming and fishing, sitting around campfires onshore at night, and basking in air so warm you’d swear you were in the tropics. The simplicity of river life reveals an interesting dichotomy: we feel disconnected from the world but at the same time connected to Country, privileged to be part of something so ancient and special.

Stop one: Echuca

19th-century paddlesteamers — A historic 19th-century paddlesteamer cruises along the Murray River. (Image: Visit Victoria)

The six-hour drive from Melbourne to Mildura (or four hours and 20 minutes from Adelaide) is more than worth it, but you don’t have to travel that far to find fun on the river. Once Australia’s largest inland port, Echuca is the closest point on the Murray to Melbourne (two hours 45 minutes), and you’ll still find a plethora of paddlesteamers tethered to the historic timber wharf, a throwback to the thriving river trade days of the 19th century. The PS Adelaide, built in 1866 and the oldest wooden-hulled paddlesteamer operating in the world, departs daily for one-hour cruises, while a brand-new paddlesteamer, the PS Australian Star , is launching luxury seven-night voyages in December through APT Touring.

The town is also a hot food and wine destination. St Anne’s Winery at the historic Port of Echuca precinct has an incredibly photogenic cellar door, set inside an old carriage builders’ workshop on the wharf and filled with huge, 3000-litre port barrels. The Mill, meanwhile, is a cosy winter spot to sample regional produce as an open fire warms the red-brick walls of this former flour mill.

Stop two: Barmah National Park

Just half-an-hour upstream, Barmah National Park is flourishing, its river red gum landscape (the largest in the world) rebounding magnificently after the recent removal of more than 700 feral horses. The internationally significant Ramsar-listed wetland sits in the heart of Yorta Yorta Country, with Traditional Owners managing the environment in close partnership with Parks Victoria. Walkways weave through the forest, crossing creeks lined with rare or threatened plants, passing remnants of Yorta Yorta oven mounds and numerous scar trees, where the bark was removed to build canoes, containers or shields.

The Dharnya Centre (open weekdays until 3pm) is the cultural hub for the Yorta Yorta. Visitors can learn about the ecological significance of the Barmah Lakes on a 90-minute river cruise, led by a First Nations guide, or take a one-hour, guided cultural walking tour along the Yamyabuc Trail.

Stop three: Cobram

Continue east to Cobram to find the southern hemisphere’s largest inland beach. Swarming with sun-seekers in summer, the white sand of Thompson’s Beach is shaded by majestic river red gums and dotted with hundreds of beach umbrellas, as beachgoers launch all manner of water craft and set up stumps for beach cricket. But the beach is at its most captivating at sunset, when the crowds thin out, the glassy river mirrors the purple sky, and the canopies of the gum trees glow fiery orange.

The region is also home to some fine resorts and indulgent retreats. Yarrawonga Mulwala Golf Club Resort has two riverside championship golf courses, luxury apartments and self-contained villas. While not strictly on the Murray, the historic wine town of Rutherglen is rife with boutique (and unique) accommodation, including an exquisitely renovated red-brick tower in a French provincial-style castle at Mount Ophir Estate. Fans of fortified wines can unravel the mystery of Rutherglen’s ‘Muscat Mile’, meeting the vignerons and master-blenders whose artistry has put the town on the global map for this rich and complex wine style.

Stop four: Albury-Wodonga

First Nations YindyamarraSculpture Walk — First Nations Yindyamarra Sculpture Walk is part of the Wagirra Trail. (Image: Carmen Zammit)

Follow the river far enough upstream and you’ll arrive at the twin border cities of Albury-Wodonga. The Hume Highway thunders through, but serenity can be found along the five-kilometre Yindyamarra Sculpture Walk – part of the Wagirra Trail that meanders through river wetlands just west of Albury in Wiradjuri country. Fifteen sculptures by local First Nations artists line the trail, conveying stories of reconciliation, enduring connection to culture, local Milawa lore and traditional practices. It feels a long way from Mildura, and it is, but the pelicans and kookaburras remind us that it’s the same river, the great conduit that connects our country.

A traveller’s checklist

Staying there

New Mildura motel Kar-rama. (Image: Iain Bond Photo)

Kar-Rama is a brand-new boutique, retro-styled motel in Mildura, with a butterfly-shaped pool and a tropical, Palm Springs vibe. Echuca Holiday Homes has a range of high-end accommodation options, both on the riverfront and in town.

Playing there

BruceMunro’s Trail of Lights in Mildura — Bruce Munro’s Trail of Lights in Mildura. (Image: Imogen Eveson)

Artist Bruce Munro’s Trail of Lights installation, comprising more than 12,000 illuminated ‘fireflies’, is currently lighting up Mildura’s Lock Island in the middle of the Murray. Murray Art Museum Albury (MAMA) is a hub for contemporary art, with a rotating roster of exhibitions, and is a major outlet for young and First Nations artists.

Eating there

Mildura’s diverse demographic means it’s a fantastic place to eat. Andy’s Kitchen is a local favourite, serving up delicious pan-Asian dishes and creative cocktails in a Balinese-style garden setting. Call in to Spoons Riverside in Swan Hill to enjoy locally sourced, seasonal produce in a tranquil setting overlooking the river.

15 of the best restaurants in the Dandenong Ranges for 2024