New Openings in Collingwood 2026 — What Just Opened
Collingwood’s food and drink scene does not sit still. Smith Street, Johnston Street, and the backstreets between them keep turning over, with new venues opening in spaces that were something completely different six months ago. Here is what has landed in the suburb recently and whether it is worth your time.
What Is New on Smith Street
Hands Down
Address: 321 Smith St, Collingwood VIC 3066
Hands Down opened to significant attention after Gourmet Traveller flagged it as one of Melbourne’s best new bars for 2026. The space combines indoor and outdoor seating with a drinks list that covers craft beer, natural wine, and cocktails without trying to specialise in any single category. The outdoor area is the draw — spacious enough for groups, with the kind of casual energy that makes it work as both a post-work drink spot and a proper evening destination. The food menu is concise but well-executed bar snacks.
Why it matters: Smith Street needed a new bar that could handle groups without the cramped standing-room situation that plagues several other venues on the strip. Hands Down fills that gap.
Izakaya Kuro
Address: 86 Smith St, Collingwood VIC 3066
A basement-level Japanese robata grill that has brought something genuinely different to the southern end of Smith Street. The focus is charcoal-grilled small plates — chicken skewers, grilled vegetables, and seafood — served in a dark, intimate room with paper lanterns and the sound of the grill as background. The whisky highball programme is precise and well-priced. It occupies the space below street level that tends to attract adventurous diners rather than passing foot traffic.
Why it matters: Smith Street’s southern stretch near Johnston Street has been gaining density, and a quality Japanese small-plates venue adds variety to a strip that was leaning heavily on pizza and pub food.
What Is New on the Backstreets
The Proof Bakery — Easey Street
Address: 3-5 Easey St, Collingwood VIC 3066
The Proof opened on Easey Street near the existing Easey’s burger spot and has quickly built a morning following. The focus is sourdough and viennoiserie — croissants, danishes, and a rotating selection of filled pastries. The sourdough loaves sell out by mid-morning most days. The space is small and takeaway-focused, but there are a few seats if you arrive early enough. Easey Street is becoming a secondary food destination in its own right, separate from the Smith Street main strip.
Why it matters: Collingwood has strong coffee options (Allpress on Rupert Street, Proud Mary on Oxford Street) but lacked a dedicated artisan bakery. The Proof fills that gap without trying to be a full cafe.
Terroir and Tap — Johnston Street
Address: 112 Johnston St, Collingwood VIC 3066
A natural wine bar on Johnston Street with 20 rotating wines on tap, poured into ceramic cups and paired with a snack menu designed to complement rather than compete. The room is warm and timber-heavy, and the staff guide you through unfamiliar producers without pretension. Johnston Street between Smith and Hoddle has been slower to develop its food identity compared to Smith Street, and Terroir and Tap is the kind of venue that could anchor a shift.
Why it matters: Natural wine bars have established themselves across Fitzroy and Carlton, but Collingwood has been underserved in this category until now.
What Is New Near Hoddle Street
Flora and Fauna
Address: 220 Hoddle St, Collingwood VIC 3066
A plant-based cafe on the Hoddle Street corridor that has drawn attention for the quality of its cooking rather than the novelty of its concept. The breakfast menu features a smoked carrot lox benedict and a mushroom calamari that have both received strong word-of-mouth from non-vegan diners. The space is bright and green-filled, a contrast to the Hoddle Street traffic outside. It adds to the growing cluster of venues in Collingwood’s eastern pocket that offer alternatives to the Smith Street concentration.
Why it matters: The eastern edge of Collingwood near Hoddle Street has been gaining new venues, and Flora and Fauna gives that pocket a daytime destination it previously lacked.
Openings to Watch
Several additional venues are in fit-out or have announced openings for late autumn and winter 2026. The former warehouse space on Wellington Street near Gipps Street has development approval for a mixed food and retail concept. Johnston Street between Hoddle and Wellington continues to attract interest from operators looking for lower rents than Smith Street with similar foot traffic potential.
How Collingwood’s Scene Is Shifting
The pattern across these new openings is a move away from Smith Street as the only destination. Easey Street, Johnston Street, and the Hoddle Street corridor are developing their own identities. For diners and drinkers, this is good news — it spreads the crowds, creates new walking routes through the suburb, and means that first-visit tourists on Smith Street and returning locals on the backstreets are having different experiences of the same suburb.
FAQ
Where are the newest restaurants in Collingwood? The most notable recent openings include Hands Down and Izakaya Kuro on Smith Street, The Proof Bakery on Easey Street, Terroir and Tap on Johnston Street, and Flora and Fauna on Hoddle Street.
Is Smith Street still the main food strip in Collingwood? Smith Street remains the densest concentration of venues, but Easey Street, Gipps Street (home to Stomping Ground and Le Bon Ton), and Johnston Street are developing their own reputations.
How often do new venues open in Collingwood? Collingwood typically sees 8-12 significant openings per year. The suburb’s relatively affordable commercial rents compared to the CBD, combined with strong foot traffic, make it attractive to new operators.
Verdict
Collingwood’s 2026 openings reflect a suburb that is maturing beyond its Smith Street identity. The new venues are confident, specific in their focus, and spread across multiple streets rather than clustering on a single strip. Whether it is the charcoal grill at Izakaya Kuro, the sourdough at The Proof, or the natural wines at Terroir and Tap, the common thread is operators choosing Collingwood because of the suburb’s audience rather than just its foot traffic. The quality bar keeps rising.
More on Collingwood: Best Restaurants in Collingwood | [Collingwood Nightlife Guide](/collingwood/nightlife-guide/) | Collingwood Neighbourhood Guide
Explore More of Collingwood
- Collingwood History
- Collingwood Late Night Eats
- Collingwood Things To Do This Weekend
- Collingwood Cheap Eats
- Collingwood Rent Guide
- Collingwood Date Night Guide
- Collingwood Things To Do
- Collingwood Rent Report
💬 Discussion
Join the conversation — no account needed