Correction (3 October 2026): an earlier version of this page listed places and details we could not stand behind. It has been rewritten from scratch: every place below was confirmed at two independent sources on 2 October 2026, and every price was copied from the page it was published on.
A first date wants low stakes and a menu you can read before you commit, so this page is built from what each restaurant publishes. It is a thin-on-the-suburb, honest-on-the-neighbours list: none of the sit-down restaurants we could verify has a Craigieburn South address, so these five sit in and around it, four in Craigieburn and one at Merrifield City in Mickleham.
Each entry says what the restaurant’s own pages state, which stage of dating the format suits (an inference from those facts, not a verdict), and a price where we could read one. Three of the five had prices we could copy; two did not, and we say so. Plan B for any of them is simply the next name down.
The quick picks
| If you’re after | Head to | Order this | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| A set price per person, dinner only | SAIKYO Craigieburn (All You Can Eat Japanese) | All-you-can-eat per person | $52.80 |
| A licensed Italian room | La Porchetta Craigieburn Central | see below | not printed here |
| Halal tandoori | The Tandoori Joint | see below | not printed here |
| Thai with the menu online | I Spice Thai Restaurant | Pad Thai | $17.90 |
| Greek, with DJ nights listed | Yassas The Greek Way Craigieburn | Souvlaki Combo | $22.90 |
SAIKYO Craigieburn (All You Can Eat Japanese) — Shop D2, 420-440 Craigieburn Road, Craigieburn VIC 3064
SAIKYO’s homepage calls itself an “ALL YOU CAN EAT JAPANESE RESTAURANT Williamstown & Craigieburn” and states that the “Craigieburn Store Closed at Lunch”, so this is a dinner booking. That homepage also carries the line “Only $52.80 PP Unlimited Bites - Premium Delight!”, an all-you-can-eat price per person, yet the line covers the Williamstown branch as well, so check the Craigieburn price before heading out. All-you-can-eat means one set price for as many rounds of sushi and hot dishes as the restaurant’s rules allow, so ask how ordering works.
On the menu (copied from saikyorestaurant.com.au on 2 October 2026):
- All-you-can-eat per person: $52.80
Stage: second or third date, because one set price per person spares you both the who-orders-what negotiation.
La Porchetta Craigieburn Central — 340 Craigieburn Road (Craigieburn Central), Craigieburn VIC 3064
Craigieburn Central’s directory describes La Porchetta as “your go-to restaurant for authentic Italian dining” and as “Renowned for their warm, family-friendly atmosphere”, and La Porchetta’s own site states “La Porchetta restaurants are fully licenced.” The centre’s page also lists “PARMA TUESDAYS Only At La Porchetta Sun 31st May - Fri 30th Oct”. The La Porchetta page we read showed a store list and said menu items and pricing vary by location, so there are no prices here.
Say this: a parma is a chicken schnitzel under napoli sauce and melted cheese, and the centre lists Parma Tuesdays, so the opener writes itself: pizza person or parma person?
The Tandoori Joint — Shop 14, 270 Donnybrook Road (Merrifield City), Mickleham VIC 3064
The restaurant’s site says “All our meat is 100% halal certified” and invites you to “Grab a seat, stay a while, or take it home”. It lists Monday to Sunday, 12:00PM - 10:00PM, while Merrifield City’s directory lists 10:00 am - 11:00 pm daily, so check the day before you go. Tandoori cooking is marinated meat roasted in a very hot clay oven called a tandoor. The menu page we fetched on 2 October loaded no readable text, so we have no prices for this one.
Split or splurge: we could not read a price here, so look at the menu before you lock in the plan.
I Spice Thai Restaurant — G05/06, 420-440 Craigieburn Road, Craigieburn VIC 3064
The restaurant’s site lists Monday to Wednesday 5:00 pm - 9:30 pm and Thursday to Sunday 11:00 am - 3:30 pm and 5:00 pm - 9:30 pm, and describes itself as suited to “a casual lunch, a family dinner, takeaway, delivery, or a special occasion”. On its online-ordering menu, pad thai (stir-fried rice stick noodles with egg, bean shoot, roasted peanuts and a sweet and sour tamarind sauce) is $17.90 and green curry (coconut milk, vegetable and basil leaf) is $17.90. Tom yum soup, a spicy hot and sour soup, is $10.90, and spring rolls (6 pcs) are $9.90.
On the menu (copied from ispicethairestaurant.localforyoucarts.com on 2 October 2026):
- Pad Thai: $17.90
- Green Curry: $17.90
- Tom Yum Soup: $10.90
- Spring Rolls (6 pcs): $9.90
Split or splurge: split a starter, since six spring rolls at the listed $9.90 divide evenly between two.
Yassas The Greek Way Craigieburn — E08, Craigieburn Central, 340 Craigieburn Road, Craigieburn VIC 3064
Yassas’s Craigieburn page lists “Live DJ nights, family feasts and Greek nights out”, a dedicated kids menu, and “Exclusively halal-certified meat, no pork” (its own FAQ adds “the restaurant itself does not hold halal certification, and alcohol is served”), and shows “Open 7 days 11:30am - 9:30pm”. The page’s lunch specials are the Souvlaki Combo at $22.90 (souvla, chips and a drink; souvla is meat grilled on a skewer) and the Tapsi Combo at $31.90 (a traditional tapsi with a softdrink; a tapsi is a dish baked in a tray). Both run Mon–Fri until 4pm and Sat–Sun until 3pm per the page, which adds “Not available on Public Holidays”, and a Greek Lunch for 2 with a housemade dip is $49 (the page says “Greek Lunch for 2 weekdays only”).
On the menu (copied from yassas.com.au on 2 October 2026):
- Souvlaki Combo: $22.90
- Tapsi Combo: $31.90
- Greek Lunch for 2: $49
Talk-ability: the page lists live DJ nights, so ask which nights before you pick it for a conversation-first date.
Quick answers
Are there date night restaurants in Craigieburn South itself?
None of the sit-down restaurants we could verify has a Craigieburn South address. The five on this page are in Craigieburn (four) and Mickleham (one, at Merrifield City), each confirmed at two sources on 2 October 2026.
Which of these has a set price per person?
SAIKYO. Its homepage prints “Only $52.80 PP Unlimited Bites - Premium Delight!” as an all-you-can-eat per person price, but the line covers both its Williamstown and Craigieburn stores, so confirm the Craigieburn price when you book.
Which of these say their meat is halal?
The Tandoori Joint’s site says “All our meat is 100% halal certified”, and Yassas’s Craigieburn page says “Exclusively halal-certified meat, no pork” while noting the restaurant itself does not hold halal certification and serves alcohol. The other three pages we read did not make a halal statement that we could quote.
Does any of them list live entertainment?
Yassas’s Craigieburn page lists “Live DJ nights, family feasts and Greek nights out”. We did not find a night-by-night schedule, so check the dates with the restaurant.
How we checked
We checked every place on this page against at least two independent sources on 2 October 2026: the places’ own websites, the Australian Good Food Guide, OpenStreetMap, craigieburncentral.com.au, merrifieldcity.com.au and ispicethairestaurant.localforyoucarts.com. Every price is copied exactly as printed on the page linked under Sources, on 2 October 2026. Menus, prices and opening hours change, so check with the venue before you go. The cover photo is illustrative, from Unsplash, and does not show any place on this page.
Seen something out of date? Email [email protected] with the page link and what has changed, and we will check it again.
Sources
- SAIKYO Craigieburn (All You Can Eat Japanese): saikyorestaurant.com.au, agfg.com.au/saikyo-craigieburn-145524
- La Porchetta Craigieburn Central: openstreetmap.org/3624179003, craigieburncentral.com.au/la-porchetta, laporchetta.com.au, laporchetta.com.au/menu-homepage
- The Tandoori Joint: thetandoorijoint.com, merrifieldcity.com.au
- I Spice Thai Restaurant: openstreetmap.org/11240185709, ispicethairestaurant.com.au, ispicethairestaurant.localforyoucarts.com
- Yassas The Greek Way Craigieburn: yassas.com.au/craigieburn, craigieburncentral.com.au/yassas
