The best restaurants in Fitzroy sit on four streets you can walk between in 20 minutes: Gertrude, Brunswick, Smith and Johnston. For a special-occasion dinner, Cutler & Co. (55–57 Gertrude Street) is still the benchmark. For a Tuesday-night feed, Vegie Bar (380 Brunswick Street) or $5 pizza at Kewpie (376 Brunswick Street) does the job. Below is where to actually eat right now — every venue checked as open in June 2026, with addresses and prices so you can book without second-guessing.
If you’re deciding where to eat in Fitzroy this week, the short version: Gertrude Street is the quality spine, Brunswick Street is the volume play, Smith Street has the newer money, and Johnston Street is where the value lives. Here’s the full breakdown.
The special-occasion tier
Cutler & Co. — 55–57 Gertrude Street
Andrew McConnell’s flagship has been Fitzroy’s best restaurant since it opened in 2009 in a former metalworks factory, and it hasn’t slipped. The dining room is polished-industrial without tipping into pretentious — low light, hard surfaces, a bar you’d happily sit at alone, and service that’s serious without being stiff. The menu changes with the seasons, but expect beautifully handled proteins, sharp vegetable cookery, and a wine list that goes deep into Yarra Valley and Mornington Peninsula producers. Plan on roughly $250–$350 for two with wine, and book at least a week out for a Friday or Saturday table.
Poodle Bar & Bistro — 81–83 Gertrude Street
Poodle took over a pair of side-by-side Victorian buildings on Gertrude Street and turned them into one of Melbourne’s most-talked-about rooms: art-deco fit-out, a horseshoe bar, a courtyard out the back. The format is European bistro filtered through Melbourne’s produce obsession — the charcoal-grilled steak with house “café de Poodle” butter and fries is the signature order. It takes lunch bookings Saturday and Sunday, and dinner Tuesday through Sunday. Budget $200–$280 for two with wine, and book ahead.
Marion — 53 Gertrude Street
Marion sits two doors from Cutler & Co. and shares its cellar — McConnell again, which on this block is either brave or just confident. It’s the latter. The wine-bar format means you can drop in for a glass of grüner veltliner and some burrata, or settle in for handmade pasta and wood-grilled fish. The list runs deep on the major varieties but devotes whole sections to the unfashionable ones — chenin blanc, gamay — which is exactly why grape nerds keep a stool here. Around $150–$220 for two.
The Smith Street and Brunswick newcomers
Norma — 197 Smith Street
The newest reason to walk the Fitzroy end of Smith Street. Norma is a French-Mediterranean bistro pulling from Provence and the Côte d’Azur: Boeuf Bourguignon, duck leg confit, tuna crudo, and lighter vegetarian plates that don’t feel like an afterthought. It’s the kind of room that works for a date or a low-key birthday — proper cooking without the special-occasion price ceiling of the Gertrude Street block. Worth a booking on weekends.
Masti — 354–356 Brunswick Street
Chef Manpreet Sekhon — trained across five-star hotels in Punjab and known around Melbourne as the “curry queen” — runs one of the most interesting Indian kitchens in the inner north here. Masti leans North Indian, with proper tandoori, dhaba-style curries, Indian cocktails and a genuine vegan section rather than a token one. Open Tuesday to Sunday from 5pm, with the Tram 11 stopping at the door. Good for a group who want to share and order one too many dishes.
Añada — 197 Gertrude Street
Añada has been doing Spanish on Gertrude Street since 2008, and it’s still one of the best tapas tables in the city. The menu leans on the peasant cooking of Andalusia and the Muslim-Mediterranean — charcuterie, paella, sherries you won’t find on many lists, and chef’s tasting menus if you want to hand over the decisions. Kitchen runs from 5pm Monday to Friday and from noon on weekends. Order the paella to share and a fino to start.
The weeknight regulars
Vegie Bar — 380 Brunswick Street
Fitzroy’s vegetarian institution, feeding Brunswick Street since 1988. The laksa is the dish people come back for — coconut-rich, properly spiced, and the size of a small meal on its own. The menu roams across Asian, Middle Eastern and Mexican influences without losing the plot, it’s reliably cheap, and the kitchen runs late (to 10pm most nights, a little later on Fridays). This is the “I’m not that hungry but I should eat something good” answer. Around $50–$70 for two.
Rice Paper Scissors — 307 Brunswick Street
Punchy, share-style Southeast Asian modelled on the hawker bars of the region — pho, banh mi, rice-paper rolls and a long list of small plates built for the middle of the table. It’s quick, it’s affordable, and it fills the gap between grabbing takeaway and committing to a proper sit-down. Open daily for lunch and dinner; the weekend boozy brunch is its own event. Figure $40–$70 for two.
Naked for Satan — 285 Brunswick Street
The Brunswick Street fixture everyone knows. The ground-floor bar and eatery has moved on from its old pintxos cart to a tighter run of international bar snacks, but the real draw is upstairs: Naked in the Sky, the fifth-floor rooftop with arguably the best CBD-skyline view in the inner north. Social Hour (Monday to Friday, 4–7pm) does $8 pints and $16 negronis. Come for a drink and a graze rather than a structured dinner, and time it for sunset.
The late-night and cheap-eats fallback
Kewpie — 376 Brunswick Street
You might still know this address as Bimbo Deluxe. After a fire and a long closure it reopened under Australian Venue Co. as Kewpie — named for the giant Kewpie doll on the building’s exterior — and, crucially, the cheap pizza survived the rebrand. The pizzas are thin, the beer is cold, and nobody’s pretending it’s a culinary destination. It’s where you end up at midnight after the Old Bar or the Evelyn because cheap pizza and a late kitchen exist, and that’s the whole point. Open late, every night.
Just over the border, worth the walk
Horn Please — 167 St Georges Road, Fitzroy North
Technically Fitzroy North rather than Fitzroy proper, but close enough that locals fold it into the same dinner rotation — so it earns a mention. Horn Please has been doing playful, flavour-forward Indian since 2013: bold curries, street-food plates, thali and a strong vegetarian and vegan offering. If the Gertrude Street block is booked out and you want something with personality, it’s a five-minute detour north up Brunswick Street.
How to eat well in Fitzroy
- Gertrude Street is the quality spine — Cutler & Co., Poodle, Marion and Añada within a couple of blocks.
- Brunswick Street is the volume play — wider price range, busier, and home to the late-night fallback at Kewpie.
- Smith Street is where the newer money is going — Norma is the current standout.
- Weeknight dining (Tuesday to Thursday) usually means walk-in availability at places that need bookings on weekends.
- Sunday dinner is underrated: quieter rooms, the same kitchens, often a pared-back menu that lets the cooking show.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best restaurant in Fitzroy?
For a special occasion, Cutler & Co. at 55–57 Gertrude Street is widely regarded as the best restaurant in Fitzroy. Andrew McConnell’s flagship has held that reputation since it opened in 2009 and pairs precise modern-Australian cooking with a deep Victorian wine list. Expect to spend around $250–$350 for two with wine, and book at least a week ahead for weekend tables.
Where can I get the best cheap eats in Fitzroy?
For the best cheap eats in Fitzroy, head to Vegie Bar (380 Brunswick Street) for a large, reliably good laksa around the $20 mark, Rice Paper Scissors (307 Brunswick Street) for share-style Southeast Asian small plates, or Kewpie (376 Brunswick Street) for famously cheap pizza. All three sit on Brunswick Street within a short walk of each other.
Which street in Fitzroy has the best restaurants?
Gertrude Street has the highest concentration of Fitzroy’s best restaurants, with Cutler & Co., Poodle Bar & Bistro, Marion and Añada all within a couple of blocks. Brunswick Street offers more options across a wider price range, Smith Street is home to newer arrivals like Norma, and Johnston Street and its surrounds lean toward better-value dining.
Where is the best lunch in Fitzroy?
For the best lunch in Fitzroy, Poodle Bar & Bistro takes weekend lunch bookings on Gertrude Street, Rice Paper Scissors runs lunch service daily from noon on Brunswick Street, and Añada opens from noon on weekends. For a quick, good-value midday meal, Vegie Bar on Brunswick Street is open through lunch every day.
Do I need to book restaurants in Fitzroy?
For the special-occasion tier — Cutler & Co., Poodle and Marion on Gertrude Street — booking is strongly recommended, ideally a week ahead for Friday and Saturday. Casual spots like Vegie Bar, Rice Paper Scissors and Kewpie take walk-ins, though weekends still get busy. Dining Tuesday to Thursday usually means walk-in availability even at the in-demand rooms.
What are the best new restaurants in Fitzroy for 2026?
Among the newer Fitzroy dining options worth a booking in 2026 are Norma, a French-Mediterranean bistro at 197 Smith Street, and Masti at 354–356 Brunswick Street, an award-winning modern Indian restaurant from chef Manpreet Sekhon. Both bring something distinct to a suburb already dense with established names.
More on Fitzroy: Fitzroy Suburb Guide · Best Cafes in Fitzroy · Best Bars in Fitzroy · Fitzroy Cheap Eats
Reviewed by Jack Morrison, June 2026. MELBZ writers pay for every meal and accept no sponsorship.
Sources: Cutler & Co., Poodle Bar & Bistro, Marion (Broadsheet), Norma Fitzroy, Masti Fitzroy, Añada, Vegie Bar, Rice Paper Scissors, Naked for Satan, Kewpie / Bimbo Deluxe rebrand (Broadsheet), Horn Please. Charcoal Lane (formerly 136 Gertrude Street) was removed from this guide as it closed permanently in September 2021.
