Correction (10 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 9 October 2026.
Seven lesser-known places away from the main CBD strips, drawn from Melbourne, North Melbourne and Carlton. Three are in the city proper, two in North Melbourne and two in Carlton.
Nothing here is called secret on our say-so. Each entry sticks to what the venue’s own site, OpenStreetMap or the Australian Good Food Guide publishes: the address, the hours where a source gives them, and what a listing tags. We did not pull archive records for this page, so there is no history here, only the record.
Where sources disagree we say so, and where hours are not sourced we leave them out.
The quick picks
| If you’re after | Head to | Where |
|---|---|---|
| A bar with evening hours | Caretaker’s Cottage | 139-141 Little Lonsdale Street, Melbourne |
| Nepalese on Flinders Street | Old Durbar | 294 Flinders Street, Melbourne |
| A Chinese weekday session | Secret Kitchen | 222 Exhibition Street, Melbourne |
| A North Melbourne cafe | Le Bajo Milkbar | 8-14 Howard Street, North Melbourne |
| A North Melbourne bakery | Baguette Studios | 15-27 Wreckyn Street, North Melbourne |
| Yunnan food on Swanston | Colorful Yunnan | 680 Swanston Street, Carlton |
| Indonesian on Lygon Street | Kantin | 122 Lygon Street, Carlton |
Caretaker’s Cottage — 139-141 Little Lonsdale Street, Melbourne VIC 3000
Caretaker’s Cottage lists its address on its own site as 139-141 Little Lonsdale Street, and OpenStreetMap agrees. The site’s hours line reads Open: 4pm - Midnight, Monday - Thursday and 4pm - 1AM, Friday & Saturday. The pages we read carry no publish date, so treat the hours as a guide.
Find it: Look for 139-141 on Little Lonsdale Street, the number both the site and OpenStreetMap give.
Old Durbar — 294 Flinders Street, Melbourne VIC 3000
Old Durbar’s own site lists 294 Flinders Street, and OpenStreetMap agrees. AGFG lists takeaway for it, and puts the same address under East Melbourne 3002. The sources disagree on opening hours, so we print none and suggest confirming with the restaurant.
On the record: The site, OpenStreetMap and AGFG all agree on 294 Flinders Street, which is more than they manage on hours.
Secret Kitchen — 222 Exhibition Street, Melbourne VIC 3000
Secret Kitchen’s own site lists 222 Exhibition Street, matching OpenStreetMap. The hours line we copied from the site reads Monday - Friday: 11.00am - 3.00pm. That line may not cover every session, so check before you go.
The tell: The name promises a secret, but the site publishes a plain street address, 222 Exhibition Street.
Le Bajo Milkbar — 8-14 Howard Street, North Melbourne VIC 3051
Le Bajo Milkbar’s own site lists 8-14 Howard Street, North Melbourne, and OpenStreetMap agrees. The OpenStreetMap tag lists Mo-Fr 10:00-15:00 and Sa-Su 09:30-15:30, which is a map tag only and may be out of date. The pages we read carry no publish date.
Find it: Howard Street in North Melbourne, number 8-14, per its own site.
Baguette Studios — 15-27 Wreckyn Street, North Melbourne VIC 3051
Baguette Studios’ own site lists 15-27 Wreckyn Street, North Melbourne, and OpenStreetMap agrees. We file it as a bakery. The site’s hours line reads MON - FRI 7AM - 3PM and SAT, SUN 8AM - 4PM, though the pages we read carry no publish date.
On the record: The site and OpenStreetMap agree on the Wreckyn Street address, so the map pin and the web page tell the same story.
Colorful Yunnan — 680 Swanston Street, Carlton VIC 3053
Colorful Yunnan’s contact page lists the Carlton branch at 680 Swanston Street, matching AGFG and OpenStreetMap. AGFG lists BYO and takeaway for it, which are listing features rather than our claims. We found no hours we could print.
The tell: OpenStreetMap spells it Colorful while the web address uses Colourful, so search both spellings.
Kantin — 122 Lygon Street, Carlton VIC 3053
Kantin’s own site lists 122 Lygon Street, Carlton, and says OPEN EVERYDAY 11:30AM - 9:30PM for the Carlton branch. AGFG lists takeaway, a listing feature. OpenStreetMap agrees on the address.
Find it: Lygon Street, number 122, in Carlton.
Quick answers
What are the lesser-known places to eat in Carlton?
This page has two in Carlton: Colorful Yunnan at 680 Swanston Street and Kantin at 122 Lygon Street. Kantin’s site lists OPEN EVERYDAY 11:30AM - 9:30PM for the Carlton branch. For Colorful Yunnan we found no hours we could print, so check with the restaurant.
Where are the lesser-known cafes and bakeries in North Melbourne?
Le Bajo Milkbar at 8-14 Howard Street and Baguette Studios at 15-27 Wreckyn Street are the two. Baguette Studios’ site lists MON - FRI 7AM - 3PM and SAT, SUN 8AM - 4PM. Le Bajo Milkbar’s hours come from an OpenStreetMap tag only, Mo-Fr 10:00-15:00 and Sa-Su 09:30-15:30, which may be out of date.
Which places on this Melbourne list offer takeaway or BYO?
AGFG lists takeaway for Old Durbar, Colorful Yunnan and Kantin. AGFG also lists BYO for Colorful Yunnan. These are directory listing features, so confirm with the venue before you rely on them.
Is there a late-opening bar on this Melbourne list?
Caretaker’s Cottage at 139-141 Little Lonsdale Street is the one bar here. Its site lists Open: 4pm - Midnight, Monday - Thursday and 4pm - 1AM, Friday & Saturday, and the pages we read carry no publish date, so check before you go.
How we checked
We checked every place on this page against at least two independent sources on 9 October 2026: OpenStreetMap, the places’ own websites and the Australian Good Food Guide. We copied no menu prices from these places’ own pages, so this page prints none. 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
- Caretaker’s Cottage: openstreetmap.org/11721812459, caretakerscottage.bar
- Old Durbar: openstreetmap.org/9854205722, old-durbar.com.au/flinders-restaurant, agfg.com.au/old-durbar-flinders-119680
- Secret Kitchen: openstreetmap.org/5928461733, secret-kitchen.com.au, secret-kitchen.com.au/bookings
- Le Bajo Milkbar: openstreetmap.org/10747080705, lebajo.com.au
- Baguette Studios: openstreetmap.org/10250182103, baguettestudios.com/contact, baguettestudios.com
- Colorful Yunnan: openstreetmap.org/4951841849, colourfulyunnan.com.au/contact-us, agfg.com.au/colourful-yunnan-38441
- Kantin: openstreetmap.org/12557882677, kantin.au, agfg.com.au/kantin-127477
