Richmond has always been Melbourne’s most underrated late-night eating suburb. While tourists flock to Chinatown and locals argue about Lygon Street, the triangle formed by Victoria Street, Swan Street and Bridge Road quietly feeds half the city after dark. Vietnamese pho joints that stay open past 10pm. Wine bars serving charcuterie boards until 1am. Neapolitan pizza until the staff kick you out. This is where Melburnians actually eat when the clock stops being polite.
I spent two weeks working my way through Richmond’s after-dark scene — from the neon-lit strip of Victoria Street to the increasingly lively Bridge Road pocket — to find the spots worth your late-night dollars.
1. New Quarter (Hanoi Hannah)
Address: 79 Swan Street, Richmond VIC 3121 Hours: Mon–Sun, 12pm–late (kitchen typically closes 11pm weeknights, midnight weekends) Price range: $18–$35 per dish | Banquet $65pp
This is Richmond’s anchor for late-night Vietnamese — but not the kind your parents ate on Victoria Street. The Hanoi Hannah crew reinvented Viet food for the Swan Street crowd: banh mi fingers, beer tartare with pho jelly, chargrilled chicken ribs with maple Sriracha, and a nem nuong that’s basically a Viet kebab wrapped in pork fat flatbread. The cocktail list leans tropical and the room is all booths and low lighting. If you’re bringing a group, the banquet is the move — eight to ten share plates, no decisions required.
What we ate: The sticky fried chicken wings ($18) arrived first and nearly ended the evening right there. Crispy, sweet, properly spicy, gone in three minutes. The LA-style grilled beef ribs ($32) were the main event — smoky, lemongrass-laced, falling apart. We added the betel leaf parcels ($22) because you should always order betel leaf parcels when they’re on the menu.
Verdict: The food here is a step above typical late-night fare, and the kitchen staying open on Swan Street until well past 11pm makes it the default recommendation when someone asks “where can we actually eat in Richmond after 10pm?”
2. Attria Wine Bar
Address: 107 Swan Street, Richmond VIC 3121 Hours: Tue–Thu 12pm–10:30pm | Fri–Sat 12pm–1am | Sun 3pm–10:30pm | Closed Mondays Price range: $14–$28 for plates | Wine from $14/glass
This is the spot that proves you don’t need to choose between good drinks and good food after 10pm. Tucked into the Swan Street strip near the MCG, Attria runs a Mediterranean-leaning menu alongside a genuinely considered wine list. Think: whipped feta with chilli crisp, grilled lamb cutlets, house-made gnocchi. The Friday–Saturday 1am close is rare for Richmond — most kitchens in the suburb have shut the lights by midnight.
What we ate: We dropped in at 11:30pm on a Saturday, half-expecting the kitchen to be winding down. Instead, we got a full plate of cured meats and pickles ($22), the grilled sardines ($24), and a glass of Yarra Valley pinot that was exactly what the moment called for. The room was two-thirds full of people who clearly knew this was their secret.
Verdict: If your night out in Richmond needs a final stop that isn’t a kebab shop, Attria is it. The 1am Friday–Saturday hours alone put it on this list, but the food quality is what keeps it there.
3. Van Mai
Address: 372 Victoria Street, Richmond VIC 3121 Hours: Mon, Wed–Sun 11am–10pm | Closed Tuesdays Price range: $12–$22 per dish
Van Mai has been doing this for over 30 years, and it shows — in the best way. This is the Victoria Street experience that food writers keep chasing: no-frills dining room, fluorescent lighting, a menu the size of a novella, and pho that arrives in a bowl big enough to bathe a small dog in. It sits at the far end of Victoria Street where the tourist foot traffic thins out, which means you’re eating alongside the locals who’ve been coming here since the 1990s.
What we ate: The special pho ($16) is the benchmark — rich, clean broth, tender brisket, a pile of fresh herbs that you’re expected to dismantle yourself. We also ordered the bun bo hue ($17), which comes with that properly funky fermented shrimp paste on the side. The rice paper rolls ($14 for a serve of four) are tight, fresh, and exactly what you want at 9:30pm on a weeknight.
Verdict: 10pm closing means this isn’t your midnight option, but for the 8–10pm window it’s untouchable. If you’re coming from a footy at the MCG or a gig at the Corner Hotel, Van Mai is a 15-minute walk and a world away from the post-match burger chains.
4. Baby Pizza
Address: 631–633 Church Street, Richmond VIC 3121 Hours: Mon–Fri 12pm–11pm | Sat–Sun 11:30am–11pm Price range: $18–$28 for pizzas | $22–$38 for pastas
Chris Lucas — the man behind Chin Chin — opened Baby on Church Street as a neighbourhood Italian that wouldn’t feel out of place in Rome’s Trastevere district. The pizzas are blistered and foldable, the pastas are made in-house, and the room has that effortless warmth that Lucas restaurants somehow always nail. It’s not trying to be a late-night destination, but the 11pm kitchen close puts it firmly in the “still eating when everywhere else is shut” category.
What we ate: The margherita ($18) is the test of any pizzeria, and Baby passes with a properly charred base and San Marzano sauce that tastes like actual tomatoes. We upgraded to the diavola ($24) which brought decent nduja heat. The cacio e pepe ($26) was slick and peppery and exactly the kind of thing you want to eat at 10pm while pretending you’re not going to order dessert (we ordered dessert).
Verdict: Baby sits in that sweet spot between “proper restaurant” and “casual neighbourhood spot.” It’s not open as late as Attria or New Quarter, but for a sit-down Italian meal on a weeknight, Church Street doesn’t do much better.
5. St Domenico
Address: 428 Bridge Road, Richmond VIC 3121 Hours: Tue–Sun, 4:30pm–late Price range: $16–$26 for pizzas | $23 for schnitzel specials
St Domenico is that rare Richmond restaurant that’s been quietly collecting “Top 20 Pizza in Melbourne” accolades while most people walk straight past its Bridge Road frontage without noticing it’s there. Inside is a proper Italian operation — imported flour, real mozzarella di bufala, and a wood-fired oven that sees more action than some pubs’ entire kitchens. The bottomless gnocchi and pizza nights ($39pp, Sun–Thu) have become a local institution.
What we ate: The Diavola ($22) had proper kick and a base that pulled apart exactly right. The Parma night special ($23, Tuesdays) is a steal — chicken parmigiana with chips and salad that would cost $30+ at most Bridge Road spots. A glass of Montepulciano ($14) completed a late dinner that cost us $36 each and left us full for approximately two days.
Verdict: The “open til late” policy is genuine here — we’ve walked past at 11pm on a Friday and there were still tables ordering. Bridge Road doesn’t have many spots that combine this quality with this kind of flexibility on hours. St Domenico is doing something right.
6. ONDA Bar & Eatery
Address: 280 Bridge Road, Richmond VIC 3121 Hours: Tue–Thu 5pm–10pm | Fri–Sat 5pm–11pm | Sun 5pm–9:30pm | Closed Mondays Price range: $16–$32 per dish
ONDA is the curveball on this list — a South American bar and kitchen on Bridge Road that feels like it was plucked from a backstreet in Buenos Aires and dropped into suburban Richmond. The menu runs ceviche, empanadas, grilled meats, and a vegetarian selection that’s far better than it has any right to be. The cocktail list leans pisco and caipirinha, and the room has that warm, candlelit energy that makes you forget it’s a Tuesday.
What we ate: The ceviche ($22) was bright and properly citrussy — no complaints from anyone at the table. The beef empanadas ($18 for three) were flaky and stuffed with well-seasoned mince. But the star was the lomo saltado ($32), the Peruvian stir-fry that’s essentially beef, onions, chips and soy sauce having the best night of their lives.
Verdict: ONDA isn’t going to keep you fed until 1am, but for the 8–11pm window it offers something genuinely different from the Vietnamese and Italian that dominate Richmond’s late-night scene. If you’re bored of pho and pizza (impossible, but hypothetically), this is your move.
The Neighbourhoods After Dark
Richmond’s late-night food scene breaks down into three distinct strips:
Victoria Street is the Vietnamese heartland — pho shops, banh mi counters, and restaurants that have been feeding Melbourne’s Viet community for decades. Most close by 9–10pm, but the food quality is unmatched. If you’re eating before 10, this is where you should be.
Swan Street has evolved into Richmond’s most dynamic dining strip, mixing the Hanoi Hannah empire with wine bars like Attria and the broader hospitality push towards later trading. It’s the strip most likely to still have a kitchen open at midnight. Catch the 70 tram along Swan Street or walk from Richmond Station.
Bridge Road used to be all outlet stores and no substance, but spots like St Domenico and ONDA are changing that. The 109, 48, and 75 trams all run along Bridge Road, making it easy to reach from the CBD. The late-night options are thinner here than on Swan Street, but what’s available is good.
The Bottom Line
Richmond after dark isn’t trying to be Melbourne’s late-night dining capital — it just happens to be one. The combination of Victoria Street’s Vietnamese heritage, Swan Street’s hospitality evolution, and Bridge Road’s quieter reinvention creates a late-night food scene that’s diverse, affordable, and genuinely good.
Your best bet on a Friday or Saturday? Start on Victoria Street for pho before 10pm, move to Swan Street for cocktails and share plates at New Quarter or Attria, and finish wherever the night takes you. On a weeknight, St Domenico and Baby Pizza have you covered with proper sit-down meals that won’t make you feel like you’re at a 24-hour joint.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Richmond restaurants are open past midnight? Attria Wine Bar on Swan Street stays open until 1am on Fridays and Saturdays — that’s the latest confirmed kitchen on this list. New Quarter typically runs until midnight on weekends. Most other kitchens close by 10–11pm.
Is Victoria Street safe to eat on at night? Victoria Street is well-lit and busy during restaurant hours (until around 10pm). After that, the foot traffic thins. Stick to the main strip between Hoddle Street and Church Street and you’ll be fine. Richmond Police Station is at 392 Church Street, staffed 24/7.
What’s the cheapest late-night meal in Richmond? Van Mai’s pho at $16 on Victoria Street is hard to beat. St Domenico’s Parma night on Tuesdays ($23 for parmigiana, chips and salad) is the best-value sit-down option on Bridge Road.
How do I get to Richmond late at night? Richmond Station (on the Sandringham, Frankston, Cranbourne, Pakenham, and Glen Waverley lines) runs services until about 1am on weekends. The 70 tram runs along Swan Street and the 78 along Church Street. Rideshare pickups are easy along Swan Street but expect surge pricing after midnight on Fridays and Saturdays.
Read More
- Victoria Street Vietnamese Food Guide — the full deep dive into Richmond’s Little Saigon
- Nightlife Guide to Richmond — where to drink after you’ve eaten
- Richmond Neighbourhood Guide — the complete suburb breakdown
Explore More of Richmond
- Richmond History
- Richmond Things To Do This Weekend
- Richmond Cheap Eats
- Richmond Rent Guide
- Richmond Date Night Guide
- Richmond Victoria Street Vietnamese
- Richmond New Openings
- Richmond Things To Do
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