Best Asian Food in Southbank

Southbank’s riverfront may be famous for its theatres and towers, but the real show happens inside the restaurants. Here are the Asian kitchens worth knowing about — the ones that serve genuinely good food rather than just capitalising on tourist foot traffic.

Shujinko — Riverside Quay

Best for: Late-night ramen (open 24 hours Friday-Saturday)

Shujinko at Shop 2, 35-37 Riverside Quay serves the kind of tonkotsu ramen that makes 1am feel like a reasonable dinner time. The #1 Black tonkotsu ($17.90) is the signature — rich, deeply flavoured pork broth. The 24-hour weekend schedule means you can refuel post-Eureka Skydeck without resorting to fast food.

OKAMI — 208-210 Clarendon Street

Best for: Japanese all-you-can-eat that’s actually good

OKAMI’s all-you-can-eat model ($34.80 lunch, $38.80 dinner) sounds indulgent, but the plates are tapas-sized — perfect for sampling widely. Load up on edamame, seaweed salad, and sashimi first. The sushi quality is consistently good for the format. Located on Clarendon Street, one of Southbank’s key commercial strips.

Dodee Paidang — 8 Whiteman Street

Best for: Proper Thai with a serious spice scale

Dodee Paidang at Level 1, 8 Whiteman Street does authentic Thai with a spice scale that runs 0-7. The tom yum noodle with grilled king prawns ($19) is a standout. Their menu is genuine Bangkok-style rather than the diluted suburban Thai most Melburnians are used to. Near the Crown precinct on Sturt Street.

Fat Buddha — 108-112 Clarendon Street

Best for: Pan-Asian with gluten-free options

Fat Buddha at Level 1, 108-112 Clarendon Street does pan-Asian with 70% of the menu flagged gluten-free. The red curry roasted duck breast with wild rice ($29) is the signature. Pre-theatre “Power Bowl” deal (main + miso soup for $22) runs 5-6pm.

Hanoi Mee Kitchen & Bar — 3 Freshwater Place

Best for: Vietnamese pho in the Southbank precinct

Hanoi Mee at Ground Level, 3 Freshwater Place serves slow-cooked 12-hour beef pho (large $18). A proper Vietnamese option in a precinct that doesn’t have many. The broth is genuinely well-made — not the instant-base version some tourist-zone restaurants resort to.

ChiliPadi — 15-25 Freshwater Place

Best for: Malaysian laksa and Peranakan flavours

ChiliPadi does Malaysian and Peranakan cooking with the assam laksa ($16.50) as the standout. Located at Freshwater Place near Southbank Boulevard, it’s a reliable option for Southeast Asian flavours that go beyond the standard pad Thai.

Gami Chicken & Beer — 52 Clarendon Street

Best for: Korean fried chicken and a cold beer

Gami at 52 Clarendon Street does soy-garlic chicken flash-fried in rice bran oil, paired with house-fermented kimchi. Half chicken $19 plus $3 for kimchi. Simple concept, well-executed. Good for a casual weeknight dinner.

Straits of Malacca — Convention Centre Place

Best for: Hand-stretched roti canai

Straits of Malacca at 1/30 Convention Centre Place serves roti canai stretched by hand daily — no frozen dough. Two pieces with dhal for $10 is one of Southbank’s best-value meals.

FAQ

Where’s the best late-night Asian food in Southbank? Shujinko on Riverside Quay is open 24 hours Friday-Saturday. Nothing else in Southbank comes close for late-night quality.

Is there good cheap Asian food in Southbank? Straits of Malacca’s roti canai ($10 for two) and Hanoi Mee’s pho ($18) are the best value. OKAMI’s all-you-can-eat ($34.80 lunch) is decent value for volume.

What’s the best Asian restaurant on Clarendon Street? OKAMI at 208-210 for Japanese, Fat Buddha at 108-112 for pan-Asian, Gami at 52 for Korean fried chicken.

The Verdict

Southbank’s Asian food scene is stronger than people expect from an entertainment precinct. Eight genuinely good venues across Clarendon Street, Freshwater Place, Riverside Quay, and Whiteman Street. The range covers Japanese, Vietnamese, Thai, Malaysian, Korean, and pan-Asian — enough variety that you could eat Asian every night for a week without repeating. Prices are Southbank-standard ($16-35 for mains), but the quality justifies it.

More on Southbank: Southbank Suburb Guide · Southbank Best Restaurants · Southbank Late Night Eats

Best Asian Food in Southbank — 2026 Local Guide