St Kilda’s Asian food scene is genuinely underrated. While everyone fights over dumplings on Swanston Street and queues in Box Hill, Fitzroy Street has quietly built a lineup that covers Chinese, Indian, Thai, pan-Asian and vegan Asian within walking distance. The beachside postcode disguises a suburb where serious cooking is happening at prices that do not require a second mortgage.
We ate our way from Fitzroy Street to Acland Street and several side streets in between. Six places tested. Here is where your money should go.
1. Mahjong Restaurant
Cantonese elegance meets Fitzroy Street energy. White tablecloths and a park view, not a suburban yum cha hall. Mahjong has been holding it down on Fitzroy Street for nearly 15 years and the fact it still feels this fresh is a minor miracle. The menu covers China’s regional highlights: Szechuan peppercorn dishes that numb your lips properly, silky noodles nodding to Xi’an, and lighter Cantonese plates that let the ingredients do the talking.
The weekend yum cha service is the real draw. Char siu bao, cheung fun and har gow that rival what you find on Little Bourke Street, but with a park outlook instead of fluorescent lighting. The chilli wontons are criminally good. The Cantonese roast duck deserves the whole bird, not the half you will order and regret.
Order this: Roast duck half at 28 dollars and the Szechuan chilli wontons at 16 dollars. Address: 165 Fitzroy Street, St Kilda VIC 3182 Hours: Tuesday to Sunday, midday to 10pm. Closed Monday.
2. Bang Bang St Kilda
Hawker market energy in a slick 60-seat dining room. Bang Bang arrived in St Kilda in March 2025 from the Mordialloc and Hampton originals and immediately became the default answer to “where should we go?” The pan-Asian menu draws from Japanese, Korean, Thai and Indian street food traditions, wrapped in a cocktail-forward date-night package.
The Feed Me options run from 57 dollars for small plates to 92 for the full spread including oysters and a cocktail. The karaage chicken is properly crunchy, the Korean fried cauliflower disappears fast, and the cocktails are dangerously easy on an empty stomach.
Order this: Feed Me menu at 65 dollars per person. Address: Fitzroy Street, St Kilda VIC 3182 Hours: Monday to Thursday 5pm to 10pm, Friday to Sunday midday to 10pm.
3. Babu Ji
Bollywood films projected on the wall, craft beer on tap, and the kind of Indian food that makes you question every takeaway curry you have ever ordered. Babu Ji sits tucked into the side wing of the George Hotel on Grey Street, the kind of location you would walk past ten times before noticing. Chef Sumeet Waraich grew up in a village outside Punjab, taught by his grandmother, and the menu is a direct line to her kitchen.
This is not butter chicken and naan-and-forget-it. The yoghurt kebabs are delicate, the fish curry uses a lighter hand than most Melbourne Indian joints, and the samosa plate is the size of a small country.
Order this: Yoghurt kebab at 14 dollars and fish curry at 26 dollars. Address: 4 to 6 Grey Street, St Kilda VIC 3182 Hours: Monday to Wednesday 6pm to 9pm, Thursday to Saturday 6pm to 10pm. Closed Sunday.
4. I Love Dumplings
No-frills, fast, and absolutely stuffed with dumplings. Since 2012, I Love Dumplings has been doing exactly what the name promises. The St Kilda outpost on Fitzroy Street churns out handmade dumplings, wontons, steamed buns and noodles from across China’s regions.
The pork and chive dumplings are the benchmark: thin-skinned, juicy, and 13 dollars for a generous plate. The laksa is a sleeper hit when the beach wind picks up. This is not fine dining. It is the place you duck into when you have spent too much on Acland Street gelato and still want a proper meal.
Order this: Pork and chive dumplings at 13 dollars and the laksa at 16 dollars. Address: 2/29 Fitzroy Street, St Kilda VIC 3182 Hours: Daily, 11am to 10pm.
5. Derby Thai St Kilda
Unpretentious, reliable Thai comfort food. Derby Thai is the neighbourhood Thai restaurant St Kilda deserves. Not flashy, not trying to be the next thing anyone writes about. The green curry has actual heat and the kaffir lime leaves actually taste like kaffir lime leaves, not the sad dried version. The pad thai is solid, the spring rolls are crisp not greasy, and the portions are generous.
Open until 10pm on weeknights, it is one of the few Asian spots on Fitzroy Street that works for a late dinner after a gig at The Espy.
Order this: Green curry at 22 dollars and tom yum soup at 16 dollars. Address: 2/52 Fitzroy Street, St Kilda VIC 3182 Hours: Monday to Friday 11am to 10pm, Saturday to Sunday midday to 10pm.
6. Sister of Soul
Plant-based eating with an Asian heart. Sister of Soul has been on Acland Street since 2013, and if you are expecting sad salads, think again. The menu leans heavily into Asian flavours: Japanese okonomiyaki, Indonesian nasi goreng, Thai-inspired bowls and enough spice to wake up your taste buds on a grey Melbourne afternoon.
Everything is vegetarian, most is vegan, and they have gluten-free options. The okonomiyaki is the dish that keeps vegans coming back. It is savoury, filling, and does not taste like it is apologising for not being the real thing.
Order this: Okonomiyaki at 19 dollars and a Thai coconut curry bowl at 21 dollars. Address: 73 Acland Street, St Kilda VIC 3182 Hours: Daily, 9:30am to 9:30pm.
What We Skipped and Why
Hanoi Hannah in Windsor is excellent but not St Kilda proper. We are keeping geographic boundaries honest.
Pho 55 in Balaclava is a solid pho joint but just outside our remit. A 10-minute walk from the Carlisle Street junction and worth the trip if pho is what you want.
Acland Street pizza places are the wrong article and the wrong vibe. Italian is a separate conversation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is the best yum cha in St Kilda?
Mahjong on Fitzroy Street. Weekend service with proper char siu bao and har gow, and you get a park view instead of fluorescent lighting. Book a window table.
Is there good cheap Asian food in St Kilda?
I Love Dumplings on Fitzroy Street is the answer. The 15-dollar dine-in lunch set with dumplings and a noodle dish is one of the best value meals in the suburb. Derby Thai’s weekday lunch specials are also strong.
Which Asian restaurant is best for a date night?
Bang Bang. The Feed Me menu removes all ordering anxiety, the cocktails are excellent, and the room has energy without being overwhelming. Book the corner booth.
The Verdict
St Kilda’s Asian food covers Chinese, Indian, Thai, pan-Asian and vegan Asian all within walking distance. If you only try one place, make it Mahjong for the yum cha. If you are on a budget, I Love Dumplings at lunch is unbeatable value. And if you want the full treat-yourself experience, Bang Bang’s Feed Me menu is the move.
For more eating in this suburb, check our St Kilda cheap eats guide for the best under-20-dollar meals, or the [best restaurants guide](/st-kilda/best-restaurants/) for the wider dining scene. If drinks are the priority, best bars covers where to go next.
Explore More of St Kilda
- St Kilda History
- St Kilda Things To Do This Weekend
- St Kilda Cocktails
- St Kilda Cheap Eats
- St Kilda Rent Guide
- St Kilda Date Night Guide
- St Kilda New Openings
- St Kilda St Kilda For Retirees
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