Thornbury is Northcote’s buzzy northern neighbour. Most of its restaurants are clustered along High Street, with easy tram and train access. Food-wise, there’s plenty of variety on the dense stretch between Darebin Road and Dundas Street, including Italian restaurants, family-run Greek kitchens and late-night American burger joints. If you’re looking for somewhere to grab a drink after dinner, head over to our guide to the Best Bars in Thornbury.
Related pages:
Best Cafes in Thornbury
Best Restaurants in Northcote
After years delivering lasagne around town in a ’91 Holden Barina, owner Joey Kellock moved into a former pizza shop and started serving up the goods to his legion of followers. Now you can order a side of salumi and a spritz to go with his famous, saucy slabs.
A tribute to the owner’s Calabrian-born father, Umberto plates up cucina casalinga homestyle cooking and classic Italian aperitivi in a former shoe shop with a warm, local feel. It’s also home to Gigi, a tiny rooftop bar where you can sip a Negroni with one-of-a-kind views across Thornbury and Coburg.
Farro is named after the Italian word for “spelt”, which underpins many dishes at this homely pizzeria and pasta house. Go for its Italian appetisers before feasting on homemade spelt pastas and woodfired pizzas. Its inclusive menu has plenty of gluten-free, vegan and vegetarian options, too.
Kustom is one of Melbourne’s best takes on the American diner genre. Stop into this hot-rod-themed spot for burgers loaded with beef patties, buttermilk chicken, fried mushroom and more. Race electric slot cars or sip on an old-fashioned milkshake while you wait for your dinner.
This Greek family’s popular souva mobile found a permanent home on High Street. Here, you can create your own Greek spread of stacked souvas, crispy pita, meat skewers and Greek salads generously topped with salty feta – all served on old-school enamel plates.
From the outside, Northern Git might look like your average corner restaurant. But inside, it has all the offerings of a classic British pub. The Yorkshire-born owner-chef turns out pub classics like pork crackling, bubble and squeak, pies with mushy peas and gravy, and hearty Sunday roasts.
An all-vegan cosy local that’s committed to serving up affordable, plant-based dishes and wines. Go for its meat-free takes on pub classics, house-made gnocchi and small bites. Enjoy your meal and vegan vino at the bar, in a booth, or in the beer garden out the back.
This Italian-style bar is from the team behind the local-favourite Umberto across the road. While Italian wines, cocktails and aperitivi dominate the menu, there’s plenty of hearty mains to keep you going. Expect Italian pastas, cotoletta, caprese salad and homemade tiramisu.
A Melbourne pizzeria veteran has swapped his woodfired oven for a cabinet smoker and flat-top griddle. On spongy house-made tortillas, he’s dishing out slow-cooked beef birria, cochinita pibil pork, and rolled and deep-fried tacos dorados stuffed with potato.
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