After trying kangaroo for the first time in Perth and having mixed feelings about it, I decided to try it again in Melbourne in the form of a burger. I have to say I enjoyed it a lot more this way! You can get one at Metro Burgers, a conveniently located casual restaurant that also offered other unique burgers such as emu and crocodile.

If you’re visiting Australia for the first time, I highly recommend splurging on at least one meal to experience high-quality local cuisine. Although choices are numerous, I ended up trying Taxi Kitchen, which brands itself more along the lines of modern and sustainable than fine dining, but I’d say it was still a pretty nice dinner.

Their slow cooked lamb shoulder and scallop appetizer with glass of local red wine was everything I expected of good Australian cuisine after visiting some excellent eateries in Perth. Expect a bill of roughly 60 to 80 AUD per person at Taxi Kitchen (assuming drinks, appetizers, and possibly dessert).

Who can possibly resist Greek food? When I saw a semi-casual restaurant called Stalactites that looked like it was pretty popular, I knew I had to try it. I ordered a goat and onion stew which was incredibly delicious. Also, they’re open 24 hours!

Unsurprisingly, Chinatown has some deliciously authentic restaurants. I decided to get pork and veggie xialongbao from Shanghai Street. They were delicious, but I wish that I had time to try some of the other Chinese restaurants in the area!

If you love Asian food, Melbourne is the perfect place to try some harder-to-find options that you may not be able to get at home. Take, for example, Nelayan Restaurant. When an Indonesian restaurant is filled with Indonesian customers, you know it’s bound to be good! The dish I got, consisting of noodles and fried chicken, was super satisfying despite its simplicity. If you’ve never had Indonesian food before, give it a try here!

Your Thai was the perfect place to get green curry late at night after most other restaurants in the area had closed. It was basically what you’d expect, but here’s the kicker – they serve their rice in the shape of a heart!

Fish and chips is a popular dish in Australia, so I wasn’t going to leave Melbourne without it. I figured the perfect place to get it would be St. Kilda, and Pink Flake (a short walk from Luna Park) definitely delivered.

Located across the street from the Parliament House and next to the Princess Theatre, the fancy restaurant known as The European seemed to attract a well-dressed, older crowd. According to a quote on their website, “the European is not Spanish…. Nor is it French, Italian, Austrian or Greek. The European is a hybrid creation that evokes memories (and the occasional bit of longing) for the wine bars and cafes of all those places.” I’d tend to agree with that, and I thoroughly enjoyed the seafood pasta and clams with bone marrow I ordered there.

Cafe Louis is a chic coffee shop in the heart of Fitzroy that has an open, airy layout and ample seating. I couldn’t pass up a velvet cake when I saw it on display at the counter, which went perfectly with the iced latte I got.

This fun bar and eatery was recommended by Alexis, who happens to featured as a guest author here on Caffeinated Excursions (click here to check out her post). Naked For Satan is a specialty vodka bar that also serves delicious burgers for only 3 AUD (at certain times of the day/week).