The best affordable tasting menus in Melbourne

Tucked just off Exhibition Street, Farmer’s Daughters Wine House distils a Gippsland-led ethos into a relaxed wine bar, bottle shop, and private dining room where Victorian artisans and seasonal produce take centre stage. The sommelier-led room feels warm and unhurried — equally suited to a spontaneous midday drop-in or a long bar session. At lunch, Wednesday to Friday, the Farmer’s Lunch Plate at $25per person is the value standout: a rotating counter meal built around charcoal-grilled Denver steak, braised beef shin on the bone, and chicken parma, all sourced from butcher cuts and designed to share. The menu rotates regularly, so there’s always a reason to come back.

Babines brings relaxed French bistro sensibility to Collingwood, one of Melbourne’s most dependably independent neighbourhoods. The room suits lingering — warm, unfussy, and built for conversation. The Prix Fixe menu at $45per person delivers three rotating courses drawn from house favourites and seasonal plates, refreshed regularly to reflect what’s best at the market. For the price point, it’s one of the more compelling structured dining experiences on Melbourne’s set-menu circuit — a format that never feels rigid. Ideal for a midweek dinner date or a laid-back catch-up with friends, Babines keeps the bar high and the bill sensible.

D.O.C Southbank draws on the group’s longstanding reputation for Italian hospitality to anchor Southbank with something unambiguously communal. The pizzaioli — D.O.C’s pizza makers — run service, rotating through the room and loading tables with slices straight from the oven. The Giro Pizza at $44per person delivers 90 minutes of bottomless pizza in a high-energy, shared format. For a fuller spread, the Pizzaioli Menu at $59per person opens with a salumi and formaggi board before the bottomless rotation begins, with fresh salads alongside. The A Tavola Menu rounds out the group options. Convivial, generous, and built around the logic that good food tastes better when it keeps arriving.

Bali Hai occupies the top end of Bourke Street with a Pan-Asian energy that draws on Thai, Japanese, and Southeast Asian influences across a menu built for sharing. The HAI FIVE Feast at $65per person (minimum six guests) is the main event: kingfish sashimi in two-tone Thai nam jim with coconut cream and dill, 18-hour Wagyu spring rolls with nuoc cham and pineapple salsa, and chicken yakitori with maple tare and togarashi are followed by slow-cooked lamb shank with grilled pineapple and cashew crumb, spicy bone marrow with 18-hour Wagyu and basil fried rice, and charred cauliflower with mixed greens. A HAI LIGHT Veg Feast runs in parallel. Bold, layered, and designed to keep a big table engaged from start to finish.

Salona holds its place on Swan Street with the kind of confidence that comes from decades of consistent hospitality. The Pre-Show & Pre-Game Early Dinner at $55per person is tailored for the venue’s prime location — steps from the MCG, Rod Laver Arena, AAMI Park, and the stadium. For one hour, diners move through the whole mezze menu across two courses before heading to their event. The $55 Mezze Lunchcovers the same ground at midday: a vibrant spread of Greek dishes well-suited to groups, colleagues, or anyone who’d rather order a feast than deliberate over a single plate. Warm hospitality and a room that earns its regulars.

Disuko occupies a multi-level rooftop on Bourke Street — developed by MAMAS Dining Group in what was previously Madame Brussels — and spans distinct spaces including the izakaya lounge, vinyl bar, Half Moon omakase, and terracotta rooftop. Named by Time Out as Melbourne’s best Japanese restaurant, the concept channels Tokyo in the 1980s: neon-lit, music-forward, and unmistakably alive. The DISUKO SETTO at $55per person is the accessible entry point — five dishes from a curated list of izakaya classics, modern plates, and house signatures, designed for sharing. For something more structured, the Half Moon Omakase takes over. The city views come at no extra charge.

Bounty of the Sun operates as a Japanese izakaya in Balaclava, drawing on Japanese technique and a cross-cultural ingredient list to build a Feed Me Menu at $80per person that covers considerable ground. The spread opens with edamame and kingfish sashimi with soy-marinated jalapeño, chive oil, and ponzu, before moving through a DIY Ora King salmon hand roll, charred broccolini with salted sesame caramel dressing, and pan-fried pork gyoza. Later courses bring chicken nanban in sweet-sour broth topped with Japanese egg tartare and pickled eggplant, Tom Yum prawn toast, grilled marinated butterfish, and a slow-cooked oyster blade beef curry over steamed rice. The whole party is encouraged to participate. Open Wednesday to Sunday.

Rice Queen holds its position on Brunswick Street in Fitzroy with the unfussy confidence that suits the neighbourhood. The restaurant covers a broad pan-Asian range — playful, well-seasoned, and designed for a room that also runs karaoke and bottomless brunch sessions. The Chef’s Tasting Experience at $65per person hands the menu selections to the kitchen,with a practical twist: individual diners choose between the main chef’s tasting menu or a parallel vegan chef’s tasting menu, so groups with mixed dietary preferences don’t need to negotiate a single shared approach. Rice Queen runs from early evening through the kind of late-night energy Brunswick Street does particularly well.

Crossley St Cantina operates in a Melbourne CBD laneway as a warm, late-night Spanish bar built on the logic of tapas: order a little of this, try a little of that, and let the evening take its own pace. The kitchen runs a 100% gluten-free menu with vegan-friendly options throughout. The Pre Theatre Dinner at $60per person is the sharp-value proposition for diners heading to a nearby show — five tapas including dessert, plus a drink on arrival (gin tonica, sangria, mimosa, beer, wine, or soft drink), timed to the curtain. Just let the team know the show and start time. 

Salted Egg Melbourne anchors itself in the CBD with an Asian-inflected menu built around bold, layered flavours and the kind of relaxed generosity that works best when everyone at the table is in it together. The $59 Salted Egg Feed Me Menuruns across four courses drawn from the kitchen’s most-requested dishes — a curated selection designed for groups who’d rather sample broadly than settle on one or two things. The format is unhurried and inclusive: comforting without being timid, with enough range across the courses to keep a table engaged from first bite to last. For a CBD dinner that delivers variety and warmth without a high price tag, it earns its spot on the list.