Best Eco-Friendly Restaurants In Melbourne Australia

If you’re looking for sustainable sustenance, organic meals and eco-friendly places to eat, then you’re in luck. Melbourne is home to many of these types of places – we recommend the best.

1. Attica

Attica

In 2015, Ben Shewry’s restaurant won the title of Best Restaurant of The Year at the Gourmet Traveller Restaurant Awards and in 2014, was voted #32 in S. Pellegrino’s World’s 50 Best Restaurants. But more than just an awards winner, Attica is enthusiastically eco-friendly. Shewry incorporates native leaves into his menu, uses sustainable seafood and believes in the ethical treatment of animals and livestock. Inspired by the ruggedness of volcanos, rivers, bush land and the ocean, Shewry aims to create an earthy menu that’s respectful of the land.

74 Glen Eira Rd, Ripponlea VIC +61 03 9530 0111

2. Vue De Monde

Vue De Monde

Shannon Bennett’s Vue De Monde is fine dining with an ethical conscience. Located in the Rialto Towers, the restaurant has taken every conceivable step to ensure sustainable practices. The installation of air cooled chillers, ventilation ceilings, LED lighting and cold kitchen technology helps to reduce emissions and provide for an energy-efficient establishment. Kitchen tiles, cutlery and furniture is recycled and secondhand, while seating is made from reconstituted plastics. Timber veneers have been selected from eco-forests and the eWater system helps monitor and reduce water usage. Vue De Monde also supports sustainable fishing practices.

55, Rialto Towers, 525 Collins St, Melbourne VIC +61 03 9691 3888

Vue de Monde | © Jan Mark Holzer/Flickr

3. Mesa Verde

Mesa Verde

Opened in 2013, this Mexican cantina serves some of the best tacos in Melbourne and features an extensive tequila menu. But it’s the worms that excite most about this place. Mesa Verde translates to green table in Spanish and the owner Tim Peach takes a very green approach to waste management with one of Melbourne’s only rooftop worm farms. Vegetable cut-offs are transformed into fertilizer which, in turn, helps the growth of hard-to-find Mexican herbs and chilies. Around 30 vegetables and herb varieties are grown on site and Mesa Verde also uses rainwater and has a 95 percent gluten-free menu.

Level 6, 252 Swanston St, Melbourne VIC +61 03 9654 4417

Melbourne | © Hai Linh Truong/Flickr

5. South of Johnston

Cafe, Australian, Vegetarian

Stuart McKenzie’s factory conversion in Collingwood is a solar cafe with an urban orchard and lengthy seasonal menu. In 2014, South of Johnston(or SOJO for short) installed 40 solar panels which generate 60 percent of the restaurant’s electricity. Out the front, in recycled wooden crates, stand several fruit trees – including lemon and kumquat. Passers-by are encouraged to pick their own fruit and herbs. The seasonal menu, considerate of dietary requirements, includes the usual favorites made using locally sourced and ethical ingredients.

6. Pope Joan

Bar, Cafe, Restaurant, Vegetarian

Pope Joan is a cafe, restaurant and bar, as well as a legendary female pontiff during the Middle Ages. Located in Brunswick East, this place’s chef Matt Wilkinson uses the paddock-to-plate philosophy. He’s developed ‘dishes around vegetables in season’. Pope Joan sources locally grown produce from farmers dedicated to organic and biodynamic practices and features an on-site veggie patch in the outdoor dining area. Pope Joan also offers customers the chance to purchase from their Hams and Bacon produce store.

Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.

Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.

Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.

Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.

We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.