From $19 express lunches to $40 three-course menus, these six Melbourne restaurants are making midday dining more affordable.
A great Melbourne lunch does not need to come with a hefty bill. From steak and house-made pasta to vermicelli bowls, smørrebrød and Bavarian favourites, these value-packed menus offer plenty of reasons to escape your desk.
Studio Amaro
168 Chapel St, Windsor 3181
Perfectly timed for long lunches, midweek catch-ups, or anyone who believes steak shouldn’t be saved for after dark, Windsor’s favourite day-to-night Italo diner and basement bar, Studio Amaro, is giving Melbourne exactly that with its new Weekday Lunching menu, 5 specials, all under $25, and four of them brand new to the menu, exclusive to lunch service only.
- MB2 Flank steak, fries, rosemary salt, served with parsley + anchovy butter or amaro + pink peppercorn jus ($25)
- NEW Caesar salad, chicken, gem lettuce, egg, anchovy, pancetta ($25)
- NEW Market fish, caper, green olives, lemon butter ($24)
- NEW Spaghetti aglio e olio, stracciatella, anchovy crumb ($20)
- NEW and back by popular demand the beloved Panini, veal parmigiana, fior di latte, rocket ($19)
- $5 add-ons: fries, focaccia and rocket salad
Hours: Monday – Friday, 11:30 am – 2:30 pm
Bookings: via Seven Rooms
New Quarter
79 Swan St, Richmond VIC 3121
Swan Street favourite, New Quarter just made lunch a whole lot better. Say hello to the Lunch Rush special — $25 vermicelli bowls, piled high and packed with flavour, every Monday through Thursday. Consider it your new midday ritual: fast, fresh, and seriously satisfying. Choose your bowl:
- Lemongrass Chicken – chicken fat rice, pickles, fresh herbs
- Lemongrass Beef – vermicelli, pickles, fresh herbs
- Barbecue Pork – vermicelli, pickles, fresh herbs
- Market Fish – vermicelli, pickles, fresh herbs
- Grilled Tofu – vermicelli, peanut satay, fresh herbs (VG)
Price: $25
Hours: Monday – Thursday, 12 – 3 pm
Bookings: via Seven Rooms
Bar Lourinhã
37 Little Collins St, Melbourne VIC 3000
Lunch Rapido! – A cherished neighbourhood institution, Bar Lourinhã’s Lunch Rapido! menu showcases seasonal, produce-led dishes inspired by the flavours of Iberia and the Mediterranean. Enjoy three courses for $40 per person, with the menu changing weekly to feature signature tapas and generous share plates, best enjoyed alongside a curated selection of Iberian wines.
Sunday Paella & Tinto Verano – Every Sunday from 1 PM, Bar Lourinhã serves freshly cooked paella at the bar, available for $35 solo or $45 paired with a Tinto Verano cocktail.
Hours: Monday – Sunday from 12 pm
Bookings: Here
Denmark House
3/428 Little Bourke St, Melbourne VIC 3000
Guests can also enjoy Denmark House’s Feed Me Danish experience, where three chef-selected smørrebrød are paired with optional akvavit matches, including Denmark House’s soon-to-be-introduced house-made akvavits.
Hours: Monday – Wednesday, 12 – 3:30 PM, Thursday – Friday 12–9 PM, Saturday 12 – 2:30 PM. Extended dinner hours will follow shortly.
Price: $38, add 3 x 30ml matching Akvavit + $30
Bookings: Here
Hofbräuhaus Melbourne
18-28 Market Ln, Melbourne, VIC 3000
Offer: Hofbräuhaus Melbourne is making weekday lunches easy with its Express Lunch Menu, available Monday to Friday from 12–3 PM, featuring hearty Bavarian favourites from just $19. Guests can choose from six satisfying lunch specials, including freshly crumbed schnitzel, German sausages with mash and sauerkraut, veggie Schupfnudel and currywurst with fries, with the option to add a German bier or house wine for just $6.
Timing: Monday to Friday from 12–3 PM
Bookings: Here
Offer: The venue is also pouring one of the CBD’s better happy hours, running Tuesday to Friday from 4–6 PM with German tap bier specials including $6 300ml pours, $9 500ml pours and 1-litre steins for $16.
Timing: Tuesday – Friday (4 – 6 PM)
Bookings: Here
Luci
472 Bourke St, Melbourne VIC 3000
Luci is giving Melbourne’s lunch crowd another reason to escape their desks, with the first 25 diners each day invited to enjoy its new Lunch Special for just $25 ($29 after the first 25 bowls). Available Tuesday to Friday from 12pm–3pm, the offer includes a choice of house-made pasta, focaccia and a drink. Guests can choose from either:
- Cavatelli – miso buttered corn, jalapeno, parmesan crisp
- Strozzapreti – nduja, sundried tomato, stracciatella, sourdough pangrattato
- Casarecce – prawns (M), zucchini puree, chilli, garlic, bottarga
- Potato gnocchi – duck ragu, olive crumb, pecorino, sage
Monday lunches are also sorted at Luci with a choice between the new $14 brisket sandwich, or chicken sandwich, available for the same price on Monday from 11am – 3pm.
Bookings: Here
