Four people in a laneway with a large wall mural of a jungle.

Your weekday guide to the city

Find ³Ô¹ÏÍø's best coffee spots, cheap lunches and afternoon treats. Hang around after work for happy hour deals, weeknight comedy or blockbuster shows. Only in the city.

City worker deals

Hands clinking margaritas over a table of Mexican food.

Hotel Nacional

Buy one margarita, get one free. Every weekday 4pm–6pm. Choose classic, spicy, frozen and more.

Special offer

Tonka

Try the Thali special with tandoori chicken or eggplant curry, dal & more. Tues-Fri, from 12pm-3pm.

Special offer

BKK

Try three different noodle dishes for $15 each. Available 11.30am-3pm, Monday to Friday.

Special offer
A dish of German sausages, mash, sauerkraut and mustard, next to a pretzel with butter.

±á´Ç´Ú²ú°ùä³Ü³ó²¹³Ü²õ

Enjoy lunch specials like schnitzels, sausages & currywurst from $19, plus $6 bier. Mon-Fri 12-3pm.

Special offer
Array of Asian tasting dishes on a table with chopsticks.

Ming Asian Fusion Restaurant & Bar

Select one entree and one main from their fusion menu, all served with rice, Tue-Thu, $27pp.

Special offer
Glasses of rose and spritz with a plate of oysters.

Chancery Lane

Enjoy Happy Hour Mon to Fri, 5–7pm with $15 Champagne, $15 cocktails, $6 beer and $4 oysters.

Special offer

What's on weekdays

The full cast of the musical Book of Mormon on stage singing and dancing, with a painted sky coloured background and other theatre props.
Until

The Book of Mormon

Australia’s biggest ever musical comedy returns this February.

Purple-lit dark room with screens.
Until

Game Worlds

ACMI's new playable exhibition features more than 30 videogames from the 1970s to today.

A small tour group looking up from the ground floor of the La Trobe Reading Room.
Until

State Library Victoria Unlocked

On this exclusive tour, gain access to State Library Victoria before the doors open to the public.

People sitting on cushions on a vast lawn in front of a large outdoor movie screen.
Until

Moonlight Cinema

Kick back with a film under the stars at ³Ô¹ÏÍø’s most spectacular open-air cinema.

A person taking a photo of two mannequins dressed in colourful clothing in a fashion exhibition.
Until

Westwood | Kawakubo

NGV’s summer exhibition pairs two icons of the fashion world, Vivienne Westwood and Rei Kawakubo.

People dressed at F1 drivers with helmets on, leaning back as if seated.
Until

The F1 Exhibition

The F1 Exhibition makes its long-awaited debut in Australia.

Elton John in the 1970s wearing large spectacles and satin suit with Cher wearing Bob Mackie midriff-revealing strappy gown and Diana Ross wearing feather and sequin gown.
Until

DIVA

From opera stars to pop icons, celebrate the power and creativity of the diva.

Person looking at a display in a glass case, rows of colourful books in the background.
Until

World of the Book

Explore the rare, the sacred and the iconic in the 20th anniversary of this annual exhibition.

Three long narrow boats with people seated in them and a guide standing at the rear of each boat, punting on the lake at Royal Botanic Gardens.
Until

Punting on the Lake

Glide between the bays and islands of Ornamental Lake on a guided boat cruise.

Comedian holding a microphone, standing under a spotlight in a bar with plants and bar stools.
Until

Laugh Lab

Come watch some of ³Ô¹ÏÍø's best comedians perform in the cosiest cocktail bar in town.

Stand-up comedian Tommy Little on stage in front of Spleen neon sign, holding microphone and smiling.
Until

Comedy at Spleen

Come along to the city's longest-running comedy night.

A woman speaking through a mouth microphone, holding paper and gesticulating.

She Carried On: Women’s Power, Erasure, and Legacy

A Women's History Month talk hosted by Santilla Chingaipe.

Man with hat and glasses standing in a dark bar, holding a card.
Until

Critical Hits Music Bingo

Play free video game and pop-culture themed music bingo, every Tuesday at Fortress.

Two people seated below a neon sign.
Until

The Story of the Moving Image

A permanent exhibition that journeys through the past, present and future of the moving image.

People walking along a plant-lined pathway in public gardens, with city towers in the background.
Until

Fitzroy Gardens Heritage Tour

A journey through the heritage-listed gardens, where history and nature seamlessly blend.

Best coffee in ³Ô¹ÏÍø

A cup of coffee on a wooden table in a cafe, a shelf in the background with bags of coffee for sale.

Rumble Espresso Bar

Brewing and serving a range coffee that is roasted just a block away.

Cup of coffee on a windowsill.

Patricia

No lattes. No long blacks. No flat whites. Just the best boutique coffee with or without milk.

Looking into the interior of a small cafe from the outside, the window has thin venetian blinds and people are waiting in line ot order a coffee.

Trbl Coffee

A small quiet spot serving good coffee, a place for caffeinated conversations only.

Cafe exterior with customer standing with takeaway coffee and glimpse of counter and blackboard menu.

BE.AN by Workshop Bros

Serving great food and amazing coffee from their laneway shop off Collins Street.

Iconic, 50s style Pellegrini's Espresso Bar in Bourke Street.

Pellegrini's Espresso Bar

This iconic espresso bar serves authentic Italian food and of course fantastic coffee.

Cups of coffee.

Brother Baba Budan

Small cafe specialising in single origin beans roasted by Seven Seeds.

Coffee cup sign in Flinders Lane.

Dukes Coffee Roasters

Serving specialty coffee alongside a selection of cakes and pastries.

Code Black cafe exterior with black paintwork, neon sign and dim interior.

Code Black Coffee

The Flinders Lane cafe is the destination for expert service, coffee cocktails and brunch.

The coffee service counter of Axil Coffee at Flinders Gate, with a logo on the wall and a large coffee machine.

Axil Coffee

Specialty coffee and freshly baked pastries from Axil Coffee at Flinders Gate.

Four people are standing outside a laneway cafe

³Ô¹ÏÍø’s best hidden laneway cafes

Head down these laneways to find leafy cafes, tiny hole-in-the-walls and hidden gem coffee roasters.

A man ordering at the counter of an orange tiled hole in the wall cafe.

³Ô¹ÏÍø's best hole-in-the-wall cafes

We found ³Ô¹ÏÍø's tiniest cafes in laneways, under train tracks and on top of traffic islands.

People drinking coffe in an arcade

³Ô¹ÏÍø's best cafes that open late

These ³Ô¹ÏÍø cafes are open late for evening coffee runs.

Top spots for casual meetings

Outside tables at Queensmith Baretto with patrons seated and a waiter attending.

Queensmith Baretto

A modern day baretto in the legal and business district with an all-day offering.

Pastries.

Cathedral Coffee

An intimate little nook in Cathedral Arcade serving single origin coffee and sweet treats.

People seated inside a modern-looking cafe.

Mr Tulk

A licensed espresso bar located inside the 19th-century wing of State Library Victoria.

Poolhouse Coffee interior with white marble bench topped with coffee machine, cups and coffee-making items, with shelves on white wall behind.

Poolhouse Coffee

Great coffee and quick cafe food under the ³Ô¹ÏÍø City Baths.

Break ideas in an hour or less

Small juice bar with bench seats outside in Centre Place.

Jungle Juice Bar

Jungle Juice Bar on Centre Place serve seriously good coffee along with delicious food.

Shopfront of Myer store in Bourke Street Mall.

Myer

Iconic upmarket department store in a historic building on the Bourke Street Mall.

A sophisticated music store with guitars hanging on the wall.

The Music Gym

Drop in to The Music Gym, ³Ô¹ÏÍø's most playable pit stop!

Outdoor Aboriginal art installation at Birrarung Marr park.

Birrarung Marr

Popular park along the Yarra River next to Federation Square.

Team lunches

Restaurant interior with people seated at tables along a wall and at the bar.

Tonka

Indian-inspired cuisine with unique dishes and cocktails celebrating the spices of the subcontinent.

View from the street into a small and cosy interior of a cafe, a table of diners on the footpath and people also dining inside the small cafe.

Ilza

The second city venue for this popular Japanese snack bar and izakaya diner.

Cafe interior with tables and seats next to open kitchen and ordering counter with signage.

Thai Social

Serving affordable and authentic Thai street food.

A couple walking down a busy laneway at night

The best restaurants, cafes and bars in Hardware Lane

Out shopping? Stop for street food, Korean desserts and secret Italian bars.

Team building activities

People enjoying tenpin bowling.

Strike Bowling

Tenpin bowling plus laser tag and escape rooms - great fun for everyone.

A group of friends playing darts at Oche ³Ô¹ÏÍø, with platters of food on the tables near them.

Oche

Oche ³Ô¹ÏÍø - Darts with a twist

Interior of Archie Brothers games venue, showing a candy counter, and a central bar area.

Archie Brothers

Archie Brothers delivers circus themed arcade charm, whimsical cocktails, and big-kid energy.

A giant ball pit with brightly coloured geometric patterns and neon shapes on the walls.

Hijinx Hotel

No beds here. Just ball pits, bold colours, brain-teasing challenges and a lot of laughter.

Exterior of Holey Moley mini golf venue at night.

Holey Moley Golf Club

Holey Moley offers a mini golf course and bar with 27 themed holes plus a karaoke room.

The exterior of Hardrock climbing in the city, surrounded by other buildings.

Hardrock Climbing

The ultimate indoor rock-climbing experience in ³Ô¹ÏÍø is at Hardrock Climbing.

Two people driving past a golf course green in a golf cart, with two golf bags on the back.

Royal Park Public Golf Course

Nine-hole public golf course offering cart and club hire and coaching sessions.

Bowls club at eye level with grass playing area with balls set against city skyline of tall buildings, trees and blue sky.

³Ô¹ÏÍø Bowls Club

Located within the Flagstaff Gardens, adjacent to the legal precinct and Queen Victoria Market.

3pm treats

Glazed ring doughnut.

Shortstop Coffee and Donuts

Great coffee and even greater doughnuts. Heaven for anyone with a sweet tooth.

A selection of mostly green matcha flavoured drinks and sweet treats in takeaway containers from Balibola cafe, arranged with pale pink wrapping paper and napkins.

Balibola

Find Bali's famous matcha cafe at a cute hole-in-the-wall kiosk in Collins Street.

A tray of decorated pastries with corn, fruit and flour patterns.

Bloomwood

Bloomwood is a cafe and bakehouse focused on artisan viennoiseries and Asian-influenced pastries.

Two iced drinks, one coffee and one matcha, with the top of a match a cake visible and two forks on a napkin.

°Õ´Ç°ù¾±â€™s

Artisan bakery in a hidden laneway.

After work drinks

People seated outside under shade umbrellas at a rooftop bar

Good Heavens

Rooftop bar on Bourke Street serving fabulous cocktails, craft beer and Australian wine.

Rooftop bar and outdoor park area at The Quarterhouse, with ³Ô¹ÏÍø city buildings in the background.

Quarterhouse

A contemporary, three level pub conveniently located next to Southern Cross Station.

Cocktail in a glass.

Cabinet Bar

Cabinet Bar is a softly lit, Parisian-style gem, with European furnishings and retro chic decor.

Looking out over the street from a pub entry with a blurred tram driving past and buildings in the background.

Springrock Public Bar

Offering up classic counter meals, great beers and sweeping views of ³Ô¹ÏÍø.

Last updated on Tue 17 Feb 2026

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A couple walking down a plant-lined laneway.

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