Details last confirmed July 2025
We're expanding our BYO suggestions and Melbourne is next cab off the rank! (Sydney list is here) This list is a hybrid of our own research and suggestions from our mailing list. We aim to confirm the details at least every 6 months.
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Before we get to the list, here are our usual three tips for doing BYO right.
- Call ahead. We do our best to keep this list current, but it's always worth confirming to avoid any misunderstandings.
- Match the corkage with the quality of your bottle. As a general rule of thumb, we find the corkage (the restaurant charge per bottle for BYO) increases as the food, service and glassware quality increases.
- Mix it up a bit and grab something from the restaurant wine list as well as your own bottle(s). The restaurant will appreciate it, and you won't have to lug an esky in the front door :)
Top of our list for our next Melbourne trip: Alta Trattoria
On with the list, starting...
...in the CBD:
1. Lee Ho Fook - $0 corkage. Mon-Wed. Book here. We're taking a rosé Champagne from Godin et Filles to this classy modern Chinese restaurant.
2. Waiter's Restaurant - $0 corkage. All seatings. Call (03) 9650 1508 to book. The name says it all - no nonsense, no website, great food without the frills. Etna Rosso from Monteleone should do the trick here.
In the North:
3. Alta Trattoria - $25 corkage. Fri- Mon Lunch. Book here. Alta is currently closed while its focus transforms from Piedmont to Sicily. We'll let you know once it's back on line, then take an Etna Rosso from Montelone.
4. Añada Bar & Restaurant - $20 corkage. Tues - Thurs Dinner. Book here. For this southern Spanish fare, we'd take along a (very) aged Vouvray from Domaine de La Fontainerie - about as close as our range currently gets to a nice sherry.
5. Carlton Wine Room - $25 corkage. Mondays only. Book here. With a food menu built around wine, this is our kind of bistro. So many of the dishes would go beautifully with an Etna Bianco from Monteleone.
6. Cutler - $30 corkage. Wednesday dinner. Book here. Order something with tentacles, and maybe a bird, and pair it with the Vosgros Premier Cru Chablis from Domaine des Trois V.
7. Jim's Greek Tavern - $0 corkage ("nah we don't charge for that mate!"). All seatings. Call (03) 9419 3827 to book. An institution. We don't have Greek wine in our range yet, but we'd take a Timorasso from Cecilia Monte to handle any dish they could throw at us.
8. Recreation Bistro - $30 corkage. Sunday to Thursday only. Book here. We think an Alsace Pinot Noir from Domaine Sohler would be about right for some of the mains at this modern Aussie bistro. Reservations are for "110 minutes" so expect some precision?
9. Scopri Italian Food and Wine - $30 corkage. Tuesday to Thursday plus Saturday dinner. Book here. (and check out their excellent Nebbiolo heavy bar, Bar Olo too!) We'd stash a Brunello from Il Colle di Carli for the bistecca.
10. Tèta Mona - $6 corkage. All seatings. Book here. This fun Lebanese eatery would be perfect with Tregole's white Sangiovese "Chicchero". Both the wine and the venue are unpretentious but with some serious quality.
11. Zircon - $9 corkage. All sessions. Call (03) 8400 9022 to book. We wanted an excuse to suggest a demi-sec Vouvray from Domaine de La Fontainerie and this Sri Lankan spot is it.
In the East:
12. Fratellino Richmond - $8.50 corkage. All seatings. Book here. For pizza, we'd take a Dolcetto from Cagliero, or a Chianti Classico from Tregole.
13. Geppetto Trattoria - checking on corkage, but was a $10 special in June. All seatings. Book here. Classic Italian - take a San Giuliano Barbaresco from Cecilia Monte because its savoury herbaceousness (if that is a word) is the perfect porchetta pairing.
South of the Yarra:
14. Bar Carolina - $15 corkage. Weekday lunches. Book here. It may be Italian, but lunch at this cool spot demands the Godin et Filles NV Trois Cépages Champagne.
15. France-Soir - $0 corkage. Mon-Wed Lunch. Call (03) 9866 8569 to book. It's gotta be a Riesling from Kuentz-Bas for this epic French joint. Maybe the Grand Cru Geisberg even?
16. Fratellino South Yarra - $12 corkage (we would ask why the South Yarra location has an extra $3.50 for corkage but sense we may be wading into some sort of Melbourne culture war?). All seatings. Book here. For pizza with extra corkage, we'd step it up to the Chianti Classico Riserva from Tregole.