Norsiah's Kitchen
<$10 (!)
Homemade Malaysian food (rice and choice of meats and vegetables) for as low as $6.50, which is unheard of in Australia. Just outside the CBD area.
Thai Burgers
Shop 16, The Walk Arcade. (8 Causeway Lane, Melbourne)
$10
Gourmet burgers inspired by thai food.
Sushi Monger
17/309-325 Bourke Street, Melbourne in Causeway Lane off Bourke Street
$10 - $15
Best Sushi roll place in CBD. Lunch only.
Waffle On
$10 - $15
Affordable and freshly made on site French (Belgium?) baguette sandwiches with great toppings. I recommend the chicken and french pickles. Also makes Belgium Waffles. Lunch only.
Little Ramen Bar
346 Little Bourke Street, Melbourne
$10 - $15
Pound for pound one of the best ramen places in the city. Very quick service.
Camy Shanghai Dumplings
23 Tattersalls Lane, Melbourne
$10 - $15
Quick and rude service. Very cheap and very delicious. I recommend the fried dumplings and the spicy chicken noodles (dry).
Huxtaburger
Fulham Place, Melbourne and other locations
$10 - $15
Great simple burgers.
Mr Burger
428 Little Bourke Street, Melbourne and many other locations
$10 - $15
Great simple back-to-basics cheese burgers.
Mekong
241 Swanston Street, Melbourne
$10 - $15
Classic Vietnamese Pho (soup noodles) done right.
Blok M Express
380 Little Bourke Street, Melbourne
$10 - $15
Great Indonesian food. I recommend the Fried Chicken or the Mee Goreng (Fried Noodles).
Kitchen Inn
469 Elizabeth Street, Melbourne and other locations
$10 - $15
The best Malaysian noodles I have had in Melbourne. (Although I guess technically East Malaysian.) I HIGHLY recommend the Kolo Mee but everything on this menu is pretty good, including the East Malaysian style Bak Ku Teh (herbal pork soup with rice) Teh Tarik ice milk tea drinks.
Wonder Bao
19-37 A'Beckett Street, Melbourne
$10 - $15
Great Chinese buns. Small menu but everything is good. I recommend the chicken mushroom bao, the pork belly open bao and the taro bao. Also makes their own soya bean milk.
The Bratwurst Shop
Shop 99-100, Queen Victoria Market, Deli Hall, Melbourne
$10 - $15
Good iconic Bratwurst sausages in bread at the iconic Queen Victoria Market. Lunch only.
Laksa King
6-12 Pin Oak Crescent, Flemington and other locations
$15 - $20
Great Malaysian food. The speciality is obviously the laksa but everything else here is pretty good too.
Laksa Bar
108 Little Lonsdale Street, Melbourne
$15 - $20
Malaysian Laksa with very generous servings of toppings. Makes it less "authentic" and more "fusion" but also very delicious and filling.
D.O.C
$15 - $20
Great authentic Italian food and coffee. Open late.
Sugar Bun
$15 - $20
The specialty here is East Malaysian style Ba Ku Teh - herbal pork soup with rice.
Coconut House
449 Elizabeth Street, Melbourne
$15 - $20
Good dependable Malaysian restaurant.
Bowery to Williamsburg
$15 - $25
New York themed cafe with classic New York foods like Rueben Sandwiches. Lunch only.
1000 Pound Bend
361 Little Lonsdale Street, Melbourne
$15 - $20
A cafe with brunch and burger options in the day and a bar at night. It also has a huge warehouse space in the back that is usually hosting a cool event like an exhibition or market. Open till 11pm.
Taiwan Cafe
273 Swanston Street, Melbourne
$15 - $20
Great Taiwanese food with some Malaysian influence. I recommend the Beef Noodles, Fried Chicken, Roti Prata Wraps, but really everything on this menu is pretty good.
Emporium Melbourne
287 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne
$15 - $20
Upmarket food court with lots of good options for everyone. I recommend Charlie & Co. Burgers, Thr1ve healthy but yummy food (pick a carb and protein e.g brown rice and pulled pork served with salad), and Chinta Ria Soul, the affordable version of a very fancy Malaysian restaurant chain from Sydney.
EARL Canteen
$15 - $20
Gourmet sandwiches. Lunch only.
Paco's Tacos
Level 1/500 Bourke Street, Melbourne
$15 - $20
Gourmet Tacos. Good if you just want something light.
Kaprica
19 Lincoln Square South, Carlton
$15 - $20
Great authentic gourmet thin crust pizzas and dressed down pasta.
China Red
$20 - $30
My go to place in China town when you want something fancy but not too fancy. Quick service ordering off touch screens. I recommend the Xiao Long Bao and the hand pulled noodles.
Mamasita
$20 - $30
Fancy but not too fancy Mexican. No bookings allowed and also hard to get a table. Open late.
Niew Amsterdam
106-112 Hardware Street, Melbourne
$20 - $40
Fancy but not too fancy American restaurant. Classy but unpretentious, delicious and filling. The smaller menu is a good thing because everything on it is great. Great for lunch or dinner. Restaurant open till 11pm. Bar with limited bar food open till really late - till 1am and 5am on weekends.
Hutong Dumpling Bar
$30 - $40
Great hand pulled noodles and dumplings. Very difficult to get a seat unless you make a reservation.
Sakura Kaiten Sushi
61 Little Collins Street, Melbourne
$20 - $50
Gourmet sushi train. Fancy but not too fancy. Very delicious but not the place to go if you are super hungry because those gourmet sushi plates add up pretty quick.
Mr Nice Guy
$30 - $40
Fancy but not too fancy Thai food.
BangPop
35 South Wharf Drive, South Wharf
$30 - $40
Fancy but not too fancy Thai food. South Wharf is underrated as a dining area in Melbourne, so it's easy to get tables in restaurants next to the river and not too far from the city.
Jinda Thai
1-7 Ferguson Street, Abbotsford
$30 - $40
Fancy but not too fancy Thai food. Try the sweet ice milk tea.
Rice Paper Scissors
19 Liverpool Street, Melbourne
$30 - $50
Fancy but not too fancy South East Asian food. Small portions but great for tasting lots of dishes. There is actually no rice served here though.
Chin Chin
$30 - $40
Fancy but not too fancy fusion thai food done right. Can be hard to get a table. Open late.
Squires Loft South Yarra
$30 - $50
Probably the best steak in this price range in Melbourne. Great sauces and ribs.