Sammy J:Fond of a vending machine snack.

Where Sammy J and co get their kicks (and snacks) during the comedy festival

Have you heard the one about where comedians like to eat while in town for the Melbourne International Comedy Festival? Sammy J,Josh Glanc and more spill all.

  • Emma Breheny
Sushi On Little Bourke is about sandos and sushi you can afford several times a week.

Two-hat sushi restaurant opens a casual spin-off for city workers

“It’s not omakase,it’s more like a canteen.” Come for fluffy katsu sandos,Japanese fish and chips,and a style of sushi that’s perfect for lunch al desko.

  • Emma Breheny
Cam Tay-Yap at Pebble in his climbing gym’s car park.

‘If you see hi-vis,keep going’:Melbourne’s most hidden restaurants and takeaway spots

From Columbian hot dogs in car parks to barbecues at climbing gyms,some of the city’s best eating is increasingly found in unlikely locations.

  • Dani Valent
Omo cafe is styled on Tokyo’s kissaten.

Relive your magical trip to Japan at these nine Melbourne venues

Pocket-sized sushi restaurants,old-school Tokyo-style cafes,and affordable delis with build-your-own bentos are just the tip of a rapidly growing and highly specialised Japanese scene.

  • Emma Breheny
North Fitzroy Arms has been a hit with its new menu and new look.

Backstreet pubs to pizza joints:30 top spots from Victoria’s restaurant young guns

The next gen of front-of-house talent spills on the places you’ll find them on their days off.

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Chilled tofu with syrup.

Doughnuts,ice-cream and nuggets:How this tiny shop puts a creative spin on tofu

A small-batch tofu maker is pushing perceptions of the vegetarian staple into new territory,using McDonald’s,low-waste cooking and more for inspiration.

  • Emma Breheny
The dim sim:created in Melbourne,now loved all over Australia.

Is the Melbourne-invented dim sim Australia’s greatest snack?

The dim sim is this city’s most famous dish,and next month it’s being celebrated at a free event. But these will be like nothing you’ve had before.

  • Emma Breheny
Omnia’s pork cotoletta lunch special.

10 to book:Set menus for less than $50 at wine bars,hatted restaurants and more

From a $20 express lunch to a $45-a-head Italian feast,with some deals including a drink.

  • Tomas Telegramma
Tucked on a side street in Strathmore,Athos cafe is drawing crowds for its home-grown Greek food.

This humble cafe in the ’burbs is taking Melbourne’s Greek food back to its roots

“Mixed grills,platters – that’s never the way Greeks have eaten.” A couple with 30 years experience are drawing people from all over with their homemade and ultra-fresh approach.

  • Emma Breheny
Inside a typical rural weatherboard hides a Thai restaurant serving home-style cooking.

A humble weatherboard in a tiny town is home to a thrilling new Thai restaurant

Settle in for a long lunch for just 14 guests at a time at this intimate,family-run eatery in the middle of northern Victoria.

  • Quincy Malesovas