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| French toast toastie. The Local. |
A few years ago I did a blog post with 22 places to eat or drink in Ballarat. The post had stemmed from my hometown being shortlisted as one of the top destinations in Australia and the fact that I get asked a lot where is good to eat or whatever in this city. In honour of this, here is a refresh. So many places on the old list have closed or changed and there are many exciting new places that I must put on so just like Ballarat’s food scene, my list has expanded. It’s expanded so fast that in the couple of months I have spent refreshing it I couldn’t keep up with all the new places opening. As before, this list will be by no means comprehensive and it will also not be in any order of preference. I have also not included chain venues like Grill’d or Zambreros in order to focus on home-grown tastes and some of the amazing local offerings.
There are so many good places to eat in Ballarat that deserve a mention here that there is no possible way for me to list them all. I put in a heck of a lot of time and money to put this list together, so trust me when I say none of the places mentioned are sponsored. If you are visiting Ballarat then hopefully this will help you know where to try. Most of these places will change their menu seasonally, so some of my dish recommendations may not be available. Click the name of the venue to check them out on Facebook/Instagram/their website. I’ve tried to link to their most active platform or their website if they have one.
Have I missed somewhere you go regularly or really enjoyed? Please share in the comments!
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| Macarthur St Larder |
General tips for eating in Ballarat
The most important tip I can give you in Ballarat is to book if the venue accepts bookings. If these places are on my list, they are definitely on other people’s, especially on a Sunday morning when about only 2% of them are open. (Unless you’re a local. Then don’t book and just rock up and complain about not being able to get a seat or get a park out the front because you’re not used to this town having so many people in it.)
Armstrong St Nth is still a hub for a cluster of these venues, but don’t expect to get a park there. Prepare for a short walk. Or a long one. Parking there is hard during business hours. Easier during weekdays in the mornings but if you’ve even ordered takeaway in the evening and you need to just stop quickly to collect your food… I’m even laughing at you while writing this. If you find a park you deserve some sort of award. Getting a park in this area is like getting the keys to the city. Those that find them are our honoured champions. Gifted. Chosen by god.
Use Facebook as your guide to where is open. Google may have details but they are likely incorrect. Many of the venues regularly keep their Facebook open hours updated, though. If you open a venue on Facebook, on mobile it should tell you automatically if they are open and for how much longer. Now, on with the list!
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| Hydrant Food Hall |
Breakfast
1. Mr Jones
What I go there for: Bubble Waffles
Also good: Deep fried eggs and ‘house juice’ which is whatever juice they have made fresh that day. I had apple and mandarin. My absolute favourite breakfast venue in Ballafornia.
Sunday: Yes
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| Mr Jones bubble waffles |
2. Webster’s (below)
What I go there for: 3 years after my first Ballarat food write up and I still go there for the French toast. Holy heck it is good.
Sunday: Yes
Also good: Tea and iced tea and the granola
Webster’s food is so delicious and they have recently converted their outdoor area into a convertible indoor/outdoor thing to make it less cold in winter. If you want to sit outside and have a view of the stunning autumn tree-lined Webster Street, dress appropriately. Unless you want to do it like a Ballarat local. In which case wear thongs and a t-shirt because #yolo.
I also have to make a special mention here that after I recommended this place to a friend recently, the messaged me afterwards to say how much effort the wait staff had gone to in order to communicate with a hearing impaired patron at a nearby table. They were so impressed and I was glad to hear a place I recommended had seen this type of accessibility as standard for their staff.
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| Webster’s |
3. The Local
What I go there for: A sweet breakfast
Sunday: Yes
Also good: Hot beverages. The Local stocks Grounded Pleasures (a much loved local hot chocolate company). At my last visit I had this ridiculous french toast. Oh my lord. They had some sort of Malibu infused pineapple sauce thing. The toast was encrusted with coconut shavings and crystallised pineapple. It was a good time.
Blog post here
What I go there for: Baked eggs and tea
Sunday: No
Also good: Literally everything on the menu is good. They have a play room for kids and a shop area with cookbooks and stuff. The opening hours can be a little restricted so make sure you check them out online to be sure they are open. I have shown up there many times to a closed cafe.
What I go there for: More the baked eggs
Sunday: Yes
Also good: All of it. The whole thing. I don’t drink coffee but my coffee drinking friends always have this one on their shortlist. Super busy on weekends so get in early or book (advice for both you and my past self).
6. Lola
What I go there for: The atmosphere and the service but also…everything?
Sunday: Yes
Also good: It’s hard writing a review for a place that I love everything about. They sometimes have awesome events on so check their social media (they are wonderfully active on Instagram) as sometimes this can impact availability of publicly accessible food times. For example the day of their gin launch they closed off breakfasts at 10.30.
What I go there for: Apple crumble pancakes
Sunday: Yes
Also good: Baked eggs. Porridge. French toast.
8. Johnny Alloo
What I go there for: Eggs Benedict. Love the way the pork is done on it.
Sunday: Yes
Also good: Grounded pleasures special hot chocolates. They’ve got good stuff that isn’t the original flavour.
Special mentions:
Higher Society. Been there once. It was nice. Music volume and selection reminded me of being in a Supre clothing store so if you want a big party vibe, this is your place. They also had waffles. They were nice. Don’t get the mermaid latte unless you’re one of those weirdos that likes the taste of things like tumeric lattes. I have only been there once.
My family also eat regularly at Little Bird.
Eclectic Tastes is good but I don’t eat there often enough to review adequately.
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| Coconut, malibu and pineapple French toast at The Local. |
Lunch or Fika*
*In this instance, I’m using Fika in the Swedish way. It means to have coffee and cake/something sweet. I’m also meaning tea.
8. The Local. Again.
What I go there for: Toasties
Also good: Breakfast
9. Mitchell Harris (below)
What I go there for: the pork belly
Also good: Their wine. Obviously. They also do mid-week lunches that can be pretty delicious. The current post-lunch menu isn’t my favourite. Their last menu was just so good that I am still bitter that the pork belly bao has been removed or dare I say – usurped – by a prawn cocktail.
Blog posts here and here and here
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| Opening a bottle of Sabre at Mitchell Harris |
10. Lola
What I go there for: Everything. Which is why they are listed in every section.
Also good: The decor. Oh and the bathrooms.
11. FIKA (below)
What I go there for: the vibe and the bagels
Also good: the sweets.
My favourite bagel is the peanut butter one, which comes with cherry tomatoes, mint and balsamic. The peanut butter is super mellow, the mint is bright, the tomatoes are sweet and the balsamic ties it all in with a burst of acidity. It’s a strange combination that my taste buds adore.
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| Fika |
12. L’esspresso
What I go there for: everything but specifically coffee (best coffee in Ballarat/the world I will not be taking comments at this time)
Also good: the seasonal duck dish, the affogato, the New York cafe vibe and the jazz records.
Secretly, every Ballarat local hopes to run into local artists, musicians or famous authors at this venue. Usually on a Sunday following a gig with local bands, you will find said bands swanning around outside drinking coffee. When I was in year 12, my friends and I would walk from school to this venue for affogatos (a shot of coffee over ice cream). The ice cream is made in-house using real vanilla. If you’ve ever been to a restaurant or cafe in New York, you’ll get what I mean about the vibe.
My favourite place to sit is behind the coffee machine on the squishy bench seat with the list of latest record arrivals above me, because I get the smell of freshly ground coffee, the sound of the coffee grinder as well as the general chatter all around. I don’t drink coffee, but I will drink it here. Especially in winter, on a Sunday morning, or whenever I’m hungover.
13. Meigas
What I go there for: potatoes
Also good: gin, churros (and everything else on the menu). Also, try their flamenco nights but you have to book.
14. Winner Winner
What I go there for: Chicken. Obviously.
Also good: Their cold beverages. Hangover cures. Popcorn cauliflower. Mac and cheese.
What I go there for: everything. The staff. The decor. The background music. The food. The cocktails.
Also good: I dare you to do the thing where you just give them money and they bring out whatever food the chef feels like, you coward.
Totes book at this one. Everyone knows Moon is good. It’s the worst kept secret in Ballarat. People will fight you for a table there. It’s literally how Kryal Castle was founded. People just started jousting the in the street for a table here and someone decided to build a theme park around them and serve up popcorn. If you want to avoid jousting for a table just ring them up.
Special mentions:
Such n Such – shopping and coffee/cake/lunch but also a great vibe in their shop
The Foundry – the tea. I’m a tea drinker, so if you are too, this is worth a visit. Also, the vibe.
Lavita Emporium – I have only had coffee and treats here but the vibe is lovely
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| Underbar degustation |
Dinner
Apparently, I’m hungrier at dinner because I have fewer photos for the category. I highly recommend booking for this category.
15. Pancho
What I go there for: Whatever that fish thing is with the juice in it they call ‘tiger’s milk’.
Also good: Cocktails and desserts. The only place in Ballarat you should be doing tequila shots. The vibe is awesome. I heard a rumour they will be doing salsa nights soon. Secretly my current favourite Ballarat venue. Top of my top 5.
16. Meigas
What I go there for: that tasty food. Potatoes. Repeating myself because they are mentioned in the lunch category too.
Also good: gin and churros. I’m not joking about the gin. They have almost 100 there. Or maybe I counted twice. I’d had a few gins.
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| Pancho |
18. Chat for Tea
What I go there for: the fact that every option on the menu is vegetarian and delicious
Also good: gyoza, tempura, tea
They are only open from Wednesday to Saturday and close down for a few weeks of break each year. They also do food takeaway, so place an order before 8.30pm. They don’t really do Facebook, but are intermittently on Instagram. This place is so local, you will probably only hear about it by word of mouth. Fun fact: they also provide most of Ballarat food spots with their almond milk supplies.
19. The Mallow
What I go there for: the burgers
Also good: the cider and beer list
Go there for pub trivia but you MUST BOOK.
What I go there for: look…everything really.
Also good: maybe read my mention of them in the lunch section.
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| Moon and Mountain |
21. Carboni’s
What I go there for: ravioli, ragu and food made by actual Italians.
Also good: their homemade limoncello is incredible…when they have it. They haven’t made it for about a year even though I ask every hecking time I go in. I have some very very beautiful memories here.
22. Underbar
What I go there for: The food here is inspired. I love just being present there and thinking only about the food.
Also good: the matched wine. You will need to book well in advance for this baby. We’re talking booked out 6 weeks in advance with a minimum booking of 2 people. It is a set degustation menu and is easily Ballarat’s best restaurant. They got a hat in the 2018 Good Food Guide.
Blog post here.
23. Lola
What I go there for: I loved their ravioli but their menu changes a lot so hard to recommend. I love something every time I go there.
Also good: Dessert. Hoo-boy. Might duck in there tonight now I’ve been thinking about them.
24. Fu Man Lou
What I go there for: Pumpkin dumplings
Also good: hot apple tea. Ordering on menu log on a Sunday when you can be bothered going out.
Special mentions:
The Tin Roof do awesome pizza and have cute Vespa out the front.
Ballarat Vietnamese Noodle House has pretty good Pho. Cash only but there is an ATM right nearby. Great prices.
Forge Pizzeria (below). Try the pumpkin pizza or the shearer’s
Cheap and easy
All of these places have ace service, good takeaway, are super accommodating to dietary requirements (especially Brown Grain), and are very reasonably priced.
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| Forge Pizzeria |
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| Pancho |
Drinks
25. Mitchell Harris
What I go there for: wine, cocktails, sometimes gin
Also good: Their Instagram feed, special food events, service, vibe, hot chocolate, takeaway wines
Sigh. My blog motto shouldn’t be ‘the lifelong pursuit of elegance’, it should be ‘as seen at Mitchell Harris’. I’ve done blog posts at Mitchell Harris here and here.
26. Lola
What I go there for: cocktails
Also good: tea/coffee. The cocktails here aren’t flashy looking but they are the real deal with taste and ingredients.
What I go there for: cocktails
Also good: everything.
28. Pancho (above)
What I go there for: cocktails
Also good: everything.
29. Meigas
What I go there for: gin
Also good: cocktails
30. Lost Ones
What I go there for: gin
Also good: bar snacks
Blog post here
Special mentions:
Hop Temple – I don’t drink here enough to recommend, but if you have a small group will be easier to sit and hear one another. It can get loud. They also do good food truck events.
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| Lola dessert |
Dessert
31. Il Piccolo Gelato (below)
What I go there for: clearly, the gelato
Also good: the range of flavours
The four most memorable gelato experiences I’ve ever had are in Venice, in Florence during the Gelato Festival, in Paris just near the Notre Dame and here in Ballarat. My favourite flavours are chocolate or lemon. They change the menu regularly and if you check their social media they will have information on current flavours they are offering, such as Christmas pudding. Not only that, these guys make their opening times flexible. We once checked Facebook to see if they were open and they were. We mentioned it when we got in and the owner said ‘yeah, it was busy, so we updated Facebook to say we’d be here another hour’.
Blog post here.
32. Lola
What I go there for: this is my favourite reason to go to Lola
I’m getting tired of mentioning the same places. If you haven’t got the point with them already, if somewhere is in here more than once they are good.
34. Meigas
What I go there for: churros
35. Pancho
What I go there for: that caramel meringue thing. It’s in the fridge. It’s pretty delicious.
36. The King Bakery
What I go there for: profiteroles and vanilla slice.
What I go there for: hot jam doughnuts.
I’ve done a whole blog post on these guys here.
Did I forget one of your favourites? Tell me in the comments!
– L
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So many great places to eat.
Little Bird is great for breakfast. Marcus the chef there is fantastic.
For Mocktails my favourites would have to be Lola, Moon& Mountain as well as Mitchell Harris.
My favourite restaurant for dinner failed to get a mention, which is just the way like it. Ballarat's best and most underrated restaurant always flies under the radar which means I can continue turning up without a reservation or the need to fight a crowd of young hip foodies waiting at the door when they open!
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