IDES Melbourne

Ides is on Smith Street, a short walk from the Fitzroy Gardens. It holds two hats from the 2025 Australia Good Food Guide, a shift from the three hats the restaurant earned in 2024. The room runs smart and elegant, leaning into a contemporary and creative approach to modern dining.

Choosing Ides over the more traditional institutions near Collins Street or the Royal Exhibition Building is a matter of pace. While the central city venues lean into the gravity of their historic surroundings, Ides uses its Smith Street address to foster a more focused, singular experience. The cooking here trades the formality typical of two-hat restaurants for a deliberate, inventive register that feels less concerned with tradition and more interested in the possibilities of the kitchen. It is the destination for those who want their fine dining experience stripped of the city's standard pomp.