In 2021, Andrew McConnell — Melbourne's most consistent and celebrated restaurateur — opened Gimlet inside a heritage-listed 1920s building at 33 Russell Street, in the CBD. The brief was unambiguous: a grand, sophisticated dining room and bar that did not exist in Melbourne but should. A room drawn from the glamour of mid-century Chicago, calibrated for the particular appetites of a city that takes its food and its wine with comparable seriousness.
The interior delivered on every count. Black and gold marble bars. Burgundy leather booths of the kind that have not been built in Australia since the 1970s. Geometric tiles on the floor. Honeycomb chandeliers inspired by the Italian architect Carlo Scarpa. A mezzanine that overlooks the main dining room, home to a private dining space for up to 12 guests. The building's heritage-listed bones — high ceilings, original stonework — provide a gravitas that new construction cannot purchase.
The menu pivots on a wood-fired oven at the centre of the open kitchen. Oysters and snacks at the bar. Shared mains of premium proteins — whole chicken, seasonal fish, premium beef cuts — cooked over wood with the directness and confidence that the technique demands. Seasonal set menus of approximately $160 per person offer a structured path through the kitchen's best work. The wine list is one of the most substantial in Melbourne, running to several hundred bottles with a particular depth in old-world producers and older Australian vintages.
Gimlet appeared on the World's 50 Best Restaurants longlist in 2022 — a recognition that surprised no one who had dined there. Two Chef Hats in the 2026 Good Food Guide. A reservation system that rewards persistence: tables release daily at 10am, and the bar accommodates walk-ins with considerably more flexibility.
