IDES

Smith Street’s finest flex. Forget stiff, hushed dining rooms—IDES delivers sheer culinary theatre without the pretentious baggage. Those who track Melbourne's elite dining circuit know this is where you go for a six-course degustation that actually surprises. Spacious tables. A fiercely creative kitchen. Think sake-spiked Shark Bay clams, impossibly rich beef short rib, and toothfish carrying serious umami depth. Culinary obsessives constantly point to the interactive plating—yes, you might be handed a tiny hammer to smash open a black shell for dessert. Add in razor-sharp wine pairings from a dialed-in sommelier and Le Labo soap in the washroom, and you’ve got a masterclass in modern Australian dining. Unfussy service, high-wire technique. An absolute knockout.