This restaurant was amazing. The wait staff made the experience until the food arrived. Their…read moreservice was put into second place purely because of how amazing the food was. If I get a chance, I'd fly to the US to find this food again

I recently visited my brother in the Melbourne area. Since he had been taking me to try different…read moreAussie cuisine, he decided we should try some "back home" food for lunch since he not had any for over a year. We decided to give Mason Dixon a try. We ordered the Reuben Supreme, the MD Reuben, french fries, Dr. Pepper and A&W Root Beer. The sandwiches are individually crafted and made with great care. When our order was ready, we were quite pleased. The sandwiches were HUGE and outstanding! The New York style pickle was very tasty. The only small correction that needed to be made was that there was a little too much cajun seasoning on the fries. It sure was nice to get some Dr. Pepper and root beer to go along with our food. We spent quite some time talking with the owner, who is a terrific guy. He has created a wonderful menu with lots of great choices. If only we had come a little earlier, we might have tried the Seattle Bagel! If you are looking for an American-style sandwich for lunch, give Mason Dixon a try. You won't regret it!

The first day in Australia, I was craving a big, hearty sandwich, a rarity in Japan. A quick Google…read moresearch led me to Bowery to Williamsburg. The name suggests a connection to the street or bridge in NYC. Am I correct? Located in the alley between Flinders and Collins, parallel to Russell, it was a bit unexpected to find this eatery here. With plenty of tables on the patio and inside, the atmosphere was inviting. Being alone, I didn't want to occupy a larger table, so I decided to grab my order to go. After glancing over the menu, my eyes locked on the 'Reuben,' thinking 'this can't go wrong.' The staff were kind and friendly. Despite not dining in, they allowed me to sit and wait at a table. After a few minutes, I received my order and rushed back to the hotel because I couldn't wait! Excitement led me to open the box like a treasure chest, revealing a huge sandwich - the portion I had been searching for. In Japan, where I live, the general trend is to reduce portions to maintain prices rather than increase prices to keep portions consistent in the face of inflation. Now you understand how crucial this is. Another crucial aspect - the taste was on point. With a generous portion of meat, it dominated the experience along with the sourness from the pickled cabbage. It was a bit too sour for my taste, but I assume that's how a Reuben usually tastes. Overall, I was really pleased with this place and would love to come back again.

Food is okay! Coffee was good! Service was decent. I would definitely try again since, 2nd chance…read moreis worth it

Decent burger by Australian standards. Not the best I've had, but overall it is consistent and the…read morefries are good. Have been here several times and I would eat there again if I am craving a burger and happen to find myself in the neighborhood.

Alright, don't get me wrong I love food when it comes to burgers but these burgers were just way…read moreway too unseasoned and basic. And of course it had to take 2 hours for one burger...

What at amazingly remarkable find in the basement!!!…read more This restaurant was recommended by a local of Melbourne! We always try to support local establishments, especially while traveling! I have to say, THIS is by far.... THE BEST recommendation we've ever received! The restaurant was a tad bit difficult to find, having not been to Australia and not being familiar with basement restaurants, lol. It had quite a unique secluded vibe from the moment the door swung open. The atmosphere was almost hypnotic! There weren't too many patrons eating when we arrived .. but we did arrive shortly after opening. By the time we were finished the tables were 75% occupied, I think in part to only being open for dinner Tuesday-Saturday. The food, as well as the service were both TOP NOTCH! I don't typical care for red meat... but I ordered steak and it was extremely well-prepared! So delicious!!! I asked for it to be well done! It DID come out charcoaled so I made a comment to my husband that was over-heard by the chef, himself! Moments later, he personally delivered a new dinner plate to me with a replacement! Now THAT'S what I call top-notch service! I REALLY wish Meatmaiden would expand to the US! That would be the icing on the cake!!!

We have fallen in love with another Melbourne restaurant. We are even thinking about changing our…read morehotel for next year so we can be closer...we actually have! We can't brag enough about our new find. COVID stopped our travels to Melbourne for three years but hopefully no longer. We selected some winners. They were: 1) Grilled Bread with Beef Fat Butter; 2) 350g Westholme Wagu NY Strip; 3) GEM Lettuce salad; and 4) Hand cut chips. - The Grilled Bread was actually a fried bread that was then brushed with honey and lightly grilled on the bbq. The Beef Fat Butter was awesome. My spouse didn't care for it but I adored it. - Grilled Wagu NY Strip was 330+ day grain fed which only intensified the marble and added so much taste. Not a bite left and it was almost 13 ounces of pure meat. It was perfectly cooked to medium rare (-) temperature. It came with a choice of a sauce and we paid for an additional one. The Three Pepper Sauce and the Beef Fat Bernaise. Both were awesome. I need the recipes! - GEM Lettuce Salad with radishes and dressed with a Burnt Grapefruit Vinaigrette. The vinaigrette made the salad. - Hand Cut Chips w/ a Garlic Aioli - another perfect taste. The chips had a great crispy outside with a very smooth inside. And the Aioli was addictive. Do no pass this great place by. We did not have reservations but should have. We got there early and they were slammed. We saw two empty tables and they offered us one by the front entrance. We eyed the other table and they said "if you can be finished in 1 1/2 hours...we laughed and said there would be no problem and probably be out of here in an hour! MeatMaiden was so upbeat. We just kept looking around in awe. Two old ladies eating in a basement. The atmosphere is awesome. Somewhat darkly lit but light enough to see your food. Very high energy crowd. Service was spectacular. Toward the end of our meal the hostess came over and said we could stay a bit longer. We said thanks but not needed. Highly recommend and also recommend making an advanced booking. Enjoy.

This is your guilty pleasure comfort food, so greasy and amazing!…read moreSome of the best burgers I experienced in Melbourne. Really cool retro decor and upstairs/rooftop patio & they're open late! I overindulged by ordering "The David Chang" which included premium Australian beef, streaky bacon, fried egg, sliced beetroot & tomato, American cheddar cheese, butter lettuce and their special mustard seed burger sauce! I swapped it out on a lettuce bun but you can also get it on the regular brioche bun! Accompanied by their delicious oozing cheesy fries, and a salted caramel, maple bacon and bourbon milkshake!

Visited multiple times, best burgers I've experienced in Melbourne…read moreDiverse range of burgers Good service Cool/rustic venue The dessert menu is reason enough to go ORDERED MAINS The Ivan Drago 3.5. $18 Premium Aussie beef patty, American cheddar cheese, streaky bacon, black Russian tomato, sliced beetroot & McDowell sauce on a toasted brioche bun CB1 2.9. $10 Premium Aussie beef patty, American cheddar cheese, diced shallots & pickles, American mustard & tomato sauce on a toasted brioche bun (Small burger) Atomic 3.5. $18.50 Premium Aussie beef patty, American cheddar cheese, caramelised onion, chilli cheese kransky, streaky bacon, BBQ sauce & truffle, cayenne mayonnaise on a toasted brioche bun DESSERT Waffle Sandwich 3.5 $13 Fresh house made waffle stack, freshly whipped cream, fresh strawberries & drizzled with Nutella sauce. Choices of parfait are: OREO PARFAIT: Garnished with crushed Oreo's and edible flowers Churro Icecream Cup 3.0. $12 Hot churro cup with assorted ice cream, garnished with crushed hazelnuts Oreo Beigent. 2.7. $8.50 Mini doughnuts filled with Oreo, powdered icing sugar, drizzled with Salted Caramel sauce and topped with crushed Oreo's

Great bar! The sandwich was fine, but nothing like a steak you would get in Philly. Roll was way…read moreoff from our bread. Steak was the best part but not enough of it. Orange sliced cheese is non existent in Phila sandwich shop, this was like McDonald's cheese galavanting as whiz. Onions were cut too large so the ratio to meat was wrong. Again, I enjoyed the sandwich, it's just nowhere near authentic. If you're from Philly like me, don't get your hopes up.

I'm so excited that I finally got to cram one of Sparrow's Philly Cheesesteaks creations into my…read moremouth. Doubly excited that they have an entire wall devoted hot sauces and condiments for said creations. Triply excited that, despite their name sake, there are vegetarian options on the menu. But just because it's vegetarian, it makes no pretense that it's healthy. That fried tofu sandwich comes topped with vegetarian chilli and gooey, guilty-pleasure American cheese. Plus the option to have it all seated on top of a big pile of fries. You can save money for more beer at the Catfish bar on Mondays, when the cheesesteaks are only $8 or $10 with fries. Order and pick-up at the back hatch. Then add a little heat with things like the chipotle bbq sauce and tomatillo & jalapeno, or just play it safe and stick with the basic tomato sauce & yellow mustard. There is no way you're walking out hungry after one of these.

Once again we travel on our hunt around the area for Melbourne's best American BBQ. The last time…read morewe did this was to the Melbourne BBQ Festival at the Victoria Markets where we were immensely disappointed. We were determined on this Valentines Day evening for a Melbourne BBQ redemption, and Ike's did not let us down. We were seated straight away, and our waitress (I think her name was Katie) was an absolute hoot. She had my wife in stitches with laughter. The jokes were just bouncing back and forth until we eventually ordered. I ordered a half pound of pork ribs, whereas the other half went the lamb ribs. Between us, we shared home made cornbread & a salsa dish. I honestly did not have enough time to grab my phone to check in on social media sites, and BANG!!! The food was served. There is no way to describe what sort of party my taste buds were having in my mouth, however this party could have made some serious money on cover charges to this party. The cornbread was nothing like I have tasted before, and after visiting diners in 34 American States which I have visited, this cornbread leaves the rest for dead. The salsa with its secret little ingredients was hard to put down, and then the meat. It just melted in your mouth. When we initially started talking to the waitress she asked if we had been to Le Bon Ton in Richmond as a comparison, where she explained that Ike's is better. Big shoes to fill but they did not disappoint.

The service here is great and I really love it but the food this time round was a slight let down…read morefor me. They had no daily specials so the Brussels sprouts, watermelon salad and corn salad not to mention the bean kimchi accompaniments were all gone. In their place was a potato waffle and chicken gravy which were good but not great and roasted red peppers which I thought was the best thing we ate. Our half pound of pork ribs looked pretty lonely served on some baking paper on a metal lunch tray with some cabbage and I kind of felt a little like I was in jail or a canteen. Whilst it was a bit more practical space wise it really lost it's appeal for me. All in all I had difficulty deciding what to eat from the menu because I don't love the smokiness of ribs and mainly ate the sides which were good just not great. I'd drop it to a 3.5 stars and not too sure I'd be back but my partner gives it a 4 stars.