Updated ,first published
Nomad Melbourne
Contemporary$$
Fire-licked feasts built for sharing in a sleek subterranean bolthole.
The neon sign beckons you beneath the Adelphi Hotel to this intimate, softly lit basement. A happy hum greets you first, followed by an elegant vista of toffee-coloured banquettes, warm wood and silver ceiling pipes. Most orders begin with oil-glistening flatbread, expertly scorched in the wood-fired oven until bubbly then scattered with zingy zaatar. It wants for nothing, but is even better with a swirl of citrus-bright fava bean hummus.
Smoky, wood-grilled cuttlefish stands up beautifully to robust XO sauce – made in-house from charcuterie – with crisp Jerusalem artichoke chips and smooth puree for support. Charred yet just-pink lamb rump gets a boost from punchy zhoug sauce and barberry-spiked burghul.
Decision paralysis? Several set menus are good value, including express mezze lunch and pre-theatre options. Good noise levels and a wine list favouring interesting small producers round out a ready-for-anything restaurant.
Must-order: The olive oil ice-cream sandwich, the only identical dish from Nomad’s Sydney sibling, goes the distance.
Good Food reviews are booked anonymously and paid independently. A restaurant can’t pay for a review or inclusion in the Good Food Guide.
Last visited: April 2026
More: