Poodle Bar & Bistro

This venue is included in Good Food’s 100 Essential Restaurants list.

Poodle understands the art of the entrance. The red door, with its fishbowl window, is a portal to a surreal Euro fantasy. Inside, classic bistro polish meets oddball flourishes, the whole room practically begging for a three-martini afternoon. Food plays the same game: retro shapes, clever swerves.

Spanner crab and cod roe profiteroles are gleefully rich flexes of bronzed, weightless choux. A pork cutlet with stuffed onions and cider jus offers full-throttle pleasure, richer and glossier with every bite, the crackling arriving separately like a reward for ordering so well. Ile flottante keeps the old-school rhythm rolling into dessert, the meringue vanishing into tart passionfruit custard.

Service is cheery and properly helpful, especially in navigating a drinks list that takes wine, aperitifs and cocktails seriously. The glorious courtyard beckons in summer, but the martini list (about half a dozen choices, all compelling) sparkles year round.

Good to know: The $30 main-and-frites special on Wednesdays is a certified steal.

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:

• Fitzroy
• Poodle
• Melbourne
• European
• Separate bar
• Private dining room
• Good for solo diners
• Good for groups
• Licensed
• Gluten-free options
• Wheelchair access
• Outdoor dining
• Great for steak
• Good for a first date
• Long lunch
• Restaurant
• Bar
• Reviews
• Good Food Guide
• 100 Essential Restaurants
• Critics’ Pick