Tivoli Road Bakery

If baked goods are your thing then you’d be familiar with Melbourne pastry icon Tivoli Road Bakery. Based just off bustling Toorak Road, the combined bakery and cafe offers up buttery, flaky pastry creations. Nibble your way through the sweet and savoury menu with a coffee in-house, or grab a loaf of still-warm sourdough to take away.

3 Tivoli Road, South Yarra, tivoliroad.com.au

Lune Croissanterie

Lune is considered the creator of the best croissants in not just Melbourne, but the world. The enterprise of former aerodynamicist Kate Reid, Lune has amassed a reputation for its pastry perfection, served up in a Fitzroy outlet that is nothing short of futuristic. It’s here where the flaky treats are baked – cooked within a central glass cube titled The Lune Lab – climate-controlled to 18 degrees. Drop in to try a croissant fresh out of the oven, or a smorgasbord of innovative pastry creations (including a “cruffin”).

119 Rose Street, Fitzroy, lunecroissanterie.com

 Shukah

Translating as “marketplace” in Armenian, Shukah is an ode to the flavours of the Middle East. The venue is a family affair, run by chef Garen Maskal and his cousins, Aret and Sasoon Arzadian, who are also behind the more formal Sezar. Shukah serves up a range of peasant-style tapas plates to hungry punters, with the menu a roving celebration of traditional Armenian dishes, interwoven with European favourites.

104 Chapel Street, Windsor, shukah.com.au

 ShanDong Mama

It seems mama really does know best, especially when it comes to dumplings. This family-run Melbourne favourite is tucked inside an arcade in Chinatown and serves up traditional recipes from Yantai on China’s Shandong Peninsula. Seafood may be a specialty of this cheap eats haven, but for a patriotic dish, guests can’t go past the Melbourne Dumpling on the menu.

200 Bourke Street, Melbourne, shandongmama.com.au

 Paper Fish

Fish and chips may be a tried and true favourite for many Australians, but Paper Fish hopes to shake things up a bit. The beachside kiosk within Stokehouse doles out a fresh, healthy take on the dish, utilising sustainable seafood, fresh salad and granita on its menu. Of course, for the parched there’s also Barokes wine in a can and Balter Beer to sip on.

30 Jacka Boulevard, St Kilda, paperfish.com.au

For more incredible Melbourne cheap eats, see here.