Melbourne: Progressive Day/night Food Tour - Chinatown & Laneways

Simon was an outstanding guide. We were the only two on the tour, so he basically customized the tour for us. He was extremely knowledgeable. The food tasting was unique, but also what the locals would enjoy, which we appreciated. Pace was good, saw different areas and types of restaurants.

Our guide Simon was insightful and pleasant as he walked us around town. Evening wasn’t too cold especially since we ducked into many establishments to have our next bite. Great variety of food although more on the Asian side of things. Recommend to others as long as the weather is not too inclement.

Amazing and delicious array of food in multiple food venues! Fantastic and enthusiastic foodie tour guide in Simon, who shared secret non-instagram unique aspects of Melbourne! You won’t be sorry to go on this one.

Fun evening in a small group...chatting, walking, learning and tasting. Great food, great company, great fun!

Melbourne Nite Bites tour sounded just our kind of thing. We booked last minute and it turned out we were the only people on the tour that evening! We met Hugo at the meeting point in the rain but he quickly moved us into the laneways and under cover. A brief chat about what kind of food we liked and Hugo was leading us to the first venue, an amazing Thai place in a food court that served fantasic, authentic dishes. Hugo was very knowledgable about the food scene in Melbourne and where the best 'off the grid' places were. Moving from the Thai, Hugo led us through some laneways, pointing out street art and bars as we went. Next up was an Oyster bar in Chinatown. Undoubtedly the freshest and tastiest oysters I have ever had! We then had a Chinese spiced beef pancake from a small outlet on one of the main roads. We have probably wlaked past it so many times but never stopped to try it! That has definitely changed now!! The final food stop was a Malaysian outlet for satay amd roti! Both were freshly made as we watched and were perfect. The last stop of the night was a cocktail bar tucked away well out of sight of the main paths. Hugo feared it would be fully booked so called ahead. They were!! BUT a quick call to a contact by Hugo and we were assured a seat. This is a place I will never forget...... hidden away behind a mirrored door at the end of a small hallway, you literally enter something from the 1920's! Dark colours, lots of polished wood, more candles than I could count and a Jazz vibe made the bar seem cosy and welcoming. We sat on a wonderful sofa and took in the experience! The cocktails were perfect and Hugo used this stop to give us a map with the palaces we visited on it as well as recommendations for other hidden treasures! We live about an hour out of Melbourne so will definitley be back for another tour in the next few months. Thank you Hugo for an amazing night.

Simon was a great tour guide! He was super considerate of any food preferences/allergies and reached out beforehand to confirm everything. The food / bar stops were all great and loved ending it at a gelato shop that had a bunch of unique flavors! All of our stops were sit down places which is fine and I appreciate that they told us this tour was premium restaurants. Typically food tours I go on (and personally prefer) are street food so this was different, but a nice change. I loved hearing that there was a previous participant on our tour and, aside from one restaurant that she liked and requested to go back to, the rest were brand new for her on this round. I think it shows that this company takes time to research and has a bunch of places up their sleeve versus rotating the same ones every time. Highly recommend!

Simon was wonderful. He provided history about the area and food culture. The food he selected was all delicious dishes. We were full at the end of the tour. Come hungry! Highly recommend.

Our guide Simon was very informative and very knowledgeable. He clearly loves sharing his love of good food and this showed throughout our tour of several locations we visited. We learnt a lot about the buildings in Melbourne as well as trying foods we would never have ventured with before. Can’t recommend Simon enough. Have already recommended him to our Australian friends.

Had almost private tour (only two of us) with Simon. He’s an excellent guide - fun, friendly and in love with food. Knows Melbourne food scene very well and talks about it with great enthusiasm.

Well worth the experience. I only had one evening in Melbourne for a long layover and thoroughly enjoyed this experience. I was so impressed with Simon's knowledge of the food scene in Melbourne. He knew the owners, their stories and interesting tidbits that kept us going. He was very conscious of food allergies and restrictions. He even taught me about some common ingredients that were incompatible with my food allergy!

The guide Simon was knowledgeable, friendly, and easy to talk to. He made the experience exceptional! He doesn’t go to the same places for all the food tours, he customizes it depending on group size and availability in the restaurants, as well as based on how the group is feeling. We left feeling very full and much more knowledgeable about Melbourne’s food culture!

Simon was an excellent guide and he tailored our dining experiences to our tastes. Every stop was different and the food was delicious with an emphasis on Asian cuisine.

Simone was great. Catered our food tour to our likes. Everything was was wonderful. We would go again.

Simon gave us an amazing tour of the downtown district with so many restaurant highlights. He introduced us to so many different tastes and we loved them all. It was a wonderful way to spend our first evening in Melbourne! We would highly recommend Simon’s tour!

Simon was an amazing guide! He was so knowledgeable about the restaurants, melbourne history, and the local cuisine. It was a blast seeing parts of the city we would not have thought to go to. The food was delicious and filling. Tried Indian, Japanese, oysters, ice creams, and wine with a sommelier. Simon took into consideration our favorite foods and gave us such a wonderful experience. He gave many great recommendations to try afterwards as well!

Simon did an excellent job of showing us around Melbourne. He has a very energetic and entertaining personality. He was quite excellent. The foods we tasted were amazing. We have a high maintenance group with our dietary needs and he was able to meet all of them. I would highly recommend you do this tour and request Simon.

This food tour was incredible, we travelled around Melbourne to some amazing spots, eating some of the best food we’ve ever eaten. Our guide Simon was so knowledgeable, entertaining and tailored the tour to the individual members on the tour. We enjoyed it so much we booked the same tour again the next night + went on the bar tour with Simon as well. I’d recommend these tours to everyone and I’d do it again

I am writing to share feedback regarding the food tour we attended in Melbourne on December 24, led by Simon. He is knowledgeable and obviously passionate about food. Overall, the restaurants selected for the tour were very good, and the food quality met expectations. However, there were several serious issues that significantly impacted our experience. At the end of the tour, Simon asked for feedback on each restaurant and which was our favorite place. My wife provided honest feedback regarding the server who attended us at the restaurant Cookie. The server appeared extremely unkempt, with dirty clothing, greasy hair, and a strong body odor. When he brought dishes and utensils to the table, the odor was so noticeable that she lost her appetite. Other members of our group independently also noticed and discussed the same issue, so this was not an isolated perception. This was important and relevant feedback, especially for a food tour where hygiene and presentation are essential to the experience. Unfortunately, when she shared this with Simon, his response was highly defensive and unprofessional. He became defensive and scolded us rather than acknowledging the valid concern. He said, “What if you smelled, would you like if I told you in your face?” which I found disrespectful and completely inappropriate. As paying customers, we expected our feedback to be received professionally, not dismissed or turned into a personal confrontation. Considering the cost of the tour was $300 per couple, the experiences fell well below expectations. The guide’s handling of feedback, lack of professionalism, and disregard for guest comfort significantly detracted from what should have been a high-quality experience. I am sharing this feedback so it can be addressed appropriately, both with regard to guide conduct and overall guest experience standards. Thank you for taking the time to review this feedback. I look forward to your response.

Simon was an excellent guide - truly loved the topic of food and beverage. Great way to get acquainted with Melbourne!

Very good history of Australia and Melbourne and introduction to great local eats that we would never find on our own.

Great way to spend an evening exploring the city! Our tour guide Simon was terrific. We had to improvise a bit due to rain, but he didn’t skip a beat. He tied all of the dishes back to Melbourne’s colorful history and diverse international population. Unfortunately we did this on our last night in town and couldn’t revisit any of the spots, but we’ll be sure to recommend this to our friends in the future.

So much fun, come hungry! Great evening spent experiencing all the different cultures and cuisines in Melbourne!

This food tour was so good! We had a small group and the guide customized the tour for the group. We went to several places and had so much food! My husband and I are vegetarian and they were able to accommodate us. We had a fantastic time and were very full by the end. The guide was fun, he had so many stories and told us a lot about the area. Would definitely recommend this tour.

We had a great time with Alex as our tour guide. He was friendly and very knowledgeable about the best hidden spots to try. I'd definitely recommend booking this tour!

Simon was extremely friendly and knowledgeable about the food here in Melbourne. His enthusiasm was infectious, and the restaurants he brought us to were delicious. Highly recommend!

Really great food Tour. Hugo was a lot of fun and brought us to amazing spots that would never be found without a local bringing you. Fanrastic and unique cocktails as well, if interested. Will definitely do this again whenever we return!

Best food tour we have ever been on!! Really!! Hugo was awesome, took into consideration our likes and dislikes, and created a diverse eating and drinking experience and tour of the city at the same time. You will love this!!

What a perfect way to get to know Melbourne! Hugo took us to some incredible spots that we never would have found on our own and introduced us to delicious new takes on various foods. He was open to our tastes and was sure to find options that would appeal to us. Just as importantly, Hugo was easy to talk to, personable, and full of advice for how to get the most out of our time in Melbourne. We came away full (but not too full!) of tasty bites, delicious drinks, wonderful conversation, and a map of ideas for how to spend the next few days. A highlight of our time in Australia!

Small group so personal attention from host was good. Several different venues visited with variety of dishes available. Portions sizes small

This was the first tour of our vacation, and it really set the stage for a wonderful holiday. The directions to the meeting place were clear, and the guide was right on time. Our tour included myself, my husband, and a family of 3 adults - the perfect size group. All of the restaurants we visited were delicious. We especially enjoyed the first one (a Thai restaurant with the best appetizer where you poured the contents into a puff pastry - yum). We walked a lot (worked off rather large portions of food tasting), and end the night with gelato on the steps of the city hall - magical.

If you are a local or visitor to Melbourne, then this trip is for you. Our guide Simon was very knowledgeable and passionate about the history of Melbourne and the various food choices available. We certainly wouldn't have visited the venues or tried the different foods without him.

Great experience for my wife, myself and our adult children! Loved Simon - great guide and knew the city and it’s culinary gems well.

Very enjoyable evening. Our guide Simon was very passionate and knowledgeable about the Melbourne food scene. We enjoyed the evening very much. Highly recommend

Great way to experience restaurants and bars off the beaten path. Hidden gems you would never know about or find on your own without a guide.

Our guide Simon knew the City, it's history and most importantly for this tour it's food. Rain altered our itinerary a little but the restaurant selection was outstanding, each personally known by our guide.

Enjoyable walking dinner tour with a great host (Simon). Just enough walking, with plenty of food for dinner.

We were looking for a food tour that would take place in the evening so we could make the best use of our limited time in Melbourne (since we had other tours scheduled during the daytime hours) - so that was what first led us to this one - and WOW, are we happy we found it! Hugo was such a knowledgeable and engaging tour guide. He brought us to places we would never have found on our own: restaurants with speakeasy vibes that you wouldn't even know were there from outside the building, and hole-in-the-wall places where we might have been concerned about the quality had we not had a local guide. These ended up being some of the best food we ate during our entire five weeks in Australia! We also enjoyed the tidbits we learned about the city's history through the different neighborhoods we visited. Hugo struck a great balance of offering some personal information but not so much that it made it awkward :-) At the end of the tour, we felt like we had made a new friend. He also left us with a map marked up with his personalized recommendations for us, based on our tastes and interests. We visited some of his picks during our remaining time in Melbourne and his advice was spot on. Can't recommend this experience highly enough!

Provided a wonderful experience of food and history that we would not have otherwise enjoyed. Simon was very knowledgeable and engaging.

Our tour guide Simon was amazing! Not only was he an excellent source of information for hidden (and unhidden) eats in Melbourne, he also knew a vast amount of history and interesting things about the city and Australia.

We had an awesome tour with Simon. He tailored the stops to our interests and explained the history of the area and the Melbourne food scene in addition to having great food finds. He also gave us a map of our stops and recommendations for things to do in Melbourne. Awesome tour and guide!

Simon was a great guide and cover Melbourne history. All the stops were Asian restaurants which was not in the tour description.

Simon was a wonderful guide! His sharing of history of the city and fun stories made the evening very delightful! The food we ate at each place provided great variety and was a wonderful experience!

Mark was an awesome guide. He showed us many out of the way, hidden gems that we never would have found on our own. Very fun evening.

Had a really great night on our tour with 8 of my work colleagues. Our guide Simon was an excellent host and curated a very enjoyable experience for us. Even being a local I still loved this tour, finding restaurants and parts of Melb that I’ve never seen. We got to experience some delicious food options as well as learning about some of Melbourne’s history from the gold rush era. Would highly recommend this tour to anyone.

We really enjoyed our tour with Hugo. He was very knowledgable, interesting and good fun. We felt the food was of high quality and good variety, and we also had some nice drinks. Hugo brought us to interesting place we would not have discovered ourselves. When we booked, l thought the tour was on the expensive side, but it was definitely good value.

Mark was a wonderful host - very knowledgeable about the city and a great conversationalist. He will introduce you to a few nice local food spots, all while walking with you around downtown. Great tour to orient yourself in your first few days in Melbourne!

Fabulous exploration of Melbourne through food. Simon tailored the stops to our tastes, exploring varied cuisines, navigated alleyways and showed us parts of Melbourne we wouldn’t have discovered by ourselves. Highly recommend!

Despite the rain and cancellations the tour still went ahead with only myself. Had a great 3 hours of chat, information and great food.

Simon was an excellent guide and showed us around some of Melbournes hidden food gems. We were able to use this knowledge to eat at a variety of different places for the rest of the holiday. We could not recommend this enough and especially Simon.