Looking for the best private dining rooms in Melbourne for your next special event? Whether it’s an intimate gathering or a grand celebration, Melbourne’s top restaurants offer exclusive spaces that will let you and your group celebrate with the service and meal standards of a restaurant with the next level intimacy of a great dinner party.
From the lofty heights of Vue de Monde atop the Rialto to the retro-chic ambiance of Studio Amaro’s basement bar, there are options across Melbourne for every occasion. Gimlet and Flower Drum deliver gourmet experiences in elegant, secluded settings, while hidden gems such as Moonhouse and Poodle Bar & Bistro offer a more relaxed yet sophisticated vibe.
Whether it’s for a Christmas party, engagement, elopement or just a knees-up, this is our guide to the best restaurants with private rooms, where memorable meals and privacy join forces.
Vue de Monde
Melbourne CBD
A meal at this institution atop Melbourne’s Rialto building is one of the most singular experiences in Australian dining. But if you’d like to kick it up to the next level, the private dining room at Vue de Monde, which seats 12, is the way to do it. Enjoy Hugh Allen’s high-end dégustation amongst the recently renovated room. There’s an exciting high-low rhythm in the 16-ish courses, which will be sure to make for a memorable event.
vueevents.com.au

Gimlet
Melbourne CBD
The lovely thing about the Palm Room, Gimlet’s private dining option for eight to 12 people, is that it watches over Andrew McConnell’s beautiful, buzzing restaurant. So somehow, you get to have your private cake – or in this case, a chocolate torte with rum caramel and cultured cream – and eat it too.
gimlet.melbourne/parties

Elio’s Place
Melbourne CBD
This CBD fresh face is all about European bistro classics. It’s also a real looker. Thanks to its lunchtime hours and central location, Elio’s private dining room is the ideal spot for a big birthday lunch that will lead to kick-ons in the city.
eliosplace.com.au/private-dining

Studio Amaro
Windsor
Groovy Italian eats go from day to night at this Chapel Street restaurant and basement bar. Forget Melbourne restaurants with private rooms; book Studio Amaro’s entire basement bar for 16-40 people with a set menu with sourdough focaccia, whipped ricotta, fried mozzarella, rigatoni arrabbiata and rockmelon granita. In keeping with its namesake, there is an extensive list of bittersweet amaros, plus a DJ booth and retro-chic interiors.
studioamaro.au/functions

Moonhouse
Balaclava
Balaclava’s forward-thinking Chinese bistro has a secluded dining room above the main restaurant. It has a private entrance, fully equipped bar and toilets, plus you will find a set menu that can cater for sit-down or canapés for up to 28 guests. Think duck spring rolls with shiso and mustard leaf; chicken and prawn wontons; and honey pepper short rib with Kipfler potatoes and mushrooms.
moonhouse.com.au/upstairs

Flower Drum
Melbourne CBD
Melbourne’s Cantonese institution offers private dining for 10 to 40 guests, with two rooms available. The first accommodates 10-20, while the larger banquet dining room can be booked for functions ranging from 20 guests up to 40. The room can fit four round tables or one long oval table for up to 26 guests, ready to be filled with plates by executive chef Anthony Lui’s plates of Peking duck, steamed crayfish with ginger and spring onion, fried rice and seared abalone.
flowerdrum.melbourne/private-dining

Poodle Bar & Bistro
Fitzroy
Upstairs at this Fitzroy gem, there’s a cosy dining room that can fit up to 20 people, complete with a fireplace. Earning accolades for interiors as well as its eats, expect dark timber, splendid leather banquettes and jewel tones, joined by fun bites, from Yarra Valley smoked salmon caviar and seaweed madeleines to prawn scotch eggs.
poodlefitzroy.com.au/events

Yugen Dining
South Yarra
This basement restaurant has a resplendent semi-private dining room dubbed the Golden Orb. Suspended from the ceiling, it seats six to nine people and is one of the most luxe ways to enjoy the already-luxe restaurant. Work through prawn toast, Chinese doughnuts with chilli amazu and smoked eel chawanmushi with brown butter, all while working your way through the extensive cocktail list and enjoying VIP treatment.
yugendining.com.au/private-dining

Grossi Florentino
Melbourne CBD
With three different private dining spaces and a restaurant steeped in Melburnian hospitality history, Grossi Florentino offers Italian charm for any of life’s big occasions. The first fits eight guests; the Wynn Room fits up to 30 people; and the Mural Room fits up to 70 people (with more capacity for standing occasions). Just add Spritzes, pasta and plenty of more for a good time.
florentino.com.au/event-enquiries
