Omnia Bistro & Bar

Foohdy Rating: 4.3 / 5

Verdict: One of Melbourne’s most complete dining rooms right now—high-impact food, a magnetic space, and service that quietly outperforms expectations. Omnia is operating at top-tier consistency.

Omnia feels assured from the first step inside. Reviews consistently reference the transformation of the historic site into a grand, contemporary room: soaring ceilings, art-forward interiors, greenery woven through the space, and a bar that anchors the energy without overwhelming the dining room. It’s elegant, but not stiff—designed to impress without asking for reverence.

The food is where Omnia separates itself from the pack. This is modern European bistro cooking executed with ambition and polish, and reviewers don’t hedge their language.

Dishes that dominate reviewer memory:

• The duck-for-two, repeatedly described as one of the best diners have had in Australia—glass-crisp skin, tableside carving, and thoughtful accompaniments that turn it into an event

• Smoked ocean trout “cigars” that show up again and again in reviews as non-negotiable orders

• Steak tartare and Scotch eggs that earn “best I’ve ever had” comparisons

• Desserts—particularly the liquid-centre cheesecake—that inspire disproportionate emotional responses for a bistro setting

Service is a standout. Reviewers consistently note high emotional intelligence: staff read the table, pace courses intelligently, acknowledge special occasions without fuss, and manage busy services with calm authority. It’s polished, but human.

Perfect for: anniversaries, client dinners, date nights, celebratory lunches, jazz evenings, or when you want a restaurant that feels like an occasion without tipping into fine-dining stiffness.

Recurring friction points:
On peak nights, noise levels rise with the room’s popularity, and bookings can be hard to secure. These are framed less as complaints and more as by-products of demand.

Bottom line:
Omnia is firing on every cylinder—room, food, service, and atmosphere aligned. It has rapidly embedded itself into many diners’ personal “Top 5 Melbourne” lists, not through novelty, but through relentless execution. Book ahead, order generously, and plan to return.