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Table Setting - Bistra, Carlton, AU-VIC

Bistra

4.9
4.9
112 Reviews
$A41 to $A100
Australian

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2 people
19:00
Booked 15 times today
Experiences are available.
  • Good for special occasions
  • Neighbourhood gem
  • Great for fine wines
Bistra is an Australian bistro serving quality food and wine; our fare draws its influence predominantly from British, French and Italian cooking and technique, and yet it is quintessentially Australian. You can expect generous, memorable plates championing seasonal ingredients and an extensive list of wines.

Additional information

  • Dining style
    Casual Dining
  • Price
    $A41 to $A100
  • Cuisines
    Australian, Bistro
  • Hours of Operation
    Mon, Wed, Thu 17:30–23:00 Fri, Sat 12:00–23:00 Sun 12:00–21:00
  • Phone number
    (03) 9000 5607
  • Website
    http://www.bistracarlton.com.au/
  • Dress code
    Smart Casual
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Experiences

  • Three Course Menu

    A$95.00 per person

    Multiple dates available
    For tables of 7 or more we offer an $95 per person, three course menu. The menu includes bread and butter to start, a choice of entrée, a choice of main course with sides, and dessert selected by the kitchen. All dishes on the $95 per person menu are drawn from our à la carte menu, and is essentially a reduced à la carte offering. Dietary requirements can be accommodated with sufficient notice provided to the restaurant.
    Three Course Menu photo

Menu

View menu on restaurant's website

What 112 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.9
4.9 based on recent ratings
  • 4.8Food
  • 4.9Service
  • 4.8Ambience
  • 4.6Value

Noise • Energetic

Diners' Choice Awards

  • Melbourne

    Australian

  • Inner City North

    Best Overall

  • Inner City North

    Best Food

  • Inner City North

    Best Service

  • Inner City North

    Best Ambience

  • Inner City North

    Best Value

  • Inner City North

    Great for fine wines

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews
Bistra shines as a "gem" in Melbourne's dining scene, praised for "amazing food, service, and atmosphere." Patrons enjoy its "intimate space" and "exceptional service," with highlights including "delicious" dishes like the lamb rump and "impressive" wine list. Despite minor space issues, Bistra offers a "complete dining experience" that leaves guests eager to return.

112 Reviews

  1. Bill

    VIP

    London

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined 1 day ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    hands down my favourite restaurant in Melbourne. excellent service - warm and friendly. the food is superb from start to finish including the desserts (so often the weak spot of Melbourne restaurants). a good number of options and cooked beautifully. the wine list is off the charts. so many great bottles to choose from. could not recommend highly enough

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  2. jeremy

    Melbourne

    3 reviews

    5.0

    3 reviews

    Dined 7 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Fantastic cooking - simple but delicious, some of the best ive had in Melbourne

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  3. Rachel

    Melbourne

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on 5 February 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Incredible as always, the food was so delicious, cannot fault a dish. Wine (& wine service) was spectacular & service overall amazing- will be back soon!

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  4. Kerrie

    VIP

    Sydney

    9 reviews

    4.0

    9 reviews

    Dined on 22 January 2025

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 3
    Food was excellent unfortunately very small space our table was too close to the loud table of 4 next door. Wines by the glass disappointing and very expensive.

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  5. Joseph

    VIP

    San Francisco

    2 reviews

    5.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on 18 January 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Amazing food, service and atmosphere. We’ll be back to support this passionate crew.

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  6. John

    VIP

    London

    24 reviews

    5.0

    24 reviews

    Dined on 15 January 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Bistra is a gem. It is everything that I want a restaurant to be. From the instant you walk through the door you can sense that you are going to have a great experience and it doesn’t disappoint; warm and knowledgeable staff, beautiful produce cooked with love and fine technique, a delightful intimate space… Can’t wait for our next visit.

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  7. Simon

    Sydney

    7 reviews

    5.0

    7 reviews

    Dined on 9 January 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Another great meal well overall experience at Bistra! It really is a pleasure to be served by someone that know what they are doing and there menu! There are some things I can't go past like the pate and the scallops. Even for a more casual Thursday dinner (i.e. not drinking bottles of wine) the tight selection of wine by the glass covered all bases. Shout out to the lamb rump... so delicious and something that I wouldn't normally order but I am glad we did! Oh also the martini was stellar... but it was still a quiet Thursday dinner!

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  8. Aiden

    Melbourne

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on 11 December 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    delicious as always, wonderful service and a great wine recommendation. will be back !

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  9. Brigid

    Melbourne

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on 1 December 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Lovely restaurant! Wait staff are friendly and attentive - water glasses were always full and empty plates cleared quickly. Attentive and helpful when catering to dietaries. Great ambiance and delicious food - not a lot to fault! Definitely one of the best places to have dinner at in Melbourne :)

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  10. Colleen

    Melbourne

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on 30 November 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 3
    Highly recommend Bistra. Every morsel of food was absolutely delicious but it was the service that was a standout and would be up there with one of the best experiences we've had dining out as a family. Would be back in a heartbeat if we lived in Melbourne!!!

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FAQs

Bistra is rated 4.9 stars by 112 OpenTable diners.

Bistra does offer gift cards which you can purchase here.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

Make a booking

2 people
19:00
Booked 15 times today
Experiences are available.
Google Map for Bistra

157 Elgin St, Carlton, AU-VIC 3053

Additional information

  • Cross Street
    Rathdowne Street
  • Area
    Carlton
  • Hours of Operation
    Mon, Wed, Thu 17:30–23:00 Fri, Sat 12:00–23:00 Sun 12:00–21:00
  • Price
    $A41 to $A100
  • Cuisines
    Australian, Bistro
  • Dining style
    Casual Dining
  • Dress code
    Smart Casual
  • Parking details
    Street Parking
Gift card

Gift card

Send gift cards instantly by email or print to present in person.

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