Mabu Mabu - Big Esso

4.5

342 Reviews

$A41 to $A100

Australian

Make a booking

2 people

27 Dec 2024

19:00

Booked 22 times today

Experiences are available.

Innovative
Good for groups
Great for outdoor dining

Big Esso is an all-day bar and kitchen located on the land of the Wurundjeri and Boonwurrung peoples. We are beyond proud to be bringing Indigenous food and culture back to the banks of Birrarung (Yarra). This River was once an eel breeding ground; where shark, dolphin and stingrays could be found. This place was a main source of food, hunting, cooking, and ceremony. By sharing food in this place, we hope to bring these stories back to life. 'Big Esso' is an expression in the Torres Strait. It’s a slang term that means ‘the biggest thank you.’ This is what you say when you really want to express your gratitude. When combined, ‘Mabu Mabu & Big Esso’ is what you would say before kicking-off a celebration like no other.

Additional information

Dining style
Casual Dining
Price
$A41 to $A100
Cuisines
Australian, Indigenous, Modern Australian
Hours of Operation
Tue–Thu 11:00 am–10:00 pm Fri, Sat 11:00 am–11:00 pm
Phone number
(03) 9121 0510
Website
https://mabumabu.com.au/pages/dining
Payment Options
AMEX, Mastercard, Visa
Dress code
Casual Dress
Executive Chef
Nornie Bero
Catering
We offer a full catering menu. Please visit: www.mabumabu.com.au/catering
Private party facilities
Please get in touch if you would like to book our venue for private or semi-private events.

Location
Federation Square, Swanston St & Flinders St, Melbourne, AU-VIC 3000
Area
Melbourne CBD
Cross Street
Swanston and Flinder Street
Parking details
Fed Square Parking is available via the Russell St extension.
Public transit
Directly across from Flinders Street Station
Additional
Gluten-free Options

Experiences

Feed Menu
A$75.00 per person
Multiple dates available
Feed Menu

What 342 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

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

4.5

4.5 based on recent ratings

4.6Food
4.3Service
4.2Ambience
4.4Value

Noise • Energetic

342 Reviews

OT
OpenTable Diner
Melbourne
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined 7 days ago
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Was a great experience, will definitely go again!!
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J
Jasmine
Melbourne
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on 18 December 2024
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 5
Beautifully presented, delicious food. Would highly recommend! Excellent location in Fed Square, and the drinks menu was phenomenal.
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S
Scarlett
Melbourne
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on 13 December 2024
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 4
Unfortunately we were seated next to a large Christmas party table which made it hard to engage in conversation but we would die for the artichokes and rosti. Looking forward to trying one of the large variety of drinks next time
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C
Claire
Melbourne
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on 13 December 2024
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Mabu Mabu is exceptional in every way. The menu is unique, the ambience is fabulous and the staff are attentive and lovely. I absolutely recommend Mabu Mabu.
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A
Alex
Melbourne
2 reviews
4.0
2 reviews
Dined on 10 December 2024
1. Overall 4
2. Food 4
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 4
So pleased to find indigenous inspired food at Fed Square. Ambience could be improved with more comfortable seating to make this more than a cafe. Cocktails were fab -the show stopper was the coastal negroni, and the green ant-Tini was potent and quirky with two green ants floating. Highly recommend the crocodile skewer- was simply delicious as were the warrigal greens and cauliflower salads. Friendly and attentive service made for a great night.
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L
Liam
Melbourne
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on 10 December 2024
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Awesome food, well done, good value considering how hard it is to get some of the ingredients in terms of supply. Great staff and loved the atmosphere there.
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S
Sean
Melbourne
2 reviews
4.0
2 reviews
Dined on 10 December 2024
1. Overall 4
2. Food 5
3. Service 2
4. Ambience 4
Fantastic food, but the service was stretched and could do with extra staff when busy. However, we had a very enjoyable meal with great flavours and so different to standard restaurants.
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D
Dominic
Melbourne
1 review
4.0
1 review
Dined on 4 December 2024
1. Overall 4
2. Food 5
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 4
We went here to bid farewell to a friend who had visited and had a great evening. The food was interesting and tasty, we all really enjoyed trying the new different flavours, and the staff were friendly. It's not a cheap place, and whether you think it is value for money will depend on how you think of food - don't go just to fill up, but rather to explore and enjoy! We certainly did, and I'm looking forward to finding another excuse to go again next year :)
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S
Stefano
Melbourne
1 review
4.0
1 review
Dined on 30 November 2024
1. Overall 4
2. Food 4
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 4
Crocodile appetizer: excellent! Emu (kamu) appetizer: excellent! Duck (digidigi) appetizer: excellent! Nornie's soup: excellent (!!), but for the flour-like round thin side dish wich was burned
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K
Kate
Melbourne
1 review
3.0
1 review
Dined on 23 April 2022
1. Overall 3
2. Food 2
3. Service 3
4. Ambience 4
Staff were great, menu was brilliant... In theory. Food was flavourless, really needed seasoning and got cold quickly. Not a great sign when the drinks menu is better than the food one.
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FAQs

Mabu Mabu - Big Esso is rated 4.5 stars by 342 OpenTable diners.

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

Make a booking

2 people

27 Dec 2024

19:00

Booked 22 times today

Experiences are available.

Federation Square, Swanston St & Flinders St, Melbourne, AU-VIC 3000

Additional information

Cross Street
Swanston and Flinder Street
Area
Melbourne CBD
Hours of Operation
Tue–Thu 11:00 am–10:00 pm Fri, Sat 11:00 am–11:00 pm
Price
$A41 to $A100
Cuisines
Australian, Indigenous, Modern Australian
Dining style
Casual Dining
Dress code
Casual Dress
Parking details
Fed Square Parking is available via the Russell St extension.
Public transit
Directly across from Flinders Street Station
Payment Options
AMEX, Mastercard, Visa
Executive Chef
Nornie Bero
Additional
Gluten-free Options

Website
https://mabumabu.com.au/pages/dining
Phone number
(03) 9121 0510
Catering
We offer a full catering menu. Please visit: www.mabumabu.com.au/catering
Private party facilities
Please get in touch if you would like to book our venue for private or semi-private events.

Mabu Mabu - Big Esso

Make a booking

Additional information

Experiences

Feed Menu

Menu

What 342 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

FAQs

How is Mabu Mabu - Big Esso restaurant rated?

Is Mabu Mabu - Big Esso currently accepting bookings?

Make a booking

Additional information