St Kilda

You are truly spoilt for choice when it comes to eating in St Kilda, with over 100 eating-out venues available. The main streets in this area, Acland and Fitzroy Streets, have every type of take-away and restaurant. On Fitzroy Street, you can really see a contrast with upmarket restaurants with white table cloths rubbing shoulders with fish and chip takeaways. Depending on your budget, you are spoilt for choice. There are many cafes and restaurants favoured by locals hidden away in adjoining streets. Barkly St has Il Forniao - excellent pizza, and Claypots is a fantastic 'roll your sleeves up' type fresh fish restaurant. Acland St is noteworthy for its mouthwatering pastries.

St Kilda locals and Melbournians from neighbouring suburbs all cruise to the many cafes in the area, especially on weekends, for coffee and breakfast which is often served all day. Cafe Racer Marine Parade and Leroys Acland St have the locals nod midweek, Fringe and Vibe Acland St are always busy with weekend visitors and tourists due to their great location for People watching.

Another great location is the Vineyard. If you can put up with the 'too cool for school' attitude and lack of interest from the bar and waiting staff at this venue, you are likely to have an enjoyable afternoon sitting on the terrace when it is sunny. The Vineyard has an enviable location beside a park full or Grand Canaries palm trees beside Luna Park. Sunday evenings are usually packed with the remnants of weekend parties who are partying on to a DJ.

East St Kilda and Caulfield are home to a vibrant Jewish communities, and kosher bakeries and cafes abound.

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Budget

The 'Banff' café (http://www.banffstkilda.com.au) at 145 Fitzroy Street does delicious, generously-sized pizzas for AU$5.50 all day on Mondays and Tuesdays, and until 5.30pm the rest of the week. The building was once commandeered by the Americans as barracks for soldiers during WW2.

The Spud Bar, tucked into a little arcade of eateries on Blessington Street, just south of the end of Acland Street, does great value baked potatoes with a variety of toppings.

A couple of doors down from the Spud Bar is Lentil As Anything, an incredible vegetarian curry house where there is no price list - you pay what you believe the food to be worth. Worth getting down early for a spot out the back.

La Roche in Acland Street has AU$5 pizzas and AU$6 pastas on some nights as well as cheap drinks. Favoured by younger locals and students.

Bala's Asian cuisine. Opposite Luna Park, a must for the budget traveller.

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Midrange

Rococco, Acland St - Excellent quality food. Pizza/Pasta. Sit inside near the fire in winter or on Acland St.

Dogs Bar, Acland St- Wine bar packed with locals. Serves an antipasti menu, has an extensive cheese menu and hundreds or Australian wines on offer. tough finding a seat outside on a nice evening or inside on a weekend evening. Always has an atmosphere.

Soul Mama, 10-18 Jacka Boulevard. Nestled between the swimming bath and a cafe, you find a buffet style vegetarian restaurant at the first floor.

Glicks, Carlisle St, East St Kilda. For Kosher food, this outlet includes a bakery, a pizza/pasta sit down 9527 8733 and a fast food take away 9527 9968.

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Top end

Donovans, 40 Jacka Boulevard, opposite the beach and evening sunsets. An Age 2-Hat restaurant. Superb food at a pricey cost.

Stokehouse, 30 Jacka Boulevard, almost next door to Donovans. An Age 1-Hat restaurant. Posh place for chilling and excellent food.

Café di Stasio, 31 Fitzroy Street. Superb elegant Italian food.

Circa the Prince, Fitzroy St. Stylish and expensive.

Mirka, Fitzroy St. In the Tolarno hotel. Italian and french fares under the supervision of renowned chef Guy Grossi. The restaurant takes its name from local artist Mirka Mora who decorated the walls of main dining room decades ago.