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Table Setting - Bistra, Carlton, AU-VIC

Bistra

4.9
4.9
125 Reviews
$A41 to $A100
Australian
157 Elgin St, Carlton, AU-VIC 3053

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2 people
SunMonTueWedThuFriSat
10:00 p.m.
Booked 14 times today
Experiences are available.
  • Good for special occasions
  • Neighbourhood gem
  • Charming
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.

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Additional information

  • Dining style
    Casual Dining
  • Price
    $A41 to $A100
  • Cuisines
    Australian, Bistro
  • Hours of Operation
    Mon, Wed, Thu 5:30 pm–11:00 pm Fri, Sat 12:00 pm–11:00 pm Sun 12:00 pm–9:00 pm
  • Phone number
  • Dress code
    Smart Casual
  • Neighbourhood
    Carlton
  • Cross Street
    Rathdowne Street
  • Parking details
    Street Parking
  • Additional
    Gender Neutral Restroom, Private Room, Wheelchair Access
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Experiences

  • Mothers Day Breakfast

    Multiple dates available
    Bistra will be serving a concise à la carte breakfast menu for Mother's Day 2025, Sunday May 11th, between 9:45AM and 12:30PM. Lunch reservations will be accepted from 12:30PM onwards. Seating times for breakfast will be for 75 minutes, and we therefore kindly request that groups arrive together and on time.
    Mothers Day Breakfast photo
  • Set Menu

    A$95.00 - A$120.00 per person

    Multiple dates available
    For tables of 7 or more we offer the choice between a $95 Per Person Three Course 'Choice Of' Menu, a $120 Per Person Four Course 'Choice Of' Menu, and a $110 Per Person Three Course Sharing Menu. The three and four course 'choice of' menus are individually plated, whereby guests select from three entree and four main course options on the day. The pasta and dessert courses as set by the kitchen. The sharing menu is served down the middle of the table. When selecting your menu on the next page, please be aware that the whole group must participate on the same menu. Please notify us of any allergies or dietary requirements ahead of time. Indicative Menus for Autumn 2025: Three-Course ‘Choice Of’ Menu: $95 Per Person Bread & butter to start, a choice of entrée and main course, and dessert set by the kitchen. Spinach & Ricotta Dumplings, Butter, Sage Chicken Liver Pâté, Traditional Accompaniments Squacquerone, Heirloom Zucchini, Honey, Herbs Cabbage Roll, Rice, White Bean Ragu, Tomato Sugo Sommerlad Chicken, Asparagus, Parsley Sauce Rump Cap, Peppercorn Sauce Goldband Snapper, Heirloom Tomatoes, Beurre Blanc (+$10) Mains Served with Fries & Lettuce Vanilla Cake, Strawberries, Thyme Custard Four-Course ‘Choice Of’ Menu: $120 Per Person Bread & butter to start, a choice of entrée, a pasta mid-course set by the kitchen, a choice of main course, and dessert set by the kitchen. Spinach & Ricotta Dumplings, Butter, Sage Chicken Liver Pâté, Traditional Accompaniments Squacquerone, Heirloom Zucchini, Honey, Herbs Goat Ragù, Tagliatelle, Pecorino Cabbage Roll, Rice, White Bean Ragu, Tomato Sugo Sommerlad Chicken, Asparagus, Parsley Sauce Rump Cap, Peppercorn Sauce Goldband Snapper, Heirloom Tomatoes, Beurre Blanc (+$10) Mains Served with Fries & Lettuce Vanilla Cake, Strawberries, Thyme Custard Three-Course Sharing Menu: $110 Per Person A menu designed to share, served down the middle of the table. This comprises bread & butter to start, shared entrées and main course, and dessert set by the kitchen. Baked Scallops, Garlic and Parsley Butter Squacquerone, Heirloom Zucchini, Honey, Herbs Chicken Liver Pate, Traditional Accompaniments Spinach and Ricotta Dumplings, Butter, Sage Rump Cap, Peppercorn Sauce Goldband Snapper, Heirloom Tomatoes, Beurre Blanc Mains Served with Fries & Lettuce Vanilla Cake, Strawberries, Thyme Custard
    Set Menu photo

What 125 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

NoiseEnergetic

Loved For

  • Melbourne

    Best Food

  • Melbourne

    Best Service

  • Melbourne

    Australian

  • Inner City North

    Best Overall

  • Inner City North

    Best Food

  • Inner City North

    Best Service

  • Inner City North

    Good for business meals

  • Inner City North

    Great for fine wines

  • Inner City North

    Australian

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews
Bistra offers a "cozy and beautiful" atmosphere with "outstanding service" and "world-class" cuisine. Guests enjoy the "extensive, impressive" wine list and "attentive, helpful" staff. While some note space constraints, the venue is celebrated as an "instant classic" with an "intimate space" and "delicious" dishes, making it a top dining choice.
125 Reviews
  1. Nat VIP

    London2 reviews

    5.0

    Dined 1 day ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Just outstanding! Service=impeccable, wine=delicious and interesting, food=amazing ingredients, flawless prep, and just wonderful. I will be back! Particularly nice to talk to Joe--one of the co-owners--who is just a fantastic human being. Thank you!

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  2. Olivia

    Melbourne3 reviews

    5.0

    Dined 4 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    Wonderful food, wonderful service, wonderful time! Can't recommend more highly, the food was genuinely delicious, the service extraordinary. We were seated in a quieter table near the window due to my hearing and it was brilliant. There was ample space for the both of us and very low noise, yet we still felt like we were included in the general family dining vibe of the place!

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  3. peter

    Melbourne2 reviews

    5.0

    Dined 7 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Excellent food, outstanding service. Highly recommend

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  4. Michael

    Melbourne2 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on March 24, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    I never felt like I wanted for anything. The moment I needed something the service was there. The service was warm and attentive, the food was delicious, the venue was cozy and beautiful and the attention to detail was second to none. Will be back!

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  5. Richard

    Melbourne3 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on March 23, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Terrific hospitality, precise cooking, excellent produce. Bread comes, sparkling water is Hepburn Springs priced by diner. Wine list is adult and fairly priced. Bistra just keep going. This should be a 20 year restaurant. Instant classic. Congratulations to the team.

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  6. Natasha

    Melbourne4 reviews

    4.0

    Dined on March 22, 2025

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Ambience is absolutely amazing, food was great however I would have liked if the scallops had more flavour and porterhouse had a different sauce.

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  7. GregP

    Tasmania2 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on March 16, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Beautiful food and friendly service, highly recommend it!

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  8. Androulla

    Hawaii2 reviews

    3.0

    Dined on March 15, 2025

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 3
    4. Ambience 3
    Place is cute and waitress lovely but I think attention could have been better as I think one waitress had the whole upstairs. We found the passing by tables of the wait staff very close and annoying. Set up/ layout needs to be better as staff pass by the tables too often and maybe too many tables. There was no lighting over our table and turning on our phones to read menu is not great.

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  9. Dan

    Melbourne1 review

    5.0

    Dined on March 12, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Simply one of the best venues in Carlton. Excellent all round

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  10. Nicola

    New York City2 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on March 8, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    I cannot fault our dining experience at Bistra. From the moment we walked in and were warmly welcomed and shown to a lovely table in the window we knew we were in for a great night. The service from all of the staff was knowledgeable and exceptional, the food was absolutely world class, the wine list was extensive, discerning and considered. We had a wonderful, very relaxed evening and we're very much looking forward to coming back again soon.

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FAQs

Bistra is rated 4.9 stars by 125 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.

  1. Home
  2. Australia
  3. Melbourne
  4. Inner City North
  5. Carlton

Make a reservation


Booked 14 times today
Experiences are available.
Google Map for Bistra

157 Elgin St, Carlton, AU-VIC 3053

Additional information

  • Cross Street
    Rathdowne Street
  • Neighbourhood
    Carlton
  • Hours of Operation
    Mon, Wed, Thu 5:30 pm–11:00 pm Fri, Sat 12:00 pm–11:00 pm Sun 12:00 pm–9:00 pm
  • Price
    $A41 to $A100
  • Cuisines
    Australian, Bistro
  • Dining style
    Casual Dining
  • Dress code
    Smart Casual
  • Parking details
    Street Parking
  • Additional
    Gender Neutral Restroom, Private Room, Wheelchair Access
Gift card

Gift card

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

Send a gift card
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