Gimlet at Cavendish House

01What to order

• Dry-aged O'Connor T-bone, 900 g / 32 ozCooked over coals with condiments, A$215 à la carte; on the A$170 seasonal menu it is a A$75 supplement for two.
• O'Connor striploin, 200 g / 7 ozBone marrow and wine merchant sauce, A$68; also on the Friday and Saturday supper menu.
• Blackmore 9+ Wagyu tenderloin, 200 g / 7 ozHouse mustard and lemon, A$210; in 2024 Concrete Playground listed a 200 g / 7 oz Blackmore sirloin at 9+ instead.
• Tableside steak tartareHand-cut rump cap or flank, mixed at the table, weekday lunch only and in limited numbers, per Melbourne Food & Wine in 2024.
• Wood-roasted chickenVadouvan, almond and curry leaves, A$55, from the wood oven.
• Gimlet cheeseburgerA$28 on the supper menu, served Friday and Saturday from 10 pm.

02The beef

Three steaks on the spring 2026 menu. Two are O'Connor, the Gippsland grass-fed producer: a 200 g / 7 oz striploin and a 900 g / 32 oz T-bone that the menu marks as dry-aged, without a day count. The third is Blackmore Wagyu, the Victorian fullblood herd, as a 200 g / 7 oz tenderloin with a marble score of 9+. Guides between 2023 and 2026 also name a Gippsland strip steak with salsa verde and a Gippsland tenderloin with sauce au poivre; the cuts change with the season. No grade is given for the O'Connor beef.

03The fire

Coals for the steaks: the menu says the T-bone is cooked over coals, and Gourmet Traveller's 2025 guide calls it charcoal-grilled. A wood-fired oven sits in the open kitchen, per Gourmet Traveller and Man of Many; the menu lists wood-roasted chicken and wood-roasted prawns with clams and calamari. The fuel for the oven is not named. Order the T-bone for two.

04The story

Andrew McConnell, whose Melbourne restaurants include Cumulus Inc, Cutler & Co and Supernormal, opened Gimlet as his first new Melbourne restaurant in five years. A July 1, 2020 opening was pushed back when eased restaurant restrictions were deferred; preview dinners began on 30 June, lunches on 3 July, and Concrete Playground gives July 14, 2020 as the official opening, while Gourmet Traveller said mid-July. Cavendish House is a heritage building of the 1920s with neo-Georgian and Art Deco detail, previously a Bang & Olufsen flagship store. Sydney studio Acme designed the room: black and gold marble bars, leather booths, honeycomb chandeliers. Allan Doert Eccles, from Cutler & Co, was the opening head chef; Colin Mainds held the role by June 2024, when he and restaurant manager Samy Mir-Beghin developed the tableside tartare. Oliver Garricoh of Gimlet won Australian Professional Chef of the Year 2026. The restaurant was No. 45 in World's 101 Best Steak Restaurants in 2025 and No. 62 in 2026.

05The practical

33 Russell Street, Melbourne 3000, corner of Flinders Lane. Open seven days from noon until late, per the house; Time Out gives Sunday to Thursday noon to 10 pm and Friday and Saturday noon to 1 am. Supper menu Friday and Saturday from 10 pm. Bookings through SevenRooms on gimlet.melbourne or on (03) 9277 9777; private dining room for 12. Seasonal menu A$170 a person. Apollo Inn, a small bar by Gimlet, is nearby.

Address

33 Russell Street, Melbourne VIC 3000

Phone

+61 3 9277 9777

Website

gimlet.melbourne

Directions

Google Maps ↗

06In Melbourne’s selections