{"id":850789,"date":"2026-08-10T23:42:21","date_gmt":"2026-08-10T23:42:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/850789\/"},"modified":"2026-08-10T23:42:21","modified_gmt":"2026-08-10T23:42:21","slug":"masterchef-australia-winner-vinnie-gibaldis-favourite-restaurants-and-bars-in-melbourne","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/850789\/","title":{"rendered":"MasterChef Australia winner Vinnie Gibaldi\u2019s favourite restaurants and bars in Melbourne"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Melbourne local with an Italian background has a long list of favourite restaurants, bakeries and bars for any occasion \u2013 including a Brunswick pub for his finale watch party.<\/p>\n

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Newly crowned winner of MasterChef Australia Vinnie Gibaldi watched the finale on Sunday night with his fellow cooking show contestants at their favourite gathering spot \u2013 Hotel Railway<\/a> in Brunswick \u2013 where chicken parmigianas, burgers, calamari and flat breads were the order of the night. <\/p>\n

The registered nurse, who works in the liver transplant department at a Melbourne hospital, swapped high-pressure ward work for a stint on the popular cooking show for a few months \u2013 joining the competition courtesy of his partner Bridget, who sneakily put his name forward.<\/p>\n

\"VinnieVinnie Gibaldi celebrates his big MasterChef win.Ten<\/p>\n

Born and raised in Melbourne, Vinnie lives at home with his mother in Avondale Heights, spends time at his partner\u2019s place in Brunswick and loves to dine out regularly \u2013 after all, it\u2019s in his blood.<\/p>\n

His father, Angelo Gibaldi, runs Italian restaurant Stuzzichino on Lygon Street. It\u2019s where Gibaldi heads to eat his Nonna Pina\u2019s homemade gnocchi served with Napoli sauce, or the cheesy gnocchi Sorrentina.<\/p>\n

\"VinnieVinnie cooks up a storm in the MasterChef finale.Ten<\/p>\n

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\u201cI always tell Dad: \u2018It\u2019s not 2005 any more, change the menu\u2019. But people go there for classic staples. It\u2019s old school. I\u2019m a bit more modern,\u201d Vinnie says.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut it\u2019s hard to not love the food when you\u2019re at a restaurant like Dad\u2019s. The food is made with love and it brings everyone together. I am from an Italian family and blessed to be around such great food that inspired me to cook and appreciate food and flavour,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

\"Vinnie\u2019sVinnie\u2019s father, Angelo Gibaldi, at his Lygon street restaurant Stuzzichino, pictured in 2019. Eddie Jim<\/p>\n

Despite pocketing a handy $250,000 from his MasterChef win, Vinnie has no immediate plans to segue into his own restaurant, instead returning to his hospital day job where he has unfinished business. <\/p>\n

\u201cI can\u2019t give up my day job just yet, I do love what I do, helping others. It\u2019s hard work, but one you can\u2019t just walk away from.\u201d <\/p>\n

Fresh from taking the MasterChef trophy, Vinnie sat down to share some of his food favourites, at home and around Melbourne.<\/p>\n

\"VinnieVinnie is a fan of the Sunday roast at Brunswick\u2019s Sporting Club Hotel.Duncan JacobEating out<\/p>\n

Favourite pub and bar feeds<\/p>\n

The Sporting Club Hotel in Brunswick is a great place for a Sunday roast. Right now, it\u2019s rolled pork served with a nice big Yorkie and gravy. I also love the burgers and potato cakes at Three Crowns in North Melbourne. It has a great atmosphere, too. <\/p>\n

\"ThaiThai dishes on the menu at Bar SpontanaDimitra Sarakinis<\/p>\n

Bar Spontana in Brunswick is a great bar that also serves modern Thai food. Every single thing on the menu is worth trying. They make a great beef jerky. It\u2019s hidden, and I stumbled on it with my girlfriend while having a drink at Sig.Enzo. The owner spins records and makes excellent drinks. I always order a dirty gin martini. <\/p>\n

\"MoretonMoreton Bay bug and lemon bechamel tortelloni in shellfish bisque at Lagotto.<\/p>\n

Favourite restaurants<\/p>\n

Lagotto<\/a> in Fitzroy is a favourite. It\u2019s very unassuming, and I\u2019d driven by and not noticed it a stack of times. The menu changes seasonally. They used to make a whipped Vegemite butter with focaccia which was so yum. The Moreton Bay Bug pasta was excellent, as was the pork belly dish with pasta. <\/p>\n

Also in Fitzroy, Rosheen Kaul\u2019s restaurant Little Rose<\/a> is an excellent spot to eat. Rosheen is such a lovely person and an amazing cook, We tried most of the menu \u2013 the sausage and braised duck with tofu was a favourite dish. <\/p>\n

\"NewNew Brunswick bakery Vandels does an excellent chicken pie.<\/p>\n

Favourite coffee and bakery spots<\/p>\n

I always go to Code Black for a long black, or an iced-long black when weather permits.<\/p>\n

I am also more of a savoury guy than a sweets person. There\u2019s a new place that\u2019s opened up in Brunswick called Vandels.<\/a> People line up every morning, and by 11am everything has pretty much sold out. I don\u2019t normally go for chicken pies, but this one was awesome. <\/p>\n

I also like to go to A1 Bakery<\/a> for fresh bread. When it\u2019s time for a panini I\u2019ll go to Stefanino Panino<\/a> in Collingwood Yards. I order a prosciutto, mozzarella, bocconcini with rocket. <\/p>\n

\"VinnieVinnie likes Bahama Gold for a pre-dinner drink before heading next door to Old Palm Liquor.Penny Stephens<\/p>\n

Favourite date spot<\/p>\n

We always start with a drink at Bahama Gold<\/a>, I\u2019ll grab a Guinness. Then we\u2019ll go next door to Old Palm Liquo<\/a>r for a meal. I like how they cook over charcoal. The seasonal menu is always fabulous.<\/p>\n

Where I\u2019d take out-of-towners<\/p>\n

I\u2019d take them to Chinatown and to Shanghai Street Kitchen. I\u2019d also suggest Red Cliff \u2013 another Chinese spot in Queen Street where I am going with the Melbourne contestants tonight (the night after the finale). Chinese food is always great for sharing. The duck is really good. Fellow finalist Petro took us to Hua Lu Peking Duck one night and it was delicious. The duck here is the best I have ever tried.<\/p>\n

\"ColdCold cuts banh mi at Good Days Hot Bread.Griffin Simm<\/p>\n

Favourite cheap eats under $20<\/p>\n

I\u2019d go to Luke\u2019s Banh Mi<\/a> for a delicious banh mi. It always hits the spot. Or go to Good Days Hot Bread in Brunswick for fresh banh mis, from XO roasted pork to lamb and lemongrass chicken. Or, when at the Queen Victoria Market, I have to get a kransky from the food hall. <\/p>\n

Favourite shop for produce<\/p>\n

I always shop around, it\u2019s never the same place, but a regular is Queen\u2019s Harvest \u2013 also at Queen Victoria Market.<\/p>\n

A special family food memory<\/p>\n

My mum and stepdad took me to Esca Grill in Moonee Ponds for my 21st. It was the first time I\u2019d been out to have a fancy dinner and ordered a Wagyu steak that was insane.<\/p>\n

Favourite close-to-home takeaway spot <\/p>\n

In Brunswick, it\u2019s always a pizza capricciosa from Madonna Electric. The dough is really crunchy and made well. Closer to Mum\u2019s, it\u2019s St Burgs<\/a> burger joint in Maribyrnong.<\/p>\n

\"Rib-eyeRib-eye steaks with hot butter.William MeppemEating in<\/p>\n

Signature dish and go-to at home<\/p>\n

I love to barbecue at home, and cooking on charcoal in general. I always go for a rib-eye steak<\/a> that\u2019s got nice marbling. I\u2019ll cook some asparagus over charcoal, make a potato salad with lots of olive oil and a radicchio and orange salad. <\/p>\n

My guilty pleasure<\/p>\n

I love a good take-away burger. It\u2019s always a double patty, extra cheese, no salad, a bit of bacon and burger sauce. <\/p>\n

\"VinnieVinnie in MasterChef mode.Ten<\/p>\n

The kitchen wisdom I cling to <\/p>\n

Don\u2019t overthink your dish \u2013 and everything you put on that plate needs to make sense. Andy Allen gave me good advice on the show \u2013 he made me think about what the eating experience would be like for the diner and that changed the way that I presented a dish and plated it up.<\/p>\n

Stream MasterChef Australia on Ten Pla<\/a>y.<\/p>\n

Related Article\"Meghan<\/a>Related Article\"Smile<\/a>Save<\/p>\n

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\"JaneJane Rocca<\/a> is a regular contributor to Sunday Life Magazine, Executive Style, The Age EG, columnist and features writer at Domain Review, Domain Living\u2019s Personal Space page. She is a published author of four books.Connect via X<\/a> or email<\/a>.From our partners<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Melbourne local with an Italian background has a long list of favourite restaurants, bakeries and bars for…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":850790,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[64,63,134,427],"class_list":["post-850789","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tv","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-entertainment","tag-tv"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/850789","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=850789"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/850789\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/850790"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=850789"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=850789"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=850789"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}