Embla

Embla is a fantastic spot with great service and a warm, intimate atmosphere, perfect for a date or a more relaxed dinner. The appetizers were delicious, the chicken skin, asparagus, and zucchini flower really stood out and were full of flavor. The wine list is extensive and clearly well curated, though it is on the pricier side. That said, it feels worth it given the quality, ambience, and overall experience. Definitely a place I’d return to for a special evening.

Been wanting to visit since I tried saison aperitifs years ago! Embla met all expectations and even more. Food so good we forgot to take better photos. Tart shell on that globe artichoke tart is soooo thin and crisp. Remarkable! Please order the vermouths too!!!

Got recommended this place and visited on our date night in August. We tried a few dishes, but unfortunately, the only one I remember is their duck liver parfait — which was actually quite good. The other dishes, however, weren’t particularly memorable. And as some other reviews have mentioned, their glass wine prices felt way too high considering the wines’ retail prices at liquor shops. It made us question whether it was really worth spending more to try additional dishes or wines, so we ended up not ordering more and wrapping up early.

Come for the food, stay for the wine. $70 set Sunday menu. Hard to fault for the value and quality. Wines to match. I don’t each much fish but the flounder was cooked the perfection. Will be back.

On one of our final days visiting Melbourne, we wanted to tried some wine bar dining. We heard great things about here and let’s say it didn’t disappoint! Both my fiancé and I had an amazing evening. From the food, which every dish was a standout. The service was very warm and welcoming. Wish I remember the name of our host, but he was very helpful with suggesting how many dishes we should order from the menu. The same could be said about the wine, where he had a great knowledge of the wine. The highlight dish for me was the tuna with radicchio, something I don’t see on menus usually. The Vonglole and chicken breast were cooked and seasoned to perfection. We hope to visit again when we come back down to Melbourne. Thanks for the great hospitality!

Can’t go wrong, amazing food! Great relaxed ambience, service was amazin! Had the scallops, cucumbers, raw beef, fish. Loved every bit of it, was a bit apprehensive with the raw beef but was by far the best dish. Desert was excellent too. A must try. Excellent in every regards

Embla Wine Bar in Melbourne is effortlessly cool — a warm, intimate space with low lighting, laid-back tunes, and a vibe that invites you to sink in and stay awhile. The wine list is excellent, with a great selection by the glass showcasing interesting producers and styles. Every pour feels thoughtfully curated, and the friendly staff add to the relaxed charm. It’s the perfect spot for unwinding with friends or a solo glass at the bar. The only disappointment? It closes at 5 p.m. on Sundays — just when the chill session starts to hit its stride. Otherwise, near-perfect.

Absolutely no notes at all, this place was wildly good. Service was top notch. Warm and attentive but not at all overbearing. The atmosphere is perfect. Very intentional and refined on every level - the lighting, the decor, the art. Nothing feels like an accident in this place. Watching the kitchen staff work through the open kitchen window got me very excited for the food. They were serious and paying a great deal of attention to their craft but loose and relaxed at the same time. Now the food was some of the best I’ve ever had. We shared everything - the lamb which was cooked to perfection and flavoured at the same level. The savoury tart which was a dish we just couldn’t stop talking about all week. Soured cucumbers, bread and I can’t even remember what else but it was all 1000/10. Everything was covered in fresh herbs but not in a token garnish way, they were all very much a part of the dish. Every aspect of this meal wowed us and we were surprised at how low our bill was walking away. I would have paid more for this calibre of meal but the fact we didn’t, made it all the better. This place is a knockout in every way, do not skip it.

I was in town for a friend's wedding, and he's a chef. He let me know that this was one of his favorite spots, and if I had the chance to dine there before I left Melbourne, that I should try. What a wonderful experience. Russell took care of me and offered some recommendations. A really lovely meal from start to finish, with my standouts being the tomatoes with sourdough crumbs in a heavy cream, and the chicken skin with whipped anchovies. Amazing wine selection, and some good mocktails for the non-drinkers.

Really interesting and tasty food, pleasant service, but the awful, unsophisticated, and terribly loud music loses them 2 stars. Really doesnt go with the expected ambience of a wine bar, invokes stress not relaxation, and totally spoils the experience. And terrible for the staff. Fifteen minutes or more of that level of noise will be causing damage to everyone there so it's an OH&S issue. It's a level of noise that would not be permitted in a factory without ear protection. I dont understand how these double standards can be allowed to persist

4.6. Embla is sensational. Twosheds and friends dined here for lunch on a Thursday. In the 1990s and early 2000s, this place was a pretty good Italian pizza restaurant which we used to frequent. The premises have now moved up a serious notch. This is the type of place you walk into and feel immediately at home - dark wood interior with a lovely bar at the front and perfect lighting - I could have sat there all afternoon. It appeared as though that was exactly what a lot of people were doing! The staff are friendly, but the service is not obtrusive at all - and it is extremely efficient. I'd label the Embla food as modern Australian, French, Italian fusion, in a really good way. We decided on the banquet, which did not include dessert. Beautiful bread arrived to start with a smoky, creamy butter. The friendly waiter advised me that the butter is smoked over oak wood chips in their own kitchen. It was amazing. We then started with blue eye trevalla carpaccio, followed by pickled cucumber sitting on a bed of dill feta, veal tartare with parsley and fresh peas and a chickpea pancake with globe artichoke topped with flat leaf parsley and parmesan (which Twosheds suspected to be Reggiano, the best of Italian parmesans). While all these dishes were fantastic, my highlight out of this super set of dishes was the chickpea pancake - gooey in middle and crisp on outside. It was a textural triumph. Our main courses consisted of swordfish served with leeks, and half roasted chicken with a beautiful gravy and, as a side, asparagus sitting on a goats cheese sauce. The highlight here was the half roasted chicken. It was roasted to perfection, with crispy, flavoursome skin, and moist on the inside - the gravy a perfect accompaniment. One criticism here - the goats cheese was excellent, but the quite pungent nature of this particular goats cheese overpowered the delicate nature of the asparagus. The asparagus was also a little woody at the thick end - would have been nicer trimmed to spear only. For dessert, we finished with coffee, alongside a chocolate and olive oil millefeuille and panna cotta with blueberries - two desserts shared between four of us. Both desserts were stunning. The standout was the beautiful panna cotta. Our lovely waitress advised us that the berries had been poached in their own syrup. The berries used to create the syrup were also presented with the poached items - dehydrated and raisin-like. The panna cotta had a beautiful sour finish on the palate - potentially made with sour cream - which finished off an amazing dessert. To boot, there was also crystallised elderflower incorporated in the panna cotta topping. The only other criticism is possibly the wine list. While there were some beautiful wines on the list - which we drank (including a lovely Yarra Valley pinot noir) - we thought that the wine list could be expanded a little. On the whole though, what a fabulous experience. I recommend giving it a try. 4.6

It's difficult to make an impact in the growing food/foodie scene of Melbourne, particularly within the CBD, but Embla is still managing to do something yet unseen and special. Stepping into this wine bar restaurant you're instantly transported into the the rustic-- where food is quickly but deftly cooked in a 450C wood burning smoker. The woodsy smell surrounds you, penetrates you (like the Force ;p). Given the nature of this type of cooking, many of the food options, at least those that aren't raw, carry a hint of smokiness. As a Texas girl this was a home away from home. The handcrafted custom "oven" smoker and hand crank smoker (I don't even know what to call this, brazier? See photos) aren't the only things unique about this place, they are making science and simplicity the staple to their dishes. From fresh baked sourdough to rival San Francisco (prepared in the same smoker as the food) to asparagus with goat cheese and finally to the pièce de résistance, a dry aged fatty fish (varieties vary by season) there where things I've never had or thought of, but all expertly prepared. With all the smoking, butchering, and grilling happening at the chef bar, a man might be inclined to grow a beard and return to a more primitive existence. Luckily I'm a woman and cannot grow a beard. Double lucky, Embla is foremost a wine bar with a vast global selection of reds and whites to elevate your plate of smoked deliciousness. Embla still stands out a place you can take your mates, your mate, or your boss. Open lunch and dinner in the heart of the CBD, it serves a unique take on "modern" Australian food.

upstairs head waiter was very helpful when my friends arrived late & gave us a longer booking time, and his recommendation for food & wine were magnifique - thankyou. It was a wonderful night to catch up with old friends

It's hard to impress in Melbourne. With a plethora of new places to choose from, great produce and innovation in food pretty much everywhere; it takes something special to make an impression. Today at Embla, I was suitably impressed. They ticked all the right boxes and at lunch to boot! Oh yes, it's a wine bar.

Is there anything better than a wine bar that has a diverse selection of wines available by the bottle and glass, intuitive and sprightly service and delicious shareable plates of food that were made to be washed down with vino? This is probably my favourite style of dining and Embla is heading the list of my current spots to dine, drink and socialise. From the team who brought us the Town Mouse, Embla is a shining light at the top end of the CBD. An upstairs dining space is slated to open later in the year and while I'm certainly keen to try that out I'm unsure that they could possibly top the experience that is had downstairs. Bring a friend or two and around $70-$100 per head to make the most of the offering here.

From the moment my companion and I walked into Embla, we were treated to a master class in terrible service. We were seated at the bar, in front of a hot roaring wood oven, despite the fact that there were empty spaces on the shared tables. The owner sneered at my choice of gin for a gin and tonic, and suggested a higher priced one that tasted worse, served without any sort of garnish. The chef cooked eight pieces of zucchini for our meal, only put seven pieces on the plate, then refused to add the eighth piece, citing "portion control". The owner constantly shoved his arm in front of our faces to do odd things like move our water glasses to positions that, presumably, made more sense to him. When I got up to pay, I was given instructions on how to pay them a tip. Embla still gets two stars, because the small plate food was delicious and meticulously prepared. It's the shame that the rest of the staff don't care about the customers as much as the chefs care about the food.

Got to the venue at 11pm - google states 1am, websites states LATE. Got turned away by female employee whom stopped us at the door, even though bar had at least 25 patrons, saying ' its been a 'painfully' quiet night, we're closing early'! Having planned to come here after a concert in St Kilda - no bookings available, no choice but to wing it, made for a quite uncomfortable rejection on top of an inconvenience being date night. I've frequented Embla on several occasions as I work in the area and tend to bring clients in...but don't think I'll be back. Perhaps specify on the website 'midday until we feel like the staff on shift have had enough'. Melbourne has a lot more options to offer, I guess we get complacent.

Embla is belong to the same team that brought you Town Mouse. Christian McCabe and executive chef Dave Verheul creates Embla in Russell Street Melbourne CBD. pretty good food

Embla is a great bar. You're greeted by dark lighting and a staff member hosting and managing the seating. I sat at the bar, one of only five available seats and one table at 7pm. When I visited, they were pouring cava over prosecco which is often my preference, so I was happy. It was crisp and exactly what I wanted. My friend started on a glass of orange wine which was tangy and light - I loved it. We explored the drinks menu a little more throughout the night (rose, white, red, vodka) and the stand out for me was my glass of Sancerre. Like, seriously. How are some people so freaking good at what they do? It was like a taster of heaven in beautiful wine glass. We started ordering food, my date J was pretty hungry so we ordered a good selection of the menu. Stand out dishes were: - Anchovies (J looked like he was in extasy when he ate these and I don't do anchovies so he was even happier) - Beef tartare (YUM) - Fish of the day which has been baked and was flight and fluffy - Roasted broccoli. I mean really, it's broccoli but mate, they did these amazing things to it. There was a charcuterie section of the menu that I will be 100% heading back to devour next time I'm in Melbourne. The staff made me feel at home, even when I was sitting at the bar waiting for my friend to arrive. They seemed happy for me to sit and read while I enjoyed my glass of wine at the bar. Atmosphere is so important in a bar/restaurant and they have it down pat. Until I walked through the restaurant, I didn't feel like I was part of anything from a bustling bar and I can imagine that once in the restaurant, you wouldn't notice the bar. Embla was definitely one of the nicest meals I've eaten while in Melbourne, which was complimented wonderfully by the drinks, service and company.

came here with the intention of having a few drinks but it was so full that we couldn't get in. It looked like a cool place with good atmosphere and not just full of posers. That many people can't be wrong... right?

The food is good and flavourful. Presentation is intentionally understated i believe. Ambience is conducive for a cosy gathering of old friends. A decent restaurant but the incessant queue to get a seat at this establishment set an unfortunate high expectation. The wait staff did not help our experience at all - cold, rushed and no effort to connect Love the wine selection and range available tho

Food was really good for the price. Service is hit or miss. I wasn't a big fan watching staff be on their phones during service. But otherwise, the food saved this place.

Great wine bar/bistro. The smoked duck liver parfait with stout vinegar and wattleseed oil is delicious.. Lamb breast with sea lettuce and goats milk was devine. Wine by the glass pours could have been a little more generous but overall a good experience.

Went here for lunch today with work colleagues, we had the set price lunch for $45. Everything was delicious! For starters we had mussels in a pepper and mustard sauce (I think), pickled cucumber with feta and dill and a goats cheese and leek thing. For main course we had roast chicken, broccoli with sunflower miso, pork belly and creamed corn. Oh my gosh, so good! The creamed corn was amazing, I would come back just for a whole bowl of that! The staff were lovely.

Warm cozy place with a comfortable and relaxed atmosphere. The staff know their drinks and the kitchen-side seats offer a great view of some hard working chefs pumping out a menu that's worth sampling. Everything's designed to share and of good high quality. I'm sure I'll be back.

The CBD is already ripe with notable wine establishments which offer a matched dining experience of exception. Then enters Embla. The best things are those which one didn't realise were missing. Without going into too much detail, in an effort to encourage the indulgence of discovery, Embla is a natural wine bar with a unique, interesting, and well executed premise. The space itself and staff within are warm and inviting, leading the way to marvellous offerings to tempt the palate thoroughly. So thrilled this place has sprout up in the scene. A more than welcome addition to the ever growing list of quality and considered offerings in the CBD.

Fantastic new addition to Melbourne. Been around the world on Melbourne's restaurant scene for the last four months from Greece to Asia and this one tops the pile. Great service - knowledgable staff with good relaxed attitude and really impressive wine list.

Wow, talk about attitude. Once they knew we were there for drinks and nibbles and not a full meal it was like we didn't exist. We were in the corner and forgotten. We had to get up out of our seats to get service or wave like a lunatic, and when drinks were delivered it was with insincere apologies.