Saxe is a delightful, low key restaurant run by people who really know their stuff. To dine here is not to be caught in a battle between style and substance, as this eatery is all about the food. The staff are knowledgeable and friendly, and the food was great. The white asparagus was light and delicious to start, and the duck was wonderful. Well worth a visit next time you're in Melbourne.

Having driven from Perth to Melbourne over three weeks, this was the best meal I have had. They took us in happily past their closing for a Christmas Eve supper that was absolutely one to remember. Excellent food, cracking music, awesome staff, and Joe the chef is as passionate about his craft as his food is a culinary experience. Truly stand out resto and definitely one to try. Five utterly deserved stars!

The food here was excellent. We had the degustation I think it was for 5 courses. Everything was delicious and they were very accommodating for our groups dietary requirements. The staff were really good would definitely return. The decor is lovely too.

We booked a table here for an anniversary dinner and loved it. They gave us a lovely table upstairs, it was busy but not crowded and the wait staff were very friendly, not trying to rush us through. We expected the food to be amazing from the reputation of the place, and we weren't let down. Along with a bit of guidance from the waiter, the wine was beautiful. I was hesitant to review Saxe because you don't want everyone to know about great places like these, you want them all to yourself.

iv never been there but id like to ( i gave you one star by the way because ive never tried your food sorry)

This restaurant feels simultaneously formal yet relaxed. The staff are very welcoming and helpful, and the food and wine are top class. I had the duck in broth which was deliciously perfect. The cocktail menu looks fantastic, but I stuck with a shiraz.

Review 3.5 We were most disappointed when we arrived to be told, despite booking the restaurant, we were to be seated in the bar. We had planned on a leisurely lunch enjoying their seven-course degustation menu in the more refined, quieter restaurant setting rather than being jammed into a confined, noisy area. Perhaps a phone call to the guest prior to arriving at the restaurant would be courteous to advise of changed seating arrangements. The folk at the next table had also booked the restaurant. One person was looking after fifteen people and whilst she was very efficient, the experience was certainly not relaxed. We enjoyed the degustation offerings and flavours also the presentation of the dishes.

Really good food and nice atmosphere and staff. The chocolate dessert was a miss for me though.

Superb Food, Incredible Service and Great Venue. Have the Mushroom Arancini. You won't be sorry.

Delicious, cosy, friendly. Highly recommend this restaurant - the flavours were excellent. You can’t miss the mandarin dessert!

I had the slippery Jack mushroom gnocchi, delicate texture, definitely a full-bodied dish. The imperial mandarine dessert was so delicious that I had ordered another dessert, pumpkin pie, see photos Everything was to die for, will be back!

Amazing banquet menu, we go for the 5course with a truffle pasta added into the feast. My partner had the wine pairing and it’s awesome I hope I don’t have to drive! 5-star restaurant totally recommended, website is awesome. Just small thing I kinda put off with the booking fees, don’t like the inflexibility of the reservation system. Good food after all!

Can’t even begin to describe the experience! Such an amazing food, texture and tastes. Also the service, Paul recommended the best wine and made the experience soo pleasant! Such a great night!

Fantastic modern Aust menu @Saxemelb with Asian and French influences. Of course we prop ourselves at the bar. I was surprised to discover a Tokubetsu Junmai that went so well with the Mackerel and bonito. Open since Oct. Must try! Hang with the crew at the bar, have a banter and let them entice you into cocktails, sake, wine and vermouth. Oh...and if you pick the degustation, listen to their suggestions. Your waiter always knows what is best.

Food that looks beautiful and tastes divine in an elegant setting. A great, varied and interesting wine list chosen by people who like pairing food and wine and not just making a margin. All served by some of the best staff in town - love it!

Joe Grbac at his best. All the best bits of former Saint Crispin and Estelle Bistro have come here.

This is a true neighbourhood gem. Amazing food, impeccable service and warm intimate environment. We can't wait to go back again. I think we just found a new favourite.

fantastic food... love it so much!

Two visits, two excellent lunches. In a city full of great restaurants SAXE stands out for its use fresh locally grown (in their own garden in fact) vegetables and ethically farmed animals. On both occasions (a couple of months apart) the menu was varied and interesting with lots of seasonal produce featuring. Coupled with a great (and well priced) wine list this is a restaurant you need to try. Bench seats are a bit hard - get a chair.

Hugely enjoyable experience. The native plums with the kangaroo tartare were a flavour I didn't have much reference to, but were delicious. The wagyu beef main was exceptional, particularly the tongue. Great service, excellent wines, and an all round great meal.

Always wonderful services and great seasonal produce. A gem in the cbd.

Great business lunch, have been several times and will be back!

Staff here are always friendly and knowledgeable. Octopus entree was so tender and tasty. Delicious duck main. Huge salad side dish which could be shared between 3-4.

Great food good service!

We had a great dinner at Saxe. The service was warm and welcoming and the food was really wonderful. Melbourne has many great restaurants but the staff at Saxe and their clear dedication to ensuring that diners have a great experience really sets this restaurant apart.

I have eaten at Saxe on a few occasions. The food is always special because of the effort that has gone into its preparation and its presentation. The wine list is also impressive as is the knowledge of the sommelier.

Nothing has come close to Saxe’s degustation menu - it’s been two years since we ate there and it is still the best I’ve ever had. The fresh flavours and textures, the service and the ambience, it was an incredible experience!

The snap, crackle and pop is delicious, a definite must-try on the menu and very addictive. A great menu with amazing wine list and very attentive service.

Arrived pretty late in Avalon and most of the restaurant was closed. We stumbled across this restaurant and they were nice enough to serve us food even though it was just 3 minutes to closing. Great food great service So good to have places like this in Geelong. Highly recommended. You won’t be disappointed

Beautiful food, great service, funky fit out, great ambiance. The fettuccine made from fresh eggs with Italian white truffles, parmesan foam and porcini emulsion was mind blowing. Will definitely be back!

We were most disappointed when we arrived to be told, despite booking the restaurant, we were to be seated in the bar. We had planned on a leisurely lunch enjoying their seven-course degustation menu in the more refined, quieter restaurant setting rather than being jammed into a confined, noisy area. Perhaps a phone call to the guest prior to arriving at the restaurant would be courteous to advise of changed seating arrangements.

My partner and I had a feed me chefs selection shared menu which is perfect. Whist there were a number of highlights we started with a gnocchi of ragu of pork, tomato and parsley. The gnocchi was soft pillows of the best gnocchi I've eaten. And the pork just melted in my mouth. Gosh it was sooo good lol. The duck leg was perfectly cooked for me, the meat was medium, the skin firm, and it was full of flavour. This was my favourite dish. Yummo! We both smashed this dish hihi. The heirloom carrot piccalilli and walnut dish was fantastic. The carrot was crunchy and this dish was the perfect accompaniment. My glass of NZ Pinot Noir was just perfect, and not something that I'd generally order. Try this if you can. I almost forgot, the dessert of stone fruit truffle was delicious. It wasn’t too sweet, and I really enjoyed this dish. Overall this place was excellent, the food, the wine and the service I can't comment on as this was an invitation. But in my experience, this place is definitely worth a visit! Try it, you won’t be disappointed.

Saxe is a delightful, low key restaurant run by people who really know their stuff. To dine here is not to be caught in a battle between style and substance, as this eatery is all about the food. The staff are knowledgeable and friendly, and the food was great. Highly recommend.

beautiful food wonderful service.

Located close to Adina Hotel on Queens Street, is this restaurant and bar run by Joe Grbac. It's a casual and intimate space and there are two levels where you would get a different dining experience. They focus on small to medium share plates that are good for sharing. The menu has a good range and the waitress told us that they keep the menu compact as they focus on the fresh and native ingredients for the season. They are ingredients driven and the menu focuses on seasonal and simple flavours. We went with the wine pairing as well and the waitress recommended a good pairing for our dishes. The staff in Saxe Kitchen are very knowledgeable and you can trust them in deciding the wine pairing as we really enjoyed it. Decided on the feed me menu as we wanted to try a bit of everything. For entree, we started off with a gooey Mac and Cheese which was presented in a cheese croquette form and a flat bread with salted prosciutto with a touch of truffle oil. It was light and filled with flavours and I liked how it was a nice start to the meal. We also had the salmon tartare which was fresh and the ingredients worked really well together. The finger lime brought out the flavour to the dish and it was light and refreshing. We then moved on to our mains which was zucchini flowers and pork. The pork consists of three different types of meat, the shoulder, neck and belly. I liked how they all had a different texture and it was cooked through perfectly. The zucchini flowers were nicely cooked and the batter used was light and crunchy. For desserts we had the chocolate mousse on a tart with fresh strawberry compote. The chocolate mousse was light and the strawberry added in the acidity and sweetness to the dish which was nice. We opted for hot chocolate and was presented with a nice hot cocoa which I really enjoyed. It was rich and creamy and you get an option to add in sugar if you like. The hot cocoa was served with petit fours to finish off which was a nice sweet ending to the meal. Overall, we really enjoyed our dinner here at Saxe Kitchen, the dishes were nicely articulated and presented and the staff was attentive and hospitable.

fantastic food

Luxury and expensive but really perfect

Amazing Dishes! Perfect Portions! Had a awesome night thanks to the staff and Chef at Saxe, very accommodating and friendly! Thank you!!

Stopped by on a night when changes on the menu were being tested. Happy to be a guinea pig here any time!!

Had dinner here last night with some friends and even though the food was ok - have had better - the evening turned sour when the bill arrived and my friend and I had to pay extra $70.00 for a some truffle... when we were ordering our $48.00 pork dish we were offered if we wanted to have truffle on it... I did not hear what the waiter said - could have been oil or a something else however when the dish arrived literally could not see what the truffle ingredient was - only when the bill arrived and saw the $70.00 (for two) charged for added truffle I thought it a joke... the waiter should have explained that adding the truffle to the dish was going to increase the price of my main course from $48.00 to $83.00!!!! WTH!!! Literally was a piece of pork the size of the palm of my hand which is quite small for $83.00 - apparently it had truffle worth 35.00 I did not even see ... I questioned the waiter if they actually put any truffle in the dish as I did not see anything and he had to go enquire with the chef whom said he had added some truffle to both my friends and my dish... Well I paid the $35.00 extra still thinking either they forgot to add the truffle or it was day light robbery. Next time caution your customers of the cost of your so called truffle - I know truffle is expensive but to not see it in your dish and add $35.00 to the bill it’s not correct.

Enjoyed top food from super chef Joe Grbac at Saxe last Friday matched with a range of the best from Tyrrells - including their "flagship" whites the Vat 1 Semillon and Vat 47 Chardonnay. Bruce Tyrrell entertained and educated us on the Hunter, and the Tyrrell Wine family and presented those outstanding whites, as well as Pinot Noir, and a comparative of his Shiraz - two vintages ten years apart. The service led by Renee was right up to the standard of the food and the wine.

These are not only meals but arts！

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Loved this place! Was a little more on the pricey side however more than happy to pay a little more for great food - will definitely be back again when in Melbourne next.

Staff are very friendly and service is fast.

wanna leave a comment. The guys have been wonderful. Food is all the time delightful

Great Food Great Wine Great Degustation and amazing Service...

Loved it. Incredible sword fish and tomato dishes.

Had a lovely evening here with my partner on our anniversary. He ordered the Porcini with cultivated Mushrooms, which was a sheer delight. I was feeling a little delicate after too much fun earlier in the day, and I had the fish. We both decided to have dessert and Imperial Mandarin and Chocolate was the order of the day. We finished off with a Grim Fandango and a Pimms and lemonade, before we headed out for a night of dancing.