Dudley's — Restaurant in Melbourne

We’re a family of four (my wife and our two daughters, aged nine and seven), and Dudleys has become one of our go-to spots. We’ve visited a couple of times now, and every time the staff has been incredibly friendly and accommodating.

The menu is Italian-inspired, but there’s a great variety, including fantastic fresh seafood. What really stands out is how well they cater to dietary requirements — whether you’re gluten-free, vegan, dairy-free, or egg-free, they’ve got you covered. Everything feels fresh, and the prices are reasonable, especially considering the quality. There are also some great daily specials and coffee options.

The atmosphere is a highlight, with different seating areas to suit your mood. There are cozy tables inside, a main dining area with big windows that open up (perfect for summer), and a veranda area that’s ideal for warm days. No matter where you sit, the vibe is relaxed and inviting.

As for the food, we’ve tried a variety of dishes, and everything has been excellent. The vegan pizza, divided into four different toppings, was a fun way to sample their options. Our daughter had a gluten-free vegan cheese margherita pizza, which was spot on. We also enjoyed the Moreton Bay bugs with prawns, served with a delicious thick spaghetti, and the calamari dish was fresh and flavorful. Even the kids’ chicken nuggets were a hit!

Another great feature is their continuous service — they serve food between lunch and dinner, so you can walk in anytime before 5 PM, and bookings are available after that. Each visit, they’ve found a spot for us, even without a booking.

Overall, Dudleys is a fantastic spot, especially for families. Highly recommend it for great food, friendly service, and a...

After visiting Dudley's on multiple occasions with friends and family we will now no longer be returning -

As an individual working in customer service, I understand how important it is to look after your clientele. During our visit to Dudley's today we were completely disappointed by the service we received.

When arriving at Dudley's we stood where directed by signage at the entry door to be seated. Multiple staff continued to walk past us traveling in and out of the inside area and failed to acknowledge our presence. Finally, a staff member came out and bought us into be seated at a table.

While we didn't have to wait too long for our order to be taken, the order was incorrectly submitted to the kitchen. This meant that one of us received their food and was able to finish before the other's even came from the kitchen. However, after 20-30 minutes with no acknowledgement from staff, we decided to approach the bar to enquire when the remaining food would be coming.

When approaching the bar to enquire about the food, a group of staff continued to talk at the bar about their private life and completely ignored my friend's presence. Once acknowledging her presence, she was told they would assist her in a moment and continued to talk about what they were doing on the weekend. We later learnt that the food item had not been submitted to the kitchen so we then had to wait longer for it to be made.

While the food was tasty, we felt completely unwelcome and felt as though staff perceived our presence as an inconvenience. As a result, we will not be coming back again and will recommend against friends and family returning here in the future due to such poor...

HORRIBLE SERVICE, DON’T GO HERE!!!!! When our food arrived, a salad was placed on our table along with the rest of the meals. No one said a word. We genuinely assumed it was part of one of our dishes or complimentary — it was presented exactly like the rest of our order. Staff walked by multiple times, saw it on our table, and said absolutely nothing.

We ate it, thinking nothing of it. Then, just as we were leaving (having already paid via QR code), a waitress loudly and aggressively called out: “You know you have to pay for that salad, girls.” We were stunned. She then accused us of knowingly eating something that wasn’t ours and not saying anything — as if we’d intentionally tried to scam the restaurant out of an $18 salad.

It felt like a trap. If it wasn’t meant for us, why was it placed on our table in the first place? Why didn’t anyone correct it earlier? Instead, they waited until we were done, then confronted us publicly, treating us like we’d done something dishonest.

The rest of the service was just as careless — bees were swarming our food outside, and not a single staff member helped. When we asked to be moved inside, we were told they’d find a table, but no one followed up. We ended up moving everything ourselves while staff stood by.

The entire experience felt disrespectful, disorganized, and downright rude. But the way we were accused over that salad — a mistake entirely on their part — was humiliating and inexcusable.

I will never return to Dudley’s and will strongly discourage others from going. There are far better places in Olinda where customers are treated with...