Julie Restaurant — Restaurant in Melbourne

Julie Restaurant is an absolute gem tucked away in the Abbotsford Convent. Its setting exudes charm, with a cozy, boutique vibe that pairs beautifully with the historic atmosphere of the convent. The seats are incredibly comfortable, and the ambiance strikes the perfect balance between stylish and inviting—a wonderful spot for a relaxed meal.

The service is casual and laid-back, so don’t expect fine dining-level attentiveness. While we did have to ask for a couple of things, it didn’t take away from the experience. The team is friendly, and the small size of the restaurant adds to its personal, boutique feel.

The food was overall very good, with a few highlights and a couple of small misses. The seasonal chef’s menu was great, though we recommend adding extras to round out the meal. However, the chicken liver parfait left us wanting—it lacked a crunchy element or vessel to enjoy it properly. Without something like bread or crackers, eating it with just a fork felt incomplete.

Another oddity was the $3 per person charge for adding two white anchovies to a dish. It felt unnecessary, especially at that price point—why not simply include them? While this was a minor frustration, it’s worth noting.

That said, the dessert was an absolute standout—simply amazing. It truly ended the meal on a high note, leaving us with a sweet, lasting impression.

Julie Restaurant is a lovely spot to visit if you’re looking for charming surroundings, good food, and a relaxed dining experience. Just a couple of tweaks to the menu and service, and it would...

It’s with regret I need to leave this disappointing review and I did have good service experiance prior to dinning here. The service and ambience is good, but that’s about where it end. Probably the worst dinning experience I’ve had (food), or perhaps it’s an acquired taste ?

I liked the fact that’s they used their own fresh produce. Our experience was that food was uninspiring with the wrong balance of flavours, either bland or over empowering flavours. The recommend wine was a good choice.

The oysters were fresh, however the scallops seasoning was too empowering. The entree was a few turnips, lettuce leaf, dip and dipping stick, which was hard as a rock.

The next entree the asparagus was inedible for us, the main dish was duck which was over salted, but we ate it. Most of the other dishes we didn’t complete eating after tasting.

At this point I was expecting the worse for the dessert and birthday cake /plaque I requested. I was right, the desserts topped off the terrible food experience. We tasted slice cake with a candle and some caramel thing which we had a 1 spoon and no further need to have anymore. First time I have not competed a desert.

It unfortunate because the service and ambience is nice. I cannot recommend anyone come here for dinning. Maybe only for a few drinks (limited selection of wines) and a...

Went to Julie for lunch where the day’s menu featured cucumber gazpacho, octopus, farinata, capretto, risotto with a side of salad leaves & ricotta bomboloni for dessert. Also opted for the additional scallop/prawn raviolo to supplement the main course. All the dishes were packed with flavour. My favourite was the gazpacho, a seemingly simple cucumber soup with a hint of almond, but it was very elegant and refreshing. The giant single raviolo was generously filled & perfectly sauced. The capretto goat was incredibly tender, falling off the bone with ease. The only downside was a recurring acidic, lemony note across almost every dish. The octopus came with a lemony sauce, the farinata was served with a lemon wedge, the risotto was dressed with lemon sauce & the capretto included sour garden tomatoes, which added even more tang. It ended up making the overall flavour profile feel very repetitive. The ricotta bomboloni wasn’t particularly sweet either & it lacked filling, which made for a rather underwhelming dessert. Service was quick and friendly & the ambiance was cosy & charmingly rustic, in line with the Abbotsford Convent setting. However the furniture was just as ‘rustic’ - my table was wobbly & kept shifting, which was a bit...