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A Melbourne dining destination renowned for exceptional Spanish tapas and wine

The place for tapas lovers - tucked away in a laneway opposite Federation Square, this small restaurant and bar is the perfect place to grab some great food and wine before heading out for a night on the town. The informal dining area allows diners to recline on a lounge, sit at a table or perch at the bar whilst enjoying the many interesting dishes on offer - particularly good are the goat, the tortilla and the stuffed peppers. The wine list is comprehensive and features some great Spanish wines and sherries. Booking is recommended - MoVida has two sittings per evening.

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Reviews of MoVida

  • suzyqking
    suzyqking  Newbie   1 review
    We had a marvellous dinner recently with three girlfriends. We gave the waitress a budget and she brought us just the most delicious food, every mouthful was a burst of flavour and beautifully presented, the atmosphere is really chic and so reasonable, just the best restaurant on the planet.....thanks Movida

    2 weeks ago

  • Cee Zee
    Cee Zee  Local Star   264 reviews
    The great thing about dining alone is that you can walk straight into a restaurant that is normally hard to get a table and get a seat straight away. The only downfall is that you want to order everything on the menu so you taste it.

    The food here is consistently good. I ordered the seafood stew and a beetroot salad which were both amazing. The service was both friendly and attentive. By 7.30pm it was packed out so I was actually pleased to be alone so I could sit and enjoy my meal.

    If you are in Melbourne, this place is definitely worth a visit.

    2 months ago

  • mass.d
    mass.d  Local Star   60 reviews
    Great restaurant. Booking took a while, but well worth the wait. The food is exceptional, the service is very helpful and friendly and the decor is really nice. It's quite dark inside, but that just adds to the decor. Quite expensive for tapas, but still worth it. Location is great too, there is a cool graffiti alley next to it

    5 months ago

  • MGore
    MGore   3 reviews
    It too us 4 months to get a booking at the restaurant and now I know why! The food is fantastic, the service is impeccable and the atmosphere is great. I would love to go back there ... don't know if I can wait four months again though!

    10 months ago

  •  Local Star   13 reviews
    Fantastic food
    Extensive wine list
    Great ambiance

    Hard to fault.. book if you can, this place is no longer a hidden gem

    10 months ago

  • Jackie M
    Jackie M  Foodie   62 reviews
    Having just returned from 2 weeks in Barcelona and Madrid where I FEASTED on tapas every day I really enjoyed the menu here. There was a nice balance of the traditional - croquettes and jamon - and the creative - Manchego Custard with fresh WA Black Truffles, Leek & Potato served in egg shells.

    The highlights for me from the selection we ordered were the Oven baked Scallop with Jamon and Potato Foam and the Braised Pork Neck in Oloroso and Prunes which was so super tender you could cut it with a fork. The wine selection was from Spain as well as local and the waitress did a great job in helping us pick a bottle that suited our tastes.

    We finished the meal off with some divine desserts - I had the Hot Chocolate Ganache Pudding with Vanilla Bean ice-cream and Nougat which we had to wait 10 minutes for as they cooked it to order but it was well worth the wait, washed down with a lovely sticky.

    The vibe of the place is very casual, suiting the whole share plate / tapas concept. I can see why there is such a demand to get a table.

    1 year ago

  • polished85
    polished85   9 reviews
    You wont find a better Tapas restaurant in Melbourne, although there are a few that come close. The Sangria is absolutely divine. Be careful as if you are not careful it is far too easy to drink way too much of this lovely stuff, and you don't want that, because their wine selection is also excellent and the waiters are more than capable of recommending a good bottle for your tastes and the food you have ordered. The olives are a must, lovely unexpected citrus flavours just lift the garlic, herbs and quality olive oil that they are flavoured by. All of the tapas is extraodinary, and beautifully presented, so go with whatever tickles your fancy. the dessert menu looks great, but i have never been able to resist the tapas long enough to have room for any of them, but i must try them next time as I am sure they are just as delicious as everything else on offer here.

    1 year ago

  • myersa
    myersa   12 reviews
    Fantastic atmosphere with terrific, knowledgeable and friendly staff. The food was delicious although some of the tapas dishes were a little too small. I must also recommend the Sangria (drink). Ill tell you what it definitely lifts your spirits after a long week at work.

    2 years ago

  • traveller1
    traveller1   23 reviews
    As a beginner to tapas I loved the vibe of this place. Bartender explained the spanish wine list and then into the yummy food. The sardines and the cheese were outstanding, and the final touch was the churros/doughnuts. Beautiful!

    3 years ago

  • Carlito
    Carlito   2 reviews
    Great Tapas and really knowledgeable staff. A specials list as long as your arm so make sure you try something different. Book early, or try and squeeze in and eat at the bar and get the best service

    3 years ago

  • Monday:
    12:00 PM-10:00 PM
  • Tuesday:
    12:00 PM-10:00 PM
  • Wednesday:
    12:00 PM-10:00 PM
  • Thursday:
    12:00 PM-10:00 PM
  • Friday:
    12:00 PM-10:30 PM
  • Saturday:
    12:00 PM-10:30 PM
  • Sunday:
    12:00 PM-10:00 PM

Restaurants

Cuisine

Gluten Free Spanish

Price Guide

Mains under $20

Licensing

Licensed

Features

Bar

Menu

Tapas Lunch Dinner

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Editorial Reviews

  • MoVida

    The Age Good Food Guide 2009

    Thursday, September 11, 2008

    The commitment to excellence at Australia's best Spanish restaurant hasn't declined.

    You can hear the satisfied rumble at MoVida long before you reach its oft-crowded front door: the commitment to excellence at Australia's best Spanish restaurant hasn?t declined, and neither has the avidity of those who come to enjoy it. A true destination restaurant ? you may overhear international diners who've made it a centrepiece of their visit, or see foodies brandishing copies of the restaurant's eponymous book for chef Frank Camorra to sign ? the place delights those who live to eat. Come hungry, and put yourself in the chef?s hands by ordering the excellent-value tasting menu, which usually includes signature dishes such as croutons with Ortiz anchovy and tomato sorbet (the memory of sweet, smoky and briny flavours will stay with you for days); carpaccio of air-dried wagyu (lent earthy richness by truffle foam and poached egg); or pulpo a la gallega (octopus and waxy potatoes dressed in olive oil and paprika). The subdued hum from the front bar ? where tapas and racio...

    Source: The Age

    Full review on The Age

  • MoVida Next Door

    Matt Preston, Reviewer

    Tuesday, August 26, 2008

    MoVida Next Door has a no-bookings policy, tight space and exploding-from-the-blocks popularity.

    Australians seldom see eye to eye - or even stomach to stomach - on when's the perfect time for dinner. In the wilds of rural South Australia, hotels have usually turned off the deep-fat fryer before 8pm. Up on the Gold Coast, 6.30pm is restaurant rush hour, which might have something to do with nursing home curfews, or just that everyone wants to be home in bed with cocoa before Border Security. Many Sydneysiders are such hard-working, high-flying corporate success stories that they can't possibly get to the restaurant until after 9pm. MoVida Next Door is perfect for all of them because with its no-bookings policy, tight space and exploding-from-the-blocks popularity, early or late are probably the best times to search for a table at Frank Camorra's long-anticipated new sherry and tapas bar.

    Source: The Age

    Full review on The Age

  • Movida

    Ultimate Melbourne

    Sunday, August 02, 2009

    Immerse yourself in the rustic flavours, seductive aromas and the social vibe at MoVida. Here you get the true sense of an intimate Spanish tapas bar with a large selection of small plates (tapas) or dishes large enough to share (racion). On crowded weekend nights punters spill into the laneway, trying their luck for a possie at the bar at MoVida Next Door - a more casual experience.


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