Hare and Grace

A bluestone former butter factory in the Rialto precinct is an unlikely home for one of Melbourne's more considered CBD dining rooms, yet the setting shaped Hare and Grace's identity throughout its run at 525 Collins Street. The Joost Baker-designed interior stripped the heritage shell back to gabled ceilings and raw surfaces, while an open-air terrace and an edible garden gave the room a texture that most Collins Street restaurants never attempted. The kitchen operated under a philosophy its team called "traderne" — traditional cooking executed through modern technique — with the menu weighted toward meat. Charcoal-grill mains and carefully sourced beef anchored the offering, and the format ranged from à la carte through to a six-course tasting menu, making the room workable for a business lunch as readily as a longer evening. Chef Raymond Capaldi, who had previously cooked at the Dorchester in London, brought a European precision to Australian produce that placed the restaurant at the upper end of the CBD's dining tier. That positioning was confirmed externally in 2012, when The Australian Magazine's Hot 50 Restaurants in Australia awarded Hare and Grace its People's Choice for Best Restaurant in Melbourne — a signal of broad recognition beyond the usual critical circuit. The crowd reflected the address: business lunchers during the week, a Friday-evening drinks-and-dinner contingent drawn by the terrace and the Rialto's foot traffic. Research indicates the restaurant closed in March 2024, ending a run that had made it one of the longer-standing upmarket independents in the Melbourne CBD. The Collins Street address and the Rialto setting remain; the kitchen does not.