Vlado's Charcoal Grill

I am an American that was working in Melbourne. I was told that the best steak in the city could be had at Vlado's. I was skeptical. After a terrific steak, a very nice bottle of wine and first class service... I was thoroughly impressed. I am not sure if it is the best steak in Melbourne... but it was a very nice steak dinner I would recommend to anyone visiting or working in Melbourne. Recommended without reservation.

The myths about this place is true it has a buzzing atmosphere and full of people chatting and having a great timw, the set menu is small on size but makes up for it on taste. The steaks are thick and juicy and cooked to perfection. The desert was even better. Great selection of wines to complement the meals. Make sure you Knock 6 times before entering for a warm welcome.

Despite the initial excitement for a birthday celebration based on positive reviews, the experience fell short of expectations. The sausage entree stood out, but the steak main was disappointingly average with unseasoned meat and inconsistencies in preparation. Considering the price, the overall experience was underwhelming, prompting us to explore other dining options in the future.

First Class. Simply the best. My Dad always raved about this place when he visited Melbourne from Adelaide in the 70’s. So it was with high expectation and anticipation that 50 years later I should find myself in the same venue We booked in advance as a pre MCG BBL match treat. We were a group of 4, 2 adults and 2 ten year old sons in tow. The welcome was warm and genuine as we were seen to our table. Michael - who we discovered was the son of the late Vlados, was a terrific guy and made us feel at home. The decor I doubt has changed much in 50years but it sets the tone beautifully. There is a real homeliness about the place. The pictures on the wall are a testament to the who’s who of the famous - Prime Ministers, Formula One drivers and world renown actors have all dined here repeatedly. Onto the food. The mixed entree consisted of sausage, pork neck, hamburger patty and finely sliced liver all cooked over charcoal. For reference Doug was serving and Elliott was plying his magic over the charcoal. My 10 year old son was very happy with the mixed entree even the liver, his first try of it ever. It was like eating foie gras. Steaks were selected Porterhouse and Fillet were soon in front of us and perfectly cooked. Melt in the mouth. We enjoyed a bottle of Margaret Rivers finest Leeuwin Estate Art Series Shiraz. Terrific wine and paired beautifully with our meat. Dessert was not needed but pancakes with Strawberries were also demolished. Great food, excellent service and a must try!

Its reputation precedes it by about ten light-years. I feel that they rely too much on the history and fame of their late founder. We had a dinner reservation, and whilst they were very accommodating to half our party being late, the whole experience was just... blah. For one, they serve their dinner rolls and butter cold as stone. I don't know how that can even begin to comprise good fine dining standards. They offer just one set meal for a steep $110 per head, which is fine, but the meat plate was just a uniform brown pile of middling-quality meat. The steaks were served bare—no jus, no garnish, no nothing. It's up to par with their tradition of serving steak with coleslaw, but again, pretty pedestrian. It wouldn't be a problem if they could actually cook the steak—two of our table asked for the porterhouse to be cooked medium and both were quite rare and pink when they arrived. The service was also very slow and the server we had seemed to struggle to keep track of orders and even casually remarked that she must be on another planet. She served the other table's drinks to us and had to repeat our preferences several times each course. We legitimately had to wait upwards of 20 minutes between courses, which is also why we stayed there so long. Would honestly not return and not recommend.