Halal Food in Brunswick: A Sydney Road Walk

Sydney Road is the closest thing Melbourne has to a halal high street. You can eat your way along it for a whole day and not repeat a cuisine.

Here's a walk through the best of Brunswick, using our directory ratings as the guide.

Start with coffee

The Nicholson Coffee & Eatery. 4.8 stars from over 300 reviews, Middle Eastern, alcohol free. A proper breakfast before you start walking.

Or Bagels & Co, also 4.8 from over 300 reviews, if you'd rather something in your hand.

Lunch on the strip

Very Good Falafel. 4.7 stars from more than 1,800 reviews, which is an enormous number for a falafel shop and tells you everything. Middle Eastern, alcohol free.

Kevabs. 4.6 from over 400 reviews. Turkish, and notable for a strong vegan and vegetarian offering, which is rarer in halal kebab shops than it should be.

Brunswick East, slightly off the main road

Sesame N Soul. 4.8 from around 270 reviews. Lebanese bakery and café.

Halikarnas Restaurant Taverna. 4.7 from nearly 600 reviews. Turkish and Mediterranean, seafood-leaning, and licensed.

Sweets, obviously

Zaytoune Lebanese Sweets. 4.8 stars from around 360 reviews. Baklava and Lebanese pastries. This is the stop you plan the walk around, not the one you tack on at the end.

If it's a special occasion

Rumi, Brunswick East. 4.6 from more than 1,700 reviews. Middle Eastern and Lebanese fine dining, licensed, and the priciest thing on this list by a distance. Book ahead.

Making a day of it

Sydney Road runs a long way, and the 19 tram runs its full length, so you don't have to walk it all. Park once and tram between stops if you're doing the whole thing.

Good to know: most of this list is alcohol free, but Halikarnas and Rumi are both licensed. Worth knowing before you book a family table.

How we check. Halal Food Melbourne is a directory, not a certifying body. Where a venue carries a badge, we've seen evidence: a current certificate from a recognised Australian certifier, or their supplier's. A venue without a badge hasn't been through our checks yet, which doesn't mean it isn't halal. If halal status matters to you, always confirm with the venue.

Been to one of these lately? Tag us on Instagram, Facebook or TikTok @HalalFoodMelbourne and tell us what you ordered.