Colonial Tramcar Restaurant

I had always imagined that this would be quite a unpleasant tourist trappy affair, but was advised by friends that it’s fun, and in agreement found I had an amazingly fun experience here.
We did the late night dinner (was booked months in advance) which is 3hrs, and we loved it. The menu is basic (Two Starters, Two Entrees, Two Mains, Cheese, Dessert), and it’s open bar. So you basically just choose mains and share the rest, while the staff entertainingly and happily get you drunk (our glasses didn’t finish once) and 50’s/jazz music plays.
It’s also a really novel experience that every 15 minutes, while eating and drinking, you find yourself in another area. Ours went from Southbank through the CBD, back down St Kilda road through St Kilda/​Acland st, and back through Port Melbourne to Southbank.
It’s also designed well to be compact, efficient, but spacious.
Overall we loved it. It’s not something you’d do all the time (nor could you as it’s always booked out months in advance), but I’d totally go again.
Most people onboard are not tourists either.

Loved it, fun warm environment, surprisingly good food for the facilities they have and generally a good night to be had.

It was so fun having dinner on a moving tramcar and the foods is so special and delicious. Is worth it to go for a try.

I was surprised with a ride on the tramcar restaurant by my partner and we were delighted with the opportunity to take part in the Melbourne Cup Champagne breakfast.
On arrival we were offered bubbles and quickly took up this offer, there was a choice of beer or juice if you didn’t want bubbles. We sat at our assigned table and there was a delightful fruit platter and yoghurt and muesli waiting for us. Next we were presented with warm fresh croissants and finally a poached egg wrapped in a crêpe with ham, asparagus and hollandaise sauce.
The bubbles were plentiful on this hour and a half ride, and we were dropped off at Flemington to begin our day.
The waitress and chef were fantastic, friendly helpful and professional.
A perfect start to the day and what a way to make you feel special! Another Melbourne bucket list item ticked off.

This is such a fun thing to do! As a tourist I loved it. I went for the lunch, and it was so delicious and everything was fancy and plated perfectly! Our waiter was so nice, and he kept the drinks coming. I left stuffed and happy. I went the route to St kilda and it had great views. One day I’ll go back for an evening ride, it must be pretty at night.

Everyone knows someone that’s a little bit difficult to buy a gift for. Perhaps they don’t like to give clues about what they’d like or maybe they just purchase things when they think of it, but some people just leave you stumped when you’re trying to think of a present for them… and this is how I ended up on the Colonial Tramcar Resturant, despite being a life-​long Melbourne girl.
‘Experiences’ can be lovely presents, so I thought this could be a slightly quirky but a fun birthday present for someone, with a bit of a novelty factor. It was simple and easy to book online, which is always a good start. We went for the late dinner services, which I’d recommend as it goes a little longer and includes five courses with drinks too. Started with champagne and dips, before moving to duck terrine for entrée, followed by steak and vegetables, an Australian cheese platter and desserts alongside tea, coffee or liquors to finish. The service goes surprisingly quickly but after five courses, you are completely full! The music is a tinsy bit cheesy but adds to the overall atmosphere.
The tram is quite lovely inside and we found the staff to be absolutely delightful. Apart from an occasional change in direction, the movement of the tram is not very noticeable and it’s quite scenic as you coast around the CBD and St Kilda. If you’re wanting to catch views of Melbourne particularly, perhaps the earlier dinner or even the lunch service may be better for you.
For some, it’s a nice way to show a visitor around Melbourne and for others, it’s a way to celebrate a special occasion. Either way, it’s one of Melbourne’s unique and fun offerings.

I think that this is a great Melbourne experience. Taking a classic W class tram and turning it into a roving restaurant with great food and superb service makes for a great night out. The food was superb, and the staff hosting us were friendly and very attentive. Watching Melbourne roll by while eating and drinking was simply great, and I highly recommend this experience to anyone visiting Melbourne.

We’ve been to the Tram Restaurant twice and we absolutely loved it both times. It is on the expensive side but it’s open bar is included with the dinner price, so don’t drive there! The food is really good and the experience of being in a moving tram going through the nice parts of Melbourne is just great. The décor inside the tram is very nice. It looks classy and it’s a must for tourists coming to Melbourne.

We booked dinner for the Colonial Tramcar Restaurant based on the recommendation of our travel agent. It wound up being a great decision as it was quite the unique experience. It was a great way to travel around Melbourne and leisurely enjoy a nice meal. While the food wasn’t fantastic, it was still tasty and satisfying. The unlimited booze was nice, with good variety to choose from. The service was very friendly and attentive, and the atmosphere of the tramcar was a good mix of formal and fun. While the interior might look to be cramped from the outside, we felt like we had plenty of space to ourselves when we were seated. It’s definitely something to try at least once.

Well this was nice. Assumed you paid for the novelty of eating and drinking on a tram, and the food would just be ok, but everything was actually great. The grub is simple, but tasty, and the service was fantastic — thought it may be one of those ‘all you can drink’ places where the servers vanish after they pour your first wine, but quite the contrary — our server pretty much kept trying to force more booze down our throats! («There’s only a few minutes left. Can you drink another wine quickly?!»)
…if I’m making it sound less classy than it was, that’s a reflection on me and not the experience itself! A really cool Melbourne thing to do, why leave this just for the tourists?

To be honest, I wasn’t sure what to expect from what seemed to be a rather touristy business. I am happy to report that I was pleasantly surprised! The service from start to finish was exceptional — very friendly and attentive, and always with a smile. The food was delicious and high quality — also more than generous servings! The fit out is fun and unique, and very comfortable. Have already purchased as a gift for friends!

I never thought I’d want to eat dinner on a tram. I mean, I love trams and I love food but like espresso and booze; some things just shouldn’t spend much time together.
But then one of my favourite bars, The Everleigh, had three special nights organised on the Colonial Tramcar Restaurant and I thought «well, maybe if you put lots of awesome cocktails on a tram it would be amazing!» and that’s how I found myself boarding the tramcar restaurant a few weeks back with three lovely dining companions for what turned out to be a brilliant evening.
The cocktails of course were amazing, though these don’t normally feature on the tram. But what really impressed me was the food, the very thing I thought would be terrible. It was really rather good considering it was put together and plated from a minuscule kitchen in the tram. We started with oysters and bubbly, then moved on to salmon tartare before a giant steak with plenty of vegetables. Dessert was a selection of cheese and some brownies — not as elaborate as the courses that came before, but I suppose easy to serve. There was plenty of food and lots of wine too had we decided to partake. We stuck to bubbly and cocktails on this occasion.
I believe there’s two sitting for the restaurant normally and I imagine they’d both give a different experience. We boarded at 8.30pm and it was great going through the streets of Melbourne in the dark, the street and store lights creating an ambient romantic vibe to the evening. The earlier sitting might be better for visitors to Melbourne as it’s easier to see the sights.
This isn’t where you come for a cutting edge gastronomic experience, but for something unique to Melbourne I’d highly reccomend it.

We didn’t expect much from dinner, but it was delicious — not the best meal I’ve ever had in a restaurant ever, but the experience of the Tramcar Restaurant was so awesome. Even our friends thought it was absolutely delightful and rated it a five star experience. Is the experience one of the best ever? YES! The staff: Chef Ari, Tim and Rohan, truly made this evening an unforgettable experience in Melbourne. We did the early dinner seating; the tram going through areas we’ve never seen before — it was lovely. The ambiance of the actual tram car in which we were sitting, the service, the fun — it was all awesome. We didn’t expect much, but were rewarded with wonderfulness and awesomeness. Don’t miss this experience.

This is such a romantic and unique experience! I highly recommend it to couples and families who want a different view of Melbourne while enjoying a nice meal. We had lunch here and even though the food wasn’t quite our cup of tea, we had so much fun with the unlimited booze and amazing hosts. The servers were all attentive and friendly. It was a very memorable few hours spent on a vintage tram! Who would have thought?

Some Aussies that I told about the tramcar restaurant thought it was a touristy thing to do, but there was a group of locals right next to our table. I went with a group of four and did the lunch prix fixe and everything was really good from the food to the service. I knocked over my champagne flute in the first 20 minutes of the ride and it was quickly replaced. This was one of the highlights of our Melbourne stay!

If you haven’t done this yet or if you have friends coming into town, this is a great, unique adventure. We opted for the Sunday early dinner tramcar experience and were very impressed. We boarded in South Melbourne near Crown and there are a couple of tramcars that all leave at the same time on different routes. There were four of us and the tram didn’t seem crowded like we’d expected. It’s nicely decorated in oldy/​velvety style with Old Blue Eyes playing and warm lighting. Chicken pâté and red capsicum dip on the tables when you sit down. The servers are friendly and offer you champagne to start and are always coming around with wine and other drinks. The girls ordered the the chicken with leek and mushrooms and the boys had the ribeye with red wine sauce and broccoli. It wasn’t 5 stars but it was a mighty good meal. The city background was nice, although you’re not really looking out the windows all too much. It’s not really fast enough to make you feel like you’re moving too much and the drinks are plentiful. Top the night off with sticky date pudding or panna cotta (our group all chose sticky date and were not unhappy!) then you’re back into south melbourne and they’re serving liqueurs (baileys, cointreau. port etc). For $ 75 each it was great value and a really fun evening! Amazing night and I’d like to go again :)

I have done the tram car twice, with varied opinions.
The first time — amazing. There was four of us, we opted for the early dinner and had a ball. Our tram car was only half full, the waiter and food was amazing, and we had nothing but good things to say. Which is why when my brother was in town we decided to do it again…
Second time was last night, 3 of us, late seating. Trams were packed full, our table was next to the galley (so loud!), and the tram kept stopping for extended periods of time. (I think the driver had trouble adjusting the tracks.) Waiter was nice, but not like the first guy. Food was decent, but not as good as either my partner or I recall. (Tho — both times they were more than happy to cater to my requests. First time was veg, second time vegan.) They kept putting on terrible music at some women’s request, and the last hour was all John Mayer (UGH!).
I will say they had lovely wines, and aren’t shy to top you up.
Would I do it again? Nope. But I’d probably send my guests.

Super fun way to see the city and have a decent meal. The tram itself is comfortable and surprisingly not cramped. The food was pretty good, all things considered. Our server was attentive and funny. The meal is three course and includes drinks. You’ll definitely see tourists on the car, and as a tourist, this didn’t bother me one bit. But I think it would be a nice way to celebrate a special occasion too.

Definitely a great way to celebrate a special occasion or to just cruise around town and experience the city in a totally new way
The food is actually quite good (for having been made on a tram), and what it lacks in blow-​your-​mind-​haute-​cuisine-​ness, you can easily make up in drinks, which are free flowing.
Good for couples or small groups and worth the splurge.

What a perfect way to travel around Melbourne! Seated in an olden style burgundy train, sipping the finest Australian wine and tucking into a delicious lunch or dinner.
The Tram Car Restaurant departs from Normanby Road near Clarendon Street and travels through the city and surrounding suburbs giving patrons first hand views of Albert Park, St Kilda and South Melbourne. You may choose to travel during the 4 course luncheon service, 3 course early dinner or a 5 course later dinner all of which serve some delicious Australian food paired with both red and white wine.
The staff on-​board are very helpful and always alot of fun, you can request little extras when booking your journey if you are wanting things like cake, flowers, they will even sing happy birthday!
I would highly recommend this activity to anyone visiting in Melbourne or even to locals want to enjoy a night with a special someone while being wined and dined on-​board.