Botanical Hotel

The story

Crafted with passion, served with love

South Yarra's Local, Done Properly

On Domain Road in South Yarra, Botanical Hotel operates as a brasserie, winestore and bar rolled into one address — the kind of place that works as well for a weekday lunch as it does for a long Saturday dinner. The kitchen centres on modern Australian cooking: premium Australian beef, local seafood, and seasonal menus that shift as the produce does.

The Kitchen Under Blake Werner

Executive Chef Blake Werner came up through Michelin-starred kitchens in France and Spain before returning to Melbourne to cook at some of the city's finer tables. He joined Botanical Hotel in 2023 and has since stepped into the executive chef role, bringing what the venue describes as "a refined, European edge" to its seasonal menus. His food philosophy is personal — shaped in part by childhood memories of making pasta with his mother, whose Italian heritage runs through his approach to ingredients and technique. On weekends he shops at Prahran Market, and that proximity to good produce shows in the cooking.

The venue drew wider attention at the Melbourne Food & Wine Festival 2026, where Werner hosted an evening alongside butcher Anthony Puharich of Vic's Meat and wine critic Jeremy Oliver, exploring how terroir shapes flavour across both beef and wine — a tasting that paired grain-fed against pasture-fed cuts alongside Bindi wines across three courses.

A Wine Program Worth Taking Seriously

The wine list earned Botanical Hotel a Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence in 2025 — recognition that reflects genuine depth and curation rather than a list assembled for show. Head Sommelier Katarina Lange brings a considered, curious approach to the program, writing with authority about Australian Grenache from McLaren Vale and the Barossa, the nuances of old bush vine wines, and how to match them with food. Assistant Sommelier Kamiya Parekh, WSET Level 3 qualified, adds a passion for Italian varietals — particularly Barbaresco and Piemonte — alongside a love of well-made cocktails.

The bar runs happy hour every day from 4pm to 7pm in the main bar, and the winestore stocks bottles available to take home or order online.

More Than a Restaurant

Botanical Hotel's event spaces handle everything from private dining to corporate celebrations, with events coordinator Chiara de Cruz overseeing the details. The venue's modern Australian identity extends to a South Yarra Deli and an online shop stocking wines, provisions and curated bundles — making it as much a neighbourhood institution as a destination dining address.