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Nini's Hawthorn, Hawthorn (VIC)
52 photos

Middle Eastern With friends

Nini's Hawthorn

8.7/10
58
302 Burwood Rd, 3122 Hawthorn (VIC)
Middle Eastern
Average price A$59

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Nini's Hawthorn

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A rare pearl among our careful selection of the best addresses right now

INSIDER by TheFork is a carefully curated selection of top tier venues, the ones with hats, the ones that make the top dining guides, and most importantly the ones we know you love!

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Bita Lowry has developed Nini’s Hawthorn into one of Melbourne’s most loved restaurant’s and event centre. Bita grew up in Persia and developed her passion for food in the kitchen of her mother and Grandma. She learned to love and use traditional herbs, spices and seasonings. The resulting family dinners were filled with flavor, joy and happiness. For many years Bita worked in the corporate environment, but her love for food and hospitality drove her to open Ninis. Nini’s rooftop bar, restaurant and event centre seats 265 guests in a stunning environment for indoor and outdoor dining in Melbourne. The hallmark of Ninis is warm hospitality which is born of Bita’s Persian upbringing. It blends the best of Middle eastern and Mediterranean styles to provide a unique experience. The cooking secrets of Greece, Turkey, Italy, Iran, and Lebanon bring you generous portions of Middle Eastern and Mediterranean heaven, matched with a bar full of cocktails and wine. Signature small dishes like Filo wrapped feta with pomegranate chili marmalade, zucchini fritters and saganaki with wild Iranian fig purée, lead into large plates of delightful slow-roasted lamb shoulder served with smashed potatoes and Moroccan-spiced pork skewers with pickled cabbage. The dishes meld fresh produce and age-old techniques, with a nod to the region’s cross- pollination of flavours and styles. The bar serves up exotic cocktails like the Turkish Delight, a highly Instagrammable number made with pink gin and garnished with fairy floss, through to the classic and summery Mojito. At Nini’s you’ll be sure to experience where the Mediterranean meets the Middle East.

Restaurant menu

Last update: October 2023
Chef Marco Vitale
Dietary optionsVegetarian dishes
Tzatziki
A$10.5
Yogurt, cucumber and garlic. Dip with housemade pita.
Babaganoush
A$10.5
Smokey eggplant & garlic. Dip with housemade pita.
Tirokafteri
A$10.5
Chargrilled red peppers, chilli, yogurt & fetta. Dip with housemade pita.
Banquet Menu A$85
This preset menu includes: To Start + Main + Sides + Dessert

User photos

Nini's Hawthorn, Hawthorn (VIC)
Nini's Hawthorn, Hawthorn (VIC)
Nini's Hawthorn, Hawthorn (VIC)
Nini's Hawthorn, Hawthorn (VIC)
Nini's Hawthorn, Hawthorn (VIC)
Nini's Hawthorn, Hawthorn (VIC)
+18

photos

Reviews

8.7/10
Fabulous58 reviews
8.9/10

Food

8.9/10

Service

8/10

Ambience

9-10

7-8

5-6

3-4

1-2

Real experiences from real dinersOnly people who have booked with TheFork or paid with TheFork PAY can leave a rating and review.
How do we calculate ratings?

What diners said about this restaurant:

Good value for money
Short waiting time
Quiet
  • April C.19 reviews

    August 26, 2023

    10/10

    The venue was modern, stylish and very spacious. We were seated quite comfortably on a large round table with comfortable chairs. The menu had so many options and included vegan options which is great. The food came out really quickly and was delicious and fresh. Highly recommend for a big group of people or just anyone really who loves Mediterranean cuisine

  • Cherie M.38 reviews

    August 20, 2023

    9/10

    The ambiance was great . Best fact was very easy to find parking around there. The service was excellent and food was plentiful. The only reason I didn’t give 5 stars for food was the scallops were quite small. Still overall delicious food .

  • Shireen C.30 reviews

    August 18, 2023

    8.5/10

    Very tasty modern Greek food. Efficient and friendly service. Large space which would be great for functions/celebrations.

  • Leon s.38 reviews

    August 12, 2023

    10/10

    Lots of great food and amazing atmosphere watching the Matildas win on a big screen

  • Leah B.128 reviews

    August 11, 2023

    7.5/10

    What a lovely dining experience, though a little quiet tonight, the space is pretty & open, a good menu with many delicious sounding choices, along with a great drinks menu. Professional, friendly service and the food was so tasty- thx chef.. a little hidden, 1 level up on Burwood Rd - definitely worth a visit..

  • Ellie F.5 reviews

    July 27, 2023

    10/10

    The food was absolutely amazing. We tried a range of items and they all lived up to expectation. The slow cooked lamb was beautifully presented on a base of potatoes in a yummy tangy sauce, cooked to perfection and melted in the mouth. The feta wrapped in filo was super yum and exquisitly adorned with walnuts and pomegranates. Service was speedy, and the staff were friendly and accomodating. They went above and beyond to create a memorable night for us. Cheers to the chef, staff and management. We will be back to try more items on the menu.

  • Josephine F.3 reviews

    July 23, 2023

    9.5/10

    Food & service were great! However felt entree was too pricey for the serving, 3 small prawns cost $24. With the deal was really pricey. Overall serving was considered small but yummy!

    review_preview

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  • Marco v.63 reviews

    July 23, 2023

    9/10

    Plenty of street parking in front of the restaurant, spacious table set up. Functional but effective service. Good wines by the glass for reasonable prices and a decent pour (The Nook shiraz from Heathcote was nice). Dishes were all good. We shared the prawns, the croquettes and the haloumi with soujouk sausage as starters. The chicken with fig and a salad as main. And the baklava ice cream and the very good rosewater and cardamom brulee as dessert.

  • Michelle O.15 reviews

    July 19, 2023

    8.5/10

    The menu was unique and the dishes were beautifully presented. The food itself was lovely. We especially enjoyed the salad (which was big enough to share) and loukoumades! The portions were just right to allow us to try a bit of everything. I would definitely recommend this place for a nice dinner date or business meeting!

  • Gladys S.38 reviews

    July 16, 2023

    8.5/10

    This restaurant had excellent food, good service, and I got a good discount. BUT, on the downside, it has all the elegance of a Hungry Jacks burger joint. The tables & chairs are cafeteria style!

  • Rita D.3 reviews

    July 16, 2023

    9.5/10

    Selected this restaurant for a Sunday lunch and noticed they were offering the 50% off. Never been there before and we were more than pleasantly surprised. We chose the small plate of calamari which was absolutely delicious but unfortunately a little on the small size. We also ordered the Moroccan lamb Pide and the Middle Eastern Maryland Chicken . They were both extremely flavoursome and extremely happy with what we ordered. My husband even approached the chefs to compliment them. The service was great and I wholeheartedly recommend this restaurant.

  • Adem B.11 reviews

    July 9, 2023

    9/10

    The food is delicious, however portions are small. If you have any promotion from thefork then it is OK. They had only one person to serve to all, it delays the service.

  • Amy F.10 reviews

    July 1, 2023

    10/10

    Awesome service and the poor girl was the only one working but she was so efficient! The food were delicious just a bit on the small size. But everything was cooked to perfection. Will definitely come back for more

  • TERRY Y.56 reviews

    July 1, 2023

    10/10

    Did not know about this resturant until I saw it on the Fork , we enjoyed the food etc very much

  • Indi T1 review

    January 27, 2023

    10/10

    Really lovely meal with attentive staff. Highly recommend the venue for a meal

  • Kiki P.5 reviews

    August 28, 2022

    8/10

    The food was really nice and the place was quiet and we were able to talk to each other! Overall really good! Would recommend! Staff very polite as well.

  • Jenny B.1 review

    July 16, 2022

    10/10

    Delicious tasty food with excellent service at a reasonable price. We thoroughly enjoyed the wide selection of dishes both large and small. We will definitely be back

    Nini's HawthornOwner

    dear Jenny it was a pleasure looking after you. Hope to see you again soon

  • Shanta h.31 reviews

    July 13, 2022

    7/10

    Food was very pleasant. We had Lamb, and meat platter for two from main plates and small plates of calamari and capsicum plus babaganuj. It was plenty. The lam was exceptional as was the capsicum and the Calamari was tender. Some of the meat in the platter may have been overdone but most was good. Nice selection of beers.

    Nini's HawthornOwner

    Thank you so much for your wonderful review. It was a pleasure looking after you. Hope to see you again

Tripadvisor reviews

7 Tripadvisor Reviews

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More information

Opening time
Open today

Monday
Closed
Tuesday
Closed
Wednesday
12:00 PM - 09:00 PM
Thursday
12:00 PM - 09:00 PM
Friday
12:00 PM - 10:00 PM
Saturday
12:00 PM - 10:00 PM
Sunday
12:00 PM - 09:00 PM

How to get to the restaurant

302 Burwood Rd, 3122, Hawthorn (VIC), Australia

Public transport

72-Manningtree Rd/Glenferrie Rd Tram stop

Additional information

Hawthorn, Melbourne CBD, Melbourne City, Melbourne East

About the restaurant

Nini’s is Melbourne’s newest rooftop bar and restaurant which seats 265 guests in the best environment for indoor and outdoor dining in Melbourne, with the Middle eastern and Mediterranean menu to match. The team behind this hidden gem draw their inspiration from the herbs, spices and cooking secrets of Greece, Turkey, Italy, Iran, and Lebanon to bring you generous portions of Middle Eastern and Mediterranean heaven, matched with a bar full of cocktails and wine.

You may have been forced to put your European and Middle Eastern holidays on hold, but the tastes and flavours are all there at Nini’s. The sharing plates are executed by an amazing team and a superb venue with views of Hawthorn’s historic rooftops that has a very European feel about it. Signature small dishes like char-grilled octopus, zucchini fritters and saganaki with wild Iranian fig purée, lead into large plates of delightful slow-roasted lamb shoulder served with smashed potatoes and Moroccan-spiced pork skewers with pickled cabbage. The dishes meld fresh produce and age-old techniques, with a nod to the region’s cross- pollination of flavours and styles. The bar serves up exotic cocktails like the Turkish Delight, a highly Instagrammable number made with pink gin and garnished with fairy floss, through to the classic and summery Mojito.

At Nini’s you’ll be sure to experience where the Mediterranean meets the Middle East.

Features

Mediterranean, Burger, , , , , , Tapas, , Birthday, Contemporary cuisine, , , Good for families, Good for groups, Romantic, Black Friday, TheFork Festival, Vegetarian dishes

Services

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You can reserve the restaurant for a private event (Max. 60 people)

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Frequently Asked Questions

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