The Pontian Club

14/20Updated October 8, 2026,first published July 29, 2025Confidently understated, sincerely delivered.Take the essence of the taverna, add worldly touches to both wine list and playlist, and lose none of the food’s simplicity: that’s the Pontian Club. A restaurant from friends that started as an unassuming pop-up, today its minimalist dining room fills and empties many times during an afternoon.Tables of loved ones chase the nurturing quality that’s the superpower of Greek cooking. A small baton of warm house-baked bread is passed around and torn. Load it up with eggplant cooked to a slump, its smokiness matched by a vinegar twang. Pile on fava, the bean dip’s nuttiness lifted by capers and red onion.Grilled lamb chops require nothing more than a squeeze of lemon, certainly not the fussiness of a knife and fork. Moussaka, though, will ask for at least two hungry mouths to tackle its hot, cheesy jumble of eggplant, potato and tomato lifted with cinnamon. Simple pleasures never get old.Must-order: Eggplant cooked over the fire.Good Food reviews are booked anonymously and paid independently. A restaurant can’t pay for a review or inclusion in the Good Food Guide.Restaurant reviews, news and the hottest openings served to your inbox.Sign upLast visited: June 2026More:CollingwoodThe Pontian ClubMelbourneGreekLicensedAccepts bookingsGluten-free optionsPrivate dining roomGood for groupsGood for a first dateCommunity hubRestaurantReviewsGood Food GuideFrom our partners