Epocha Review

We ordered the $60 take-away roast chicken for two - it was superb, and fantastic value. I don t know how they do it for so little. The duck fat potatoes were to die for.

Greg. Pullen
Carlton.

Very nice homey atmosphere, delicious food, great friendly staff. They show that they know what they're doing in your plates and your wine glasses without being pretentious. Well done!

EXCELLENT SERVICE AND A GREAT MENU
Epocha is a high end restaurant just north of the city centre in Rathdowne St Carlton, which makes parking relatively easy.
The building is an old terrace that has been tastefully reconfigured into a restaurant. The interior is stylish and subdued and has excellent noise management (right down to felt underlay under the dining tables).
It's a modern European cuisine with a choice of either the "surrender" degustation (with or without accompanying wines) or the more restrained "sustain" which is a more a la carte operation. We went with the sustain and left the restaurant feeling very full and satisfied!
Service was great from the very start and our waiter was first class.
With the sustain menu you choose an item from each of entree, main and desert, so the three of us shared all the dishes and were able to sample quite a lot of the menu items.
Every dish was deserving of 5 stars - both on presentation and taste.
The meal came to $350 (inclusive of drinks and an extra dish of 12 oysters) which was quite reasonable given the quality.
People with mobility issues will have two challenges - a small sets of external steps at the entry and a long staircase up to the toilets on the first floor.
A great place to go for a romantic dinner, business meal or even dining alone.

We had a great nice. The food was exceptional as well as the service. I can't understand how others have not all given this place a favourable review. Maybe it changed hands, but our experience was great.

This restaurant is fabulous. All staff were delightful to deal with. The sommelier really knew her (international) wines from a very extensive list. She recommended an excellent Greek white wine for those of us not pairing wine with our set course meal. We chose, as a table, to partake in the 5 course surrender menu and were not disappointed. The selections were varied and very tasty.

Wonderful experience all around. The food and service were incredible. Highly recommended, especially if you appreciate your wines being paired to perfection with your food.

The food, service and decor where an absolute treat. Wine matching was impeccable. Only loses one star for the uncomfortable chairs and tables.

Venue for a wedding. Wonderful food, staff and perfect for a party of our size.

Very well presented and tasty food.
Good customer service.
Great atmosphere.

Perfect for dates and occasions ;)

Beautiful restaurant, fantastic food and very good hygeine measures in place for the pandemic.

Very overated for what it is. It is ideal for Asian customers!

I enjoyed an incredible birthday dinner here with my boyfriend. The ambience and location are lovely. Upscale but cozy. The staff was attentive and extremely knowledgeable. The food is as delicious as it is unique. I still talk about my experience here (from March 2015) and look forward to returning!

If you're looking for a fancy restaurant with exceptional, food, service and wine, I highly recommend Epocha. The setting is cosy and its easy to have a conversation whilst enjoying your exceptional meal. The menu has a couple of pathways you can take, which will determine the amount of courses, I chose 3 courses. Will definitely returning to explore the rest of their menu. Highly recommend.

had Sunday set lunch. excellent service (discrete but informative )n, food was tasty and well presented. vegetarians are well looked after , comfortable and we felt no pressure to leave. Overall a most enjoyable and relaxing experience

Quality dining within a converted terrace building, offering either a set menu or degustation with paired wines.

Some tables provide more intimacy than others, and group tables occupy part of the floor, so early bookings are recommended for couples.

The chef had created rich dishes with well-crafted accompaniments. The sommelier takes occasionally curious approaches to the wine selections, though he is most approachable so engage him if you're interested.

The service at Epocha had previously been a serious issue with poor attitude and poor skills. Fortunately, the service at our last visit was excellent.

Excellent Mother's Day take away. Many thanks Epocha.

Wonderful atmosphere, very comfortable, excellent service, great food!

5 stars. This is easily the best Sunday lunch in Melbourne. Centrally located, this restaurant is like stepping back in time. The decor is sophicated, the food amazing and the staff are beyond friendly and personable. The roast we had was pork and was cooked to absolute perfection. This 5 course lunch for $50 is one of the best value for money lunches I have ever had. Well done on a spectacular venue and meal and I cannot wait to come back.

Really great service, food was fantastic and not over priced.

Great service and genuinely thoughtful, honest and delicious food

This place has its on brand. A completely original setting complied with some very interesting options for the traditional Sunday roast. Get your standard roast lamb and roast vegies plus a beer and pretend that you don't need to travel back to hamstead Heath for another calendar year. There pubs in Melbourne come up short for British style Sunday roast but they don't lose any points for effort.

Excellent, carefully designed and made fixed menus with well-chosen matched wines. The sommelier's enthusiasm was inspiring. The dining rooms are lovely and the tables not too close. A really pleasant cosy place.

Lovely takeaway meal last night, roast chicken pack, came with bread, lentil salad and fantatic roast potatoes. Added in tarte tatin, and a bottle of wine.
Great meal, beautiful flavour.

Great staff, nice coffee and ultra yummy breakfast!

It s a quaint and beautiful restaurant. The food was appetising, and the waiter who served us was friendly and kind.

UPDATE: I received a call immediately after placing this review. The restaurant offered a sincere apology and has requested the chance to redeem themselves with a meal on the house.
ORIGINAL:
Recently went for dinner after being recommended by a number of people, but we were sadly very disappointed.
We went for the Chef's tasting menu, which was hit and miss. While there were some dishes with lovely delicate flavours, they were partnered with things that totally overpowered them - and the 'condensed fruit salad' for dessert was a joke. A strawberry cut in half, a slice of pear and a grape. There was also no offer of a wine match, despite us later hearing another table being offered one when they ordered.
The biggest issue was the service. For the best part, it was good, but there were some major slip-ups - namely the waiter dropping half a butterfish down my wife's front. We are not diners who make a song and dance about such a thing in terms of searching for some kind of compensation, but would rather judge a restaurant on how it manages such matters. For a restaurant that is supposedly one of Australia's top 100, they didn't do well.
The waiter apologised profusely, however, we had to prompt to even be offered a new napkin, and my wife even had pick her dinner out of her lap and eat it - with no offer of a replacement.
The incident was not mentioned again.

Bad luck probably, but after spending $300+ on a meal, I won't be rushing back to see. I hate having to rate anywhere below 3 stars, but I can't bring myself to rate our experience as good.

Beautiful quality food, great service however their lunch approach needs to be assessed to attract clients as it totally lacked atmosphere.

A great experience. As good as food and service really gets.

Went for first date night, the place is cosy the service was excellent and the food was delicious. Loved the lamb and the selection of wines. Highly recommend a cool winter date night dinner and a Sunday roast. Will definitely visit again

Staff were friendly, knowledgeable and quick. Food was amazing, the surrender menu is the way to go.

Lovely restaurant with beautiful ambience and fantastic service. Fully enjoyed a special birthday celebration here

Boss lady was such a BOSS. made for good entertainment. Food was a 10 of course. Duck fat potatoes are to die for. Mmmm $$

Had a great evening last night! The service was amazing, the food was delicious and the atmosphere was perfect! Could not rate this place any higher! Thanks!

Great food and atmosphere. A restaurant with a very generous spirit !

First time a this gorgeous Melbourne gem. My husband and I were out on a long awaited date night and the Epocha crew made our evening as special and magical as we d hoped. The food was incredible, exciting and of course delicious. The staff were super warm and helpful. The wine matches were perfect and the decor is both grand and adorable. Highly recommend!

Amazing! For those who love real good food and wine this is the place to go. You won t be disappointed!

Epocha deserves a huge amount of credit for continuing to support and feed Melbourne during the uncertainty of covid. The date night chateaubriand is inspired. The meat is so delicious and every little detail has been thought of. The roast packs and duck fat potatoes are consistently tasty.
Its also been very convenient to be able to duck in for various groceries and a slice of Carrot cake! We can't wait to visit when we can dine in but in the meantime, thanks Epocha for all that you are doing.

Great Sunday lunch with friends. Roast beef was on offer and though delicious perhaps a little too on the rare side (and I like my meat rare). Generally catered well for my dietry requirements. I was a little disappointed in my dessert as I am GF and DF, getting a couple slices on fruit on a plate but everyone elses food looked amazing!

Service was absolutely flawless. The food was delicious and original.

Our first meal out after the easing of COVID-19 restrictions. Lovely meal, lovely atmosphere, terrific staff. Highly recommended.

Loved the service, loved the food. Was eating and chatting so forgot to take some pictures.

We actually had a little mix up on the night with our food (which was delicious). The service and compensation we received once the mix up had been identified was absolutely exceptional, incredibly generous. They could not have been more obliging. For me, this is a sign of a great dining experience - things can happen and they more than made up for it and the food was fabulous too.

Stunning food. Exceptional service. Well worth it for a special night out with your beloved friends and family. Nice to find a place that isn't too clattery like to many other Melb restaurants.

My all time favourite restaurant in Melbourne . Amazing , amazing , amazing

I had my fathers 80th surprise birthday party at Epocha in their private dining room. The food and service were excellent and great value for money as well. They were very considerate about making sure the event stayed a surprise and really served everyone well through the evening, including catering for the rather unusual cannoli cake! Thank you so much to the team at Epocha.

Such a lovely place to each out with delicious hearty and extremely flavoursome food. It is rather expensive with a 2-3 course meal for 5 going to cost around $250-$350 (AUD), but definitely worth it for a special night out. I always enjoy going here with my family at least 2 times a year for a special occasion and I am never disappointed with the food and service. Waiters are very nice and will always be very helpful when you Just cant quite decide what you want. All in all I would highly recommend this place for a delicious European meal for all.

Just an amazing little spot thank you so much the service was excellent and all of my family will come here from now on

Great looking interior , menu well designed, liked the wines too!

I was excited to try Epocha but was left a little disappointed. The portions were small and the menu was too cold for winter (only 1/5 warm dishes). We did the wine pairing and that was probably the best part, lots of different and interesting wines from all around Europe.
I would go back again but only if the menu options sound more appealing next time.

I went here for lunch on a lovely summer day and had one of the best dining experiences of my life.

Great service
Beautiful location and building
Amazing wine list
Very interesting food that worked well

Worth a look for sure.

Overall nice good but nothing fancy that's for sure. Service very friendly but rushed. Constantly trying to clear out plates even when not finished. Limited Australian wine selection and only 5 basic cocktails to choose from. Not the restaurant I was after for an intimate, fine food experience.

Nice fine dining restaurant with excellent table service. Only setback is that the place is a little too noisy and the food is just above average for the price tag.

Had an incredible experience at Epocha last night, the food, the service and the atmosphere was nothing short of perfect. Thank you, we will be back!

Beautiful old Terrace home lovely atmosphere Easter Sunday lunch so delicious staff very knowledgeable and friendly highly recommend will be back

Top quality food (stand out dish was the pumpkin and black garlic entree and the best duck fat roasted potatoes); service was superior and they surprised us with candle on the cake as we were celebrating a birthday; venue is a beautiful Victorian terrace

We had another brilliant dinner last night at Epocha. It's great to be able to celebrate our special days again in such a lovely atmosphere. The team are always lovely and attentive. It was a birthday celebration for us and they made us feel very special.

Excellent service- attentive yet un-intrusive. Food was plenty and the chefs menu showcased a strong menu with both delicate and robust flavours on board. Wine menu was fantastic, and the Greek moscato was absolutely delightful. A wonderful intimate dining setting for a cool spring night. Will need to come back again!

Fabulous food and excellent staff . Combined this makes Epocha a wonderful dining experience.

Just went for dinner after being recommended by a number of people, but we were quite disappointed.

I picked lamb shoulder, which was so tasteless and without anything unique to offer for astonishing $45. While there were some dishes with reasonable consistency in flavors my general feel is that the place is very overated for what it is. Having a wine list without a single Australian red wine with substandard Greek wines of $80+ is something that you can only sell to Asian customers. One thing is certain, I won't be coming back.

Average staff, beautiful flavoursome food. A little busy, bustling

Amazing food. Amazing atmosphere. Amazing service. Cannot rate it highly enough, you will never regret a decision to go here.

We were invited by Entertainment Book to 'A Night in Verona' at Epocha. We found the food was fair but the portions were tiny. Two single main dishes were served between 4 people. I was of the opinion, being fine dining that we would have had a meal presented individually on a plate. What I found extremely disappointing was the very small amount of wine which was measured by the waiter that accompanied each course. The seating was very tight and uncomfortable. This was too expensive for what we received and therefore would not recommend this venue.

Awesome setting with fantastic service. The food was full of flavour and portion size was very generous, you will definitely leave feeling full and satisfied. Little tip is to do 2 X 3 courses and share, that way you will get to taste a lot of the menu and enjoy good sized servings. The wine list was spot on and I absolutely recommend the Heathcote Shiraz, it's a 2005 and has flavour. Highly recommended, it feels like you're a guest in a home which is a great feeling.

The best restaurant in Melbourne by far . Great service , great food , great ambience . Love everything about it . Angie is an amazing host who represents the true Hellenic philoxenia (hospitality).

We had the takeaway Epocha Roast Pack for two last night. Such a special way to spend Saturday night at home - we were blown away at how much food we got and how perfectly cooked and seasoned every element was. Thank you guys and I hope the business keeps going despite these crazy times.

Thank you to Angie and the team for taking good care of us. From the warm welcome, the amazing food (crepe suzettes prepared at the table created great theatre) , the ambience and the well chosen wine list. Perfect evening.

An absolutely great place. Brilliant food, exceptional service and a wonderful ambiente. Its not often that i recommend a place to 100% but here i am confident you wont regret your visit. The food is yum and there s plenty of it even though it looks like fine dining. Its a really good combo and an excellent example of a modern restaurant with character.

Delicious food, attentive staff and beautiful environment

A fantastic and consistently wonderful experience. We are delighted to see Epocha thriving before/during and as we emerge from Covod-19. It's lovely to see the same loyala staff present at the restuarant and the innovative menus and approaches to moving withthe current times. Physical distancing, safety and service were all in evidence when we attended on 5th June. Be confident and book right away.... love this place!

Always have been to go to restaurant but tonight we were ordering take away instead through Door Dash, all seemed well until one hour later they suddenly canceled my order. They shouldn t take the order from the beginning and now we are waiting and hungry for nothing. Sad Epocha..really sad..

Great set menu Sunday lunch special. Can also order a la carte.

Very quiet at lunchtime but incredible food and wine. Service was wonderful and although not cheap, worth the price. Went away very happy. Lamb was cooked to perfection, delicious dessert.

this restaurant does have professional and friendly staffs! foods also tasted good as I ate them with satisfaction in every bite!

We had a fantastic first lunch out after isolation at Epocha. Ange looked after us and she is absolutely incredible along with the rest of the team. The Sunday roast is great value and the wine selection is always great. Look forward to dining again there soon!

Amazing food with amazing service. Full credit to The delightful Angie for her hospitality and wine recommendations!