Restaurant in Melbourne, Australia
Solid CBD bet without fine-dining commitment.
Tonka on Duckboard Place is Melbourne's most approachable entry point into Indian-influenced share-plate dining — lively, flavour-forward, and easy to book. It works best midweek or for groups who want food with genuine backbone without committing to a tasting-menu format. Not the room for a quiet celebration, but a reliable choice when you want a confident, well-spiced dinner in the CBD.
Tonka at 20 Duckboard Place in Melbourne is the right call for first-timers who want to eat well in the CBD without committing to a full fine-dining format. It sits in the laneway precinct that also draws late-night bar traffic, which makes it a solid choice for a dinner that transitions naturally into a bigger evening. Midweek is the easiest time to get in; Friday and Saturday evenings fill quickly, and booking a few days ahead is advisable for those nights even though overall booking difficulty remains low.
Tonka's kitchen works within an Indian-influenced framework, and that focus is what separates it from Melbourne's broader modern-Australian field. Where a venue like Attica commits to a single tasting progression, Tonka runs a shareable format that lets you move through the menu at your own pace — a more practical structure for groups who aren't aligned on a fixed-course approach. For a first visit, the share-plate format means you'll cover more ground across the menu in a single sitting, which is the right way to understand what the kitchen does well.
The flavour register here leans spiced and punchy rather than delicate , expect heat, acidity, and layered aromatics rather than the restrained plating style you'd find at Vue de Monde. That directness is the point. Tonka is not trying to be Melbourne's most technically precise tasting-menu kitchen; it is trying to deliver food that is confident and satisfying in a format that doesn't ask you to sit still for three hours.
The Duckboard Place location gives the room a laneway energy , not quiet, and not designed for long contemplative meals. If you want a calmer room for a special occasion, Flower Drum is the more considered choice. But if the occasion calls for a lively dinner with food that has genuine technical backbone, Tonka holds up.
Reservations: Book a few days ahead for weekends; walk-ins are more viable midweek. Dress: Smart casual is appropriate , the room is relaxed but not rough. Budget: Mid-range by Melbourne CBD standards; share-plate pricing means the final bill tracks closely with how much you order. Getting there: Duckboard Place is a short walk from Flinders Lane and well within reach of Federation Square and the Southbank hotel strip , check our Melbourne hotels guide if you're staying nearby. Also worth exploring: Melbourne bars, experiences, and wineries in the region. For a broader view of where Tonka sits in the city's dining scene, see our full Melbourne restaurants guide. If you're travelling further afield, Brae in Birregurra and Laura at Pt Leo Estate in Merricks are the two regional Victoria destinations most worth planning a trip around. Internationally, Le Bernardin in New York City and Lazy Bear in San Francisco represent what a kitchen fully committed to a single culinary tradition can achieve at the leading of its range , useful benchmarks if you're calibrating expectations.
| Venue | Price | Booking Difficulty | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tonka | Easy | — | |
| Attica | Unknown | — | |
| Flower Drum | Unknown | — | |
| Vue de Monde | Unknown | — | |
| Florentino | Unknown | — | |
| 48h Pizza e Gnocchi Bar | Unknown | — |
Comparing your options in Melbourne for this tier.
Tonka at 20 Duckboard Place works within an Indian-influenced framework — that's the throughline across the menu, and it's what makes it a sharper choice than a generic modern-Australian room. It sits in Melbourne's CBD, which makes it convenient but also means it draws a mixed after-work and pre-theatre crowd. Book a few days ahead for weekends; midweek gives you more flexibility. Smart casual dress fits the room.
The menu leans on Indian-influenced cooking, so lean into that direction rather than ordering around it — the dishes built on spice and technique are where the kitchen is most confident. Sharing plates across the table gives you more range than ordering individually. Specific dish recommendations aren't something we can confirm without current menu data, so check the menu on arrival and ask the floor staff what's running well that week.
Tonka is a reasonable group option for CBD Melbourne — the room handles social eating formats without the formality of a fine-dining environment. For larger groups, call ahead rather than relying on an online booking system to confirm configuration. Parties of six or more should expect to pre-arrange rather than walk in.
It works for a relaxed special occasion where the expectation is a strong meal rather than full ceremony. If you want white-tablecloth treatment and an occasion-first experience, Vue de Monde or Flower Drum are better fits. Tonka earns its place for occasions where the food matters but you don't want the full fine-dining apparatus around it.
For a step up in formality and occasion weight, Vue de Monde and Flower Drum both deliver more structured experiences. Florentino is the call if you want a classic Melbourne room with a longer track record. Attica operates in a completely different category — tasting menu, higher spend, much harder to book — and only makes sense if that format is specifically what you're after. For value-led casual eating, 48h Pizza e Gnocchi Bar is a different cuisine but a reliable lower-spend option in the CBD.
Solo dining at Tonka is a viable option — the bar provides a natural landing spot, and the format doesn't demand a group to make sense of the menu. Midweek is the easier solo visit: less pressure on tables and a calmer room. If solo bar dining is specifically what you want, confirm bar seating availability when you book.
Bar dining at Tonka is available, and it's one of the better ways to eat there solo or as a pair without committing to a full table reservation. Walk-in bar seats are more accessible midweek; weekends move faster. The full menu or a version of it is typically available at the bar, which makes it worth considering over a formal table if you're eating alone.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
