Mabu Mabu - Big Esso

4.5

378 Reviews

$41 to $100

Australian

Make a booking

2 people

28 Mar 2025

19:00

Experiences are available.

Good for groups
Innovative
Good for special occasions

Big Esso is an all-day bar and kitchen located on the land of the Wurundjeri and Boonwurrung peoples. We are beyond proud to be bringing Indigenous food and culture back to the banks of Birrarung (Yarra). This River was once an eel breeding ground; where shark, dolphin and stingrays could be found. This place was a main source of food, hunting, cooking, and ceremony. By sharing food in this place, we hope to bring these stories back to life. 'Big Esso' is an expression in the Torres Strait. It’s a slang term that means ‘the biggest thank you.’ This is what you say when you really want to express your gratitude. When combined, ‘Mabu Mabu & Big Esso’ is what you would say before kicking-off a celebration like no other.

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Additional information

Dining style
Casual Dining
Price
$41 to $100
Cuisines
Australian, Indigenous, Modern Australian
Hours of Operation
Tue–Thu 11:00–22:00 Fri, Sat 11:00–23:00 Sun 12:00–20:00
Phone number
(03) 9121 0510
Website
https://mabumabu.com.au/pages/dining
Payment Options
AMEX, Mastercard, Visa
Dress code
Casual Dress
Executive Chef
Nornie Bero
Catering
We offer a full catering menu. Please visit: www.mabumabu.com.au/catering
Private party facilities
Please get in touch if you would like to book our venue for private or semi-private events.

Location
Federation Square, Swanston St & Flinders St, Melbourne, AU-VIC 3000
Area
Melbourne CBD
Cross Street
Swanston and Flinder Street
Parking details
Fed Square Parking is available via the Russell St extension.
Public transit
Directly across from Flinders Street Station
Additional
Beer, Beer Garden, Cocktails, Full Bar, Gender Neutral Restroom, Gluten-free Options, Late Night, Non-Smoking, Wheelchair Access, Wine

Experiences

Feed Menu
A$75.00 per person
Multiple dates available
Feed Menu

What 378 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.5

4.5 based on recent ratings

4.6Food
4.5Service
4.2Ambience
4.3Value

Noise • Energetic

Loved For

Melbourne
Innovative
Inner City
Innovative
Inner City
Gluten-free-friendly
Inner City
Great for creative cocktails
Inner City
Healthy
Inner City
Vegetarian-friendly

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews

Mabu Mabu - Big Esso offers a unique dining experience with "creative dishes" featuring indigenous ingredients like emu and crocodile. Guests praise the "amazing food" and "friendly service," while the adventurous menu tantalizes taste buds. Located in Fed Square, it's perfect for those seeking "delicious and unusual food" in a vibrant setting.

378 Reviews

A
Alexander
Melbourne1 review
5.0
Dined 4 days ago
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 4
Creative dishes with unorthodox local types of meat and other local products. Nice atmosphere and amazing service. Highly recommended if you are visiting Melbourne and want to try some modern local cuisine.
Is this helpful?
A
Adam
Melbourne2 reviews
5.0
Dined on 16 March 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
friendly service, quick an food not from the world. Outstanding taste and presentation. Needs bigger table for 6 , as we couldn't fit all in one table. However that doesn't change my review.
Is this helpful?
A
Angus
Melbourne1 review
5.0
Dined on 15 March 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Amazing food. Friendly and prompt service. The sheer diversity of the flavor palate on each and every dish was on another level. The MFC (Mabu Fried Crocodile) and the Emu Steak were out of this world. And the oysters with the seasonings and garnish they specialize in took the already delicious fresh sea food to a whole other tier of quality.
Is this helpful?
EG
EGold
Philadelphia11 reviews
5.0
Dined on 13 March 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 4
Great dinner, good wine selection, friendly staff. We split 2 entrees and 1 main. I had never tried Emu before, but they made it absolutely delicious!
Is this helpful?
OT
OpenTable Diner
Victoria2 reviews
3.0
Dined on 9 March 2025
1. Overall 3
2. Food 5
3. Service 2
4. Ambience 3
The good was outstanding and a great experience. However the service was average .
Is this helpful?
D
Dean
Melbourne1 review
5.0
Dined on 8 March 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 4
6 of us has a good variety, some were vegetarian, and menu made it easy to accomodate requirements.
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F
Fiona
Melbourne11 reviews
5.0
Dined on 5 March 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 4
We chose the Feed Me menu, which was great value and encouraged us to try some of the more exotic dishes on the menu, for example Crocodile tongues on skewers! We received a large range of dishes and each one was delicious and beautifully presented. The flavours Nornie puts into her meals are fantastic. Very enjoyable and original menu.
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m
melissa
Melbourne4 reviews
5.0
Dined on 1 March 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
we had cocktails and and early dinner with shared plates for three. the plant based / vegan options for primo and super satisfying and flavoursome. from the damper to the yam, salads and just a great combination. it was a perfect evening into night and the atmos was crystal.
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Y
Yoshi
Melbourne1 review
4.0
Dined on 28 February 2025
1. Overall 4
2. Food 4
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 4
First time dining, great range of food. The purple yam was a hit ! Highly recommend.
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L
Lillian
Melbourne5 reviews
5.0
Dined on 27 February 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Quite an experience! The fresh, new menu challenges and tantalises taste buds. Even my interstate guest, who isn't very adventurous, enjoyed it - especially the emu steak.
Is this helpful?

FAQs

Mabu Mabu - Big Esso is rated 4.5 stars by 378 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

Make a booking

2 people

28 Mar 2025

19:00

Experiences are available.

Federation Square, Swanston St & Flinders St, Melbourne, AU-VIC 3000

Additional information

Cross Street
Swanston and Flinder Street
Area
Melbourne CBD
Hours of Operation
Tue–Thu 11:00–22:00 Fri, Sat 11:00–23:00 Sun 12:00–20:00
Price
$41 to $100
Cuisines
Australian, Indigenous, Modern Australian
Dining style
Casual Dining
Dress code
Casual Dress
Parking details
Fed Square Parking is available via the Russell St extension.
Public transit
Directly across from Flinders Street Station
Payment Options
AMEX, Mastercard, Visa
Executive Chef
Nornie Bero
Additional
Beer, Beer Garden, Cocktails, Full Bar, Gender Neutral Restroom, Gluten-free Options, Late Night, Non-Smoking, Wheelchair Access, Wine

Website
https://mabumabu.com.au/pages/dining
Phone number
(03) 9121 0510
Catering
We offer a full catering menu. Please visit: www.mabumabu.com.au/catering
Private party facilities
Please get in touch if you would like to book our venue for private or semi-private events.

Mabu Mabu - Big Esso

Make a booking

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Additional information

Experiences

Feed Menu

Menu

What 378 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Loved For

Review summary

FAQs

How is Mabu Mabu - Big Esso restaurant rated?

Is Mabu Mabu - Big Esso currently accepting bookings?

Make a booking

Additional information