Amaru
NA Program Strength is an editorial assessment based on publicly available menu data. See methodology.
1121 High Street, Armadale VIC 3143, Australia
Amaru opened in Armadale in 2016 and has become one of Melbourne's most decorated restaurants, holding three hats in the Good Food Guide including the 2026 edition. Chef-owner Clinton McIver runs a small, precise open-kitchen room seating around 34 guests, where the multi-course tasting menu is delivered and explained by the team of chefs, waiters and sommeliers.
The non-alcoholic pairing is a genuine anchor of the experience, not an afterthought. Priced at roughly A$95 per person alongside the wine pairing, it is composed of house-made teas, shrubs, meads and fermented infusions - many drawing on kitchen off-cuts that are fermented or used in the drinks' preparation. Courses reviewers have described include an apricot white tea, celeriac tea, kumquat leaf mead, quince and pu'er rose, lilly pilly wine, and a melon and native tea tree infusion.
Time Out's five-star review singled out the zero-proof program, describing an opening kombucha-like drink of bergamot shrub and Champagne vinegar topped with sparkling alcohol-free wine, followed by a yuzu skin elixir, a feijoa tea perfumed with blackcurrant leaves, a blood orange and jasmine flower soda, and an umeshu-inspired quince drink. Reservations at the chef's counter require choosing one of the pairing options, so the non-alcoholic list is treated as a full equal to the extensive cellar.
Amaru is at 1121 High Street on the Armadale shopping strip, open for dinner Tuesday to Saturday and lunch Friday and Saturday. For non-drinkers seeking a serious fine-dining occasion, it is one of the strongest alcohol-free pairing experiences in Melbourne.
Non-alcoholic menu: what to order
- Sparkling bergamot shrub - house bergamot shrub with Champagne vinegar, topped with a gentle alcohol-free sparkling wine
- Feijoa tea perfumed with blackcurrant leaves
- Umeshu-inspired quince drink
- Yuzu skin elixir
- Blood orange and jasmine flower soda
Menus change — see the current full menu on Amaru's website.
“It's complex and sophisticated, enough to make going off the grog more often at restaurants an appealing idea.”— Time Out Melbourne, five-star reviewTime Out Melbourne →
Non-alcoholic brands they serve
House-crafted NA cocktails
Location
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