Mabu Mabu - Big Esso

4.5

381 Reviews

$41 to $100

Australian

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

Make a reservation

2 people

Apr 26, 2025

April 2025

7:00 PM

Experiences are available.

About this restaurant

Innovative
Good for groups
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.

Additional information

Dining style
Casual Dining
Price
$41 to $100
Cuisines
Australian, Indigenous, Modern Australian
Hours of operation
Tue–Thu 11:00 am–10:00 pm Fri, Sat 11:00 am–11:00 pm Sun 12:00 pm–8:00 pm
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
Neighborhood
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 381 people are saying

Mabu Mabu - Big Esso reviews from people who’ve dined at this restaurant. Based on recent rating.

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
4.1Ambience
4.3Value

Noise • Energetic

Loved For

Melbourne
Innovative
City Centre
Innovative
City Centre
Gluten-free-friendly
City Centre
Great for creative cocktails
City Centre
Healthy
City Centre
Great for outdoor dining
City Centre
Vegetarian-friendly

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews

Mabu Mabu - Big Esso in Melbourne offers a unique dining experience with its "spectacular flavours" and use of "locally sourced ingredients." The menu showcases indigenous Australian produce, featuring creative dishes like Emu Steak and Mabu Fried Crocodile. Guests appreciate the "amazing service," "friendly staff," and diverse dietary options. Highly recommended for adventurous food lovers!

381 Reviews

D
Dara
Vancouver1 review
5.0
Dined on March 26, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 4
I will recommend this restaurant to EVERYONE I meet. The flavours were spectacular and we enjoyed discovering the ingredients, knowing that they are all locally sourced from the land. Such a beautiful concept to share within a metropolitan centre like Melbourne - the city is lucky to have you at its heart!
Is this helpful?
A
Alexander
Melbourne1 review
5.0
Dined on March 23, 2025
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.
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D
Deb
Melbourne13 reviews
4.0
Dined on March 18, 2025
1. Overall 4
2. Food 5
3. Service 3
4. Ambience 2
Beautiful and delicious showcasing of Australian produce, in a casual cafe environment
Is this helpful?
A
Adam
Melbourne2 reviews
5.0
Dined on March 16, 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 March 15, 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 March 13, 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 March 9, 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?
S
Sarah
Seattle1 review
5.0
Dined on March 9, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 3
We loved our meal at Big Esso. The flavours were so interesting and everything was delicious. I have complex dietaries (no onion or garlic) and there were so many dishes for me to choose from. The staff were friendly and helpful. We’ll be back!
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D
Dean
Melbourne1 review
5.0
Dined on March 8, 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.
Is this helpful?
F
Fiona
Melbourne11 reviews
5.0
Dined on March 5, 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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FAQs

Mabu Mabu - Big Esso is rated 4.5 stars by 381 OpenTable diners.

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

Make a reservation

Experiences are available.

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

Additional information

Cross street
Swanston and Flinder Street
Neighborhood
Melbourne CBD
Hours of operation
Tue–Thu 11:00 am–10:00 pm Fri, Sat 11:00 am–11:00 pm Sun 12:00 pm–8:00 pm
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 reservation

About this restaurant

Additional information

Experiences

Feed Menu

Menu

What 381 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 reservations?

Make a reservation

Additional information

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