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Restaurant

Gaea

166 Gertrude St, Fitzroy VIC 3065, Australia

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Find Gaea

166 Gertrude St, Fitzroy VIC 3065, Australia

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+61 3 9417 7248
HoursMonday: Closed Tuesday: Closed Wednesday: 6:00 – 10:00 PM Thursday: 6:00 – 10:00 PM Friday: 5:30 – 10:00 PM Saturday: 5:30 – 10:00 PM Sunday: Closed

*Opening hours may differ during holidays.

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About Gaea

Sixteen counter seats on Gertrude Street, low light, and Chef Mo Zhou plating mere centimetres from your elbow. Melbourne dining regulars track the calendar—the kitchen overhauls its degustation every month, pairing native produce with regional Asian technique. Dishes land in quick sequence: spanner crab with shaved macadamia, crocodile tartlets, and wagyu spooned over bone marrow rice. Those in the loop skip traditional bottles for the house-crafted ferment flights and rare sakes.

  • 16-Seat Counter: Front-row dining mere centimetres from the plating pass, capped at 16 seats for a focused, low-noise service.
  • Monthly Evolving Menu: A multi-course tasting format overhauled every four weeks, balancing native Australian produce with regional Asian techniques.
  • Ferment & Sake Pairings: Curated flights featuring rare sakes and house-crafted zero-proof ferments brewed from native teas and botanicals.
RestaurantFine Dining

What's On at Gaea

Upcoming events, special menus and other reasons to plan a visit.

No events or specials listed right now.

Why Gourmands Choose Gaea

An ultra-intimate tasting counter driven by constant reinvention. Secure your seats to discover Chef Mo's latest monthly menu.

  • Monthly Degustation Evolution

    Chef Mo Zhou completely rotates the multi-course degustation on a monthly cycle, combining native Australian produce with rigorous Asian technique.

    Not many people realise the amount of thought and work it takes to completely change the menu every month.

    Stephanie Yeoh

  • Inventive Australian Ingredient Canvas

    Courses fearlessly balance native botanicals and unexpected Australian proteins, delivering culinary combinations not found anywhere else.

    What they do with Aussie ingredients is very creative and unique.

    Thuong

  • Artisanal Zero-Proof Pairings

    A dedicated house-crafted beverage pairing explores complex in-house fermentations, native teas, and unconventional infusions designed course-by-course.

    Non alcoholic homebrew pairings with teas and other unusual ferments was a highlight.

    Michael O'Toole

  • Curated Cellar & Sake Selections

    The beverage program presents tightly curated allocations of boutique sakes and international wines tailored precisely to rich, complex flavor profiles.

    Pair this wonderful food with sake or non-alcoholic creations…both are wonderful and unlikely to be anything you’ve had before

    Serena Ayers

  • Micro-Scale 16-Seat Dining Counter

    With only 16 seats and direct counter sightlines, the micro-capacity dining room immerses guests directly into the plating and kitchen craft.

    this intimate restaurant (16 seats) and the proximity to the kitchen have a lot to do with it

    LAURENT TOURETTE

  • Focused Milestone Dining

    Attentive, unpretentious hospitality and an intimate room provide a memorable focal point for honeymoons and milestone occasions.

    We were sat by the counter with direct view on the kitchen almost making it a live cooking experience.

    Vanessa Lin

Standout dishes and curated beverage flights highlighted by diners across Gaea's rotating degustations.

  • Non-Alcoholic Pairing

    The non alcoholic pairing is a must, you will experience such creativity that's uniquely offered here.

    Thuong

  • Wine and Sake Pairing

    We had the wine and sakè pairing which really enhanced the experience.

    Garrie Russell

  • Spanner Crab

    The spanner crab was beautifully textured, paired well with shaved macadamia.

    Thuong

  • Wagyu Steak with Bone Marrow

    The absolute best dish of the night was the wagyu steak with bone marrow and rice.

    Mark Singh

Beyond the menu

From live kitchen dialogues to unlisted trial bites, experience Gertrude Street's most intimate tasting counter. Reserve your seats early.

  • Unlisted Test Bites and Culinary Previews

    Diners are regularly treated to unannounced trial dishes and off-menu snacks, such as crocodile bites and kangaroo courses shared fresh from recipe testing.

  • Direct Chef-to-Guest Counter Dialogue

    Positioned mere centimetres from the plating line, guests experience attentive dish introductions and behind-the-scenes walkthroughs directly from the culinary team.

  • House-Crafted Fermentation Pairings

    The kitchen crafts zero-proof flights entirely from scratch, incorporating homebrewed ferments, native botanical teas, and unconventional reductions like roasted pumpkin skin.

  • Personalized Milestone Gestures

    Milestone gatherings are met with dedicated hospitality, including complimentary birthday cakes and tailored accommodations for special events.

Before you head over

Practical insights on dining counter pacing, bold seasonal flavors, and drink flights before booking your counter seat.

  • Plan for a 16-seat capacity and synchronized service flow

    With a tiny 16-seat footprint accommodating a fixed number of guests each night, reservations are essential. Be aware that courses are often brought out across tables at the same time, following a synchronized kitchen service rhythm rather than individual table pacing.

  • Arrive ready for polarizing, high-intensity flavor profiles

    The monthly changing degustation leans heavily into experimental techniques and polarizing ingredients, including heavily smoked eel, crocodile bites, and kangaroo accented with pine needles. Adventurous palates will thrive, but diners expecting conventional fine-dining staples may find the pungent, intensely smoky elements challenging.

  • Don't overlook the house-fermented beverage pairing

    Rather than standard sodas or mocktails, the zero-proof program features house ferments, native teas, and unconventional infusions like golden wattle and dry hay. While the aromas can be quirky or challenging on their own, they are specifically constructed to balance each savory course alongside or in place of wine and sake.

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