How we select venues
Melbourne's problem isn't finding good venues, it's that there are too many and they change constantly. We add a place when there's genuine evidence it belongs in a guide to the city's best, and we're comfortable leaving out venues that are merely fine. The suburb-by-suburb structure matters here more than most cities: Brunswick and Fitzroy are a few minutes apart and genuinely different, so a venue is judged against its own neighbourhood rather than a city-wide average.
What the Spot Score is
The Spot Score is our own independent rating of a venue, from 0 to 100, with a plain-English label (such as “Exceptional” or “Worth a Look”). It blends several signals: the venue's reputation, its popularity, the quality and completeness of information available about it, how well it fits its category, and how fresh that information is.
What the Spot Score is NOT
- It is not for sale. No venue can pay to raise its Spot Score or its ranking. Ever.
- It is not a Google rating. It's distinct from any star rating you'll see elsewhere — it's our methodology, applied consistently.
- It is not a guarantee. It's an informed editorial opinion to help you decide, not a promise about your visit.
No pay-for-ranking
Melbourne Spots rankings are never influenced by money. Sponsorship pays for the site and sits entirely outside editorial judgement — you cannot buy a Spot Score, a ranking position or a best-of placement. Commercial placements are labelled Sponsored every time. Spot an unlabelled one and we'll correct it.
Independence & sponsored content
Where content is paid for — a sponsored listing, a featured placement or a newsletter sponsorship — it is always clearly labelled as such, so you can tell the difference between our independent recommendations and a commercial placement. See our advertising options for how this works.
Corrections
We get things wrong sometimes, and we want to fix them fast. If a venue has closed, moved, changed, or if we've published an inaccuracy, tell us via our contact form and we'll review and update it promptly. Venue owners are welcome to request corrections too.
A note on how we research
We use modern tools, including AI assistance, to research efficiently — but we don't invent facts: checkable details are published only with a source, and drafts are checked against that source material before publishing. We do not claim visits or owner confirmations we have not made. For the full detail, read how we create content.