The Best Places to Take Mum This Mother’s Day in Melbourne

But a charm bracelet she made herself, a personalised perfume, or a Drag Brunch on a CBD rooftop? That’s a Mother’s Day she’ll actually want to talk about.

Melbourne does this occasion particularly well — partly because the city’s pub and bar scene doesn’t default to a standard set menu and call it a day, and partly because the venues here seem to understand that the best gift is an experience that feels like it was planned with her specifically in mind. This year there’s a jewellery workshop, a rooftop Chandon picnic, a Pilates-and-brunch morning, a seafood banquet in St Kilda, free boat rides on the Yarra and a perfume-making session for good measure.

Here’s where to take her on Sunday 10th May.

Charm Bracelet Workshop

Of everything on offer in Melbourne this Mother’s Day, the Charm Bracelet Workshop at Garden State Hotel’s Rose Garden is the most unique. It runs across two sessions — 12pm to 2pm and 3pm to 5pm on Sunday 10th May — and for $70 per person gives Mum two hours of guided jewellery-making to create a personalised charm bracelet she takes home at the end.

The workshop will be one to remember as you do something together as a group, with Mum loving the extra quality time. The Rose Garden setting at Garden State is one of the most charming spaces in the CBD, and the whole day stacks up well — Mother’s Day dining, special cocktails and the full menu are available across the venue before or after the session, so it’s easy to turn the workshop into a full afternoon.

Book the session, book a table around it, and arrive with the knowledge that the gift is already sorted.

Pricing: $70pp | Sessions: 12pm–2pm and 3pm–5pm | Sunday 10th May

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Sip & Scent Workshop to Create your own Perfume

For something genuinely different and a little more intimate, Golden Gate Hotel’s Sip & Scent Workshop with Mishka Beauty runs on Sunday 3rd May — a week before Mother’s Day — making it an ideal early celebration for families who want to beat the rush entirely.

The three-hour workshop runs from 2pm to 5pm and takes Mum through the process of creating her own personalised fragrance from scratch, guided by a professional. The $80 per person price includes a glass of bubbles on arrival, nibbles throughout and a 30ml custom perfume to take home — something she’s made herself, in a scent that’s entirely hers. The neighbourhood pub setting at Golden Gate keeps it warm and relaxed, which is exactly the right energy for this kind of afternoon.

On Mother’s Day Sunday itself, the pub serves its Sunday roast all day with $15 spritz cocktails — so there’s a reason to return the following weekend with the rest of the family.

Pricing: Sip & Scent Workshop — $80pp | Sunday 3rd May, 2pm–5pm | Includes bubbles on arrival, nibbles and 30ml custom perfume to take home

Mother’s Day Sunday: Sunday roast available all day | $15 spritz cocktails all day

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Drag Brunch on the Rooftop

There is a specific kind of mum for whom a rooftop Drag Brunch with bottomless bubbles and high-energy performances is the ideal Mother’s Day, and if that’s yours, Quaterhouse has Sunday 10th May completely sorted.

The Mother’s Day Drag Brunch runs on the Quaterhouse rooftop at $59 per person, which includes bottomless bubbles and a complimentary charcuterie board for the table. A non-alcoholic option is available at $39 per person, which is a considerate touch for a mixed group. The performers bring exactly the energy the day calls for — loud, joyful and completely committed to making the occasion feel like an event. It’s one of the most genuinely fun options in the CBD and the price point for what’s included is hard to argue with.

Pricing: $59pp (bottomless bubbles + charcuterie board) | Non-alcoholic option: $39pp | Sunday 10th May

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Pilates & Brunch and Paint

Yarra Botanica has built a full Mother’s Day program across two distinct sessions, which means you can do one, the other, or treat the whole day as a well-planned occasion by doing both.

The morning starts with a Mother’s Day Brunch and Pilates session from 9am at $59 per person — a guided Pilates class followed by a brunch grazing board with bottles of sparkling wine and fresh orange juice. It’s the kind of morning that manages to feel both active and indulgent at once, which is a harder balance to strike than it sounds. From 12pm to 3pm, the venue pivots to a guided Paint & Sip session at $49 per person, with all materials provided.

Both sessions include the option to add cocktails, wine and drinks across the venue throughout the day. Mother’s Day dining is also available, so the day is flexible enough to build around whatever suits the group.

Pricing: Brunch & Pilates — $59pp from 9am | Paint & Sip — $49pp, 12pm–3pm

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Rooftop Chandon Picnic or Four Courses on the Ground Floor

Morris House is offering two very different ways to celebrate on the same day, which makes it a rare booking that works for almost any kind of mum.

On the rooftop, the Domaine Chandon Picnic experience at $99 per person is built for two and arrives as a proper moment: a bottle of Chandon Brut or Rosé, a baguette, caviar and accompaniments, designed as a picnic-style afternoon above the CBD with the kind of backdrop that makes everything feel considered. A full à la carte menu is also available for those who want more than the picnic format.

On the ground floor, a $85 per person Feed Me menu runs as a four-course chef’s selection designed for sharing — a more conventional but still well-executed option for groups who want the occasion without the rooftop drama.

The ability to split a group across two different experiences in the same venue, or to book either depending on the mood, is genuinely useful.

Pricing: Rooftop Chandon Picnic — $99pp (incl. bottle of Chandon Brut or Rosé, baguette, caviar + accompaniments) | Ground Floor Feed Me — $85pp four-course chef’s selection | Full à la carte also available

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Coastal High Tea with Two Spritz Cocktails Included

A High Tea on the St Kilda beachfront is already a strong option. West Beach Pavilion’s version is notably even better — the $95 per person experience includes sparkling on arrival, a three-tier high tea with sweet and savoury selections, two spritz cocktails and unlimited tea and coffee.

For groups who want to extend it, a $20 per person upgrade adds 90 minutes of bottomless spritz and rosé, and oysters are available to add at $10 per person. Running across both Saturday 9th and Sunday 10th May, there’s also a Mum’s Mimosa session on Saturday from 12pm to 4pm for families who want to get in early.

Pricing: Mother’s Day High Tea — $95pp | Includes: sparkling on arrival, three-tier high tea, two spritz cocktails, unlimited tea & coffee | Bottomless spritz & rosé upgrade: +$20pp for 90 mins | Oysters: +$10pp

Mum’s Mimosa: Saturday 9th May, 12pm–4pm

Book your spot now →

Free Boat Rides for Mum on the Yarra

Fairfield Park Boathouse is one of Melbourne’s most quietly beloved venues — riverside, relaxed and genuinely beautiful on a May morning. For Mother’s Day, it’s adding something that most venues simply can’t: complimentary boat rides for mums on the day, with walk-in boat hire also available across the deck and gardens.

Dining runs across breakfast, brunch and lunch sittings with outdoor riverside dining throughout. It’s the kind of day that doesn’t need to be formally structured to feel special — the setting, the river, and a boat ride Mum didn’t know she was getting do most of the work. For families who want their Mother’s Day to feel genuinely different from a restaurant booking, this is the one.

Pricing: Complimentary boat rides for Mum | Walk-in boat hire available | Dining across breakfast, brunch and lunch sittings

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 Mum Cha Seafood Banquet

The Espy’s Mya Tiger restaurant is running its Mum Cha banquet on Sunday 10th May. Premium seafood highlights include oysters and Ora King salmon, alongside signature share-style dishes — sui mai dumplings, lobster toast — with a five spice date pudding and star anise caramel to finish. Sittings run from 12pm through to 9pm, which gives the day room to breathe around whatever else the family has planned.

The Espy is one of St Kilda’s most iconic venues, and Mya Tiger brings a vibrancy to the Mother’s Day occasion that a standard set menu simply doesn’t. If Mum appreciates considered food in a genuinely energetic setting, this is the booking.

Pricing: $85pp shared banquet | Sunday 10th May, 12pm–9pm

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Riverside Roast with Every Meal Giving Back

Anglers Tavern sits on the Maribyrnong River and for Mother’s Day it’s connecting the occasion to something bigger: $1 from every main meal sold on the day is donated to Leigh’s Mother’s Day Classic Foundation. 

The set up is straightforward: riverside dining, a Mother’s Day Roast, free kids’ entertainment from 12pm to 2pm to keep the younger ones occupied. For families who want a relaxed, beautiful setting with a pub-lunch feel and a reason to feel good about their choice of venue, Anglers delivers across all of it.

Pricing: Sunday Roast available all day (contact venue for pricing) | $1 from every main donated to Leigh’s Mother’s Day Classic Foundation | Free kids’ entertainment 12pm–2pm

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The Full Weekend for Families

The Victoria Hotel in Yarraville is running a proper two-day program, making it the strongest family option across the weekend. On Saturday 9th May, a Kids’ Pre-Mother’s Day Paint & Sip runs sessions every 30 minutes from 11:30am to 1:30pm — each session at $35 per child and including the activity, a kids’ meal, a drink and ice cream. The idea of kids making something with Mum the day before is genuinely lovely.

On Sunday itself, the venue delivers one of the most comprehensive kids’ entertainment programs in Melbourne: face painting, an animal farm, a magician, a balloon artist and roaming performers all running from 12pm. For parents of young children, the ability to actually eat a meal while the kids are genuinely occupied and entertained is worth the booking on its own.

Pricing: Kids’ Pre-Mother’s Day Paint & Sip (Saturday 9th May) — $35 per child | Includes activity, kids’ meal, drink and ice cream | Sessions every 30 mins, 11:30am–1:30pm

Sunday 10th May: All-day kids entertainment from 12pm — face painting, animal farm, magician, balloon artist and roaming performers

Book your spot now →

State of Grace, CBD is keeping it simple and well-priced: a $45 Feed Me menu of rooftop favourites, $20 Espresso Martinis all day and live acoustic music from 3pm in a setting that’s always worth being in. 

Death & Co, CBD is the intimate option — signature French 75 cocktails at $15 and a curated cheese plate in one of Melbourne’s best cocktail bar settings. For the mum who’d rather a quiet evening out than a big occasion, this is the right call.

Studley Park Boathouse, Kew is offering a Mother’s Day High Tea at $65 per person in the Conservatory — sweet and savoury tiers, bottomless tea and coffee, and a gift for Mum on arrival — plus a Sunday Roast at $35 per person available all day for those who prefer something more casual. 

Terminus Abbotsford is the dog-friendly option — free prosecco for Mum on arrival, $16 cocktails all day, a Sunday roast and a dedicated dog menu with puppacinos. For families where the dog is very much part of the occasion, there aren’t many venues doing this as thoughtfully. 

Auburn Hotel, Hawthorn is running an impressive kids’ program from 11am to 3:30pm — petting zoo, face painting and Mother’s Day card making — with live music in the evening from 6pm to 9pm. A strong all-day family option on the inner east.

Village Belle, St Kilda rounds out the St Kilda options with a Sunday roast at $35 per person with all the trimmings, chef’s specials and live music from 3pm. An easy, well-priced neighbourhood option for those who want to keep things relaxed.

Whether you’re locking in a three-course set menu, a peaceful waterfront morning or a glass of sparkling on arrival for Mum on Sydney Harbour, The Pass makes it easy to find the right spot and book ahead — before the good tables are gone.

Head to the Events & Specials page on The Pass to browse what’s on near you this Mother’s Day. Because she deserves more than a last-minute plan.

When is Mother’s Day 2026 in Melbourne?

Sunday 10th May 2026.

Are there pre-Mother’s Day events in Melbourne?

Yes — Golden Gate Hotel’s Sip & Scent Workshop runs on Sunday 3rd May, West Beach Pavilion’s Mum’s Mimosa runs on Saturday 9th May, and Victoria Hotel Yarraville has a full kids’ program running on Saturday 9th May. Rook in Sydney is also worth noting if you’re celebrating interstate.

Which venues are best for families with young kids?

Victoria Hotel Yarraville is the standout, with two full days of kids’ entertainment. Auburn Hotel, Fairfield Park Boathouse and Anglers Tavern are all strong family options too.

Which venues need the earliest bookings?

Garden State Hotel’s Charm Bracelet Workshop and Golden Gate’s Sip & Scent Workshop are both capacity-limited ticketed events and will sell out well before the day. Book these first.