Vlado’s Charcoal Grill is a Melbourne institution. It was founded by Vlado Gregurek in 1964 and was (and is) remarkable for its focus on a single ingredient. Meat. And not just any meat. Beef. Vlad was born in Zagreb and migrated to Melbourne in 1959. After running a small restaurant in the inner suburb of Collingwood, he moved to Bridge Road, Richmond, where his restaurant soon gained a stellar reputation with those who loved a prime slab of steak. Since Vlado’s death in 2012, the restaurant has continued under the management of his son Michael.
Over the years, Vlado’s has served many a celebrity including prime ministers, royalty, and film and sports stars. Vlado became so famous for his steaks that he was flown to Sydney to cook at media magnate James Packer’s wedding. He received a Member of the Order of Australia (OAM) and was named as a Melbourne Food and Wine Festival Legend in 1994.
My own experience with Vlado’s is somewhat tainted by a meal I had there in the early 1980s when I worked in advertising and occasionally had to attend lunches with clients. At the time, I was in the early stages of my second pregnancy which had produced a revulsion towards red meat and severe heartburn after drinking alcohol. Vlado’s was a favourite for important business lunches, particularly with a certain type of alpha male client. I didn’t discover our destination until we were in the car heading for Richmond, and was already feeling slightly queasy as we entered the dimly-lit room, redolent of charcoal grill.
There was a small salad to begin with. It was nothing fancy, just cabbage, lettuce and tomato with a garlic vinaigrette, but I ate it eagerly. There followed beef and pork sausages, then a tasting plate of eye fillet, calves liver, hamburger patties and pork slices, culminating in the main course where we actually had a choice: eye fillet, porterhouse or rump. Of all this, I managed to nibble on a small hamburger, trying to quell my rising gorge. It was torture by barbecue. By the time everyone had moved on to the only dessert – strawberry crèpes with cream and ice cream – I couldn’t eat anything.
Vlado’s is unique in that the menu as it celebrates its 60th birthday is exactly the same as the one that caused me such pain many years ago, except that Wagyu beef may be had on request (at an additional charge). The meat is aged in the restaurant’s own cool room and cooked on a charcoal grill behind glass, in view of the diners. The ambience in the dining room hasn’t changed over the years, with framed photographs and awards on the walls. One wall is taken up with a large blow-up of cattle, just in case you need to be reminded of what you’re eating. While some recent reviews raised doubts about the cost (the set menu, in 2024, is $125 per person, while the two-course express lunch is $85 including a glass of wine) there’s no doubt that Vlado’s continues to deliver for steak lovers. Cholesterol worries be damned.
