Melbourne on the menu at MCEC
By Swan Li Chew|
Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC) brings the city’s energy to the table, unveiling bold new 2026 menus, featuring premium cocktails on tap, a first for any convention centre in Australia.
Designed to feel unmistakably Melbourne, the new menus focus on more than traditional catering. Guests can expect interactive food moments, premium local partnerships and flavour-led experiences.
Executive Sous Chef of Culinary Development, Karl Edmonds said, “We want to celebrate the city around us. Melbourne isn’t passive. It’s active, fast, social. Everything we’re doing with the 2026 menus leans into that. The suppliers, the stations, the flavours. It all points back to Victoria.”
The menu focuses on unexpected food and beverage experiences including bubble tea bars, gelato scooped to order and Hawker Lane Singapore noodles - all designed to create guest interaction throughout the venue.
Customers can expect familiar flavours, elevated with native ingredients and modern technique, grounded in MCEC’s core menu philosophy that everyone is welcome at the table. Dietary requirements like vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free are incorporated within the menu design, rather than as a side option.
“Quality ingredients, treated with care - that never changes. Now we’re also looking at how people interact with our food and how they move around the space,” he added.
One of the biggest menu shifts is cocktails on tap, a first for any convention centre in Australia. In collaboration with Straight up Cocktails and Campari, guests can enjoy delicious Aperol Spritz, Spicy Margharita or Blood Orange Americano cocktails, consistently poured even at the largest events.
Sher Wagyu and Lard Ass Dairy are just some of the artisan producers highlighted throughout the menu, and beverages feature the best of Victorian wines and beers.
When asked about the beverage offering, Head of Food and Beverage, Paul Kanaan said,
“Local gives our menu the pulse of the city. Subtle Tea is a perfect example. It’s creative, surprising, Melbourne to the core. It’s the kind of product that makes people lean in and ask, who makes this?”
“We’re seeing an unstoppable rise in low-and no-alcohol options, and we’ve expanded into that space significantly. Sugar-free options, non-alcoholic alternatives, mocktails in cans, guests want choice without compromise.”
When visiting MCEC in 2026, guests can expect food and drinks that feel distinctly Melbourne. Bright, social, seasonal and full of character. The menus have evolved, but the real change is giving delegates a reason to move and a moment to interact.
Get a taste of what’s in store here