Michelin star chef Dominique Crenn to open first Australian venue in Melbourne
Three-Michelin-starred French chef Dominique Crenn will bring her first Australian restaurant to Melbourne next month, opening an intimate 40-seat bistro inside the InterContinental Melbourne at The Rialto.
Petit Crenn, a partnership between Crenn and global asset manager Salter Brothers, is a reboot of her now-closed San Francisco neighbourhood bistro of the same name. It is the more affordable sibling to her three-Michelin-star flagship, Atelier Crenn.
The all-day venue on Collins St will serve classic French food drawn from Crenn's home region of Brittany, with signatures including steak tartare, croque madame, savoury madeleines with caviar, seasonal open sandwiches and salads. A five-person standing table, Le Contour, will sit at the rear of the restaurant, giving diners a view into the kitchen.
The concept is built on the spirit of French neighbourhood cafes.
"Petit Crenn comes from my own life, from the cafes in France where you can sit for five minutes or five hours and always feel welcome," Crenn said.
"I've wanted to bring that feeling to Australia for a long time, and Melbourne, with its curiosity and its love of good food, felt like exactly the right place to do it. I can't wait to open the doors and share this with the city."
Crenn is expected to be in Melbourne for the launch. A head chef and the rest of the kitchen brigade are yet to be announced, though the venue has been recruiting for months, with appointments due closer to the October opening.
The Melbourne debut caps a big run of local activity for Crenn, who is also fronting the Australian Open's new premium hospitality offering, AO Reserve, with her pop-up Bar Crenn, and will front the AO Glasshouse during the tournament's finals.
Crenn became the first female chef in the US to hold three Michelin stars, achieving the honour with Atelier Crenn in 2018. She also owns Bar Crenn in San Francisco and, in 2025, partnered with House of Dior to open Cafe Dior in Dallas and Monsieur Dior in Beverly Hills. Her first Paris venture, the California-inspired Golden Poppy, closed in 2024 after a year of trade.
Jonathan Jackson, 9th September 2026
