Avram Zeleznikow, a Holocaust survivor and founder of Melbourne's famous Scheherazade restaurant, has died aged 89.

Zeleznikow was a partisan fighter in Poland during World War Two.

He relocated to Australia in the 1950s and established the Scheherazade restaurant on Acland Street in St Kilda.

The restaurant became a popular meeting place for many people, including Holocaust survivors.

Zeleznikow's son John says his father will be remembered by many people as a resilient and caring man.

"He did not run the restaurant to make a profit, he ran the restaurant to help people," he said.

"There were often a large number of people who would get free meals because if you couldn't pay he would still provide the service."