Tipo 00

Restaurant · Italian · $$$$$ · melbourne

After all these years, moody Tipo 00 still attracts queues of people hoping for a taste of its simple yet meticulously assembled pastas. Make sure you arrive early – very early – if you don’t have a booking.

361 Little Bourke Street

Smith & Daughters

Restaurant · Deli · $$$$$ · collingwood

Fire reigns supreme at the second iteration of Shannon Martinez’ pioneering vegan diner. Choose from Mediterranean-inspired dishes and booze à la carte, or grab a seat at the intimate chef’s table and let the experts choose.

107 Cambridge Street

The Kent Hotel

Bar · $$$$$ · carlton north

Under its current custodians, this historic old boozer has a focus on steak dry-aged on-site. But rest assured, it’s retained a good dose of traditional charm.

370 Rathdowne Street

A1 Bakery Brunswick

Cafe · $$$$$ · brunswick

The most beloved Lebanese bakery in Melbourne, open since 1992. The bustling environment, with its small wooden tables and Arabic posters, delivers sweets, plus Lebanese pizzas, spinach and cheese pies bursting with soft haloumi.

643-645 Sydney Road

Dodee Paidang Little Collins Street

Restaurant · Thai · $$$$$ · melbourne

Descend to the sprawling and busy basement for a menu that honours classic Thai food including pad thai, whole fish soup, seafood platters, papaya salads and plates of barbequed meat.

353 Little Collins

Yiaga

Restaurant · $$$$$ · east melbourne

Yiaga means to “seek and find” in the Wurundjeri language, which is exactly what you should do. Seek a booking at one of the most ambitious and striking restaurants Melbourne has ever seen and find a way to eat there immediately.

Fitzroy Gardens (near The Centre, Where The Paths Converge)

Ho Jiak

Restaurant · Malaysian · $$$$$ · melbourne

The Melbourne flagship for one of Sydney’s favourite restaurants is no simple interstate copy-paste job. Every venue in here – Da Bao, Ho Liao, and Ho Jiak – is a different take on Malaysian cuisine from star chef Junda Khoo.

1 Rainbow Alley

Chae

Restaurant · Korean · $$$$$ · cockatoo

At this singular Korean restaurant, chef Jung Eun Chae cooks, cleans and serves for just six guests at a time – in her living room. If you can score a booking, expect a serene, wholesome meal underpinned by homemade ferments.

33 Mountain Road

Bar Bellamy

Bar · $$$$$ · carlton

Is it a cocktail bar? A wine bar? A bistro? It’s all of that, depending on your mood and the occasion. Visit for standout Martinis with creative house twists, an ever-changing menu and an always-excellent vibe.

164 Rathdowne Street

N Lee Bakery Collingwood

Cafe · Vietnamese · $$$$$ · collingwood

In business since 1991, this tiny bakery still has lines out the door every day for its tofu, roast pork and other classic banh mi. Other locations have sprung up in the CBD and elsewhere, but this Collingwood classic is the original.

220 Smith Street

Askal

Restaurant · Filipino · $$$$$ · melbourne

A team of seasoned hospo pros, including ex-Lume and Sunda chef John Rivera, are behind this unadultered Filipino restaurant. Try elevated takes on Filipino mainstays including sisig, lechon and halo-halo.

167 Exhibition Street

Bar Spontana

Bar · Thai · $$$$$ · brunswick

This backstreet bar focuses on wild-fermented drinks like saisons, organic lagers, sakés, mezcals and rums. Get them alongside charcoal-grilled Thai dishes with plenty of heat.

4 Saxon Street

Dua

Cafe · Filipino · $$$$$ · collingwood

Raya’s Raymond Tan is behind this innovative “Scandinasian” bakery. Head in for snacky breakfast plates, Japanese and Filipino breads paired with marzipan and other classic Scandi fillings, and other fun fusions.

35 Johnston Street

Public Wine Shop

Shop · $$$$$ · fitzroy north

Former sommelier Campbell Burton is behind this smart store, where 200 bottles of organic, sulphur-free wine rest in temperature controlled cabinets.

179 St Georges Road

Tyga

Restaurant · $$$$$ · carnegie

Fusion cuisine is best left back in the ’70s, right? Maybe. But we’d also argue this: in the hands of a skilled chef it can be clever, delicious, surprising and remain respectful to the cuisines it draws from. This vibing restaurant proves just that.

91 Koornang Road

Lee Ho Fook

Restaurant · Chinese · $$$$$ · melbourne

From the mind of acclaimed chef Victor Liong, this diner reimagines traditional Chinese flavours through a refined modern lens. Look for it down a graffiti-covered alley off Flinders Lane.

11-15 Duckboard Place

Bar Carnation

Restaurant · $$$$$ · carlton north

Cool and classic are the words to describe this Rathdowne Village wine bar, the sequel to Carnation Canteen, where oysters and steak frites beckon.

386 Rathdowne Street

Roma

Restaurant · Italian · $$$$$ · melbourne

Con Christopoulos's latest venture is the purest interpretation of a Roman trattoria you’ll find outside Italy, with nods to the ancient culture through design, drinks and dishes.

120 Collins Street