Julie

Restaurant · $$$ · abbotsford

An idyllic restaurant with its own kitchen garden, perfect for long lunches amid the backdrop of the Abbotsford Convent’s well-maintained grounds. Expect uncomplicated fare such as handmade pasta and roast chicken.

1 St Heliers Street

Kolkata Cricket Club

Restaurant · Indian · $$$ · southbank

Perch at the front bar with a lager and catch a match while chefs pluck puffed naan off the charcoal-fired tandoor. Or migrate to the white-tablecloth dining room, which takes its cues from India’s members clubs.

8 Whiteman Avenue

Times New Roman

Restaurant · Italian · $ · brunswick east

Times New Roman is even more proof that the best pasta on Lygon Street is probably nowhere near Carlton. Come for hearty bowls of pasta for less than $20, local wines and a boozy revival of classic punch.

66 Lygon Street

Moon Mart

Cafe · Japanese · $$ · south melbourne

Oozing yellow-hued charm, this Korea-meets-Japan cafe has a cult following for its bulgogi sausage muffin and okonomiyaki hashbrowns.

315 Clarendon Street

Cutler

Restaurant · $$$$ · fitzroy

The flagship of celebrated chef Andrew McConnell’s restaurant empire is a lesson in refined elegance. From the leather booths to the chic front bar, it’s a perfect spot for a special occasion. First time? Go for the degustation.

55-57 Gertrude Street

Above Board

Bar · $$$ · collingwood

This secretive cocktail bar is unlike any other in Melbourne. Once you've found it, settle into one of 16 seats, and watch as owner Hayden Lambert prepares you one of his singular creations.

306 Smith Street (access through Chopper Lane)

Gimlet at Cavendish House

Restaurant · European · $$$$ · melbourne

Andrew McConnell's signature flair is all over this grand bar and dining room, from the exacting service to the comforting European dishes. It’s named after the classic cocktail, and the calibre of drinks here speaks to that.

33 Russell Street

Byrdi

Bar · $$$ · melbourne

The world-class bartenders here work with native ingredients in an on-site lab to create their peerless, Australian-inspired cocktails. The food here is no less inventive – come for small plates with a big focus on seasonality.

Corner Latrobe and Elizabeth Streets

Taverna

Restaurant · Greek · $$$ · brunswick east

Athenian tavernas are the inspiration for this buzzy restaurant by hospo veterans Angie Giannakodakis and Guy Holder, who last ran Epocha. Take a seat for slow-cooked lamb shoulder, creamy fava dip, moussaka and flaky bougatsa.

434 Lygon Street

Luther’s Scoops Brunswick

Shop · $$ · brunswick

This farm-to-freezer ice-creamery has Michelin-star cred. Inventive seasonal flavours are added weekly, so there’s always something new to try, though the butterscotch ripple is all time.

528A Sydney Road

Vue de Monde

Restaurant · $$$$$ · melbourne

This celebrated fine diner is perched 55 floors above the city on the Rialto Building’s former observation deck, with an impressive 360-degree vista from Docklands to the Dandenongs. But the food is still the star of the show.

525 Collins Street

Embla

Restaurant · $$$ · melbourne

Nominally it’s a wine bar, but Embla’s charms are far more profound than those two words suggest. Come here for some of the city’s best food, paired with an idiosyncratic wine list poured by staff who give a damn.

122 Russell 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.

220 Smith Street

Brico

Restaurant · $$$ · carlton north

It’s all about lo-fi wines and classic wine bar snacks (think cured sardines with cucumber, or grilled ox tongue with potatoes) at Brico. Soak them up in the light-filled corner bar or head to the airy courtyard out back.

555 Nicholson 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

The Abyssinian

Restaurant · African · $$$ · kensington

In operation since the early 2000s, this welcoming, low-lit spot serves a range of east African food, including an excellent slow-cooked goat and Nile perch sautéed in spiced ghee and berberé.

277 Racecourse Road

Harriot

Restaurant · French · $$$ · melbourne

Unlike its sibling Tipo 00, Harriot leans more towards France than Italy – courtesy of head chef James Kelly, who's cooked throughout Europe. Come for classical cooking starring Victorian produce and a lengthy wine list

555 Collins Street

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