Find 48-hour-fermented sourdough loaves, piping hot fougasse filled with kimchi and cheddar cheese, and an impressive pantry section with Bendigo honey and Jam Haus preserves.

This family-run pizzeria’s founder grew up making classic Italian pizza. Here, it’s perfectly crispy and puffy, and comes in plenty of red- and white-based flavours. There’s also family-recipe ragu, classic tiramisu and affordable Italian wines.

We all have that one musician who defined our youth. For the owner of this airy corner cafe, it’s the American singer-songwriter Butch Walker, whose rock-and-roll tunes inspired everything from the rollicking design to the Tex-Mex-style menu.

This family-owned corner store is like the pantry you wish you had. Come for bread and milk; leave with a chicken club sanga and something from the shelves full of Melbourne-made specialty staples.

A spacious cafe with a menu that’s just as vast.

A slice of the city in the suburbs.

A little slice of Paris in downtown Essendon.

A neighbourhood wine bar serving a mix of Australian and European drops alongside small grazing plates. Go for a jamon plate, build-your-own cheeseboard, or order woodfired pizzas delivered from the nearby Il Caminetto. Enjoy wines by the glass or take your pick from more than 250 bottles next door.