This is the gold standard of Cantonese cuisine in Melbourne, and you’d be right to fork out for it. Or, you can book a table for its $60 two-course lunch – and sample some standouts without hurting your hip pocket.

This 24-seat Mauritian wine bar is a real date-night winner. The laid-back spot – by ex-Capitano chef Nagesh Seethiah – turns out sophisticated seafood-centric dishes from the island nation, alongside lo-fi wines. And its $75 set menu is a steal.

Picture yourself on the streets of Palermo as you tuck into Bar Idda’s $70 set menu. The slow-cooked lamb shoulder and knockout fried potatoes are just as good as they are in Sicily.

A gleaming 100-litre still takes pride of place at this red-accented bar. The next most impressive thing is the bang-for-buck set menu options, which start at around $55. Find Wagyu beef tartare, mapo tofu and beef short ribs – best paired with one of its creative cocktails.

This schmick chicken shop might have a glitzy $2.5 million fit-out, but you can still enjoy it on a budget. The bird-based banquet ($68pp) lets you sample its creamy hummus, golden fried haloumi and fire-grilled chicken slathered in garlicky toum and harissa.

This Lebanese diner serves a hefty banquet ($60pp) that’ll leave both your stomach and heart full. It’s the chef’s choice, but you could land the stuffed capsicum, crisp falafel balls or creamy baba ganoush.

Bar Thyme has an old-school charm, with vintage prints on the walls and Miles Davis on the record player. Book its six-course set menu ($75), which features French-influenced dishes by an ex-Movida chef. Its wines run the gamut from funky skin-contact numbers to the more traditional.

Tick two things off your list at Sunday lunch ($55pp): trying underrepresented Georgian dishes and getting bang for your buck. It’s by pastry messiah and All Are Welcome founder Boris Portnoy, so you know you’re in good hands.

This family-run Lebanese restaurant is rightly a Melbourne institution. Its smoky baba ganoush, djaj a riz (chicken and rice) and fried potatoes have kept it humming since 1979. And its banquets ($55pp for lunch, $70pp for dinner) are certainly worth your coin.

Glistening views of the bay make a fine backdrop at this Cantonese restaurant. And in the foreground? Go for the signature banquet ($69pp) or yum cha Sundays ($60pp).

Since 1998, Hana Assafiri’s neighbourhood restaurant has gained a loyal following for providing comforting Middle Eastern food at affordable prices. That’s still true at its North Melbourne iteration, where you can have a budget-friendly banquet for $45 (or $35 takeaway).

This dim basement full of character serves a $59 feed me that includes more than just tacos (and there’s a plant-based option). There are around 70 mezcals and 20 tequilas on the back bar, too.