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, plus devilled eggs, veal schnitties and the possibility of making good friends.

Find high-quality gin, whisky, vodka and rum at the cityside sibling to Fossey’s Mildura. Go for cocktails mixed with house-made Christmas pudding gin, blood-orange vodka or butterscotch whisky. The food menu also makes use of the house spirits: expect fries with rum-infused sauce; or cider-marinated pork belly with gin-pickled vegetables.

The green heritage-style facade and mid-century decor give all the impressions of another classic pub. Yet the plant-based menu says otherwise. The eggplant “schnitzel” and fried cauliflower stand out; the diverse beers are a bonus.

A Lygon Street espresso and cicchetti bar.

The crown jewel of the King and Godfree complex. A visit here comes with Italian-beach-club energy, amazing city views, Italian fare and summer-ready drinks. It’s all tied together by a soundtrack of Italo disco tunes.

It was once Bob Hawke’s favourite watering hole; these days it’s a rock’n’roll icon. Bands often pack out the upper level, while DJs spin vinyl downstairs. Sonny’s, the in-house diner, has Southern-style fried chicken and banging burgers.

Leonardo’s is the kind of place you can accidentally spend hours at, and wake up far dustier than planned. The pepperoni is a classic, and the jalapeno number with fermented pepper and bechamel is a spicy wake-up call in the low-lit diner.

This 19th-century gastropub, with a vintage front bar and bistro, is among Melbourne’s best. It’s serving modern classics (including schnitzel with chicken butter) and a set menu that wouldn’t look out of place in a classy restaurant.

Right opposite a university, this is a fine spot for students to miss lectures in. But it also welcomes everyone with its pub classics (from parmas to porterhouse steaks) and lush rooftop bar.

A vibrant corner shop that combines a cafe, wine shop, deli and general store. Enjoy its dippy eggs and morning plates, or grab a bottle of wine and bouquet to-go.

The husband-wife duo behind one of Melbourne’s most-loved Italian restaurants run this walk-in bar. It nods to Piedmont with vitello tonnato, duck-and-porcini ragu and Italian wines.