Gothic vaulted ceilings, stained windows and solid granite columns define this grand brasserie, in the former Melbourne Stock Exchange. Order freshly-shucked oysters from the raw bar, top-grade beef and cheese from the roving trolley.

Only 32 diners a week get into this tiny, four-seat kaiseki restaurant. Secure a booking and you’re in the capable hands of co-owner and chef Hansol Lee, who worked at revered Melbourne restaurant Kenzan. Each night he delivers a delicate, multi-course, seafood-led set menu – and decent banter.

The follow-up to Cam’s Kiosk is 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 with celeriac puree.

The sibling to South Melbourne’s Half Acre is big and ritzy. Come for woodfired steaks and porchetta, big salads, a roving cake trolley and cocktails shaken six at a time in an elaborate hand-cranked machine with a connection to Singapore’s most iconic hotel.

Pop into this warm, retro-feel restaurant for weeknight dinners of 72-hour-fermented focaccia, handmade pasta and woodfired meats. On weekends, party in the basement with amaro cocktails and DJs spinning Italo disco.

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.

The Isan street-food-inspired canteen attracts queues for its spicy and sour boat noodles, made from a 30-year-old family recipe, sweet pok pok noodles and traditional desserts.

At this homely restaurant, find popular Thai dishes alongside lesser-known Phuket delicacies. Bring a group and order comforting dishes like pad thai and tom yum as well as specialties including snail coconut southern curry.

A cafe by day and izakaya by night. Mornings are for bowls of salmon- or Wagyu-topped rice with an umami-rich broth. And in the evenings, sake cocktails and snacky bites like mirin-dressed oysters come out.

This creative smokehouse breaks tradition by adding smoke to largely Cantonese- and Japanese-inspired dishes. Come for favourites including smoked chicken katsu with house-made barbeque sauce, braised winter melon with smoked almond cream, and an otherworldly coconut ice cream.

Two hospitality veterans are behind this small but mighty Greek diner. Order hard-to-find classics like sweetbreads and slow-cooked lamb. Plus, ultra-thick traditional Greek coffee, carafes of wines and beer.

Named after a classic Jeff Buckley song, this grungy warehouse wine bar feels like a dinner party in a New York loft apartment. Come for nostalgic dishes with a French bistro lean, music played on vinyl and plenty of interesting wine.

Led by a former Vue de Monde chef, the Ritz-Carlton Hotel’s glamorous 80th-storey restaurant eschews a set menu for the flexibility of à la carte. Come for vegetables cooked with love, a focused wine list, sharp cocktails and, of course, the views.

Watch chefs prepare Italian dishes at this upstairs wine bar, from the team behind the longstanding family-run grocer downstairs. Select a drop from two cellars’ worth of imported Italian wine. And consult the official head of cheese on the extensive selection of formaggio.

A petite, dimly lit wine bar serving classic French bistro fare, like sweet and savoury tartes tatin, crème brûlée and coq au vin with a twist.

This 65-seat taqueria, with a sizeable bar, is a hotspot for Mexico City cuisine including birria tacos, ceviche tostadas, tequila and mezcal, and house-made vegan horchata.

Three Gerald’s Bar alums run this wine bar, which is bursting with personality. Its ever-changing menu includes a daily staff meal, as well as drinks like the Cookie Monster cocktail and “Butter Beer” served warm.

A day-to-night bakehouse and brasserie serving sourdough and laminated pastries in the mornings, and refined dishes by an ex-Gimlet chef around lunch. It’s by the group behind Sunda and Aru.

Opposite the Queen Vic Market you’ll find vegan, pork or slow-braised beef curry, served over rice or stuffed into deep-fried kare pan. The curry shop also has house-made mochi cookies and canelés, as well as specialty-coffee tonics and Japanese craft beers.

Run by a passionate French Australian, this 12-seat omakase restaurant is open for just two sittings a day. Book in for a simple chirashi bowl, or an 11-course lunch featuring dishes like dry-aged kingfish sashimi with roasted spring onion oil and Hokkaido scallops with burnt orange gel.

This compact 20-seater showcases southern Thai dishes with flair. Try its hot, zesty dry red curry with pork, garlicky stir-fried malindjo greens, or a deeply umami sour fish curry. Add on Thai milk tea or rosy pink milk.

Two siblings and their partners are behind the next-gen diner set in a former church. The unfussy cooking shows off some of Gippsland’s finest produce. While the mood lighting and local wine list give off inner-city wine bar vibes.