This double-decker haunt is full of cosy nooks. Sink into a leather banquette or gold velvet couch and order zhooshed-up hotel classics (vol-au-vents or charcoal-grilled steaks) from a former Cumulus Inc and Marion chef.

This multifaceted space couples the drop-in spirit of a pub with the food and drink of a more polished eatery – including plentiful vegetarian options. Plus: a beautiful room with a gabled roof, and a fit-out that feels like a very schmick home kitchen.

This spot from the Hanoi Hannah and Tokyo Tina crew is all about spicy birds: with a Vietnamese take on duck à l’orange and charcoal chicken with burnt chilli. Plus, there’s cocktails made with charred grapefruit and burnt plums.

Take a seat at the black granite bar for hot and sour shredded potato, charcoal-roasted char siu and cured pork belly with rolled rice noodles in XO.

An Italian eatery tapping into pasta obsessions such as cacio e pepe and seafood linguine, plus protein-heavy mains. It’s designed to feel like an Italian dinner party – so gather your crew and make for the all-seasons rooftop courtyard.

Two childhood friends are behind this breezy upstairs Italian spot, which pays homage to the neighbourhood eateries of their hometown with textbook pastas, cacio e pepe toasties and a daily dessert that’s best paired with house-made amaro.

From the team behind Congress and Future Future, this Italian-leaning wine bar serves remixed pastas and classic Italian dishes in a room full of mid-century design flourishes. There's also an on-site bottle shop stocked with Australian and imported Italian booze to take away.

The CBD sequel to restaurateur Rinaldo Di Stasio's St Kilda institution goes just as heavy on the hand-made pastas. But it also throws high art into the mix, with video installations and dramatic artworks lining the walls of the restaurant’s brutalist, contemporary interior.

A romantic Italian joint with valentine-red booths and a beautiful oak bar. The owners pay homage to their predecessors with the venue’s original woodfired oven, and signature pizza – topped with passata, fior di latte and basil.

The owners at this sleek osteria show their Italian roots with varieties of filled pasta that hail from the Lombardy region in Italy’s north – where the owners are from. In a nod to their second home Down Under, there’s a big focus on local produce and a wine list featuring all-Australian drops.

This neighbourhood restaurant keeps going from strength to strength. Its latest incarnation, guided by the steady hands of owner Hannah Green and head chef Rosheen Kaul, is one of Melbourne's essential dining experiences.

Pick a bunch of shared dishes from the day’s menu on the wall. Order some wine with help from the switched-on staff. The format’s simple, but as we’ve come to expect from Andrew McConnell’s restaurants, everything is just right.

Indian flavours are far too uncommon at the top-end of dining, an issue Tonka has been smartly redressing for years. The wine list is a cracker, but we're more partial to the smart cocktail menu and its wealth of refreshing, South Asian-inspired mixes.

A bona fide meat dungeon.

A large, colourful restaurant with a menu that touches on nearly every aspect of Japanese cuisine. Here you'll find sushi, gyoza, tempura, plus hearty bowls of ramen and don. Plus a fun drinks list that includes sakes, Japanese-influenced cocktails and craft beers from Tokyo.

The pretty Victorian building in the heart of Carlton is a modern eatery with a European-influenced menu and wine list.

This Mexican eatery makes its own tortillas and grows its own chillies and herbs. To drink, there’s wine on tap or you can buy mezcal from the in-house bottle shop.

The team behind Toji Sake delivers hibachi-grilled yakitori skewers, Wagyu with beef-fat butter, and crunchy tofu-skin duck gyoza alongside sake Margaritas and cold Japanese beer.

Part wine bar and part bottle shop, with plenty of expertise.

Traditional recipes made with topnotch ingredients make this one of the better Indian diners around. Sample ultra-thin dosa, slow-cooked biryani and all the curry favourites.

A charming little Japanese restaurant with a cluttered interior that feels a bit like being in Japan. Dinners here are great but everyone loves the lunch deals, which involve bento boxes or sushi and miso sets.

A cosy wine bar with quality pasta, hard-to-find wines and waiters clad head-to-toe in white Japanese denim. Set within an iconic heritage building, this place is a Melbourne interpretation of a classic Italian enoteca.

Enjoy fresh sashimi and sake at this southside izakaya. Here, you can dine at the open kitchen and sushi bar, slide into a booth, or feast at a long banquet table. The best part? The sweeping views out over Port Phillip Bay. Its sister restaurant in Fitzroy is also worth your time.

A buzzing food and beer hall inspired by Singaporean and Malaysian hawker halls. Work your way through a hit-list of hawker market dishes. Expect various dishes of noodles, rice, roti and curry (from the trusted team behind Chin Chin, Society and Baby Pizza). Plus, order lots of easy-drinking beers.