You’ll get extra points for scoring a table at this seaside institution. For Valentine’s Day, it’s got a four-course menu with a blindingly fresh seafood platter ($200pp). Push the boat out a bit more with lobster and chilli butter ($190). Or head downstairs, for a feast with prosecco, Med-style antipasti, dry-aged steak and more ($190pp). The sparkling views are free.

This is one of Melbourne’s best Japanese restaurants, so any meal here is worth forking out for. Book a coveted seat in the dining room or Chablis Bar to experience the chef’s tasting menu ($245pp) with kingfish tataki, crisp Wagyu truffle and more.

The younger sibling to Tipo 00 is sophisticated and moody, with low lighting that leaves you to focus on your dining partner. The next most impressive thing is the food. Book in for the chef’s menu ($160pp), and try meat and seafood dishes that you might find at a modern osteria in Italy. There’s champagne on arrival, and more Italian wines to order from the cellar below.

Good things come in pairs. And for Valentine’s Day, this creative smokehouse has scooped up Kori Ice-Cream’s Joane Yeoh (ex-Coda) for a show-stopping special. Stop by for a four-course menu ($110pp), featuring smoked meats and seafood, and Yeoh’s special, extra-smoky dessert.

At this new fine diner, emerging chef Mika Chae is charting his own course with high-definition Korean dishes (with some Australian influences). There are still spots at the six-seat bar, where you can try charcoal-fired lamp rump, marron with garlic butter, and soju-spiked cocktails.

This lofty wine bar is named after the Jeff Buckley song that its owner fell in love to. It’s a fitting spot, then, to treat you and your boo to dishes with a French-bistro lean (and a 150-strong wine list). The New York dinner party vibes are high here.

Elevated Italian food, attentive service and exclusive European wines are the focus at this family-run restaurant. The elegant, chandelier-lit dining room is a classy backdrop to a three-course dinner for two ($110pp).

This sophisticated Indian diner walks the line between classic and contemporary. Enjoy extravagant dishes from southern Kerala or north-western Punjab, set among luxe leather booths and gold ceiling lights. And its February 14 feast ($175pp) offers an optional floral arrangement for your table.

The love runs deep at this family-operated wine bar. Book two bar stools around the kitchen and watch the magic unfold (standout dishes have included scallop crudo, crayfish ravioli, and pappardelle with rabbit ragu). The imported Italian wines – with vintages going back to the ’60s – are a bonus.

This wine bar, by the owner of All Are Welcome, sits in a former lawyer’s office. But there’s no reason for conflict here. Just a reservation, left-of-centre wines, underrepresented Russian and Georgian dishes, and intimate tables for two. The 10-layer medovik (Russian honey cake) is the stuff of “I do’s”.

This Italian restaurant was born out of love: it’s a tribute to the owner’s Calabrian-born father. Book a table for home-style pastas, classic Italian aperitivi and tiramisu. Then head upstairs to Gigi for sunset Negronis and stellar views.

Everything is made from scratch at this wine bar, which is from a young owner-chef with Michelin-star credentials. Book a table and bring someone special for its multi-course meal ($155pp). There’ll be trout tartare, grilled tiger prawns, whole flounder and a vermouth-spiked hot mess dessert, all surrounded by contemporary Australian art.

Keep the flames burning at Chris Lucas’s charcoal-fired Japanese restaurant. For $110 a head, you’ll get a cocktail followed by share-friendly dishes (think kingfish sashimi, panko-encrusted prawns and more). And it’s bunching in a one-day floristry pop-up with Bush. Pre-order your valentine’s native bouquet and pick it up from 10am to 7pm on February 14.

You might bring bae here by day for coffee and Japanese lunches. But at night, it’s a moody izakaya with dim-lit tables and an intimate vibe. That’s also when the sake cocktails and snacky bites (think mirin-dressed oysters and barramundi with nori butter) come out. Book your table here.

Bar Thyme has an old-school charm, with vintage prints on the walls and Miles Davis on the record player. Book its three-course set menu ($50pp), which features French-influenced dishes by an ex-Movida chef. Its wines run the gamut from funky skin-contact numbers to the more traditional.

The lights will be low and the vibes will be high here on Valentine’s Day. Book a spot in the intimate dining room for a romantic feast ($95pp). The tome-like drinks list is perfect for wine lovers.

There’s multi-level romance at this sprawling Italian spot. Get your golden-hour cocktail fix on the rooftop, then settle in for the special four-course set menu ($95pp).