The intimate spot has Americano cocktails prepared tableside and opulent olive oil Martinis. Plus, snacky flatbread stuffed with mortadella and spicy sausage spiedino, and 1960s Italian films projected on the walls.

From the team behind Centonove, this neighbourhood wine bar offers a range of Italian drops you can’t find elsewhere in Australia. Enjoy a glass at the marble bar with some elegant Italian-leaning share plates.

This family cafe and wine bar will take you right through your day – from all-day brunches and house-roasted coffee in the morning, to Corsican-inspired dishes and a 400-strong wine list at night.

This smart diner is dedicated to its owner’s northern Indian heritage and family. Enjoy classics like Amritsari fish, Punjabi-style butter chicken and paneer tikka alongside playful twists, like gol gappa (or panipuri) served in a shot glass.

Named for the legendary pasta sauce, Guy Grossi's Italian diner at the Clifton Hotel serves a handful of the chef's favourite dishes under one roof. By that we mean woodfired clam pizzas, bolognaise jaffles and an Italian-style riff on the pub burger.

Walk down an unassuming strip of shops to find the suave eight-seat sushi omakase, which takes diners through 23 ever-changing courses. You might start with an oyster, move onto nigiri, and finish the savoury journey with soup.

This family-run restaurant has been serving elevated Italian food to locals for decades. Go for saffron tagliolini with spanner crab, eggplant parmigiana or 12-hour roasted lamb shoulder. Plus, exclusive wines from small Italian producers that you’ll only find here.

Contemporary and relaxed dining in a building dating back to the '50s.

Restaurateur Joe Vargetto honours his Sicilian roots at this moodily elegant diner. The focaccia and Sicilian pizzas come hot from the bread oven, and the porchetta is slow-cooked over red gum coals.

Satisfy your hunger and thirst pronto at this bakery-cafe, which serves up slow-cooked brisket toasties, almond and lemon curd croissants and takeaway ready-made lasagnes.

A bright, corner patisserie by a sister duo specialising in eye-catching cakes and French viennoiseries. The bakery-driven cafe menu stars croissants, gussied-up toast dishes, salads and coffee by Niccolo.

Two cafe-loving guys and a yellow espresso machine.

A cafe run by seasoned inner-city baristas.

This is the flagship location for one of Melbourne’s best – and most forward-thinking – butchers. Visit for small-batch bacon, hormone- and antibiotic-free chicken, and tender grass-fed beef. And everything is carefully sourced from farms that prioritise animal welfare.