Perch at the front bar with a lager and catch a match while chefs pluck puffed naan off the charcoal-fired tandoor. Or migrate to the white-tablecloth dining room, which takes its cues from India’s members clubs.

While the atmosphere draws from California’s breezy glamour, the seafood-forward menu takes cues from Latin American and Filipino cuisine. And it’s all about the music – a late dinner reservation here might finish on the dancefloor.

Taking influence from across Asia, this neon-lit diner offers a variety of big-flavoured menus to suit any occasion. Whether you're popping in for pre-show snacks or settling in for a feast with mates, expect dumplings, premium Aussie steaks with seaweed butter, and cocktails with Asian-inspired twists.

Working with top-grade produce such as green lip abalone, snow crab and full-blood Wagyu, Crown Casino’s in-house Cantonese restaurant is largely geared towards visiting high rollers. But the luxurious dining room and its sweeping Yarra views are within reach of the average punter, provided they order wisely.

The cult US burger giant's first location in Melbourne. Drop in for burgers starring double handmade patties (with free choice of toppings), daily-cut fries, hot dogs, shakes and more.

Daily yum cha, live seafood from the tank and crispy fried noodles are all designed to share at this Cantonese restaurant. Take a seat in the courtyard for a view of the Yarra through bamboo stalks, while sipping jasmine tea or a Singapore Sling.

This opulent tearoom is the perfect setting for an afternoon high tea of scones, finger sandwiches and cakes. It also offers expansive buffets for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

An aperitivo hour with complimentary snacks; crisp, springy pizza bases; and fried egg and pancetta paninos can be found in this modern-industrial space from the now-classic Carlton operators.

Next to the roulette table at Crown there’s an Asian-influenced sharing menu that makes the most of Australian native ingredients. The view’s good, too.

Asado is Spanish for roast. And that’s exactly the focus at this tan-leather-filled restaurant, which showcases grilled meats and big flavours. From the team behind San Telmo, Pastuso and Palermo, Asado encourages you to share a spread of tapas as well as meat, seafood and vegetables charred on the parrilla.

The Southgate fine diner is built on its relationships with suppliers in Tasmania.

Winner of the best-pizza-in-the-world 2014 is also at Crown.

This Japanese diner serves up its own version of contemporary Japanese cuisine. The room is sleek, the menu is fun and seafood heavy, and there’s plenty of saké (of course).

French dining from renowned chef Guillaume Brahimi.

A vast temple to seafood, located inside Crown Casino.

This is the Melbourne outpost of the globally-renowned Nobu Japanese restaurant chain. Peruvian flavours are expertly combined with Japanese cuisine in dishes such as yellowtail sashimi with jalapeno and black cod with miso.

Innovative Chinese-Australian fusion in a low-lit underground restaurant. More than a decade on, it remains one of the best places in Melbourne to try the lesser-seen cuisines of China's Yunnan, Hunan and Jiangxi provinces. While Sichuan food is king here, the entire menu is stylish, vibrant and well-balanced.

An elegant Australian steak restaurant championing sustainable, grass-fed beef sourced from the likes of Blackmore Wagyu and Cape Grim. Various cuts are dry-aged in house, enhanced by a selection of classic sides, raw seafood and pasta. There's also a tome-like wine list to rival any in the country.

Enter this hole-in-the-wall sandwich shop for its comforting Italian-style meatball subs, roast beef sanga spin-offs with a rogan josh dip, and spiced-up roast cauliflower sandos on crusty ciabatta. With ex-coffee roasters at its helm you’ll also find excellent coffee and batch brew from Reverence Coffee Roasters, along with a tight list of beers.

The Melbourne-born cafe brand's slick southside outpost is set within a beautiful, art deco-inspired space serving house-roasted coffee and Asian-influenced brunch fare. Grab a seat anywhere and spend an hour (or two) admiring the massive, art-filled feature wall.

The perfect place to enjoy afternoon tea.

Find out how gin is made in the distillery, then test it out in a classic G&T, Martini or on a tasting flight. If you're feeling more adventurous, go for cocktails that draw on rhubarb, pineapple, pear and cherry. Or learn about the craft in a gin masterclass.

Single malt, creative cocktails and beers on tap will lure you riverside.

Unwind before or after the the theatre.

Floating on the Yarra in the concrete jungle of Melbourne’s CBD.

For those of us who like to lounge about in hotel foyers there is The Waiting Room, by Neil Perry at Crown.

This blockbuster summer exhibition will keep reeling you back in for revisits; it involves more than 100 artists from 33 countries across four floors of the NGV. There are works that intrigue with their interactivity, such as woven landscape rugs, virtual-reality pirate ships and scratch’n’sniff sculptures, and artists expressing daring ideas via bold pieces, such as Ron Mueck with his piles of huge skulls, and Yayoi Kusama’s highly anticipated Flower Obsession. There is free entry daily from 11am, 12pm, 1pm and 2pm, until April 15.

Victoria's major state gallery, housing the international collection.