This family-owned Lebanese bakery in Brunswick has been going strong for more than 30 years. A favorite of students and locals, the place — a veritable institution around these parts — is as unfussy as it is sublime. Prices start at 2 Australian dollars for just-out-of-the-oven za’atar pizza covered in thyme, oregano, sumac, sesame seeds, and olive oil, and don’t go over 18 Australian dollars for generous platters of chicken tawouk and falafel. In between, you’ll find a thick pie filled with hunks of haloumi, fresh tabbouleh, and ful medames. While you’re there, grab a bag of freshly baked flatbreads to go.

The name gets it right; this place has easily the finest falafel in town, bright green and chunky on the inside, crisp on the outside. Friends Shuki Rosenboim and Louisa Allan grew their business from stalls at local markets to a permanent shop, gathering loyal customers along the way. The cute Brunswick storefront is seemingly always packed with young people in search of crisp salads, velvety hummus, sabich bursting with eggplant — and always falafel. If you like heat, ask for extra zhug, which is house-made and loaded with cilantro and green chile.

After working as a pastry chef in Napa Valley’s three-Michelin-starred Restaurant at Meadowood, Boris Portnoy moved to Australia for a change of pace. His community-focused bakery, All Are Welcome, is located in a converted Christian Science Reading Room in the hip neighborhood of Northcote. Viennoiseries go way beyond the classic croissant; expect to find bostock piled with fruit, gooey chocolate babka, and a fancy spin on khachapuri. During the colder months, don’t pass up a slice of the medovnik, an impressive 10-layer Slavic honey-and-buttercream cake. Portnoy also cooks next door at Gray and Gray, an exciting Georgian wine bar he co-owns with winemaker Mitch Sokolin.

First started as an in-home dining experience, Helly Raichura’s ode to regional Indian cuisines has graduated to a full-fledged restaurant. The chef champions the diversity of Indian cuisine, focusing her degustation menu on one region of the country at a time. Despite the restaurant upgrade, Enter Via Laundry has maintained its mix of mystery and conviviality: Guests only receive the Carlton North address upon booking, and they sit at a large shared table in the middle of the dining room. 

You’ll find plenty of industry types hanging out at Gerald’s Bar, where Heston Blumenthal has even been known to spin records behind the bar. For 15 years, owners Gerald Diffey and Mario Di Ienno have brought their jovial spirit to the bar, filling the place with laughter, good cheer, and happy times. The drink list is interesting and far-reaching, and there’s a simple bistro menu to keep you well fed.

Napier Quarter is the kind of place that will have you considering a move to the buzzy Fitzroy area. The tiny neighborhood gem transforms from an espresso bar in the morning to a wine bar in the afternoon. To match the European and Australian wine list, chef Eileen Horsnell creates inspired dishes with carefully selected local ingredients like pine mushrooms and Great Ocean Road duck. The rye toast with Spanish anchovies, boiled egg, mayo, and salsa verde has a legion of fans.

Melbourne is known for its cafes thanks to places like Cibi. Almost 15 years after opening, this Japanese cafe on a Collingwood backstreet is more popular than ever. The breakfast set is a staple, with grilled salmon, tamagoyaki, rice, potato salad, miso soup, natto, and pickles. With its mismatched furniture and greenery, Cibi feels like a true neighborhood spot. The light-filled space also features a Japanese grocery section and a design store where you can find things like yuzu miso and stone sake cups.  

Led by a team of hospitality superstars (vets of Marion, Cutler & Co., and Coda), this popular wine bar has a comfortable dining room with banquettes upstairs and a lively bar downstairs. The menu leans European, with dishes like duck and pork croquettes, potato focaccia (to dunk in chive oil, stracciatella, and pickled mushrooms), and a classic rum baba. The revolving wine list satisfies both lovers of traditional drops and offbeat natural ones. Melbourne’s beloved arthouse Cinema Nova is just around the corner for a perfect date-night pairing.

Sidestep your way through the kitchen to reach the dining room of the Old Raffles Place, which is charmingly decorated with fairy lights and photos of old Singapore. The owners, wife-and-husband team Carol and Alan Han, met while working in a hotel in their native Singapore, and after long careers in hospitality spanning across Asia and Australia, they opened this restaurant as their retirement project — but two decades later, they’re in their 70s and 80s, and having too much fun to quit. The char kway teow (rice and Hokkien noodles cooked with sweet soy sauce and packed with shrimp, Chinese sausage, and squid) and the Hokkien mee (Hokkien noodles, rice vermicelli, shrimp, squid, and pork belly braised in savory broth) are impeccable. But the crowd favorite might be the char koay kak, also called “carrot cake,” made of radish and rice cakes fried with sweet soy sauce, egg, garlic, bean sprouts, and chile.

When community-run Hope St Radio moved to the Collingwood Yards art precinct in 2021, it also opened a wine bar with colorful hand-painted murals and DJs playing through the evening. Chef Ellie Bouhadana keeps things simple and delicious with handmade pasta, seasonal produce, and fluffy focaccia. Natural wines are king, and best sipped in the leafy courtyard.

Melbourne’s Proud Mary Coffee runs popular brunch spot Proud Mary Cafe (with branches in Portland, Oregon, and Austin), but it’s this intimate shop and tasting room in a Collingwood warehouse where the brand focuses entirely on coffee. Sit down for a flight of single-origin espressos or try the super-smooth cold brew on tap. It’s a welcoming space, with free community cupping events held every week. Just don’t ask for cream in your coffee, since — as a barista might let you know — no milk is kept on the premises. Stock up on freshly roasted beans before leaving.

The team at Manzé don’t accept that wine bars have to rhyme with European food, instead focusing on Mauritian cuisine. Chef Nagesh Seethiah mainly explores bold Indo-Mauritian flavors, but also dabbles with the French, Chinese, and Creole influences that can be found on the African island. Think pumpkin confit in mustard oil, scallop with green mango pickle, and persimmon tarte Tatin. The set menu favors organic, ethically sourced ingredients, and the natural wine list follows similar principles. Small but welcoming, the North Melbourne 24-seater confirms that the best things often come in small packages.

The Queen Victoria Market is mentioned in every Melbourne travel list for a reason. It’s the largest open-air market in the Southern Hemisphere, housing more than 600 stalls and small businesses, and it’s still the de facto grocery store for thousands of locals. You can also grab an exceptional bite to eat: Start with a borek or a bratwurst in the deli section, and then follow up with chocolate from Koko Black, a hot jam doughnut from the American Doughnut Kitchen, and a flat white from Market Lane Coffee. On Wednesday evenings, street food vendors take over the market.

Eating a simple plate of spaghetti Bolognese at the Pellegrini’s counter is a quintessential Melbourne experience. Opened by Italian immigrants after World War II, Pellegrini’s was one of the first espresso bars in the city and is largely considered the birthplace of Australian cafe culture. Not much has changed here since 1954; the food is the same and so is the narrow room with its checkered floor and red-vinyl stools. There’s no menu so you’ll have to chat with the staff to learn what’s on offer that day. Your best bet is one of the old-school plates of pasta and a glass of the signature melon granita. An espresso is also a must.

Ask Australia’s most famous chefs about their favorite Melbourne restaurant, and many will namecheck Flower Drum, the almost 50-year-old Cantonese fine dining institution in Chinatown. Take the elevator up from the host stand to the large red-carpeted dining room and be awed by the besuited waiters who deliver some of the best formal service anywhere in the world. There are dumplings and noodles, a legendary Peking duck, and seafood by the kilo that’s fished out of tanks just prior to cooking. Most dishes are served with some level of tableside preparation and panache, adding to the pure theater of the experience.

Each day, office workers make a beeline for this dumpling shop nestled in a CBD arcade between retail stores and a smattering of other restaurants. The Shandong-style fish dumplings from this mother-daughter team are nothing short of iconic. Cylindrical and filled with a puffy mackerel-and-herb mousse, they are pan-fried till crisp and juicy. The veggie dumplings — with zucchini, tofu, black fungus, and noodles — and the squid-ink dumplings with garlic oil are also worth braving the crowds.

Sleek and modern, Embla is always buzzing with people enjoying the wine-friendly food from chef Dave Verheul and the boundary-pushing bottle list. A wood oven is the centerpiece of the kitchen, which is open all day (as is the bar). This spot is a must-do in Melbourne.

Named for the super-fine Italian flour, Tipo 00 turns out legendary pasta dishes. The dining room is light and bright, filling up quickly with the nearby office crowd day and night, so book early or come outside peak times. Pasta is mandatory for the full experience, but don’t sleep on the grilled ox tongue starter and chef Andrea Papadakis’s unique take on tiramisu.

Filipino cuisine is finally having its time in the sun in Melbourne. Tucked in a CBD laneway, Serai offers modern takes on Filipino classics from chef Ross Magnaye, who remixes the vibrant food he grew up with using Australian ingredients. Think kinilaw made with kangaroo on a roasted marrow bone or a hash brown covered in kare kare peanut sauce. The wine list is all-natural, and the bright cocktails are spiked with ingredients like calamansi and ube.

Request a seat at the bar to watch chef Khanh Nguyen and his team cook your meal over the red gum wood-fired hearth. The menu is mostly Southeast Asian, but borrows with brio from other cuisines as well. This can mean an intricate pate en croute with flavors of banh mi, or a duck sausage served with caramelized onions on white bread-shaped bao, a playful take on the Australian sausage sanga. Even Nigella Lawson gave her tick of approval, coming back for the spanner crab fried rice.

Chef Victor Liong delivers a new-style Chinese cuisine with finessed flavors and a deft touch. The set menu highlights seafood, from loligo squid to toothfish. For a more casual meal, order a la carte at the chef’s counter, and don’t miss the crispy eggplant that has achieved cult status. Lee Ho Fook’s location, in a hip hidden laneway, only increases its appeal.

Chef and restaurateur Andrew McConnell owns several beloved institutions in town, including upscale butcher Meatsmith to wine bar Marion. His most recent venture, Gimlet at Cavendish House, is his masterpiece. With its black marble bar, chandeliers, and curved banquettes, it’s all about old-school elegance and excess. Start with the eponymous gimlet cocktail, and then go all out with the caviar service and southern rock lobster wood-roasted in saffron rice. Or if you come for lunch, the steak tartare prepared tableside has the perfect amount of theatrics to make any weekday more exciting.

Amidst the office buildings in the CBD, walk downstairs to this basement gem and prepare to be dazzled by the luxurious space. Chef-owner and TV presenter Shane Delia travels frequently, discovering new flavors and recipes for his modern menu that takes hints from Malta, Lebanon, North Africa, Iran, and Turkey. For a more casual experience, check out Maha East in Windsor and Maha Bar in Collingwood.

Using native ingredients has become increasingly popular in Australia, but it’s nothing new for chef Nornie Bero, who grew up on one of the Torres Strait Islands in the northern part of the country. The self-professed “island girl” now showcases her culture and cuisine at all-day restaurant and bar Big Esso in Melbourne’s Federation Square. Here, buckets of charred prawns come with sea succulents, and kangaroo replaces beef in bourguignon. Her signature damper, a springy bread, is a must. Stock up on native condiments and herbs like strawberry gum before leaving.

Be prepared for a lively debate if you ask Melbournians which place makes the best banh mi. You’ll hear about Bun Bun, Trang, Nhu Lan, and To’s, which are all solid options. But Ca Com Bánh Mì Bar is in a different league. Launched as a pandemic side project by the owners of lauded restaurants Anchovy and Jeow, Ca Com takes the Vietnamese sandwich to new heights. Inside the crusty baguette, you’ll find fillings like herbaceous pork sausage, sardines in tomato sauce, or roasted pumpkin in Manchurian spice. Also, keep an eye out for desserts like pandan chiffon cake and Kopiko canelé.

A list of Melbourne essentials wouldn’t be complete without a pub, and it’s hard to beat St Kilda’s Espy with its five levels of eating, drinking, and music. Once an elegant hotel, the 140-year-old building has had a massive makeover to bring it back to its former glory. Think tropical wallpaper, velvet couches, and chandeliers. The seaside pub has 200 beer taps and two kitchens, one for classics like parma and fish and chips, the other for Cantonese.

Prepare to be wowed. Ben Shewry and his team are all about the details, right down to the knives forged by the staff. The tasting menu here is a unique mix of modern Australian with a strong focus on native ingredients. If you have ever wondered what barbecue crocodile ribs or emu liver pate taste like, you’ll find the answer here. Attica should be on your bucket list and not just because Shewry was on Netflix’s Chef’s Table.

Pita-wrapped, french fry-stuffed lamb souvlaki is Australia’s favorite late-night snack, but at Oakleigh’s Kalimera Souvlaki Art, owners Thomas Deliopoulos and Sylvia Gabriel opt for spit-roasted pork. They pack the meat into chargrilled pita along with onions, tomatoes, tzatziki, paprika, and fries — always fries. Attica’s Ben Shewry is a vocal fan.