Carlton

When veteran restaurateur Rinaldo Di Stasio started serving pizza for the first time, people duly took notice. Come for classic Margheritas and luxurious lobster pies in a colourful, artwork-filled space.

This bistro leans into white table-clothed dining, vintage wines and timeless dining. The menu defies definition, offering French onion soup through to Southeast Asian-style desserts like lychees with coconut custard.

The food and ambiance at this Melbourne institution have comforted generations of Lebanese Australians and introduced the cuisine to countless others. Come with a big group – if only to try as many dishes as possible.

Inspired by Italy’s Piedmont region, the Scopri team plates up house-made pastas and heavy-hitting secondi such as kid goat cooked on the bone. Don’t be fooled by the starchy white tablecloths – there’s nothing but a friendly, welcoming vibe at this Carlton classic.

Seafood comes first at this family-run 12-seat restaurant. Its fishmonger owners once ran a popular seafood stall at Footscray Market. Come for buttery lobster rolls with salmon roe, and blue swimmer crab marinated in gochujang.

This pasta spot has big nonna energy. Come for rigatoni doused in rich Napoli-style ragu, Italo-disco tunes and a yarn with the two owners – who draw inspiration from their upbringings in southern Italy.

This casual Indonesian eatery features all your street food favourites, with an entirely halal-friendly menu. Plus, you can browse the mini grocery section and take home hard-to-find Indonesian snack foods.

A loyal clientele and a satisfying pan-Asian menu have kept this vego institution humming for more than 30 years. Go for the signature satay skewers, nyonya curry and laksa. Kylie Minogue and the late David Bowie have been fans of this spot for a reason.

A Lygon Street espresso and cicchetti bar.

It might take you a minute to find the door, hidden inside Hareruya Pantry. But up the discreet staircase lies a beautifully minimalist bar with expertly crafted temaki rolls (cone-shaped hand rolls), and a 50-strong sake list favouring female brewers.

Little Italy wouldn’t be the same without this little joint. People have been lining up across its chequerboard floors for generous pastas, pizzas and parmigianas since the ’70s. But fear not – the queue moves fast.

As with its older sibling next door, you don’t come here for theatrics or artful presentation. You come here for no-frills Italian fare. Here the focus is on pizza. For the full experience, grab one of the outdoor tables on Lygon Street and order some cannoli for dessert. You won’t regret it.

This paddock-to-plate cafe and bistro sources much of its produce directly from the owners’ Gippsland farm, and uses it to serve up hearty breakfasts, plus harvest dinners with local DJs and booze.

In 2018, this Euro-Japanese fine diner moved from its home in Daylesford to Carlton. We're glad it's made the move to the city. The dishes here, delivered thoughtfully across several multi-course options, are a compelling argument for fusion done the right way.

Under the watchful eye of a 1.5-tonne steel dragon, Australia’s first outpost of international chain Panda Hot Pot is serving fiery DIY soup with a choice of 80 ingredients.

Looking to avoid the lines at the original, which set the gold standard for Hakata-style tonkotsu ramen in Melbourne? Head to Carlton.

An all-you-can-eat Japanese barbeque joint where you’ll be cooking wagyu over the coals and sipping ice-cold matcha beer.

The roller door goes up mid-morning at this sun-drenched Japanese eatery, and it’s worth getting in early to secure your picnic-ready bento box and Japanese-inspired gelato. Once you do, take your spoils across the street and enjoy in Lincoln Square.

Cult-followed lamingtons by a former Black Star Pastry chef. Alongside its playful range of lamingtons (think yuzu curd and cream; and fairy-bread popcorn), expect made-to-order onigiri, pork-katsu sausage rolls and miso-mushroom pies.

A vibrant corner shop that combines a cafe, wine shop, deli and general store. Enjoy its dippy eggs and morning plates, or grab a bottle of wine and bouquet to-go.

It’s named after (but is far more likeable than) the worst character in ’90s golf comedy Happy Gilmore. Expect sangas brimming with hot-honey fried chicken biscuits and fish 'n' chip butties.

Market Lane Coffee partners with the local artisan baker in a classically Carlton coffee shop.

Dench pastries, Coffee Supreme lattes and al fresco dining, all in a former power substation.

Old-school Italian coffee making gets a second wind at this Carlton cafe.

Four ex-soldiers are behind this cafe, which sells coffee direct from Timor.

A strong contender for Melbourne's best coffee (with a menu to match).

Tea and filter coffee specialist store.

Vietnamese-influenced dishes are just one of this cafe’s many tricks.

Is it a cocktail bar? A wine bar? A bistro? It’s all of that, depending on your mood and the occasion. Visit for standout Martinis with creative house twists, plus devilled eggs, veal schnitties and the possibility of making good friends.

The green heritage-style facade and mid-century decor give all the impressions of another classic pub. Yet the plant-based menu says otherwise. The eggplant “schnitzel” and fried cauliflower stand out; the diverse beers are a bonus.

Leonardo’s is the kind of place you can accidentally spend hours at, and wake up far dustier than planned. The pepperoni is a classic, and the jalapeno number with fermented pepper and bechamel is a spicy wake-up call in the low-lit diner.

The husband-wife duo behind one of Melbourne’s most-loved Italian restaurants run this walk-in bar. It nods to Piedmont with vitello tonnato, duck-and-porcini ragu and Italian wines.

Right opposite a university, this is a fine spot for students to miss lectures in. But it also welcomes everyone with its pub classics (from parmas to porterhouse steaks) and lush rooftop bar.

This 19th-century gastropub, with a vintage front bar and bistro, is among Melbourne’s best. It’s serving modern classics (including schnitzel with chicken butter) and a set menu that wouldn’t look out of place in a classy restaurant.

It was once Bob Hawke’s favourite watering hole; these days it’s a rock’n’roll icon. Bands often pack out the upper level, while DJs spin vinyl downstairs. Sonny’s, the in-house diner, has Southern-style fried chicken and banging burgers.

The crown jewel of the King and Godfree complex. A visit here comes with Italian-beach-club energy, amazing city views, Italian fare and summer-ready drinks. It’s all tied together by a soundtrack of Italo disco tunes.

Find high-quality gin, whisky, vodka and rum at the cityside sibling to Fossey’s Mildura. Go for cocktails mixed with house-made Christmas pudding gin, blood-orange vodka or butterscotch whisky. The food menu also makes use of the house spirits: expect fries with rum-infused sauce; or cider-marinated pork belly with gin-pickled vegetables.

This clean-cut gelateria deserves every metre of the long lines it routinely generates – the gelato here is some of Melbourne's very best.

Two chefs with Michelin-star cred are behind this creative patisserie, which is a love letter to French madeleines. Try their artistic sponge cakes in flavours like pandan, black sesame, and burnt butter and leatherwood honey.

Find an enchanting display of cakes at this patisserie, around since ’84. The New York cheesecake makes memories with a drizzle of raspberry coulis. The vanilla slice was once voted Melbourne’s best – and is still a cracker.

This gelato shop takes its cues from Southeast Asia, rather than Italy. Past flavours on owner Agusta Triwahyu's eclectic menu have included durian, lychee, Turkish Delight and even Malaysian condensed-milk tea.

Four generations of experience gives this traditional gelato, sorbet and granita shop a leg up. Plus, its location on a (relatively) quieter part of Lygon Street means that you'll rarely have to queue here.

Authentic French food purveyors for gourmands and gourmets alike.

A music-gear nerd’s dream.