Grill Americano, CBD
Steak might be the star, but it’s just one of many stand-outs at Grill Americano, the bold, theatrical newcomer from prolific Melbourne restaurateur Chris Lucas – also behind Chin Chin, Society, Yakimono, Baby Pizza and Hawker Hall. On Flinders Lane, it’s his glamorous revival of the Italian steakhouse, with Venetian elegance, New York grandeur and Melbourne nostalgia. He calls it a “reimagining [of] the amazing grills and brasseries that we used to have here in Melbourne back in the ’60s and ’70s and early ’80s.” Slink into a plush banquette and feast on lavish scampi-for-two atop saffron pilaf and tricked-up tiramisu, scooped tableside (dessert is unmissable here). Or perch at the curvaceous marble bar with a signature Americano and hunks of parmigiano drizzled with chestnut honey.

Osteria Renata, Prahran
Look for the lush olive-green facade on High Street in Prahran and that’s where you’ll find Osteria Renata, the new Italian diner by the Park Street Pasta & Wine crew. The handsome restaurant and wine bar shares some of the same European charm that diners have come to love at Park Street (which might have something to do with how tough it is to get a booking at the moment). But the kitchen is so much larger that there’s a dedicated “pasta lab” – the new pasta production HQ for both venues. The delightfully light-filled space is somewhere you’ll want to linger – with crowd-pleasing snacks like cacio e pepe gnocchi fritti and charry octopus spiedini (skewers) with ‘nduja, and centrepiece pastas like the extravagant rock lobster spaghetti, finished with a light bisque made from the shells.

Connie’s, CBD
A vintage jukebox. Clusters of disco balls. And red vinyl everywhere. Russell Street’s new Italian disco diner could’ve been plucked straight from an old-school movie. And that’s exactly how owners Zara and Michael Madrusan (The Everleigh, Bar Margaux and Heartbreaker) intended it. Connie’s Italian Diner is an extension of the couple’s original hole-in-the-wall pizzeria, which remains inside their rollicking bar Heartbreaker at street level. Ascend the stairs for classic pastas and grandma pies, “tirami-sundaes” (a soft-serve hybrid we didn’t know we needed) and cocktail pitchers. Or spill out onto the spacious rooftop terrace, which looks over Lonsdale Street and has a huge mural dedicated to the Italian amaro Cynar.

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Rocco’s Bologna Discoteca, Fitzroy
Channelling trattorias of years gone by – and visits to Nonna’s house – the Poodle team’s wildly popular lockdown sandwich pop-up has popped down roots on Gertrude Street in Fitzroy. And it’s all about all-out Italiana. By day, the menu revolves, of course, around the beloved Rocco’s sandwiches, which were an instant hit in lockdown (particularly when billed by the team as “Italian Maccas”). That includes the signature saucy meatball sub and fried-bologna sandwich, as well as a want-for-nothing continental roll. By night, there’s a slew of larger Italian-style dishes – including phenomenal flatbread with pesto Modenese – and house-made Italian liqueurs, in a nostalgic space full of rich amber-wood details and curtain-covered windows.

This article was updated on September 21 to reflect the closure of Cucina Povera.