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Melbourne has fabulous food, and is known in some circles as Australia's food capital. The restaurants themselves are often exceptionally stylish and elegant—or totally edgy and funky in their own individual way. Some are even deliberately grungy. The dining scene is a vast array of cuisines and experiences that's constantly evolving. The swankiest (and most expensive) restaurants all have five- to eight-course degustation menus (with the opportunity to wine-match each course), but newer restaurants are opting for tapas-style or grazing plates. Flexibility is the new word in dining—restaurants are often also funky bars and vice versa.
If you're looking for a quintessential Italian dining experience in a place where it's easy to imagine yourself back in the old country, this is it. Fashionable, look-at-me types flock here for coffee and pastries downstairs, or more-leisurely meals upstairs in the warm, woody dining room. Try the melt-in-your-mouth carpaccio, or calamari Sant' Andrea (lightly floured and shallow fried).
Melbourne celebrates its Italian community in this new hub, the first overseas outpost of the hugely successful markets in Florence and Rome. Step in the huge halls to find 23 stalls dedicated to things like fresh-baked bread, coffee, cannoli, pizza, fresh fish, and aged meats—there's even a gluten-free risotto stall. Shop for a to-go meal or take a seat in the restaurant or pizzeria upstairs for table service—they take reservations here. Shop for organic wines or cozy up in the cocktail bar for an aperitivo. il Mercato is open until midnight on Friday and Saturday night but bring your credit card, as the market is cashless.
