9 Best Restaurants in Melbourne, Victoria

One of the best tables in town, this upscale bistro treads a very fine line between mannered elegance and decadence. A sleek marble bar and modishly ravaged walls contribute to the sense that you've stepped into a scene from La Dolce Vita. Happily, the restaurant is as serious about its food as its sense of style. Crisply roasted duck is now a local legend, and the pasta is always al dente. For an informal drink before your meal, an adjoining bar has local wines and a light menu of the same high standards for those who failed to get a booking. For long lunches in sunny courtyards, book a table at its sublime Carlton restaurant, there's also an outpost in the city center.

Since 1928, dining at Florentino has meant experiencing the pinnacle of Melbourne hospitality. After taking a seat in the famous mural room, with its huge chandeliers, wooden panels, and Florentine murals, you can sample dishes like suckling pig, and duck and porcini tortellini from the à la carte menu. The seven-course tasting menu costs A$210. Downstairs, the Grill focuses on wood-fired dishes including pici (pasta) with wild boar ragu or grass-fed steaks, while in the Cellar Bar, you can start your day with Italian pastries and espresso on the outside tables from 9 am, or finish the night with a glass of wine and pasta of the day.

With one of Melbourne's first espresso machines installed here in 1954, it was the beginning of the city's love affair with both Italian coffee and Pellegrini's, and the creation of a city institution. Take a stool at the bar or the table in the kitchen and choose from such classics as lasagna or cannelloni—servings are fresh, fast, and vast—then let the staff talk you into a slab of strudel to finish. The off-menu watermelon granita is a delight.

This is the place for authentic Italian pizza: chef Johnny Di Francesco trained in Naples to make pizza to the Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana rules, and has consistently won titles of world's best margherita, and also best pizzeria in Oceania. Besides pizza, the restaurant serves excellent pasta and other Italian dishes in a buzzing section of Lygon Street. There are also iterations in Essendon, Southbank, Mornington and the Yarra Valley and an aptly titled gelato spinoff, Zero Gradi, in locations including Brunswick and Crown Casino.

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).

A major player in Melbourne's pizza wars, D.O.C. has perfected the art of using fresh, simple ingredients to create something special. The real treat lies in the pizza of the day. One with Ubriaco Amarone cheese, Romana artichokes, smoked toasted almonds, radicchio, and shaved Parmesan might be on offer. Whatever is in season or comes in, they will use. A Belgian white chocolate pizza is at the ready for those with a sweet tooth. They also have a delicatessen around the corner, which could be a good option for a packed lunch, and there are other locations in Southbank, St. Kilda, Surry Hills, and the picturesque seaside town of Mornington.

For comfort food in comfortable surrounds, the Gertrude obliges. The stylish gastropub's Italian-inspired menu sees pizza and chicken parmigiana on the menu, complemented with crab linguini, a market fish, and the obligatory tiramisu for dessert. Many dishes can be made gluten-free. Look for its daily happy hours, and Monday is steak night. Spend Sunday afternoon over pizza with live jazz in the background; their martinis are good, too. 

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.

A local favorite, this stellar Italian bistro emphasizes flavor over starchy linen and stuffy attitude. Wood-fired pizzas, which some insist are the best in the city, put this suburban gem on the map (thankfully, it's only a short walk from the city). Nonpasta options might include a shellfish risotto or lasagne, and the service is as upbeat as the wine list. Vegan and gluten-free options are available.