Succulent, fatty flesh and crisp skin swaddled in a warm pancake with salty-sweet hoisin has been the cornerstone of the Cantonese fine-diner for 50 years this year, and it’s still one of the most delicious things to eat in Melbourne. Choose your favourites from the detailed menu, starting with cold appetisers, such as marinated jellyfish in a glistening sesame dressing, and working up to pot stickers, dumplings (three points to the puckering prawn har gao), fried rice or even the eye-wateringly expensive whole suckling pig. Or leave the decisions for the office, and opt for the chef’s signature six-course banquet. However you choose to do the Drum, know that the long-time favourite plays to new- and old-world tastes. 17 Market Lane, Melbourne; flowerdrum.melbourne

Located in a 19th-century bluestone building, Reed House’s menu does its historic environs justice with an old-school British menu that’s produce focused. Start with a Scotch egg, Welsh rarebit or a classic ploughman’s cheese plate with a bitey apple and onion chutney and pickles on the side, then move into something even heartier, such as the porterhouse steak with peppercorn sauce with spuds and malt vinegar mayo. With a classic British menu, trifle for dessert is guaranteed. 130 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne; reedhousemelbourne.com

So Frenchy and oh so chic, Chris Lucas’ latest offering to Melbourne plays a strong romantic suit, whichever part of the lavish four-level venue you choose. Pro tip: why not make a polyamorous night of it? Get in the mood sampling oysters and Champagne at the indoor-outdoor rooftop terrace, swing down to the dining room for classic Gallic dishes amid the smoky-mirrored elegance (hello, perfect rotisserie chicken), and finish in the basement club where live jazz and cocktails syncopate perfectly with the late-night supper menu of caviar and rock lobster rolls. 23 Bourke St, Melbourne; https://www.maisonbatard.com.au/

Super chef Andrew McConnell’s Gimlet in the grand 1920s-era Cavendish House epitomises laid-back glamour dining. Perch at the handsome timber bar for a cocktail and quick bite (go the one-bite gnocco fritto, loaded with parmesan custard and draped in melting wagyu bresaola), or settle in for serious long lunching, which may include half a southern rock lobster or grass-fed T-bone thrown over coals. Linger with dessert, maybe a scoop of gelato or a dainty financier to go with your espresso. 33 Russell St Melbourne; gimlet.melbourne

Part pasta bar, part wine bar, all fun, Tipo 00 is base camp for lovers of Italy’s favourite carb. The permanently over-subscribed spot on Little Bourke Street is harder to get into than the Vatican on a July afternoon, but persist and be rewarded with a tableau of tortelli stuffed with asparagus, goat’s cheese and garlic, squid ink tagliolini tangled around calamari and bottarga, and flags of mafaldine standing up to a luscious veal ragu. They’re always pouring plenty of interesting Italian wines by the glass, while the boozy Tipomisu remains a classic as eternal as Rome. 361 Little Bourke Street, Melbourne; tipo00.com.au

Follow the red neon sign that shines like a beacon beckoning the hungry down this very Melbourne laneway landscape. Choose from a tasting menu with highlights such as Sichuan-style pickled Spring Bay mussel with nasturtium vinegar and fennel flowers and Lacquered duck, or explore the dinner menu with the likes of Cumin spiced lamb rack with roasted peppers and pickled onions. Watch out too for the Lunar New Year specials. This is no cheap and cheerful canteen but chef Victor Liong’s unapologetic cooking prods the boundaries of tradition for memorable Chinese food not as you know it. The drinks menu showcases Australian wines by the bottle and glass and there is a small range of non-alcoholic drinks to choose from. 11-15 Duckboard Place, Melbourne; leehofook.com.au.

Greek home cooking with a Con Christopoulos spin. This pop-up turned mainstay has moved from its initial residence on Bourke Street to its permanent home inside The Melbourne Supper Club. It’s a menu of slow-cooked, olive-oil-forward dishes – braised pork with lemon, leek and potato; lamb with wild oregano; risoni with chicken and tomatoes. You’ll find a drinks list that champions Greek varietals, and traditional ultra-thick coffee. Desserts aren’t to be missed; honey and sesame ice cream sit or a delicate orange filo cake. Expect a night of dishes that could have come straight out of Yiayia’s kitchen. First Floor/161 Spring St, Melbourne.

Cumulus Inc. has been a fixture of the city’s ritzy ‘Paris end’ since 2008 and, with an ever-changing seasonal menu, you can bet the long-running Andrew McConnell restaurant is here to stay. Both a la carte and set menus reflect the best of the daily market haul. For two people looking to share, the 1.2kg slow-roasted lamb shoulder with almonds and red peppers is a house favourite. A plate of roast potatoes with confit garlic and fried capers makes for a hearty side. Like the fashion precinct it resides in, the Flinders Lane restaurant is constantly evolving without losing its sleek, laid-back and forever-classic feel. 45 Flinders Lane, Melbourne; cumulusinc.com.au

Once Melbourne’s favourite (only!) car park restaurant, Soi 38 moved to new premises at the end of 2024, but has kept the pared-back style it was famous for. Chavalit ‘Top’ Piyaphanee and his wife Phawinee ‘Tang’ Suwankamnerd are passionate about Bangkok street food, and their charcoal grilled meats, spicy soups, sausages and noodles make no concessions to Western tastes. From raw fish salads to fermented sauces, crunchy intestines and charcoal barbecue meats, Soi 38 has changed the city’s understanding of Thai food for the better. 235 Bourke Street, Melbourne; soi38.com

For those who are yet to dine at Vue de Monde, don’t worry. This restaurant high above the Melbourne CBD still offers an unforgettably elevated experience in both senses of the word. Be prepared for the kind of theatricality that elicits ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’, and mastery of technique that’s worthy of applause. The set menu changes with the seasons, and a fun sense of Australiana proves a winning combination for gastro tourists and local celebrations alike. Vue de monde is still one of the most expensive dining experiences in the country, and the wine list needs a redraw facility to properly explore, but for a clear vision of contemporary Australia on the plate, there are few that do it so well and so consistently. Level 55, Rialto Towers, 525 Collins Street, Melbourne; vuedemonde.com.au

Chin Chin is queue-tastically busy, its menu is crowd-pleasingly broad and, though it’s spawned a thousand imitators across the country, is still in a league of its own. No one’s coming here for a quiet, refined time to ponder the intricacies of a Thai-ish menu that runs more than four-dozen dishes deep. It’s big, it’s brash and it’s bold with flavours that tend to the sweet, bar the brilliantly brow-mopping duck larb. Sticky caramelised pork with a mouth-puckering sour herb salad is a great starter, with massaman curry one of many menu favourites that never gets tired. Excellent house beer collabs and cracking local crafties in tins are the perfect match. 125 Flinders Lane, Melbourne; chinchin.melbourne

Fire and food are the lifeblood of Grill Americano. The handsome space beams big New York energy, with dark features and lofty ceilings. Huddle into a clamshell banquette, or sip negronis at the white marble bar for a ringside view of the kitchen anchored by a custom-made wood-fire oven. Confetti-thin octopus carpaccio is tenderised, bunged in the oven for smoke appeal, then wrapped and steamed for a melt-in-your-mouth texture. Dressed in olive oil, chilli and parsley, it’s a marvel in flavour and technique. Black Angus beef eye fillet from the Josper grill is a flavoursome, well-treated cut. You’ll need sides, then just add a glass of something Italian from the cellar. 112 Flinders Lane, Melbourne; grillamericano.com

How do you define Gippsland on a plate? Farmer’s Daughters highlights the seasonal best of the region with a farm-to-table ethos. Catch a whisper of campfire smoke as you’re ushered through the bustling ground-floor deli and up a flight of stairs to the intimate dining room. Here you’ll get a taste of eastern Victoria across six or seven courses, with the option of pairing Gippy wines with each. You might try the likes of Lakes Entrance John Dory pan-seared until the skin is super crisp and perfectly charcoaled, propped up by umami-rich oyster mushrooms and bright tomatoes. Farmer’s Daughters is all about honest, regional cooking that puts the ingredients and producers on the map. 95 Exhibition Street, 80 Collins Precinct, Melbourne; farmersdaughters.com.au

Frank Camorra’s original CBD tapas restaurant is a beloved Melbourne institution, consistently delivering cult snacks and substantial raciones to hungry diners. It’s the place to go for a pre-show drink, a long, lazy lunch or a special dinner. Start with a platter of house-made Spanish smallgoods, olives and picos or creamy, whipped cod roe or pickled mussels. Other must-try hits include the paella de Marisco, highlighting local seafood – king prawns, garfish and Portarlington mussels and clams – or the classic beef cheek braised in sticky rich Pedro Ximénez served on cauliflower puree. Swirl a Spanish varietal in your glass, perhaps a red blend from Rías Baixas on the Galician coast, or slake with an ice-cold Moritz beer. 1 Hosier Lane, Melbourne; movida.com.au

When this basement diner opened in 2009, its ‘mod-Asian’ moniker sounded decidedly exotic, but Coda doesn’t need that descriptor anymore. Its ever-changing dishes slip between culinary boundaries like those long boats you see in Vietnam – here a Javanese curry, there a Saigon cutlet with French accents (pomme frites) along the way. Coda’s rich beef rendang is cold-day comfort food; quail larb san choy bow, chilli, lemongrass and mint is made for summer nights. And the crispy tapioca and prawn betel leaf with kaffir lime and green chilli? Enjoy it year round. The $75 set menu is both a cost-saver and a snapshot of Coda at its best. Service? Spot on, especially if you’re propped at the bar and getting the benefit of real booze knowledge. Basement, 141 Flinders Lane, Melbourne; codarestaurant.com.au