You could say Melbourne’s second tiramisu wave started here in 2022, amid the blue velvet plushness of Chris Lucas’ ode to the high-end steakhouse. It’s more Milan than New York or Paris, as shown by the show-stopping tiramisu, scooped from an enormous bowl at the table by a white-jacketed waiter. Swoony theatrics aside, there’s real integrity to the ‘tiramisu Americano’ here that elevates it above its brethren, from the thick snowfall of soft cocoa powder on top to the furtive layer of thin tempered chocolate lurking in the middle that delivers a thrilling crack when it encounters a spoon. 112 Flinders Ln, Melbourne; grillamericano.com

Like the 12 days of Christmas delivered every day of the year, this bayside joint’s dozen-strong tiramisu menu spreads its ambit wide but comes up trumps with combos like the Snickers (that’d be salted caramel and chocolate), raspberry, matcha and cookies and cream.This is a place for the folk who like their tiramisu built on strong-enough foundations to sit up proudly rather than slumping into a bowl (all the better for Instagram, my dear). It’s the kind of tiramisu that doesn’t need to come at the end of a meal, because it’s sexy enough to demand headline-act status. 5 Waltham St, Sandringham, @tiramisu.galleria

Another single-minded tiramisu specialist, this time keeping citizens of the leafy east up to their eyeballs in caffeinated clouds of mascarpone. Founder Jasmine Caruana and her family weave their Italian heritage into a tiramisu that’s got the goods, from its ‘Nonna’s classic’ OG and a core range of flavours playing with the Italian colour wheel – yes, we’re talking about pistachio and limoncello – to monthly specials like choc hazelnut and fairy bread. Get a scoop from the trays lining the counter to go or, better still, go deeper into the Italian program by settling down at a table for an espresso-charged round of the card game Briscola. You can even bring your four-legged friend along for a special treat – there’s a ‘Pupimisu’ available for pooches. 97 Auburn Rd, Hawthorn East; sioratiramisu.com.au

Remo Nicolini and his A25 Pizzeria crew have long understood that Italian culinary brilliance always starts with simplicity and impeccable ingredients. At their newest city outpost, that philosophy lands with real-world punch: a tight, clever pasta menu built for lean-budget times, and a full tiramisu laboratorio where Dukes coffee is poured in‑house and folded straight into the signature dessert. Flavours include classico, pistachio, limoncello, Nutella and (if you’re lucky) Biscoff. Feeling bold? Combine the two worlds into one with the tiramisu latte – a creamy, caffeinated mic drop that’s fast becoming Melbourne’s latest viral spin on the classic Italian dolce. 198 Little Collins St, Melbourne; remospasta.com.au

Tiramisu takes a holiday to Thailand at this fragrant surprise package tucked inside the historic Carlton United Brewery building on Swanston Street, the uni-student-populated spine of Melbourne. Here, the classic Italian dessert is reimagined through an Asian lens, resulting in a vibrantly moss-coloured, velvet-textured show-stopper that proves it is easy being green. This avocado and coconut cream tiramisu delivers a nutty, well‑balanced sweetness, lifted with a jasmine infusion and a subtle whisper of genmaicha (Japanese green tea with roasted popped brown rice). A roasted brown‑rice garnish doubles down on those welcome toasty vibes, giving each spoonful depth and toothsome crunch. 553 Swanston St, Carlton; regaler.com.au

This single-minded temple of tiramisu worship takes its mission very seriously – so much so that brothers and owners Clancy and Finley Ivanac make most of their ingredients in-house, from the mascarpone to the savoiardi (ladyfinger) biscuits, of which they’ve nailed the perfect, spongy flavour-sopper. In a backstreet Fitzroy warehouse that’s been given a Zen-like glow-up, they deliver a kaleidoscope of flavours beyond the classic: think Earl Grey, banana miso caramel and genmaicha (green tea with roasted brown rice). It’s equal parts hagiography, heresy – the sort we certainly wouldn’t burn them at the stake for, though – and downright brilliant. 106 Leicester St, Fitzroy; pintotiramisu.com.au

With Instagram-bait sibling Bistro Morgan Bakehouse right next door, you could be forgiven for having your head turned by the rainbow-hued display of sweet things jostling for attention at the counter. But resist and take a seat in patisserie wunderkind Morgan Hipworth’s Euro bistro, and be rewarded by a final tiramisu flourish. Another venue flying the flag for tableside scooping, here you’ll find a version that proves Biscoff is coffee’s best friend, along with the unique addition of spiced rum to really amp up the enveloping warmth. Pro tip: you can pop in just for dessert, if the mood strikes you. 402 Brunswick St, Fitzroy; maven.melbourne

Any hand-wringing over the Florentino baton passing from the Grossi family to Rebecca Yazbek’s Edition Group should be forgotten by the end of the meal in this, the city’s most stately and storied dining room. The tiramisu here is all airy lightness, bedded in the coffee-soaked sweetness of pavesini sponge-finger biscuits. If you’re after a faster affair that’s just as sweet, the tiramisu is also on offer in the more casual Florentino cafe downstairs, and in the Arlechin laneway bar. Or head next door to salumi bar Ombra for a tiramisu gelato sundae drizzled in chocolate and coffee sauce. 80 Bourke St, Melbourne; florentino.melbourne

No matter how many square slices of American-style pizza you have consumed at this terrazzo-floored, retro-styled pizza hotspot, there should always be room left over to end on a triumphantly sweet and creamy note of chocolate, coffee, mascarpone and booze. The booze in question here is Averna amaro, which lends Capitano’s tiramisu its warm richness, punched up with hazelnuts and so much coffee, it’s in danger of keeping you up past midnight. The serve claims to be for one, but you don’t have to be a MENSA member to realise that this can just as easily be a two-spoon proposition. 421 Rathdowne St, Carlton; capitano.com.au

The lace curtains at the window of this little haunt near the Queen Victoria Market are unabashedly grandma-core, but the atmosphere inside is more like a tiramisu salon, where dessert aficionados gather to share the joy. Step into a world of analogue knick-knacks and a rotating tiramisu flavour bonanza that might include banana, Biscoff and Oreo (together, not separately) or strawberry and fig. There is a caveat: it’s a self-serve and pay-by-weight operation, which means you can mix and match flavours to your heart’s content, but this can also pose a problem for anyone lacking in the art of self restraint. 408 Queen St, Melbourne; @queenst_bb