Food lovers rejoice, some of Melbourne’s best restaurants will be reopening this week. As of June 5, foodies in Melbourne will be able to breathe a sigh of relief and wave goodbye to the giant restaurant-shaped void in their lives. In line with Victoria’s easing restrictions, Crown Melbourne has announced a staged re-opening of its restaurants and hotels.

Some of the city’s most famous restaurants, including Nobu, Bistro Guillaume, Conservatory, Gradi and Merrywell Burger Bar will be among the first welcoming guests back. And if that news doesn’t bring a happy tear (or fifty) to the corner of your eye, then you may need to check the freezer for your ice-cold heart.

The restaurants will be implementing several protocols to ensure the safety of visitors and employees. Among them, high frequency cleaning schedules, temperature checks, mandatory physical distancing measures in-line with government requirements, venue capacity limits and increased space between tables.

Several additional measures are also being deployed, including: single use menus, maximum group size of six at one table, suspension of self-serve and buffet style service, and extra hand sanitiser units in the restaurants.Restaurant guests will be required to sanitise their hands upon entering the restaurant and to provide contact details to assist with rapid contact tracing.

Naturally, bookings are essential with a capital E, so contact your restaurant of choice as a matter of priority.