Sure, you could take a window table at Bourke Street’s Grossi Grill just for the best people-watching Melbourne has to offer, but those in the know will tell you it’s the pasta that’s the real attention seeker at this wonderfully refined, yet casual, sibling to the pinky-up styles of Florentino upstairs.

Quietly showing the new generation of Melbourne’s pasta bars how it’s done, such plates as the testaroli – a Tuscan chickpea-pancake style pasta vibrant with basil and parmesan – are as unique as they are delicious. Hand-rolled pici – think fat spaghetti – teamed with house-made pork sausage is the definition of comfort while Tuscan tortelli, plump with ricotta and spinach, are simply sublime.

Grill in name and in nature, steak remains an excellent option, the asado delivering a glorious salted crust to one of five namechecked options that sing when teamed with perfectly dressed leafy greens and a cannellini bean salad.

Authentically accented service is as big-hearted as the wine list is large, sharing a cellar as it does with the top-end-of-town magnet upstairs. 

Accessible, hospitable and genuinely welcoming, Grossi Grill still delivers a masterclass in Italian with class. 

Must Eat Dish: Testaroli, basil, olive oil, parmigiano