Jose Fernandez’s Armstrong St tapas bar makes you forget you’re in Midwest Victoria. The room is Barcelona busy, warm, compact and full of personality, with Spanish bodega energy. The menu dances around Spain with bar bites that match the vibrant mood. The monthly flamenco nights are worth the drive from Melbourne, where you can burn off calories after eating your fill of croquetas and patatas. 33 Armstrong St North, Ballarat Central; @meigas_ballarat

Chef Damien Jones returned to Ballarat with Michelin-starred training from Nahm in London, reflected in his modern Asian cooking. The low-lit, intimate room in Bakery Hill is where dishes like crisp duck leg with longans and galangal, fragrant Chiang Mai curry are served. Produce often comes from the restaurant’s own greenhouse. Open for dinner Wednesday to Saturday only, so book ahead. 42-44 Main Rd, Bakery Hill; mrjonesdining.com.au

History buffs will appreciate the original gold-leaf signature of signwriter Roy Hammond etched into the laneway window of the spirit and wine bar named after him. Forget your last trainwreck of a Tinder date and befriend some local Ballarat blokes while working your way through a few of the 100 gins and 100 whiskies lining the shelves. Don’t leave without indulging in a few Asian fusion dishes such as Korean fried chicken, gyoza and bánh mì. Continue eating your feelings at Yum Cha Sunday. 24-28 Armstrong Street North, Ballarat Central; royhammond.com.au

Born in Spain and raised in Venezuela, Jose Fernandez opened Pancho in 2019 alongside Simone Baur-Schmid to celebrate Latin American culinary treasures. The menu tangos around the continent with signature dishes such as ceviche, empanadas and tostadas. Check the specials board which extends into Bolivia, Uruguay and beyond. Order a few cocktails and let the fiesta begin at this must-visit spot that encapsulates where Ballarat is at. 213 Mair St, Ballarat; @pancho_ballarat

Chef Derek Boath trained at three-Michelin-starred Per Se in New York before returning to regional Victoria to open this 20-seat farm-to-table restaurant. Named after the Swedish word for delectable, the intimate space is open for dinner Friday and Saturdays only. Each set menu dish showcases Ballarat’s bounty, cementing its reputation as one of the best fine dining restaurants in the region. Bookings are essential. 3 Doveton St North, Ballarat Central; underbar.com.au

Make a beeline for Babae, which is named for the ancient Latin word for ‘wonder and amazement’ and earns the reference. Tucked inside Hotel Vera, this 26-seat fine diner is built around the Goldfield’s best growers and producers who help shape the menu. The kitchen garden supplies what the farms don’t, resulting in regional Victorian bounty on the plate, executed with real precision by head chef Roy Rosenfeld. 710 Sturt St, Ballarat Central; hotelballarat.com.au/babae

Housed in a heritage building, Cobb’s Coffee is Ballarat’s benchmark for specialty coffee. The team behind Melbourne’s Rumble Coffee run the show, meaning sourcing and extraction are taken seriously. A tight menu of freshly baked pastries keeps things simple. Melbourne coffee snobs and locals appreciate the beverages and the light-filled cafe is one of the best in Ballarat. 2 Lydiard St, Ballarat South; cobbscoffee.com.au

The story of Saigon Allée starts in Danang, where Lucy grew up cooking alongside her grandmother, and returns to Ballarat, where her husband Rick grew up. The two met when Rick was travelling in Vietnam in 2007 and they have spent a decade turning their passion for Vietnamese cuisine into one of Ballarat’s most beloved restaurants. Tuck into warming bowls of pho and tôm xào bơ tỏi (garlic-butter prawns). The colourful eatery is one of many reasons locals love to brag about Ballarat. 30 Armstrong St, North Ballarat; saigonallee.com.au

Ballarat’s most storied pub has been pouring since 1862, when Jeremiah Finnigan was handed the first publican’s licence during the height of the gold rush. Over 160 years later, The Mallow is still the beating heart of Skipton Street with its AFL energy, Hop Dog Tuesdays ($15 gets you a pot and a supercharged sausage) and patron-pleasing plates of fish and chips and mushroom risotto. Continue along your merry way the next day exploring the state’s cosy regional towns. 18/20 Skipton St, Ballarat Central; themallowhotel.com.au

A bluestone grain house dating to 1883 in central Ballarat has been reborn as a saloon-style bar. At its centre are mahogany bars shipped from the US, including one hand-carved in Chicago in the 1880s, now under sparkling chandeliers that channel gold-rush glamour. Eight house-made gins, two vodkas and classic cocktails complete the offering. A 40-seater speakeasy operates by invitation only. 35 Armstrong St, North Ballarat; grainerylane.com.au

Named for Lola Montez, the exotic dancer who scandalised the Ballarat goldfields in 1855, this 55-seater bistro inside the ornate 1909 Provincial Hotel has her showgirl spirit baked in. Think Parisian bistro with Riviera energy: plush interiors by designer Kathryn Mills, a natural wine list and seasonal menu running from lobster and prawn rolls with Yarra Valley caviar to crumbed pork cotoletta with fennel slaw and tonnato cream. A cocktail caravan awaits in the courtyard. 121 Lydiard St North, Ballarat; theprovincialballarat.com.au

Brothers Chris and Tim Matthews named their Armstrong Street pizzeria after their great-grandfather, a blacksmith. That local pride is soldered on to everything they do, from the 48-hour aged dough to the menu that’s Italian in technique but Victorian in execution. Tuck into the slow-cooked western Victorian lamb with Meredith goat’s cheese and rosemary; or the Blacksmith a pizza layered with pork and fennel sausage, mushroom and mozzarella. The drinks list runs 80 per cent local. It seats 200 and still fills up. 14 Armstrong St North, Ballarat; theforgepizzeria.com

Itinerant Spirits occupies a reimagined bluestone Goods Shed steps from the train station, where copper stills reach toward cathedral-high ceilings in a space that feels like a shrine to the craft. Small-batch gin, vodka and whisky are distilled onsite using ingredients sourced from Victoria. A standout on any Melbourne weekend escape. Visit on a weekend for a Spirits Explorer Session. 200 Lydiard Street North, Soldiers Hill, Victoria; itinerantspirits.com

Get off the dating apps. This is the kind of little foxhole where you might meet someone in real life. From Ballarat brothers Teddy and Louis Powlett comes this bistro-theque where disco moods, thoughtful cocktails and small plates attract tatted-up cool kids in their droves. Fun fact: Renard, French for fox, is a tongue-in-cheek nod to the hospo bros’ former nightclub The Faux Social Club, routinely mispronounced as The Fox. Hunker down in the low-lit bar to see why it made the list of Boothby’s Top 50 Victorian Bars three years running. renardballarat.com.au

Ballarat brothers Teddy and Louis Powlett, behind Renard, have struck gold again with Wayward Winery, 45 minutes from the city in Midwest Victoria. The estate is surrounded by canola crops which butter the countryside yellow. Onsite, Embr is a wood-fired kitchen led by chef Liam Downes, doling out dishes like flatbread with beetroot and tahini, mortadella pizza and smoke-kissed pork skewers. Pair your feast with cool-climate drops. 76 Quoin Hill Rd, Waubra; waywardwinery.com.au