Blending elements of Melbourne cafe, European wine bar and Tokyo-style “listening bar”, this buzzing spot hosts vinyl-only DJs five nights a week, with no cover charges. It’s one of the best places in town to hear recorded music.

Named after a classic Jeff Buckley song, this grungy warehouse wine bar feels like a dinner party in a New York loft apartment. Come for nostalgic dishes with a French bistro lean, music played on vinyl and plenty of interesting wine.

Squeeze into this tiny, 100-year-old caretaker’s quarters for what may be Victoria’s smallest pub. Behind Tassie oak bar you’ll find Guinness on tap, a short cocktail list and British pub snacks to keep you mint.

Right across from Prahran Market, the facade isn’t exactly attention-grabbing. But what’s inside certainly is. The stomping fried-chicken sanga and rotating pasta line-up make this communal wine bar a local’s favourite.

This west-side wine bar and bottle shop, run by locals, is compact but comprehensive. Grab a bottle to go, or stick around for freshly shucked oysters, local beers and approachable wines in the colourful courtyard out back.

A petite wine bar straddling the homey, community feel of old Footscray and the newer wave of trendy boozers. Come for easygoing, minimal-intervention wines from lesser-known producers, BYO food from Barkly Street’s best eateries and a lounge room atmosphere (including board games).

Two winemakers are behind this cosy wine bar, which pours natural drops from Australia and Europe. Sit in the heritage-listed building and enjoy a glass with some charcuterie, or grab a bottle and some deli snacks to go.

In a timber-panelled room that feels of another time, get ready for four types of Martini, a daily menu of shellfish on ice, and a stand-out crème caramel dessert.

This bar is a true local’s haunt. Friends, family and neighbours gather out front or up at the timber-clad bar to have a yarn, sip on a Victorian ale and order in food from nearby restaurants.

Named after a Tom Petty album – and rocking an appropriate soundtrack – Lulie’s Cali-inspired rooftop bar is all sun, stone and succulents. Head upstairs for zesty cocktails from a cactus-shaped dispenser and a riff on the Hungry Jack’s Whopper.

A rollicking good-times pizzeria from the Leonard's House of Love crew. It’s the kind of place you could accidentally spend hours in, and wake up dustier than you’d planned. It's almost always busy here (luckily you can book ahead) thanks to those standout pepperoni pies.

Do all north-side first dates happen at Uncle Joe’s? It’s a fair question. You could boil it down to the simple and classic cocktails, fun vibe, and proximity to pizza from Mankoushe next door if things are going well and drinks turn into a casual dinner.

Skip the wine list and pluck your selection straight off the wall at this friendly suburban spot. There are more than 200 bottles to have in or take away, plus wines by-the-glass and a solid range of craft beers. A menu of cheese, antipasto, charcuterie and pizza will see you through the night.

A 70-seater neighbourhood wine bar in a former antiques-restoration shop. Bathe in the chandelier’s buttery glow in the front room, or head out back to get toasty by the fire. There’s a 180-strong wine wall, plus hummus swimming in chilli oil and charcuterie hampers to go.

If you’re really into burgers, tick Leonard’s off the list. This ’70s log cabin-themed burger bar serves some of Melbourne’s best. Expect American-style burger combos centred around beef, chicken, mushroom and vegan pattys. It’s also dog-friendly, so your furry friend might be begging tableside for a bite.

This neighbourhood wine bar may be small, but its award-winning wine list is mighty. Choose a glass or bottle from over 500 wines. Enjoy it with bar snacks and board games – either in the intimate indoor seating or breezy rear courtyard.

The crown jewel of the King and Godfree complex. A visit here comes with Italian-beach-club energy, amazing city views, Italian fare and summer-ready drinks. It’s all tied together by a soundtrack of Italo disco tunes.

Choose your own adventure across three bars, 12 bowling lanes, a gaming arcade, a dance floor and a massive beer garden. At this spot (which has room for 600 punters) you clearly come for the activities. But you stay for the 45 beer taps, kegged cocktails, pizzas and pub food.

Everyone (and their dog) is welcome at this bar, inspired by a short-lived Italian micronation from the ’60s. BYO food, enjoy Victorian brewers on tap, have a glass of natural wine and hang out with the locals.

The prolific publicans behind some of Melbourne's most popular venues are pouring minimal-intervention wine and classic cocktails at this handsome suburban spot. To eat it's cheese boards and woodfired pies from the pizzeria next-door.

From live music to a weekly book club, this neighbourhood wine bar is all about community. Visit for a Victorian-heavy wine list, a rotating snack menu and dog-friendly courtyard.

Housed within a traditional terrace, Milton Wine Shop is the kind of place where lo-fi and classic drops hold equal footing on the evolving wine list. When hunger strikes, there's a short list of seasonal snacks that pairs beautifully with whatever's pouring at the bar.

One of the city’s most prolific bar owners is behind this pint-sized bar and bottle-o. Like a mini wine library, Bijou invites you to grab a table, peruse its floor-to-ceiling wine shelves and settle in to watch the world go by.

Shane Delia’s cocktail bar, right next to his flagship Maha restaurant. Enter for classic cocktails turned on their head by a world-class bartender and a cracking bar menu of beefy borek buns, taramasalata tarts and a saucy lamb sanga.

Settle in at the car-park-turned-rooftop-bar for Greek-inspired cocktails or unwind in a booth downstairs. Wines are mostly Greek and Aussie, and share plates include saganaki croquettes and taramasalata with caviar.

Like many bars, the idea for Lenny’s formed over a drinks with friends. Buy a bottle to drink in or takeaway. You can order pizza from neighbouring Homeslice and enjoy it in the courtyard, on the footpath or inside.

Nominally it’s a wine bar, but Embla’s charms are far more profound than those two words suggest. Come here for some of the city’s best food, paired with an idiosyncratic wine list poured by staff who give a damn.

This swish bar – decked out in emerald marble and plush velvet – was once a Bakers Delight. Now, it's a buzzy bistro and wine bar from a former Fitzroy Town Hall head chef and the owner of nearby wine bar Barkley Johnson. Visit for a caramelised-onion baguette, whole fish swimming in miso butter and a peachy aperitif cocktail.

Gerald Diffey and Mario Di Ienno’s storied neighbourhood bar brims with nostalgia. Vintage books, yesteryear’s wine bottles and a glimmering disco ball decorate the space – but the thing you’ll notice most is warm, old-school hospitality. The menus turn on a dime, so you’ll always have reasons to keep coming back.

Everything is made from scratch at this wine bar from a young owner-chef with experience at Michelin star restaurants. The menu changes each week (but retains a nostalgic, familiar slant) and the walls are covered with Australian art.

Walk down the nondescript staircase and let your eyes adjust. There’s no natural light at this New York-inspired French bistro – that’s why it’s so easy to lose track of time here. It's also home to one of Melbourne's most famous late-night burgers.

The sibling of Neighbourhood Wine is cool and comfortable. Take a seat at the bar, or in front of an open fire, and enjoy the rotating share plates and easy-drinking wines.

A homey neighbourhood wine bar set in a Victorian-era building. Find filled-to-the-brim bagels and Reubens by day, and fancy bar snacks and wines that punch above their weight by night.

It’s a tiny spot, but the romantic, elbow-to-elbow ambience at Thirty Eight Chairs increases the chances of getting to know your neighbours – and maybe even sharing a bottle of wine with them. Pastas pay homage to all the family classics and are made from scratch.

Can’t get a booking at the Yarraville fine diner? Want an alternative to the stellar tasting menu? Go next door for salt-and-vinegar fish skins and “ducklava”, or small-batch aperitivi poured by their maker.

From the mind of acclaimed chef Victor Liong, this diner reimagines traditional Chinese flavours through a refined modern lens. Look for it down a graffiti-covered alley off Flinders Lane.

This neighbourhood spot has an all-day cafe, diner, gallery space and courtyard with views of the Abbotsford Convent. It’ll take you right through your day, from your morning coffee to your late-night share plates and local lo-fi wines. As for food? Expect hearty veggie soups, charcuterie plates, mussels steeped in chilli and tomato sauce, and more.

A tribute to the owner’s Calabrian-born father, Umberto plates up cucina casalinga homestyle cooking and classic Italian aperitivi in a former shoe shop. It’s also home to Gigi, a rooftop bar where you can sip a Negroni with one-of-a-kind views.

A Euro-inspired wine bar, wine shop and deli set beneath The Prince Hotel. Enjoy classic Australian and European wines; cheese, charcuterie and small snacking plates from the deli; and descend to one of Melbourne’s most impressive wine cellars.

This intimate wine bar and diner is helping to put Mauritian food on Melbourne’s culinary map. Try quintessential Mauritian dishes (which go hard on okra, pickled produce and seafood) with curated natural wines.

With vintage prints on the walls and Miles Davis on the record player, Bar Thyme has an old-school charm about it. Stop by for French-influenced dishes by an ex-Movida chef, a casual glass from the lo-fi wine list, or both.

A neighbourhood wine bar serving a mix of Australian and European drops alongside small grazing plates. Go for a jamon plate, build-your-own cheeseboard, or order woodfired pizzas delivered from the nearby Il Caminetto. Enjoy wines by the glass or take your pick from more than 250 bottles next door.

From morning to night, this laid-back spot is plating a new wave of Chinese-Australian dishes. Come early for coffee and congee, or later for beef sandos and a Chinese spin on spaghetti and meatballs.

Open since 1986, France Soir is one of Melbourne’s pre-eminent restaurants – attracting the likes of Bruce Springsteen and Mick Jagger. Find classic French staples from steak tartare to margret de canard (duck breast) for mains, to crème brûlée for dessert.

Architect-turned-chef Audrey Shaw worked at London’s legendary River Cafe, followed by a stint with Tedesca Osteria in Red Hill. That experience is evident in her elegant weekly-changing menus, where whole fish cooked over coals is the only constant.

This sultry sibling to Sunda is every bit as stellar. The menu effortlessly blends Southeast Asian flavours, native Australian ingredients and ancient techniques.

Just 20 diners a night are admitted to this inimitable Indian restaurant, where owner-chef Helly Raichura cooks vibrant banquets faithful to regional Indian cuisines using top-quality local produce and native ingredients.

Venetian elegance, New York energy and Melbourne nostalgia collide at restaurateur Chris Lucas’s lavish brasserie and grill. Settle into the grand dining room for charcoal-fired bistecca, show-stopping tiramisu, quintessentially Italian cocktails and lots of tableside theatrics.

Gothic vaulted ceilings, stained windows and solid granite columns define this grand brasserie, in the former Melbourne Stock Exchange. Order freshly-shucked oysters from the raw bar, top-grade beef and cheese from the roving trolley.

The hushed, reverent atmosphere here is well suited to owner-chef Koichi Minamishima's awe-inspiring knife skills. He works with both local seafood and fish flown direct from Toyosu Fish Market in Tokyo to produce his peerless sushi. This is the best Japanese restaurant in Melbourne.

There’s nothing quite like eating seafood by the ocean, and Stokehouse is one of the best places in Melbourne to do it. The dining room is wrapped in floor-to-ceiling windows, so there’ll be uninterrupted (or knee-dropping) views no matter where you sit.

This restaurant celebrating nature, native Australian ingredients and craftsmanship hides on a quiet residential street.

Gaea is a degustation-only restaurant with room for just 16 guests. There's an intense focus on local ingredients, expressed through eccentric riffs on classic European techniques. You might find anything from cured wallaby to brined and charred dandelion flowers served with a pumpkin puree made from fermented pumpkin juice.

Tipo 00’s younger sibling stretches beyond the pasta bar concept with meat and seafood dishes straight out of a modern Italian osteria. An enormous cellar below stocks Italian necessities like wine and house-cured charcuterie.

Settle into one of Melbourne's best farm-to-table fine diners just 45 minutes from the CBD. Wildly inventive degustations featuring produce from the restaurant's own Cardinia farm take place in a moody and sleek dining room. And out the front is a bottle shop where you can buy a bottle from its list of Victorian wines.