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Enoteca Sileno
This groaning enoteca imports some of the city's best quality Italian provisions; you'll see them employed in the menu of regional standards. The Italian wines are also exemplary; pick up a bottle and a jar of carciuga (artichoke anchovy spread) to take home.
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Esposito at Toofey's
There are no ocean views, modish manners or maritime decoration, just the freshest seafood done with simple Italian style. There's beef and fowl if you're not in the mood for fish, and the desserts, like the rest of the menu, are clever and seasonal.
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European
The menu traverses France, Italy and Spain - pairing fruit and flesh with finesse. And the extensive wine list reads like a who's who of European wines. The recycled-wood panelling, black-and-white checked floor and bentwood chairs make for classic surrounds, popular with pollies from Parliament House across the road. The European's breakfasts are something special.
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Federal Coffee Palace
Melburnians get anxious when there isn't a Gaggia hissing away every 20m, so you'll never be short of options. This is a city favourite with atmosphere in spades and tables beneath the colonnades of the GPO.
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Flower Drum
The Flower Drum continues to be Melbourne's most celebrated Chinese restaurant. The finest, freshest produce prepared with delicate professionalism keeps this Chinatown institution booked out for weeks in advance. Sumptuous, yet not exaggerated, the ostensibly simple food is delivered with the slick service you'd expect, in elegant surrounds. You may be there for only a few hours, but the experience is lasting.
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Gill's Diner
Tucked up the back of the Commercial Bakery, Gill's post-industrial pastiche is an immediate charmer. Add old vinyl and freshly baked bread to the mix and it makes for an archetypal Melbourne moment. Lunch can be as simple as smoked salmon and prosecco (sparkling wine), while dinners are hearty, simple European fare done with effervescent flair.
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Ginger Boy
Brave the aggressively trendy surrounds and weekend party scene, as talented Teague Ezard does a fine turn in flash hawker cooking. Flavours pop in dishes such as scallops with green chilli jam, or coconut kingfish with peanut and tamarind dressing. There are two dinner sittings and bookings are required.
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Giuseppe, Arnaldo & Sons
Prodigal (and preternaturally talented) Maurice Terzini sold Melbourne's café e cucina concept to Sydney, now he's brought Bondi Italian back south.
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Glick's Bagels
Glick's brought bagels to Melbourne. It began in the 60s when Mendel Glick opened a small kosher shop and began making bagels on a Sunday. It wasn't long before the city caught on and demand led to expansion. Three shops and a warehouse later, Glick's still has a strong community feel and the best bagels in town - try the 'everything'.
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Gravy Train
You wouldn't chug across town to get here, but you'd certainly pull in for a bite or coffee if in the area. Gravy Train is the coalface of Yarravillagers: students, workers and pram-pushers all converge on the bright dining room or roofless courtyard. Some artful savoury dishes accompany staple café fare, and there's a good selection of sweet things too.
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Grossi Florentino
If you're into grand dining or are celebrating a special occasion, Grossi Florentino will impress. The opulence distinguishes itself in every detail, from silverware to little footstools for the ladies' handbags. Head chef, Guy Grossi, is something of a Melbourne celebrity who made his name (in every way) on this classy classic restaurant. The Cellar Bar next door is fashionably brooding, intimate and affordable.
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Hopetoun Tea Rooms
For five generations, ladies and 'nice' families have been nibbling pinwheel sandwiches here, taking tea (pinkies raised) and delicately polishing off a lamington. Hopetoun's venerable status, arcade location and pursed-lip air make afternoon or morning tea here refreshing indeed - the antithesis of Melbourne's constant coffee-taken-in-hip-laneways shtick.
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I Carusi
Find out how pizza became so popular by tasting the definitive version. I Carusi does thin, crisp crusts without too much adornment. Synergetic combinations of toppings, as well as basic classics, are at the centre of all tables here. I Carusi is BYO and fills up fast, so book ahead or come early. Cash only, no cards.
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Ici
This small bluestone café is a cosy oasis situated behind the fast pace of Brunswick St and well worth finding for superb coffee and the unique breakfast menu. Try Moroccan spiced couscous with yoghurt and almonds, or French toast with mixed berries and caramel mascarpone, or just relax with the paper as the morning travels through the roundabout outside.
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Il Fornaio
Famous for its bread, croque-monsieurs and cakes, Il Fornaio also does simple Italian pastas, risottos and wine at night; its street tables are a summer must.
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Il Solito Posto
This Italian job attracts a steady stream of finely cut suits talking shop between mouthfuls of meat or pasta. After dark, the bar area makes a casual prop for a preshow meal. The wine walls and wooden tables in the basement dining room set the scene for a slower meal, starting with a chunk of ciabatta and olives that get to the table before you do. Enter from George Pde.
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Isthmus Of Kra
This is where the local business community 'does lunch'. Specialising in Thai and Nonya cuisines, the Isthmus of Kra is a chance for business execs to show the clients they take to lunch how cosmopolitan their tastes are. The blue dumplings (dyed with butterfly-pea flowers) are sure to impress. In the evening, take some friends and choose from one of three banquet options. It's a good idea to book.
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Italian Waiters Club
Down a laneway and up some stairs, the entrance to the Italian Waiters Club is like walking through a wormhole to another era. Opened in 1947, this low-fi place was once reserved for Italian and Spanish waiters to unwind after work. Now everyone, from suits to students, comes for hearty plates of pasta and the regularly changing roster of specials, and to eat up the cheerfully clandestine atmosphere.
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Jacques Reymond
Housed in a Victorian terrace of ample proportions, Reymond was a local pioneer of degustation dining and still encourages you to eat this way (there's a much-lauded vegetarian version). Expect a French-influenced, Asian-accented menu with lovely details, such as house-churned butter. This is mod Oz at its best.
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Jimmy Watson's
Jimmy Watson's is a Lygon St stalwart, dependably feeding students, families and business folk over two Watson generations. The old-world patina of this classic bistro leads to a popular courtyard. Wine is the speciality here, with some serious options available from the dusty cellar. There's a little of the Middle East in the monthly changing menu - it keeps regulars guessing, and coming back.
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Journal
The giant shared tables here - a rarity in a city that takes pride in its sprawling spaciousness - give Journal a touch of New York style and a welcoming openness. The friendly service, fantastic coffee and eclectic collection of reading material put you at risk of giving yourself a day-long caffeine buzz. A list of simple but delicious breakfasts (the muesli is divine) and lunches (soup, salads, bruschetta) are also on offer.
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Kamel
Sugar-and-spice breakfasts reflect the North African and Middle Eastern accents in Kamel's menu. Outside tables are often anchored with lapdogs, fresh from a walk on the nearby beach. Inside, the perky front room gives way to a moody lounge area, where a range of meze dishes are shared over lunch or dinner. Shared, unless you ordered the zucchini-and-mint fritters - too good to give away.
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Kenzan@Gpo
The casual kid sister of posh Kenzan (03 9654 8933; 56 Flinders Lane) makes the best sushi rolls in Melbourne. Yes, there's spicy tuna, but it also ups the ante with soft-shell crab, intriguing sesame-coated inside-outies, and a range of inari. All come pre-wrapped for lasting crunch. There are sashimi, rāmen (noodles), lunch sets and tea, too.
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Kuni's
Prop at the bar for fresh-made sushi and sashimi, or order from the breezy dining room. Kuni's does culinary classics with the same steadfast reliability as a Japanese-made car. Noodle dishes are typically uncomplicated and delicate, and the shumai (prawn-and-scallop dumplings) are as soft as clouds. Kuni's is licensed and BYO (wine only).
