This bistro leans into white table-clothed dining, vintage wines and timeless dining. The menu defies definition, offering French onion soup through to Southeast Asian-style desserts like lychees with coconut custard.

Head here for two kinds of hoppers, accompanied by spicy sambals and rotating curries. And forget the cutlery, there’s a tap in the centre of the room to encourage eating with your hands.

The husband-wife duo behind one of Melbourne’s most-loved Italian restaurants run this walk-in bar. It nods to Piedmont with vitello tonnato, duck-and-porcini ragu and Italian wines.

A team of seasoned hospo pros, including ex-Lume and Sunda chef John Rivera, are behind this unadultered Filipino restaurant. Try elevated takes on Filipino mainstays including sisig, lechon and halo-halo.

Two hospitality veterans are behind this small but mighty Greek diner. Order hard-to-find classics like sweetbreads and slow-cooked lamb. Plus, ultra-thick traditional Greek coffee, carafes of wines and beer.

This south-side restaurant nods to Saint Lucia, with earthy hues and large-scale works by a Melbourne collage artist. Stop by for Wagyu burgers, crab linguini, and European-inspired cocktails – like Bellinis and “two-sip” Negronis.

Everything is made in-house at this vegan diner. Stop by for some of the best falafels and fatteh in town and watch owner Ahmad Al Alaea – donning his signature cowboy hat – work in the open kitchen.

This laid-back diner specialises in home-style south Indian food. Come for dosa stuffed with curried potatoes, caramelised pork fry and owner-chef Mischa Tropp’s fiery fish curry (best tempered with a boozy Darjeeling iced tea).

Here, owner-chef Mika Chae (a distant relative of chef Jung Eun Chae) draws inspiration from top Korean restaurants and modern Australian fare. Come for marron with garlic butter, or Korean hwae (a Jeju Island-style raw fish dish).

Park up by a sunny window and order fluffy shokupan topped with peach, ricotta and tomatoes, or pork cutlet dripping in a creative bacon glaze. Plus, honey cake that makes good use of the upstairs beehive.

Stop by this colourful Thai diner, in the former Igni space, for Chiang Mai street food. Classic snacks are cooked over red gum wood and charcoal, and backed by left-of-centre wines, Singha beers and boozy iced coffee.

This 1915 pub offers something for all across two distinct spaces. Visit the flaming grillhouse for whole flounder and Karen Martini’s lauded Bistecca alla Fiorentina. Or see its more-casual sibling for pub-style plates.

Ceree shows that Filipino food is more than just adobo. Hit this homey cafe, restaurant and pantry for lesser-known Filipino dishes, like silog (garlic fried rice), batchoy (noodle soup)and banana-ketchup heavy spaghetti.

Southall’s owner grew up at Bombay by Night – the respected Indian restaurant his parents ran for 25 years. Here, he serves 48-hour tandoor-cooked kaali daal, and the same dessert his mum has been making for Melbourne since 1990.

This Venezulean spot graduated from ghost kitchen to full-fledged diner. It shows that South American food is more than just tacos – from Venezuelan empanadas and arepas to platters of rice, beans and sweet fried plantains.

This restaurant, which started as a pop-up in Sydney, serves Nigerian staples in the inner north. It's cooking plantains, “puff puff” doughnuts and goat stew – and supporting creatives and Black-owned business along the way.