The best Italian restaurants in Melbourne

It’s been some years since gents were expected to keep their jackets on at all times, so it's a point of nostalgia that Grossi Florentino does not shun such formality. That's not to say there's a strict dress code here – the restaurant stopped that in the '90s – but make no mistake: this is a special place and you'll want to prepare for the occasion. The grand Mural Room is one of Melbourne’s last bastions of lavish European dining charm and every dish the waiters ferry out of the kitchen is a five-star knockout. A true legend in Melbourne's dining scene.

Order this: Six-course Gran Tour set menu ($210)

Melbourne’s a town with no shortage of excellent pastas, but most most of us can agree: when Tipo 00 hit the scene in 2014, carb lovers were astonished. This iconic laneway locale really is dishing up the crème de la crème of sauced-up carbs and we don't want it to ever stop. It's named after the finely ground flour used to make pasta and pizza and was recently named one of the best Italian restaurants in the world. Gorge on stracciatella with fermented honey and grilled ox tongue for starters, squid ink pasta and the puttanesca market fish for mains and then finish on a sweet note with the famous 'Tipomisù'. You'll thank us later.

Order this: Tagliolini al nero ($32)

This beloved classic trattoria showcases the traditional cuisine of the Emilia-Romagna region in Italy. Fun fact: Ben Shewry from Attica recently noted it as one of his favourite places in Melbourne for pasta. Dive into the citrusy delights of Amalfi lemon spaghetti with spanner crab, mint, smoked chilli and a light bisque, or go for the heartier mortadella and prosciutto-filled tortelloni with parmesan sauce and aged balsamic vinegar from Modena. You can also now pop in for lunchtime, where the restaurant turns into 'Emilietta' to sling traditional flatbread sandwiches. 

Order this: Tortelloni ($39)

At this refined Italian diner in Carlton, dishes change with the seasons to focus on local quality produce and regionally inspired Italian flavours. Twirl your fork around pappardelle with boar ragu, smoked daikon, candied walnuts and dark chocolate (yes, you read that right), and the crowd favourite since Al Dente’s inception – the tortellini cacio e pepe. The desserts are just as fantastical, with creations like lait e miel (milk and honey) and chocolate, hazelnut, coffee and truffle, playing unique riffs on authentic Italian flavours.

Order this: Panzerotti pomodoro ($4 each)

This lively Sicilian joint, where the music pumps and the snacks come out thick and fast, has fast become a Lygon Street favourite. You’ll want to book nice and early – there’s not a day Bar Idda isn’t packed. For a crash course on Sicilian food, turn your menu over – Bar Idda, along with sketching out a map of the region, has provided an illustrated timeline. There are plenty of delicious meat and seafood-driven dishes to enjoy, but don't overlook the mulinciani – a sumptuous eggplant bake with passata, buffalo mozzarella, basil and pecorino. 

Order this: Mulinciani $19)

Lagotto is a treasure for Fitzroy North locals who need a comforting day-to-night place – a café, restaurant and wine bar – that can massage away the stresses of everyday life. This restaurant has really come into its own in the past year or two, but still remains a relative secret – likely underrated by those who live further afar. Give it a shot for a full multi-course feast; the talented chefs here are guaranteed to impress. The service is also outstanding. 

Order this: Wagyu bavette tartare ($32)

This Fitzroy newcomer’s specialty shines a spotlight on the northern Italian region of Piedmont, which is located at the foot of the Alps and home to some of the boot nation’s most prized culinary exports. The team behind Alta Trattoria includes Luke Drum (Carlton Wine Room), chef McKay Wilday (Victoria by Farmers Daughters), Carlo Grossi (Ombra, Grossi Florentino) and vino expert James Tait (King and Godfree), so you just know the food here's going to be ace. Though there's more than just pasta here, the classic trattoria-style dishes are a knock-out. Think wild rabbit ragu with tajarin, gnocchi with chestnuts and lemon, roast beef ravioli with mushrooms, and more. 

Order this: Flan di ricotta ($25)

Il Bacaro serves up a modern twist on classic Venetian fare in its small, crowded restaurant. We're not talking foams or sands or molecular tech on the plate. The seared quail comes with caramelised figs and blue cheese ice cream, and the roasted duck breast and baked duck leg with blueberry and coco beans. Subtle creativity and high-end dining are the name of the game here. 

Order this: Moreton Bay bug spaghettini ($54)

Scopri offers a seasonal rotating menu comprised of produce from their own biodynamic farm in the Macedon Ranges. Italian favourites such as antipasti, grilled octopus with nduja, and rabbit agnolotti punctuate the menu, and the duck ragu fettucine is one of the restaurant's most popular orders. Also boasting an impressive wine cellar, this restaurant is definitely one you have to book ahead for. It's been a family favourite for over a decade now.

Order this: Fettucine ragu d'anatra ($27-$37)

What we have here is not so humble as an osteria. Sure, it has an underlying rustic Italian brief, exemplified by the chargrilled whole octopus brutishly splayed over a sauce made of the fiery Calabrian spreadable salami, 'nduja. On the other end of the spectrum, lamb tartare arrives gussied up for the red carpet with a custardy froth of smoked eggplant, purple Congo potato crisps and winks of rosemary oil. 

Order this: Porcini mushroom croquette ($5)

It feels like this is the place that Lygon St needed. It's inspired by Italy, the country who’s immigrants gave Melbourne hospitality its heart, but unlike the old-school Italian cafés that define this strip of Carlton, Heartattack looks forward to a bright future of casual eating and drinking, not back to a nostalgic past. Drop in for lunchtime sangas mid-morning or cicchetti (Venice's answer to tapas) and wine in the evenings.

Order this: Porchetta roll ($20)

Lygon Street's newest traditional Italian restaurant is named Johnny, Vince and Sam’s, after the three iconic characters created by Australian-Italian comedy trio Sooshi Mango. Their bustling restaurant draws on the lovably daggy charm of traditional nonno and nonna-style deco (think floral carpets, crystal cabinets and art prints depicting Jesus and the Last Supper) and unpretentious old-school Italian recipes. The food? Definitely not as sophisticated as some other restaurants' fare on this list, but as heartwarming and authentic as a nonna's hug. 

Order this: Pasta with a'de meatballs ($29)

Walking down Hardware Lane means running the gauntlet of cheek-by-jowl waiters trying to entice potential diners into their venues with proffered 15-page illustrated menus. But not all venues rely on their front-of-house to charm the masses on the hoof, and restaurants like The Hardware Club prove this with one-page menus full of straight-up hits.

Order this: Tiramisu ($16)

Situated in Melbourne’s little alleyway, Crossley St, Becco serves up a modern take on typical, traditional Italian food. Adjacent to the vibrant and noisy dining room, Becco’s bar offer great snacks and drinks as an alternative. Come for the cuisine, stay for the good vibes.

Order this: Snapper fillet acqua pazza ($42)

It’s all in the sense of occasion. It’s the make or break factor of great dining, and it's something Rinaldo 'Ronnie' Di Stasio’s mainstay Italian has been nailing for 26 years. This is a restaurant that’s well and truly earned its reputation as one of Melbourne’s greats. White-jacketed veteran waiters guide you through a list of daily specials where the finest seasonal produce is showcased in refined dishes. Think Italian truffles, lobster and twice-daily made fresh pasta. Pop a bottle of sparkling and settle in for a long lunch; in particular we recommend the handmade pasta with crab deluxe (see below.) 

Order this: Cappellini con granchio ($45-$56)

Rocco’s combines the warmth of an Italian mom-and-pop restaurant with a menu that is elevated comfort food – every dish is meticulously curated. Rocco’s crew billed them the ‘Italian Maccas’ and the best part about that is you’ll be too full and satisfied after to consider any fast-food chaser.

Order this: Rocco's original meatball sub ($24)

Gosh, the Italians do glamour well, and Bar Carolina, the newest addition to Joe Mammone’s boutique Italian stable exudes Latin charm from its terrazzo foyer to its bar clad in charcoal steel. And we haven’t even mentioned the quorum of liltingly accented waiters who marshal the crowds one ‘ciao bella’ at a time.

Order this: 450-gram dry-aged striploin ($75)

Centonove features a menu of classic Italian meals with a modern flair, and an interior decor to match. The meals are as perfectly presented as the elegant room. Besides holding a spot in The Age Good Food Guide for years in a row, the wine cellar's been awarded the highest acknowledgement from Gourmet Traveller Wine List of the Year since forever ago. It's arguably the best restaurant in Kew, and a definitive Melbourne classic. 

Order this: Three-course set menu ($99)

For more than 16 years, this North Melbourne jewel (formerly known as Sosta Cucina) has been loyally serving locals authentic Italian fare made with love. In late 2023, elegant renovations and a switch-up in management ushered in a brand new era for the restaurant, and the glow-up is real. Tuscan-born head chef Alex Tintori has drawn inspiration from how regions throughout Italy locally source wild ingredients, and in turn, he's incorporated Australia's own native ingredients into his dishes to create bold new flavour profiles. 

Order this: Cappelletti all'oglio ($36)

This quaint new bistro in Prahran is serving up artisan pasta, wine and espresso in true modern Italian style. There's a sense of friendliness and cheer about the place – a relaxed ambience that's perfect for whiling away the hours over a bottle of Sangiovese, fried calamari and bottarga-speckled lobster rolls.

Order this: Torta del giorno ($14) 

Eggplant melanzane? Foil butter sachets? Unapologetically old school with mod-Melbourne lines, Lupino is hammering out pan-Italian classics like they’re going out of style. It’s all polished concrete, terracotta tiles and holy heck – is that macramé? Sure is, and whilst the echo factor and city location mean that by day it's all business, by night its a soft-lit haven for a casual rendezvous.

Order this: Veal and amaretto agnolotti ($26) 

Cicciolina is an indispensable bastion of south-side dining: an ace of Acland Street. St Kilda has changed since Cicciolina opened in 1993. The section of Acland Street that Cicciolina sits on, a one-time boho hotspot, is now reduced to a cut-copy mall. Stars of the menu may sound uncomplicated and a little retro, but that's part of its assured charm. Cicciolina is an institution, not a revolution. 

Order this: Crab soufflé ($29.50)

If you like your fresh tagliatelle with a side of sophisticated interior design and a romantic atmosphere, Tipico is well worth your attention. The Windsor chunk of High Street continues to become a hotspot for elevated-casual dining, without the hectic nightlife atmosphere of its Prahran and South Yarra neighbours. This modern-italian restaurant from the pasta-pizza geniuses behind DOC, Trattoria Emilia and Grossi Florentino embraces art and design in a relaxed environment – perfect for a drop-in aperitivo or a leisurely, long dining experience.

Order this: Capesante ($28)

Here they're doing the kind of devotedly rustic, no-frills Italian food that you can feel doing you good, body and soul. Let’s call it Italian penicillin. Its strength is its simplicity. The brutishly ugly, utterly delicious cauliflower fritters are a nod and a wink that this is Rosa as she is known and loved. Just as good under the list of antipasti are the grilled chicken livers, interleaved with fat cubes of fried bread.

Order this: Chicken al marsala with silverbeet ($45)

Since opening at some point back in in 2011, Pinotta has calmly plied its trade as the Platonic ideal of the neighbourhood haunt. The troika of good, unfussy Italian food, a punchy and intelligent wine list and service sprinkled with X-factor fairy dust works a convincing game. 

Order this: Feed me set menu ($65-$90)

Located on sleepy High Street, just minutes from Armadale station is an endearing Italian joint that hasn’t sacrificed authenticity for Southside palettes. The overall atmosphere is one of comforting nostalgia - complete with soft opera and candlelit tables. What runs the risk of contrivance instead feels like a heartfelt love letter to Southern Italy.  

Order this: Set menu ($75)

Nestled in Little Italy at the top of Bourke Street, it's an incredibly romantic venue – must be the chocolate coloured carpet and the dim lights. We suggest you bring a hot date to match the hot decor. Genuinely Italian head-chef Gabriele Olivieri's lunch menu runs 20 dishes long, but you'll have to pick from a smaller selection for a bargain – think seared tuna swimming in beans and black olives or a hand made strozzapreti (small pieces of pasta in an unusual twisted shape, its name meaning ‘choke the priest’ so we are told) bathing in a pork and beef ragu.

Order this: Ricotta gnocchi, wild boar ragù, mixed mushrooms + fonduta ($38)

Over three decades in the business and Mario's is still going strong on Brunswick Street. Take the window seat and order a heaping bowl of spag bol or slick fettuccine pesto with some house wine for a classic Fitzroy experience. We love the service here, the black vest-clad waiters are old-school (the head waiter Massimo di Sora has been around since day one) and can often be seen chatting to regulars.

Order this: Pan-fried chicken livers ($21.50-$35.50)