Best Italian Restaurants in Melbourne 2023

Caffe e Cucina, an intimate Italian restaurant is a long-running success story on South Yarra's busy Chapel Street. The eatery has been around since 1988 and Melbournites depend on its presence when they're craving Nonna's kitchen. The interior is happily cramped, with big posters, awards and mementos plastered on the walls, a large and busy bar area and small tables tucked wherever possible.

Combining the charm of the old with the creativity and energy of the new, Italy 1 Camberwell offers an unpretentious yet sophisticated dining experience in Melbourne's eastern suburbs. The menu features Italian-inspired creations that change with the seasons but favourite staples like, linguine marinara, remain year-round. The dining room is a relaxing space of polished dark timber, white-clothed tables and soft lighting.

Carlton's Lygon Street isn't short of Italian restaurants but you'll always find room for the brilliant cuisine of Il Gambero. The kitchen offers diners some of the best pizza and pasta the area has to offer and they've perfected their recipes over the course of 30 years in the business. The restaurant's downstairs area has a cool old-school vibe, with exposed brick walls and shelves packed with wine. Upstairs is a modern, classy affair that can be reserved for functions.

Lunch and dinner daily

Set along Southgate's river promenade, Waterfront is a fine seafood and grill restaurant that is truly Melbourne. With expansive views of the Yarra River and city you can take in in the stunning Melbourne skyline whilst enjoy sumptuous seafood. The addition of two raw bars lining the kitchen allows diners to witness Waterfront's ‘sea to plate' focus. All seafood is sourced directly from Australia's best seafood producers.  Waterfront Southgate is the perfect restaurant for a corporate lunch, dinner or a great choice for a family celebration.

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Located in the bayside suburb of Brighton, seafood lovers will appreciate the freshly sourced catches of the day, only from the finest seafood producers. But, fear not, non-seafood fans, there is still plenty to select from, like prime cuts served straight from the wood fire chargrill. Take-away seafood platters are available to purchase, perfect for picnics. For those special occasions, be sure to enquire about Waterfront's function menus and spaces.

Open Tuesday-Sunday lunch and dinner

Pentolina is Melbourne's new laneway haven for fresh pasta and authentic Italian hospitality. Every day, head chef Gabriele Olivieri and his team of passionate chefs make fresh pasta by hand and transform it into delicious, heart-warming pasta dishes that honour Gabriele's Italian heritage and training but add in generous touches of creativity and playfulness. The menu showcases a range of pasta types that you know and love like pappardelle and gnocchi, and a few you probably haven’t like strozzapreti and spoia lorda. Meanwhile, the dedicated waiters and bartenders love nothing better than to pair your food with the perfect wine or cocktail, and to shower you with the warmth of true Italian hospitality.

Chef Guy Grossi’s Italian empire in Melbourne CBD spans across two levels with four dining areas; Ombra, Florentino Grill, Cellar Bar and Grossi Florentino Upstairs. While downstairs you can perch at the bar for salumi, Upstairs is where you’ll be walked to your table, coat taken and a napkin pulled across your lap. The only thing that could match this service is Grossi’s spectacular menu of duck and porcini tortellini and roasted partridge. This is not just dining, it’s an exceptional dining experience.

Romantic and intimate, Il Bacaro offers a quintessential Melbourne dining experience - sexy, smooth and, well, Italian. This Little Collins Street icon has been on the restaurant scene for more than a decade, and Il Bacaro continues to offer diners a place where they can romance their beloved with a guarantee of delightful dishes, impeccable service and a hefty Italian wine list.

Templestowe's bustling Vibrante restaurant is a classic Italian affair – family owned, colourful and always loud. This popular eatery serves traditional pizzas and pastas, but people also come for the seafood dishes and the outdoor courtyard that's great for catch-ups with friends. Vibrante's beautiful dining room also transforms into a function room for up to 100 guests.

Open daily 10am-late

Bucatini is located in Melbourne's eastern suburbs. Bucatini Restaurant & Bar offers delicious Italian fare and excellent service in an atmosphere of warmth and relaxation. Function room available is ideal for any occasion. With vast hospitality experience gained in some of Melbourne's leading restaurants, Bucatini's owner and operator, Ivan Millich, knows what it means to provide great service. Private function room available for up to 60 seated or 80 for cocktails. Al Fresco dining can hold up to 60 for a cocktail party

Open daily for lunch and dinner