How much time do you have to read all my suggestions is the only question! 🙂
Where do I start? The Press Club and Hellenic Republic are popular from a fame point of view, personally I think the food is pretty overrated, but it depends what sort of experience you`re after.
Around the burbs near the city there`s Rumi on Lygon St for awesome pizza, Gigi Baba on Smith St for great turkish tapas, Anada on Gertrude St for great Spanish tapas, I Carusi in Brunswick on Holmes Rd for awesome pizza again – ooh and Ladro on Gertrude St for MORE awesome pizza, or even The Panama Dining Room on Smith St for a really special experience, the place is upstairs and really beautiful for a date, so atmospheric yet relaxed. Shall I stop now? 🙂
xxx