Date night? Check out our fave romantic restaurants in Melbourne

Classy cocktails? Tick! Intimate and luxurious surrounds? Tick! A focus on creativity and sustainability? Tick, tick and tick! If it’s a cosy basement bar, away from the hustle and bustle of Chinatown that you’re after, Bar Clara makes an excellent date night location.

The cocktail menu is seasonal and takes full advantage of whatever fruits are ripest, so expect the bounty of the season to be reflected in your glass. There is one drink that will always be on the menu though, and that’s the signature banoffee special, which is bourbon infused with clarified fresh banana, lemon, and dark sugar. It has a swirl of caramelised meringue on top and comes with grandma’s travelling spoon to eat it with, and if it sounds like a liquid version of a banoffee pie that’s because that’s exactly what it is. Order some indulgent snacks to go with your cocktails, like a truffle cheese toastie or burrata with heirloom tomatoes, basil oil and pita, and settle in for the night.

Dish Cult’s top pick: Banoffee special ($21)

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Picture this: Romantic booths for two, windows punched into the back wall, and sleek metal and glass partitions in a seductive, industrial-style setting. An artful blend of inventive Japanese and European cuisine to impress the most discerning. It’s fine dining, with a lightness and buzz that’s never stifling. Cutler & Co’s finely crafted five-course degustation menu is an adventure of its own – starting with Kingfish sashimi with green melon and your choice of roast Murray cod or Dry aged Aylesbury duck breast. Round off your full meal with Clingstone peach and lemon sorbet or a treat of chocolate delice.

Named one of the best 100 restaurants in the world in 2022, Gimlet at Cavendish House is all about living your romantic Gatsby-esque dreams. It’s not easy to score a reservation at the Andrew McConnell-led fine diner, but if you plan ahead you could make your special someone very, very happy. Indulge in Beluga caviar, rock oysters with seaweed butter, champagne, and truffles aplenty. Settle in the 12-person private dining area for an intimate experience or the elegant restaurant on the upper level. The menu centres around the wood-fired oven with seasonal specials including dry-aged beef cuts and premium seafood.

Dish Cult’s top pick: ½ Southern rock lobster, wood-roasted in saffron rice and “bisque” sauce ($180)

Introducing a wine bar that’s seemingly made just for date nights. At INES, you’ll slip into an entirely different state of mind when you enter: with jukebox hits from the 50s or 60s (from Ol Blue Eyes to The Supremes), walnut-paneled bar, Italian marble, moody lights, and blue suede chairs.

Choose a cozy corner and feast on the torched hiramasa Kingfish with caviar and buttermilk as well as the baked scallops with white truffles. For handmade pasta, a must-try is the Crab Taglioni with garlic, chili, and gremolata. Save a second stomach for passion fruit gelato and Italian meringue.

It’s a setting right out of a traditional Chinese dance theatre: seductive warm hues all around, white-skirted tables, and sculptural flower arrangements scattered around like silk-robed dancers. Perfect for that intimate and elegant meal with a date, Flower Drum’s summer tasting banquet menu is as epic as its setting, and you’ll start off with a bang with their Jade Tiger abalone with crystal noodles and wok-fried bass grouper fillet. Then dig in and savour their famous Peking duck with plum sauce – all crisp and shiny-skinned in its soft pancake wrapping.

Wow your date with Flower Drum’s jade tiger abalone crystal noodles for a burst of flavours.

Flower Drum was also featured in Dish Cult’s guide to the most interesting dining spots in and around Melbourne to check out.

When it comes to Italian romance, this restaurant has it all. Be greeted with the trappings of fine European dining in the chandeliers and murals, meticulously-ironed linen, charming service, and an exquisite menu with modern touches.

Grossi Florentino’s is real opulent stuff, right down to their extensive wine list to match. Seafood is the dominant feature of the menu and changes seasonally. The 5-course Gran Tour starts off with anchovy toast and duck salami with polenta bread and pumpkin. Complete the meal with Venetian spaghetti with mussels and clams, saffron cappelletti and a pitch-perfect chocolate souffle, glorious in velvety rich and fluffy texture.

The warmth of an open fire and glistening hot coals welcomes you into a meat-lovers paradise. Matilda’s elegant and low-lit ambience is sure to impress your partner and knock the socks off your date. The food is wonderfully fresh, smoky, and charred, so don’t pass up on the saltbush lamb ribs with toasted crumbs and harissa. Celebrate the beautifully-aged wagyu sirloin served with smoked bone marrow and spring onion as you sink your teeth into the sweet finishings that is their decadent apple tarte tatin with caramel and vanilla ice cream.

Check out Matilda’s $49 wagyu bavette with fermented truffle and red miso for a winner.

For true end-of-days indulgence, go on a date night to Vue de Monde. Nestled away on the 55th floor of the Rialto towers, the experience is unforgettable and the dining divine. Here, the sky’s literally the limit with a menu boasting only the best ingredients money can buy from fat marron and bailer sea snails to deeply marbled wagyu.

The menu is ever-changing but prominently featuring seafood. You begin with moonlight Kiss Oysters with citrus and macadamia tofu served with kelp and caviar. The Marron in native Australian curry broth is decadent. Complete your meal with the tea-smoked Lamb Rib with wild garlic.

The $320 chef’s testing menu is unforgettable and is a reason why Vue de Monde continues to be one of Melbourne’s best.