Another Newtown icon!
Lovely tasting chicken, beats the pants off the international chain (can't mention specifics, but you can guess).
Salads are fresh, sides are of good selections & chips are crispy.
When they bake it their Mousaka is to die for - sadly its rare thats its made nowadays.
Excellent service & fairly quick. My only gripe is the huge increase in prices over the last years since 'Papa' passed on.

Approximate cost: $5 - $25

This shop has now closed for business.
Like many of the shops in the Italian Forum, it couldn't compete with large shopping centres.

This shop is just historic!
It's been there since the beginning of time & I have found many a discontinued book there.
Its really a hunt for what you need - but hey, that's half the fun.
Sadly the owner passed away last year, happily the shop remains the same :-)

Approximate cost: $2 - $300 (for very rare books)

A fab bookshop with titles that are sometimes hard to find.
Good selection of specials & knowledgable staff.
Good coffee shop attached (you can sit outside or inside in a little angular nook).
They make the best salad nicoise - very tasty. Coffee is ok, nothing special & could do with some improvement.

You can park in the Norton Plaza car park for up to 2hrs for free.

Approximate cost: $4 - $20

Ahhh Grossi Florentino - where do I start?

The food, the service, the atmosphere - absolutely devine. I have dined in many a fine dining establishment & nothing comes close to anything Guy Grossi touches. The man has a silken glove! He's lovely too, happy to pop up to say g'day & excellent with young wide-eyed children :-) I'm impressed he is actually in his kitchen & not swanning around being a stuffed shirt celebrity (unlike some chefs!).

On our last visit to Melbourne we dined there twice, once for a special evening with set menu, matching wines & the Melbourne choir.. a very entertaining evening. The other we opted for the degustation 8 course & matching wines - the sommelier certainly knows his stuff - simply remarkable.

I highly recommend for an evening of distinction.

Approximate cost: $25 - $50

La Roche was a brilliant find!
The food is of the utmost freshness, it's extremely tasty & very traditional.
Forget all the fancy smancy sauces, edible flowers & fussy stuff - its the way Lebanese food should be.
The owner is very sweet & gracious - many can learn by his high standards.
The mixed plate is amazing - no way can you eat it all. It's enough for 2 adults & 1 child if you add some felafel & labna on the side.
I love this place, its the only Lebanese cafe I will go to when the craving hits us! Thats saying something, considering I live in Camperdown - some 50mins drive away (in Sydney traffic of course).
Highly recommend.

Approximate cost: $6 - $28

Dined here last night.. just a very quick meal on a school night so we didn't have time to linger. It was our 4th visit in as many years (we always seem to forget it's there).
They have a 3 course deal during the weeknights - $28 for entree, main & desert from a shortened menu. Extremely good value & quite yummy food.
Highly recommend the risotto al la fungi a pollo (risotto with chicken & mushroom) & the children's spaghetti is wow (my son tucked into it like there was no tomorrow). The bruscetta was excellent & fresh as was the veal scaloppini.
Its a very tiny restaurant tucked way in the back corner behind the fountain of the Italian Piazza, nice & quiet & removed from the vulgar harassment of the other group owned restaurants (trying to woo you away from La Giara).
I will definately be returning again & again.

Approximate cost: $4.50 - $30

For many years I regularly dined at Buon Gusto & got to know the family very well... what character they are!
The food is gutsy & filling, fresh & well made... very provincial Italian with a twist.
Wine selections are good & affordable, nothing over the top.
Decor is very cutesy with dimmed lighting, lots of Italian niche things on the walls & the odd puffer fish hanging up infront of the kitchen.
Sadly, I had a disagreement with the owner over something personal & have never been back.
I really miss eating here, it was home away from home in a foodie sense. Some staff members have told me to come back but I just can't.
That aside, I do recommend for a lovely warm evening out & plentiful tasty italian food.

Approximate cost: $4 - $28

Yes, this restaurant has been around for eons & yes, it has some discerning clientele.
But really - what is all the fuss about?
Crisp white linen, fairly ok decor (needs a bit of an update), ok service, and reasonable food. I expected alot more with the food but found it quite bland & certainly not exciting. It was expensive considering it was quite simply 'Mamas cooking'.
There are many better restaurants in the area & sadly I haven't been back. It was just ok.

Approximate cost: $15 - $45

I absolutely love this pizza bar/restaurant.
We live in Sydney & every single time we visit Melbourne this is the first stop after checking into our hotel.
Carlos is a nutter - loves a practical joke or 2 (ok, 4 or 5) and loves a challenge.
The place is always busy, it's vibrant, has good energy & everyone seems to be enjoying themselves.
The pizzas? WOW! Joe makes the best pizzas. You can create your own from a huge list of quality ingredients and nothing fazes him (or shocks him). His chocolate pizza is to die for! I've have been known to fly them home to Sydney (now that is something) they are that good.
Service is good, efficient & with a smile.
The menu is quite sizeable, yummy and caters for everyone.
I highly recommend - especially for families, groups & get togethers.

Approximate cost: $12 - $28