A tiny, no-fuss lunch spot doing one thing extremely well: poached chicken over rice with ginger broth. Order it, eat it, leave happy. One of the best cheap lunches in the city and I will not hear otherwise.

I love this place so much I rented out the whole restaurant for my husband’s birthday and we had THE BEST TIME. Neapolitan-style, wood-fired and made with absolutely love. But I also love that all their pizzas are priced the same, every day, every week - just $20 a pop. Can’t go wrong.

This place has been feeding Melbourne longer than most of us have been alive. Order the seafood. Then order the lamb. It's loud, it's very generous, and they will refill your glass before you've asked. You will leave very full, very happy, and slightly tipsy!

Going since 2007 and still one of the best reasons to clear your Sunday morning. I love coming here with the family … the trolleys clatter past every thirty seconds, the steamed custard piggy buns are non-negotiable, and the room has that fabulous energy that only a truly packed yum cha can pull off. Book ahead and line up at 10am. Do not be late. The trolley waits for no one.

Make an occasion up - birthday, anniversary, promotion, Wednesday - whatever gets you through the door. White tablecloths, steak-frites, a bottle of wine you'll justify by saying it's a special occasion! The food is excellent and the care they put into it shows. Arrive hungry. Leave with no plans for the rest of the evening.

I’m not usually a burger shop kind-a-gal. Bobo's has broken me. Truly an icon and worth travelling for. I got the standard fish burger with chips and it was spectacular. The oysters are also incredible, which felt like a surprise bonus. And you're in Preston Market, so that's a treat in itself.

Tucked into a little arcade in Preston, ramshackle and chaotic… The chef has a great moustache and a cheeky personality, and if you're lucky you'll watch him throw dough around the room while making the noodles by hand. There's something about this place that's hard to put into words. Everything handmade. A humble little family restaurant will always beat a fit-out. On your way out, raid the freezer for dumplings to take home. You'll thank yourself on a Wednesday night when you can't be bothered cooking and somehow still eat like a Queen!

My local. They serve delicious ramen - silky noodles, broth that tastes very authentic to Japan. Very good onigiri. And legit matcha also. 

A friend took me here once and I've been thinking about it ever since. The noodles are some of the best in town - soooo gosh-darn delicious! Chewy, spicy, saucy, rich and savoury. A word of warning though: choose your chilli level with full awareness of your own limitations.

Ideally on a sunny arvo you will sit outside! I love coming here for lunch. Watch their menu change through the seasons. It’s just a lovely place to be - it’s a little fancy, but it gives me an excuse to zhuzh up a little. It’s nice to look nice sometimes. Lots of great wine. It’s a great place to take visitors that you are trying to convince to move to Melbourne! *this could be your life*

An institution! Part bottle shop, part wine bar - pick something off the wall and drink it there, or just order by the glass. Hand-chalked specials, a schnitzel that I order every single time, and the most European corner of Melbourne. Come for one glass. See how that goes.

Run by two winemakers out of a heritage redbrick in East Ivanhoe Village. My husband is a committed wino and declares it one of the best wine lists in Melbourne. I rate them on snacks and vibes… A+ from me. Sitting amongst the trees in that little village on a quiet afternoon is one of Melbourne's better-kept secrets.

Nathen Doyle's (of Sunhands) neighbourhood cafe. Big energy, great egg sandos, Iris the Bakery pastries, and excellent dog-watching from the footpath. Great for a quick coffee or a spot of lunch. You can also pat every breed of dog Clifton Hill has to offer!

I love visiting any of the Market Lane stores. It’s possibly the best expression of Melbourne’s coffee scene. If you want to feel alive and amongst the theatre of the city, go to their Queen Victoria Market store (one of three), I love the one inside the deli hall. It’s old school. You will fall in love!

Melbourne’s sweetheart cafe by Dom Gattermayr and Rose Richards. I just love everything these girls do - everything they touch is pure gold. It’s a great place to have lunch, they always do cafe food a little bit differently. Well, I’m not even sure if they would classify themselves as a cafe anymore. An elegant eatery for any time of day!

A footy pub with a wine list! The Arms has been on this corner for 150 years and under new ownership it's very good. Two areas .. the front bar for watching the footy (and it’s painted yellow, so that’s a big tick for me), having a beer, and playing pool; the dining room for when you want hand-made tagliatelle and a bottle of something good chosen by a sommelier who used to work at IDES. The Sunday roast is great. The $2 pool games are also legendary. 

If you want to feel like you've been teleported to a London pub, go here! It smells exactly like a pub should … beer, wood, fireplaces … and the upstairs restaurant is lovely and cosy. Good vibes.

Order EVERYTHING, because anything they do, they do it EXTREMELY well. This is one of the few bakeries I’ve found where you can get maritozzi - Italian cream-filled buns with a little lemon curd on the inside. Transports me straight to Rome.

The most beautiful egg sandwich in Melbourne. Amazing pastries and delicious focaccias - chewy, oily, salty. YUM.

There's something about this market that makes you forget you're fifteen minutes from the city. Tucked next to the Darebin Parklands and the community food hub … a lovely patch of vegetable gardens and shared growing space. It has a countryside feeling that's hard to explain and easy to love. Seasonal produce, good coffee, live music on a Sunday morning. Bring a tote bag. If it's raining, bring gumboots or your best farmer-fashionable bloodstones. Buy whatever looks good!

Not your average IGA. There is an entire aisle of pasta. A deli that looks like it's been airlifted directly from Florence. Fresh bread from Baker Bleu. The Nonna-to-Nonno trolley ratio is extremely high, so move through the aisles respectfully and with spatial awareness. There's a bottle shop next door, which is either a bonus or a problem depending on your willpower. I go every fortnight and always leave having spent more than planned!

Not a secret, but worth saying out loud. This fruit and veg stall has been run by the same Italian family forever - kids, cousins, the lot. Their dad gets up every morning and hand-picks the produce himself, which tells you everything you need to know. The best stall in the market. Sometimes they do tastings of whatever deli thing has caught their eye that week, which is extremely dangerous if you're in a hurry. Get the fresh juice. Buy the enormous tin of chips. You're welcome.