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It's February, aka the official month of love, which means one thing and one thing only: romance. And what's more romantic than a beautiful dinner? Not much, if you ask us.
Luckily, Melbourne is a city known for its world-class dining scene, with a mind-boggling abundance of genuinely incredible restaurants. It's this fact that can make it exceedingly difficult to decide which restaurant to choose for a special occasion – particularly when that special occasion is a hot date.
Our editors have rounded up their pick of the best romantic restaurants in Melbourne in 2026, but it seems like many of our selections are favoured by more than just us. New data released from global restaurant tech company OpenTable has revealed the most romantic restaurants across Australia in 2026, with Victoria landing a whopping 18 representations on the 50-strong list.
OpenTable reported that in 2025, Valentine's Day was the biggest dining day of the year in Australia, followed by Mother's and Father's Day. It also showed dining increased by a wild 65 per cent year on year on Valentine's Day, with a nine per cent increase in average spend.
The consumer research also unveiled some interesting truths about the way Aussies dine out around this time of year, revealing that 22 per cent say they'll be eating out on Valentine's Day itself, and another 16 per cent saying that they'll be making a reservation for the Valentine's Day weekend instead.
Overall, the numbers are clear – Aussies like to celebrate love by going out and eating delicious food.
To determine what kinds of restaurants Australians find the most romantic, OpenTable assessed diner reviews and audience metrics from venues all over the country, as seen via the OpenTable platform. It showed that we flocked to Italian, modern Australian and Japanese cuisines for Valentine's Day dinners, a fact that is backed up in the top 50 list.
Unsurprisingly, Victoria is well represented with 18 mentions. These include the ephemeral fine-diner, Vue du Monde; high-end Japanese wonderland, Yugen Dining; sultry Carlton diner, Bistra; and sky-high rooftop bar, Fleet. So be quick, it's not to late to score a booking for V-Day – we reckon any spot on the list below is guaranteed to impress your date.
The 18 most romantic Victorian restaurants according to OpenTable are:
- Bar Yarra, South Yarra
- Bistra, Carlton
- Bistro La Provence , Brighton
- Blacksmith Bar and Grill, CBD
- Cecconi’s Toorak, Toorak
- Cognoscenti Food and Wine, Belgrave
- Fleet Rooftop Bar, CBD
- Funghi E Tartufo, CBD
- Kiss and Tell, CBD
- Love Letter, Richmond
- Lui Bar, CBD
- Maven by Morgan, Fitzroy
- Rococo Point Cook, Point Cook
- Rosebank North, Ringwood North
- Sir Loins, Bright
- The Woodhouse Bar and Grill, Bendigo
- Vue de Monde, CBD
- Yugen Dining, South Yarra
You can see the full national list here.
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