The best date-night restaurants in Melbourne

You may be taking your date to the casino, but it's everything you won't expect. Exceptional cocktails, carefully prepared hand-made pasta and ridiculously fresh seafood is guarnateed to romance the harshest of critics.

It always pays to book ahead if you're going to impress sky-high. If you can't drop that much cash on dinner, you can also hit up Lui Bar next door for a cocktail at sundown over some very smart snacks.

This is the restaurant anniversaries are made for. You'll be receiving some of the tightest service served alongside an impressive winelist and a modern interpertation of Australian cusine by an internationally celebrated Kiwi chef who we've adopted as our own. It's fine dining without the stiff service.

Mod-Oz in an Art Deco diner. This is the hottest piece of eating action in Northcote if you like all things molecular.

Classic food in a modern venue. The high energy and fast pace of this restaurant will keep your date in good spirits. Approachable food and smart drinks means it's one less thing to think about, too.

It may be in an old gentleman's club (you know what we mean), but a lot has changed since those days. The service here is the best in Melbourne and perfect for romancing the one you've been crushing on for years.

Tiny, hidden, intimate; this 13-seater tempura bar in a side street of South Melbourne is our pick for dining without a crowd. Just be confident in your conversation because there will be nowhere to hide.

It's dark, convivial and intimate, what could go wrong? Learn your salumi from your salami over a few carafes of wine and lean in over a pizza.

If southside, it's only natural to head to Bar Di Stasio. Sit up at the marble bar and watch the bartenders craft your cocktails over a plate of fritto misto and people watch the who's who of St Kilda. 

Ring the doorbell and be led upstairs to indulge in Japanese whiskies and sake while overlooking the Treasury Gardens. Perfect for a nightcap when you don't want the world to find you.

A wine-lover's haven with food to match. This sophisticated wine bar is off street level and serves until 1am. Share some caviar over grower champagne and move to the balcony for an intimate, moonlit end to your evening.

Time Out's editors tortured their brains (and destroyed their livers) to bring you this: the definitive guide to drinking in Melbourne.