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There aren’t so many restaurants left in Melbourne where they’ll open the door for you, hang your jacket, pull out your chair and fold your napkin across your lap. But this chivalrous manner carries a lot of weight at Florentino.

Originally opened in 1928, this classic Italian dining institution takes pride of place on the top level, upstairs from Cafe Florentino and Cellar Bar down on the street. From 1999 until 2025, these venues were operated by the Grossi family, before Edition Hospitality owner Rebecca Yazbek purchased them.

“You don’t take this on to pull it down and make it bright and shiny,” Yazbek said of the Bourke Street institution – and she continues to add to the building’s legacy. The lived-in interior features dark wood panelling, white tablecloths and old-school Italian service.

The menu offers Italian classics made to modern standards. Settle in for a long lunch that moves from antipasti to pastas to protein-focused mains. Dessert is normally an espresso, tiramisu, souffle – or all three.

There’s a sense of occasion whenever you dine at Florentino – you can feel the history in the room – but it remains as accessible and approachable as the day it opened almost a century ago.