Five romantic Melbourne restaurants to try this Valentines Day

Whether your love language is enjoying great food or intimate decor, we’ve got you covered with these local romantic spots.

Try one of these date-friendly spots this Valentine’s Day

Try one of these great spots this Valentine’s Day

Bar Olo Carlton

The Italophile in your life will swoon over this recently opened little sibling to longtime favourite Scopri.

Inside Bar Olo.

A few doors along from the mothership, Bar Olo (say it fast to get the joke) is a beautifully realised den of mid-century design, with the kind of thoughtful mood lighting that turns everyone into an indie movie star.

It’s the perfect setting for canoodling over luscious Piedmontese wine, including that namesake Barolo, and making a night of it with share-happy dishes including chilli salted fritto misto and velvety vitello tonnato – but beware of bickering over the addictive rabbit, pork and veal-filled agnolotti.
165 Nicholson St, Carlton

Tulum Balaclava

Kick off with a cocktail. Jewel-coloured concoctions lean creatively into the Turkish theme – the gin, elderflower and apple tea Elma is an elegant sipper, while raki with watermelon, melon liqueur and feta will whisk you (in spirit) to a bar beside the Bosporus.

The bar at Tulum.

You’ll take a similar trip with Coskun Uysal’s menu that gives heritage a modern spin. Hit the sweet spot between rugged and refined with quail kebabs on almond hummus and dainty beef dumplings with garlic and burnt butter sauce.

One of the dishes at Tulum.

The glow of tea candles against turquoise tiles nails the vibe for a low-key but rewarding date night.
217 Carlisle St, Balaclava

Gimlet Melbourne

Get your Gatsby on at Andrew McConnell’s Golden Age vision, where marble, terrazzo and tiered seating (all the better for checking out the competition) make the perfect excuse for dressing to impress.

Hit romantic high notes by booking a table for two, clinking glasses of the namesake cocktail and sharing Euro-centric dishes such as tuna and sea bream crudo, wood-grilled lobster and dry-aged Muscovy duck.

For extra kudos, initiate your loved one into the late-night delights of the supper menu (available post-10pm on Friday and Saturday) with the likes of caviar, oysters and a cheeseburger that will leave you swooning.
33 Russell St, Melbourne

Donovans St Kilda

The fit-out channels the Hamptons, with added throw cushions, and the setting on St Kilda beach is spectacular whatever the weather outside.

The interior

A failsafe choice for occasion dining, this 28-year-old institution is grounded in the Mediterranean-leaning menu certainties of charry Queensland leader prawns anointed with oregano and chilli, chicken liver parfait with shattery chicken skin and a hedgehog-spiky Bombe Alaska for two to share.

Take your cues from the couples who celebrate their anniversary here each year and treat you
rself to a bottle of vintage Champagne or a serious cellar release wine from a standout list.
St Kilda Marina & Surrounding Foreshore, 40 Jacka Blvd, St Kilda

Bar Romanée Yarraville

Are steak frites your love language? This gorgeously Parisian vision in Yarraville village will be your kind of place.

Bar Romanee for stellar delicious 5 to try

A 1.2kg O’Connor rib eye is just waiting for a carnivorous couple, and chef Anna Quayle knows her way around a pepper jus. Nab an intimate booth with mint-green upholstery and explore further: scallops drenched in garlic and herb butter, prawn raviolo and barramundi in saffron beurre blanc.

The globetrotting wine list is a cracker, and if things are going well you can pop into sibling bar and shop Barkley Johnson a few doors down for a take-home premier cru.
25 Anderson St, Yarraville