Italy’s pre-dinner aperitivo ritual means spritzes and complimentary snacks blanket piazzas countrywide.

“Every time you order a drink, they send something out [to eat],” says Anthony Scutella, owner of treasured Melbourne Italian restaurant Scopri and newly opened sibling Bar Olo. “It’s rare here,” he continues. Rare. But not impossible.

For our new series, Specials Board, aimed to help you get more bang for your dining buck, we’ve rounded up eight of Melbourne’s best aperitivo hours – for free snacking.

Bar Olo, Carlton

Bar Olo is certainly suave. But that doesn’t mean snacking here has to cost a small fortune. The Piedmont-inspired, barolo-specialising wine bar runs a daily aperitivo hour (or, more accurately, two hours), where your drink comes with a complimentary bite. That could mean a nugget of parmigiano reggiano or a zeppola, a deep-fried dough ball.

Aperitivo is Wednesday to Saturday 4pm-6pm; 165 Nicholson Street, Carlton, barolocarlton.com.au

Enoteca Zingara, Fitzroy

Free snacks such as pizza fritta (fried pizza), potato-and-rosemary focaccia, and giardiniera (pickled Italian vegetables) aren’t the only reason for you to knock off early and make a beeline for Enoteca Zingara at aperitivo hour, from 4pm. The just-opened Brunswick Street wine bar from hatted trattoria Alta, right around the corner, also has some wallet-friendly drinks specials to lure you in: $6 Peronis and $6 Camparis.

Aperitivo is Wednesday to Monday 4pm-5pm, 334 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy, enotecazingara.com

Torino Aperitivo, CBD
Tucked down a little city laneway, this charming Italian-style bar takes aperitivo culture so seriously that’s it literally named after it. Take a trip to Torino Aperitivo and be rewarded with an on-the-house bite with your first round, as long as you’re there before 6pm. The drinks specials are a bonus: expect $6 schooners and house wines, $12 Venetian spritzes and $14 Negronis and espresso martinis. Bargains all round.

Aperitivo is Tuesday to Thursday 4pm-6pm and Friday-Saturday 3pm-6pm,
2 Driver Lane, Melbourne, torinoaperitivo.com.au

Neighbourhood Wine, Fitzroy North

Sip outside, snack for free. That’s the gist of Patio Aperitivo at Neighbourhood Wine, one of the northside’s ride-or-die wine bars. Every drink ordered on the (heated, umbrella-covered) patio gets you a fancy snack from head chef Almay Jordaan’s seasonally rotating menu – free of charge. Maybe it’ll be Black Opal wagyu and bone marrow on a sourdough cracker, or a spelt tart with smoked salmon roe, creme fraiche and bottarga.

Patio Aperitivo is daily 4pm-6pm, 1 Reid Street, Fitzroy North, neighbourhoodwine.com

Ombra, CBD

Afternoons at Ombra – the classy Bourke Street salumi bar from leading Italian chef-restaurateur Guy Grossi – are all about cicchetti, or small Venetian-style snacks. The best part? They’re on the house. The offering usually includes some type of pizzette (small pizzas), tramezzini (triangular-cut sandwiches) and crostini (slices of crunchy grilled bread) topped with anything from pâté to pickles to parmigiano reggiano.

Aperitivo is Wednesday to Sunday 5pm-7pm, 76 Bourke Street, Melbourne ombrabar.com.au

Bianchetto, Kew

There are plenty of reasons Kew locals can’t get enough of Joe Vargetto’s recently
relocated Sicilian restaurant Mister Bianco and new companion cocktail bar Bianchetto, in the next-door space. The latest is Bianchetto’s three-nights-a-week aperitivo hour, which has just launched. Your drink – perhaps an Americano made tableside – will arrive alongside a complimentary platter of bite-sized snacks. There could be classics like arancini or bruschetta, or Vargetto’s Sicilian take on the humble sausage roll.

Aperitivo is Thursday to Saturday 5pm-6pm, 26-28 Cotham Road, Kew misterbianco.com.au/bianchetto

Rossi, Prahran

Where Ladro TAP once was on Greville Street, Rossi keeps the good times rolling, thanks to owner Good Company, also behind nearby party spots Electric and The Emerson. Pizza remains a massive drawcard at Rossi, but it’s worth timing your visit around the daily aperitivo special. The free snacks are simple yet satisfyingly salty – chips and olives, a classic aperitivo offering across Italy – and select cocktails are $9.

Aperitivo Hour runs every day until 6pm. Opening hours from 4pm Monday to Thursday, and from 12pm Friday - Sunday, 162 Greville Street, Prahran, rossi.bar

Brunetti Classico, Carlton

Which sounds best? Potato croquettes, olive all’ascolana (stuffed with meat, then crumbed and fried), or fried ravioli? At Melbourne’s cult Italian cafe Brunetti Classico, $16 will get you a bite of your choice alongside a beer, wine or cocktail. But there are two important things to remember: the aperitivo special is available only at the Carlton location, and you need to download the Brunetti Classico app to redeem the offer.

Aperitivo is Thursday to Sunday 5pm-7pm, 380 Lygon Street, Carlton, brunetticlassico.com.au