Elisa and Adam Mariani – the siblings behind CBD diners Greta and Maverick – have been players in Melbourne’s hospitality game for more than a decade. Their latest, an all-day Euro-inspired bistro on Flinders Lane, is a homage to their dad, Elio, who passed away before any of their venues came to life.

“Our dad was a very hospitable person, and he used to say he’d love to open something of his own,” says Elisa. “So, we’re trying to channel his warmth, his hospitality, here.”

This is what you need to know about new city opening Elio’s Place before you visit.

What’s the vibe?

“Open early, up late” is the schtick at Elio’s Place, so interior-design agency Studio Co & Co was tasked with transforming a former sushi train into a space that could seamlessly transition from day to night. The result? A handsome 90-seater with brown and blue hues flowing throughout its different spaces.

The front bar – all walnut panelling, checkerboard tiling and frosted-glass light fixtures – is where you can perch with a coffee in the AM or a vino in the PM. The adjoining cork-floored dining room has mustard-colour banquettes and cafe curtains in the windows overlooking the laneway.

What to eat

That depends on the time of day. Florence-born head chef Matilde Razzoli (Bar Liberty, Capitano) and group executive chef Gareth Flood – alongside the Marianis – have developed two separate menus: one for breakfast, another for lunch and dinner.

Start your day with a comte-filled omelette and dressed greens, or Austrian-style kaiserschmarrn (“scrambled pancakes”, as the team calls them) dotted with blueberries.

For a quick lunch, there are grab-and-go sangers (including one with house-made mushroom pâté and parmesan cream). But linger a little longer to try standouts like the charry cabbage skewer, topped with a rich butter emulsion and espelette pepper; or delicately poached octopus, served at room temperature with potato and fennel. There’ll also always be at least one handmade pasta, a nod to Razzoli’s heritage.

What to drink

As well as a 70-odd-bottle wine list that leans European, covering big-ticket regions like Burgundy and Piedmont, Elio’s Place specifically gets into the Italian spirit of aperitivo with a daily offering from 3pm to 5pm. Deliciously bitter cocktails lead the charge, including the Americano Perfecto (essentially a lager-spiked version of the classic) and a take on the Campari-centric Garibaldi that swaps OJ for sparkling blood-orange juice.

Where to sit

Want to be among the action? Park yourself at a green-and-gold-upholstered stool in the front window and watch the world go by on Flinders Lane.

Prefer somewhere quieter? Tucked off to the side is a semi-private dining room with space for eight or so people around a baby-blue circular table.

Business lunch or boozy group dinner? You decide.

Our favourite detail

Right as you walk in, on the wall to the left hangs a stunning landscape artwork, which Elisa and Adam commissioned Australian artist Clive Jones to paint. With snowcapped mountains in the background and an ancient township in the foreground, it depicts Elio’s hometown of Tocco da Casauria in the Italian region of Abruzzo. Elisa says: “I think he’d be pretty chuffed to see it and, of course, his name on the front window.”

Elio’s Place is open daily 7am-late, from Thursday, August 15

Shop 1, 238 Flinders Lane, Melbourne, eliosplace.com.au