The Age Good Food Guide reviewers name some of their favourite places from this year's eating out.

City Wine Shop

159 Spring Street, Melbourne 03 9654 6657 citywineshop.net.au

Crammed shoulder to shoulder at the back communal table, playing "food roulette" with the daily changing blackboard menu. So Melbourne. Melissa Singer

Heartattack & Vine

329 Lygon Street, Carlton 03 9005 8624 heartattackandvine.com.au

Having a moment, alone, with Heartattack & Vine's porchetta roll. That crackling is my soulmate. Sofia Levin

Hell of the North

135 Greeves Street, Fitzroy 03 9417 6660 hellofthenorth.com.au

Beef tartare and pulled pork doughnuts at midnight? Hell of the North, I hope you never change. Nola James

Il Bacaro

168-170 Little Collins Street, Melbourne 03 9654 6778 ilbacaro.com.au

Sure, I love the calamari and the spaghettini, but the best thing about this smoochy 20-year-old is that every visit is suffused with a golden glow. Dani Valent

Jinda

1-7 Ferguson Street, Abbotsford 03 9419 5899

Highlight of the year? Discovering that there's a delicious sweet spot between the bog standard and the achingly fashionable when it comes to eating great Thai in Melbourne. Leanne Clancey

Luxembourg

157 Fitzroy Street, St Kilda 03 9525 4488 luxembourgbistro.com.au

The perfect date night sitting at the bar, ordering multiple rounds of potato skins piped with whipped cod roe and glistening avruga​ caviar. Sofia Levin

Meatmaiden

Basement, 195 Little Collins Street, Melbourne 03 9078 7747 meatmaiden.com.au

Wagyu brisket is smoked for 20 hours, rubbed with Tasmanian pepperberry​ and served on an enamel tray. Weirdly wonderful. Patrick Witton

Minamishima​

4 Lord Street, Richmond 03 9429 5180 minamishima.com.au

Swoon-worthily authentic nigiri​ in exquisite surrounds, plus lashings of rare-breed sake makes for a very happy critic indeed. Michael Harden

Ombra

76 Bourke Street, Melbourne 03 9639 1927 ombrabar.com.au

Warm, hospitable and engaging, Ombra is a place I can happily lose hours with some of the best salumi​ in town. Nathan Chisholm

O.My

23 Woods Street, Beaconsfield 03 9769 9000 omyrestaurant.com.au

You almost want to hate the three 20-something brothers outshining you and most of Melbourne with the razor-sharp, smart eats (grown in their own gardens) at their Beaconsfield fine diner. Gemima Cody

Papa Goose

91-93 Flinders Lane, Melbourne 03 9077 8117 papagoose.com.au

Surprise of the year? Chef Neale White's modern British fare at Papa Goose, where he somehow makes it seem not only natural but essential to order a couple of his superb Yorkshire puddings on the side. Angus Holland

Pei Modern

45 Collins Street, Melbourne 03 9654 8545 peimodern.com.au

Pei Modern is my fave solo dining venue. Give me the fab burger and fries from the bar menu and a glass of something fine from the excellent wine list and I'm happy. Kerrie O'Brien​

Rosa's Canteen

500 Bourke Street, Melbourne 03 9602 5491 rosas-kitchen.com

Biting into rich, velvety tongue at Rosa's Canteen and wishing it wasn't so misunderstood. Sofia Levin

Supernormal

180 Flinders Lane, Melbourne 9650 8688 supernormal.net.au

I can't stay away! Compelling, delicious flavours; savvy service and such an alluring buzz – more McConnell magic. Nathan Chisholm

Tipo 00

361 Little Bourke Street, Melbourne 03 9942 3946 tipo00.com.au

Relaxed service, buzzing atmosphere, unpretentious decor and beautifully cooked Italian comfort food make this close to the perfect Melbourne bistro. Michael Harry

Tonka

20 Duckboard Place, Melbourne 03 9650 3155 tonkarestaurant.com.au

The betel leaf appetiser at Tonka, with seafood, citrus, coconut and still more flavours, is one mouthful and only costs $8.50. But it could define a person's 2015 culinary experience. Elissa McCallum

The Town Mouse

312 Drummond Street, Carlton 03 9347 3312 thetownmouse.com.au

How can red cabbage, or cauliflower, taste so good? Forget you're on stools and lean into some quality Melbourne dining. Andrew Hagger

Uncle

188 Carlisle Street, St Kilda 03 9041 2668 unclestkilda.com.au

Fancy pho without the frenzy (or MSG) of Little Saigon? Park your tush at the bar for a smart bowl, starting at just $12. Melissa Singer

Union Dining

270 Swan Street, Richmond 03 9428 2988 uniondining.com.au

Friday night negronis (among Melbourne's best) at Union Dining. Sometimes with dinner, sometimes on the deck, sometimes with a plate of taleggio-spiked polenta. Janne Apelgren

Yering Station Wine Bar

38 Melba Highway, Yarra Glen 03 9730 0100 yering.com

A glimpse of how the other half lives, as a shiny red helicopter deposited six men in suits onto the lawn for champagne, then lunch, on a sunny Monday. Lucinda Schmidt

The Age Good Food Guide 2016 will be available for $10 with The Saturday Age on Saturday, September 26 from participating newsagents and supermarkets while stocks last. It can also be purchased in selected bookshops and online at theageshop.com.au/agegfg2016 for $24.99. #goodfoodguide