• Melbourne's top 20 bars

Yes, it is the season of sandos...

Abalone katsu sandwich at Cutler & Co Bar

Even those who perversely refuse to see the attraction of abalone might get a little hot under the collar about this snack. It's crumbed and fried to a golden-hued, non-annoying level of chewablity then popped into delicate white bread with a good tangy slather of Bulldog, Japan's finest tonkatsu sauce. Get one each because no one will want to share.

55-57 Gertrude Street, Fitzroy, 03 9419 4888

After school sandwich at Bar Di Stasio

Only the self-hating could fail to see the brilliance of this little sandwich: escalope of veal pummelled flat and crumbed, fried to order then placed on crustless buttered fluffy white bread that's wrapped in foil so the butter melts into the bread and the sandwich arrives as soft, comforting and fortifying as the embrace of the Italian nonna everyone wishes they had.

31 Fitzroy Street, St Kilda, 03 9525 3999

Bug sandwich at Ramblr

From the department of sandwiches to love comes Ramblr's bug sando. In a milk bun steamed for softness like McDonald's Filet-o-Fish goes the Moreton Bay bug tail, fried crisp in a salt and pepper tapioca shell, with shaved iceberg and a sauce given heat from kimchi liquor.

363 Chapel Street, South Yarra, 03 9827 0949

Connie's pizza slice at Heartbreaker

Anybody who's been wasted and famished late night in New York will understand the life-affirming qualities of an NY-style pizza slice, all flexible crust, molten mozzarella and tomato sauce, perhaps pepperoni, served up on a paper plate with a self-administered sprinkling of dried parmesan or oregano or chilli. Connie's, out the back of Heartbreaker, does this with surprising verisimilitude. Be prepared for flashbacks.

234A Russell Street, Melbourne, 03 9663 2112

Cumin-spiced lamb bun at Lee Ho Fook bar

Victor Liong's downstairs bar menu at his modern Chinese diner is treacherous territory for the decision phobic: fried chicken (two types), roast duck, pipis with XO sauce and Chinese doughnuts, spicy pork dan dan noodles. But for those after a quick two-bite snack, things are made easier by slightly fiery cumin-spiced lamb stuffed into a small white bun with ribbons of pickled fennel and fresh coriander that gets texture, flavour and cocktail compatibility just right.

11-15 Duckboard Place, Melbourne, 03 9077 6261

Midnight spaghetti at Arlechin

This snack-size bundle of caper, tomato and chilli-tossed spaghetti moves from the sublime to the ridiculously great with the addition of a hefty splash of colotura, the Italian version of fish sauce that hails from Italy's Amalfi coast and makes the world a better place. Don't wait until midnight.

Mornane Place, Melbourne, 03 9662 2413

'Nduja jaffle at Neptune

Nobody believes (or trusts) anyone who says they don't like jaffles so don't waste time or social capital and just order one of these straight off the bat. It's a classic – white bread in the traditional scalloped jaffle shape – filled with melted cheese and, a fiery twist, 'nduja, the spicy spreadable salami that has the jaffle dripping spicy red oil and will probably have you fanning your mouth and calling for another cocktail. What more could you ask for in a bar snack?

212 High Street, Windsor, 03 9533 2827

Potato crisp with anchovy at Neighbourhood Wine

It's hard to go past the cured meat selection here (the mushroom and dry sherry flavoured salchi bosque especially) but if you do, the potato crisp artfully overloaded with ridiculously good things – Nardin black anchovies, shreds of pickled celery, a blob of creme fraiche – is the snack that'll stop you in your tracks while demonstrating its natural affinity with natural wine.

1 Reid Street, Fitzroy North, 03 9486 8306

Scotch egg at Kirk's

You know Kirk's Wine Bar. But this is Kirk's, the small-but-stunning beer-focussed bar next door, wrapped in wood panelling and serving a menu you want to find in English pubs/everywhere. Case-in-deliciousness: the Scotch egg, a brined boiled egg, wrapped in a pork farce of belly, shoulder and back fat (light!) that's been heavily nutmeg and pepper spiced. Crisp crumbed and served with dijon, it's a belter with beer.

Cnr Hardware Lane & Little Bourke Street, Melbourne

Soured cucumbers at Embla

The original patron saints of bar snacks – salt and fat – are now keeping company with some newly fashionable pickled and fermented fellow travellers. Embla's cucumber chunks, bracingly sour, teamed with whipped feta and a dusting of deep green dill powder are firm friends with wine and explain sour's ever-increasing presence in the world's best bars.

122 Russell Street, Melbourne, 03 9654 5923

The Good Food Guide goes national this year with hats awarded across Australia. The Good Food Guide 2018 will be launched in October with our presenting partners Citi and Vittoria and will be on sale in newsagents and bookstores.