Giving an old pub a new lease on life is a delicate process. Regulars like to find the heart of their local still intact, but it needs to feel novel enough to draw fresh faces.

If the hordes coming through the doors are anything to go by, the recent refurb of the North Fitzroy Arms – which has stood on the corner of Rae and Reid streets since 1874 – has hit that sweet spot.

“The response from [locals] within a couple of blocks has been amazing,” says publican Julian Downing. “They’re as excited as us to have their neighbourhood pub back.”

After a seven-month renovation, the front bar remains familiar: still a place for perching with a pot of Carlton Draught at the horseshoe-shaped bar surrounded by footy memorabilia.

In the dining room, things look a little different. There are white tablecloths, new (but vintage-vibe) monogrammed plates, and an energy that walks the line between bistro and boozer, just like chef Barney Cohen’s (ex-Bar Bellamy, Nomada) thoughtful pub grub.

The cheeseburger stars beef from retired dairy cows, and Cohen’s obsession with from-scratch cooking runs from standouts such as pork and sage sausages to staples including sourdough dinner rolls and even the tomato sauce. The South Australia-invented pie floater is proving popular. Here, it’s a beef cheek and ale pie with a quenelle of mash in a pool of verdant pea soup.

Drinks expert Hayley McCarthy (ex-Ides) is responsible for the affordable house tap wines and riveting by-the-glass list, which includes Papianakos assyrtiko from Greece. There are also Guinness-spiked espresso martinis.

Open Mon-Thu 4pm-late; Fri-Sun noon-late
296 Rae Street, Fitzroy North, northfitzroyarms.com.au

On Queens Parade, next to the iconic art deco Macca’s, the family behind the now-closed Beechworth Indian Restaurant has opened a Melbourne follow-up, Magan. It puts the traditional food of their home region – Hyderabad, in India’s south – in the spotlight.

“A lot of people we’ve had in from Hyderabad say that it tastes exactly like home,” says co-owner Sarwar Walajahi.

At Magan, he’s all about highlighting the regional differences in the dishes his mum, Asra Baig, and dad, Shabbir Walajahi, serve, which are based on multi-generational recipes.

One example is the rich, slow-cooked dum ka chicken curry, which has a base of blended almonds and cashews. “The same sort of curry in North India would be made with onion,” says Sarwar.

Another is biryani, the preparation of which differs across the subcontinent. For Magan’s version, goat or chicken is marinated then layered through the rice, then cooked together for a “less oily and less wet” result than other versions of the dish. But the restaurant also serves widely known Indian dishes such as butter chicken and palak paneer.

Open Mon & Wed-Fri 5pm-9.30pm; Sat-Sun noon-2pm, 5pm-10pm
201 Queens Parade, Fitzroy North, instagram.com/magan.melbourne

Other newbies of note in the suburb include Glory Us (73 Reid Street, Fitzroy North), a friendly Strathmore favourite now offering its cafe flair a little closer to the city. Its sophomore location opened for dine-in at the weekend after several weeks of takeaway sales. To mark the occasion, accomplished owners Mike Byard (ex-Pretty Little) and Tori Bicknell (ex-Mulberry Group) have reinstated a fancy French toast that made waves when their OG cafe opened: it’s burnt butter and brown sugar loaf with cinnamon cream and bruleed banana.

The second shop of local coffee roaster Fieldwork (336 St Georges Road, Fitzroy North) – its CBD location is in Degraves Street – offers a front-row seat to all its micro-roastery action. At the minimalist space, get a fresh brew in espresso or filter form – or in a rosewater-and-cardamom coffee spritz – and add on a pastry from All Are Welcome.

Down the road, two culinary talents are settling into their new roles. Now holding the head chef reins at Italian dark horse Pinotta (32 Best Street, Fitzroy North), decorated Melbourne chef and dessert queen Philippa Sibley is impressing with dishes such as hand-rolled gnocchi and tiramisu “extra”, which contains layers of chocolate. And at the Edinburgh Gardens-adjacent Public Wine Shop (179 St Georges Road, Fitzroy North), exciting Sydney import Ben Sears (ex-Ezra, Paper Bird and Moon Park) is keeping the small-plate bar high, a standard set by predecessor Ali Currey-Voumard.