Date Night in Melbourne

The classic Melbourne date night for people who want to do it properly.

Gimlet for dinner — book two weeks ahead, spend the money, the room justifies it. Then drinks at Goldfields House (226 Bourke Street) — it has no signage and is accessed through a door next to a car park, which is exactly the kind of Melbourne thing to know about.

Etta for dinner, then a walk through the back streets of Fitzroy. The suburb at night is underrated.

Smaller room, more intimate than the CBD options, equally good food. The walk after through Fitzroy — lit terraces, the sound of the trams on Smith Street — becomes the conversation.

One of the most reliably good Melbourne date ideas that exists.

The Rooftop Cinema on top of the Curtin House car park on Swanston Street runs from November through March. The films skew classic and interesting. The views across the CBD are worth the ticket price alone.

The view across Port Phillip Bay at sunset is one of the most Melbourne things you can do.

The food matches the room — seafood-forward, confident, not trying to be anything other than what it is. The downstairs bar is a better choice if the dining room feels like too much.

Melbourne's best bar for a proper cocktail, followed by the gallery. The room makes Tuesday feel like an occasion.

Bar Margaux is in the basement of 111 Lonsdale Street — French brasserie aesthetic, serious drinks. The NGV runs late-night openings on Fridays during major exhibitions. Combine them.

For the date that's an event rather than just an evening.

Drive to Pt Leo Estate on the Mornington Peninsula — the sculpture park is free with a restaurant booking, the terrace lunch looks across the bay, and the drive back through the peninsula in the late afternoon is part of it. This is the move when you want to make an impression.