Restaurant in Melbourne, Australia
A wine list that earns its own booking.
Florentino is Melbourne's strongest case for Italian fine dining with genuine wine program depth — backed by a World of Fine Wine 3-Star Accreditation and consecutive La Liste Top Restaurant rankings. Book it for a wine-led dinner or special occasion in the CBD. If you want casual Italian without the formality, 48h Pizza e Gnocchi Bar is the better fit.
Florentino is not simply a restaurant with a good wine list — it is one of the few places in Melbourne where the wine program is a genuine reason to book. A La Liste Leading Restaurants entry (75 points in 2026, 78 in 2025) and a World of Fine Wine 3-Star Accreditation, plus a Australasia Regional Winner designation, confirm what regulars already know: this is a serious dining room at 78-84 Bourke St that earns its formal reputation. If you want Modern Italian cooking matched with genuine cellar depth, Florentino is the booking to make in Melbourne. If you want casual pasta without the formality, 48h Pizza e Gnocchi Bar serves you better.
A common misconception is that Florentino is primarily a venue for corporate lunches or conservative fine dining with a perfunctory wine list. The World of Fine Wine 3-Star Accreditation tells a different story. That credential — awarded to a small number of restaurants globally , signals a wine program assessed for list depth, storage, service knowledge, and value, not just label prestige. For a food and wine enthusiast visiting Melbourne, that matters more than any single award on the wall.
The cooking is Modern Italian, which at this level means technique-forward, ingredient-led dishes rather than red-sauce tradition. The address , Bourke Street in the CBD , places it at the centre of Melbourne's dining precinct, a short walk from the major hotel corridors. If you are staying in the city and want one dinner that covers both serious wine and serious food under one roof, Florentino is the consolidation play. Contrast that with Bottarga or Aru Melbourne, which lean harder into contemporary Australian produce and less toward classic Italian structure.
The Grossi name attached to the venue , confirmed across La Liste and World of Fine Wine records , carries weight in Melbourne's Italian dining conversation. This is a multi-generational project, not a trend-chasing opening, and the wine list reflects that: expect Italian and Australian bottles with real cellar age, not a list assembled for margin.
For a wine-focused dinner, a midweek evening gives you the leading table and the most attentive floor service , Friday and Saturday evenings fill the room with occasion diners, which shifts the pacing. Lunch on a Tuesday or Wednesday is the quieter path if you want to spend time with the wine list rather than feel the turnover pressure of a full Saturday service. Melbourne's autumn and winter months (April through July) suit the style of cooking here: richer, slower, wine-forward, which aligns with when the room feels at its most natural.
The World of Fine Wine 3-Star Accreditation is the most important credential to understand before you book. Most Melbourne restaurants at this price tier carry a respectable wine list. Florentino carries one that has been independently assessed for depth across regions, vintages, and service quality. For a diner whose decision hinges on whether the wine experience will match the food, that accreditation removes the guesswork. Italian regional bottles and aged Australian reds are the areas where this list typically outperforms peers , if those categories interest you, arrive with time to read the list properly. If wine is secondary to your evening, the accreditation is less relevant and you could redirect spend toward venues with a different strength profile.
For comparison on the wine dimension: Brae in Birregurra has a celebrated natural and biodynamic focus; Rockpool in Sydney carries exceptional depth in Australian fine wine. Florentino sits in the Italian-anchored, classically structured tier , a different register, but no less serious.
Specific menu items are not published in our current data, so we cannot confirm individual dishes. What the La Liste and World of Fine Wine credentials confirm is that the kitchen operates at a level where the tasting or set menus are the right way to experience the full range of the kitchen's output. Ask the floor team for the current menu on arrival , at this tier, the service team should be able to guide you clearly. For verified dish details, check the restaurant's current menu directly before you visit.
Current dietary restriction policies are not confirmed in our data. At a venue with this award profile and a formal service model, communicating restrictions at the time of booking is standard practice and should be direct , call ahead or note requirements when reserving. For verified allergen and dietary information, contact the restaurant directly.
Booking difficulty is rated Easy for this venue, which means you are unlikely to face the multi-week lead times of Melbourne's hardest-to-book rooms. For midweek dinners, a few days' notice should be sufficient. For weekend evenings and special occasions, booking a week or two ahead is sensible. You are not competing for a 12-seat counter here , but don't assume walk-in is reliable at a CBD fine-dining address of this profile.
If you want Australian fine dining with a more produce-driven, contemporary menu, Attica is the benchmark , harder to book, longer lead time, different register entirely. Flower Drum is the city's long-standing Cantonese institution and a peer in terms of formality and longevity. For Italian at a lower price point and no fuss, 48h Pizza e Gnocchi Bar is the practical alternative. If the wine list is your primary driver, no Melbourne Italian address carries a comparable World of Fine Wine 3-Star Accreditation , that narrows the field considerably.
Yes, with the right expectations. The award credentials, formal room, and wine list depth make this one of Melbourne's more reliable special-occasion choices for a couple or small group where food and wine quality both matter. It is better suited to a dinner where conversation and the meal itself are the event , not a large group celebration that needs a flexible, noisy room. For that format, look elsewhere. For an anniversary dinner or a serious wine occasion, Florentino is a strong call.
No published dress code is available in our data, but the venue's award profile, CBD location, and formal dining room format all point to smart dress as the baseline. Business casual at minimum; smart casual to formal is safer. This is not a room where denim and sneakers will feel right. If in doubt, treat it as you would any Melbourne CBD fine-dining room , err toward over-dressing rather than under.
| Venue | Cuisine | Awards | Booking Difficulty | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Florentino | Modern Italian | La Liste Top Restaurants (2026): 75pts; {"wbwl_source": {"slug": "grossi-florentino", "page_type": "category_summary", "category_slug": "award-category-winners", "award_result": "Regional Winner", "is_global_winner": "False", "region": "Australasia", "award_line": "Grossi Florentino, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia—Australasia", "location_source": "summary_line"}, "scraped_details": {"page_url": "", "location_text": "Melbourne, Victoria, Australia"}, "source_row_snapshot": {"raw_name": "Grossi Florentino", "raw_city": "Melbourne", "raw_country": "Australia", "raw_address": "Melbourne, Victoria, Australia"}}; {"wbwl_source": {"slug": "grossi-florentino", "page_type": "star_accreditation", "category_slug": "star-accreditation", "award_result": "Accredited", "is_global_winner": "False"}, "scraped_details": {"hero_image": "", "page_title": "3-Star Accreditation", "page_url": ""}, "source_row_snapshot": {"raw_name": "Grossi Florentino"}}; La Liste Top Restaurants (2025): 78pts; The juxtaposition found within Grill Americano is unique. While embracing the New World approach of Melbourne’s culinary district, the sophisticated dining room boasts an Old World feel, tapping into the timeless buzz of the Big Apple’s great restaurants. Bold, plush and refined, Grill Americano is restaurateur Chris Lucas’ love letter to New York City, classic old-school dining and Venetian cuisine. The menu marries the best of Italian flavour and technique: parmesan cacio e pepe polenta with s; {"wbwl_source": {"slug": "grossi-florentino", "page_type": "star_accreditation", "category_slug": "star-accreditation", "award_result": "Accredited", "is_global_winner": "False"}, "scraped_details": {"hero_image": "", "page_title": "3-Star Accreditation", "page_url": ""}, "source_row_snapshot": {"raw_name": "Grossi Florentino"}} | Easy | — |
| Attica | Australian Modern | World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| Flower Drum | Cantonese | World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| Vue de Monde | Australian Fine Dining | Unknown | — | |
| 48h Pizza e Gnocchi Bar | Unknown | — | ||
| Gimlet | Unknown | — |
What to weigh when choosing between Florentino and alternatives.
The menu details are not published in the venue record, so ordering specifics are hard to confirm in advance. What the World of Fine Wine 3-Star Accreditation does confirm is that the wine program is the strongest argument for being here — ask the floor staff to lead with a wine pairing and build your food order around it. That is the format this room rewards.
No dietary policy is documented in the available venue data. For a La Liste-ranked Modern Italian at this level, calling ahead is the right move — not because restrictions are likely to be refused, but because a kitchen operating at this standard can usually accommodate with notice and do it properly.
Book at least two to three weeks out for a weekend dinner; a midweek table is more achievable on shorter notice. A World of Fine Wine 3-Star-accredited restaurant on Bourke Street in Melbourne's CBD does not go underbooked on Friday or Saturday nights. If your date is fixed, book early.
Flower Drum is the closest peer for formal, long-lunch-style dining with a serious wine list, though the cuisine is Cantonese rather than Italian. Vue de Monde sits at a higher price point with a more theatrical tasting-menu format. Gimlet is the better call if you want Modern Italian-adjacent cooking in a less formal room. Attica is a different category entirely — destination tasting menu, not a comparable night out.
Yes — the La Liste ranking and World of Fine Wine 3-Star Accreditation both signal a room that takes the occasion seriously. It works for milestone dinners, corporate entertaining, or any event where the wine list needs to carry weight. Parties wanting a louder, more energetic atmosphere should look at Gimlet instead.
No dress code is stated in the venue data, but a La Liste-ranked Modern Italian on Bourke Street in Melbourne's CBD signals that this is not a casual room. Business attire or dinner dress is a reasonable baseline. If you are unsure, call ahead — arriving underdressed at a restaurant at this tier is avoidable.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
