“It’s the sports, events and cultural capital of Australia for a reason. Events like Formula 1, the Australian Open [tennis tournament] and the Spring Racing Carnival [of horse racing] expand fan experience beyond sport. People visit from all over the world to be part of it.”

Ren Kimber, a senior adviser for accounting organisation KPMG, points to the multicultural nature of the arts, design, food and fashion in the city. There are plenty of different cultures, but “what [makes] ‘Melbourne’ is the creativity in the way we combine cultures”.

We asked Melburnians, as the locals are called, where the best places to hang out in Melbourne are, from the bustling centre to its inner-city suburbs north and south of the Yarra river.

Central Melbourne

No trip to Melbourne is complete without visiting the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV) – an arts museum in the city centre. The recently opened exhibition “Kaws: Companionship in the Age of Loneliness”, on until April 13, features American artist and designer Brian Donnelly’s (aka Kaws) reworking of fashion billboards and his infamous sculptures.

“The exhibit also goes back to Donnelly’s youth,” says NGV senior curator Dr Simon Maidment, “with sketchbooks dating back to 1991, high school times when he was starting out [with] graffiti, largely on walls and freight trains in his native Jersey City and Manhattan [in New York].”

Start exploring the city from the buzzing central business district, and take the time to people-watch at Federation Square. Free trams shuttle commuters through a vibrant area of shops, offices, restaurants and bars, and graffiti-adorned laneways such as AC/DC Lane (named after the Australian rock band). If you want to buy Australian, look to brands such as the colourful Gorman, Aje, Alpha60 and Arnsdorf, or to clothes from Melbourne-based menswear designers Chris Ran Lin and Christian Kimber.

“For fashion, I love Elliatt and By Johnny,” says Priya Serrao, a policy adviser for the government who was crowned Miss Universe Australia 2019 this year. “Also, C/MEO Collective and Keepsake the Label. Then there’s the bigger brands, like Scanlan Theodore, Viktoria & Woods, Romance was Born and Zimmermann.”

For more restaurants, shops, galleries and bars, join the crowds that wander through Collins Street, Elizabeth Street, Spring Street and Flinders Lane.

Melbourne’s large immigrant populations have made an indelible imprint on the city’s food scene, and there are plenty of options available in the city centre if you’re after a particular type of cuisine.

“The extent of Melbourne’s cultural diversity is exemplified by the variety of food,” says Serrao. Head to Chin Chin for chic Southeast Asian food with a modern Australian twist, or grab lunch at the contemporary Cumulus Inc on Flinders Lane – think dishes such as tender tuna tartare, goat's curd and crushed pea.

Gazi Restaurant on Exhibition Street is perfect for those hankering after classic Greek fare, while modern European food can be found at Miznon, down Hardware Lane. Small dishes bursting with flavour are a must-try at the dimly lit Embla on Russell Street, which doubles as a bar.

“I love the lemongrass beef noodle salad at Misschu, and I’m a sucker for the soup dumplings at HuTong Dumpling Bar,” says Serrao. When she wants to splurge, she heads to pan-Asian restaurants Annam and Lucy Liu Kitchen and Bar.

Drink downstairs at Beneath Driver Lane if whiskey is your tipple, or at the rooftop bar of QT hotel for epic city views. Both are in the central business district.

A little south

Some of the city’s best food can be found south of the inner city, in the Prahran and South Yarra areas. These upscale inner suburbs are going through something of a revival and attracting people from the city centre.

“Once [it was] one of the hippest spots for nightlife and shopping in Melbourne, but it grew up a couple of decades ago and aged itself out of this reputation,” says Ren, who lives in the area with her husband, fashion designer Christian Kimber. “It’s been given a new lease of life these past couple of years, following a surge in property developments that has brought the twenty-somethings back.”

This means a flood of wine bars, restaurants, trendy noodle joints and pastry shops have opened. Among them is Neptune Food & Wine – a chic Prahran venue on High Street, with plush booths and a great wine list, serving seasonal dishes such as roasted pumpkin and blue cheese salad, and potato gnocchi with mushrooms and cured egg yolk.

South Yarra’s Bar Carolina is quintessential south-side Melbourne, say Ren and Christian.

“It’s an ultra-chic, modern-looking bar and bistro, with a classically Italian, old-world soul,” says Ren. “My favourite dish is the seemingly humble, creamy burrata, torn apart and stirred through spicy nduja and spread over warm char-grilled bread.”

For south side shopping and style, head to Chapel Street and the boutiques of Australian womenswear designers such as Scanlan Theodore, Alice McCall, and Zimmermann.

Once you’re done shopping, head to the classic, single-screen Astor Theatre on Chapel Street, which shows art house films alongside more commercial fare.

The art deco Astor building dates back to 1913, and has a handsome bar for pre- and post-screening drinks.

A little north

In contrast to the glossy south side are the northern neighbourhoods, which are more earthy, grungy, and hip.

Running from the centre to the northern inner city is Lygon Street, lined with alfresco Italian restaurants and cafes, from which the city’s famous cafe culture comes. The fashionable northern suburbs of Collingwood and Fitzroy are full of cafes (such as the beautifully fitted out Alimentari), as well as vegetarian joints and modern Asian restaurants.

“I love Little Hop on Brunswick Street for tacos and great margaritas, but [it is] a bit cramped,” says Fitzroy-based property developer Jon Darnell. “South of Johnston is great for chilli eggs and pancakes at brunch. The owner has an immense flair for style and everything food[-related].”

Lazerpig in Collingwood has the “most insane” pizzas and burgers, adds Darnell. For an elegant spot with an extensive wine list, head to Marion on Gertrude Street, before sipping cocktails at the Everleigh bar.

Brunswick Street and Gertrude Street have quirky fashion boutiques (such as fashion designer Alistair Trung’s Fitzroy store) and cafes, too. For her own outfits and public appearances, Serrao likes Arnsdorf (visit their Fitzroy store) for a modern, minimalist aesthetic, and looks to ethical label Mastani for something a little more feminine.

Christian Kimber’s flagship store on Johnston Street is the city’s go-to place for stylish modern Australian menswear. “Melbourne is a city of shopkeepers and small businesses. It’s a great incubator and people like home-grown labels, so it was the perfect place to open my brand,” he says.