Marameo

UPDATE: JANUARY 28, 2020 — Cheesy and peppery, cacio e pepe is one of our all-time favourite pastas. And at Melbourne CBD's Marameo, for all of January and February, you can pair it with a Marameo spritz for just $20. Available at lunch and dinner, the $20 cacio e pepe spritz deal is perfect for those balmy summer days (and when you can't quite face another soggy desk sandwich).

Fun, vibrant Italian is the name of the game at Russell Place diner Marameo. From the same minds that brought us Il Bacaro, Bar Carolina and Tetto di Carolina, this one's a playful, yet considered offering, that'll transport you straight to aperitivo hour on some sunny Italian holiday.

The space once home to Sarti has been reimagined with a mix of pale timber, green accents, burnt orange leather and an impressive white marble bar taking pride of place inside. While the warm 80-seat restaurant space itself is stunning, it's the terrace that's destined to be covetable turf during the balmy afternoons and evenings to come.

On the menu, you'll spy a strong selection of cheese, salumi and antipasti, as well as creative snacks like the wagyu tartare cannoli ($7) and carrot with bug tail, salmon roe and corn ($9). Pasta made fresh in-house daily might include the likes of cavatelli with pork sausage and broccoli ($25) or squid ink spaghetti with blue swimmer crab and chilli ($29), while the grill is turning out classic flavours like a pork chop cotoletta matched with fennel and cabbage ($36). There's even a $15 spaghetti cacio e pepe, on offer for quick weekday lunches between 12–3pm.

As for what you'll be sipping on that terrace, the bar's pouring a hefty selection of spritzes, a 300-strong lineup of wine and a tight list of revamped classic cocktails, including a four-month barrel-aged negroni.

Images: Kristoffer Paulsen