Pretty Boy Italian Steakhouse

A steakhouse and bar dedicated to New York-style Italian American eats has opened in the heart of the city. The two venues — Pretty Boy Italian Steakhouse and Floyd's Bar — now take up level one and two of Little Lonsdale Street's joined Novotel and Ibis hotels, and they aim to pay homage to the location's past as a gangster haunt and serves up cuisine inspired by Manhattan's Little Italy.

Executive chef Michael Smith — who used to run the kitchens at Tonka and Mamasita — is in charge of the food here, and he's turning out fresh pasta made in-house daily, along with premium Australian steaks. Aged onsite, cuts include the O'Connor scotch fillet and Cape Grim ribeye on the bone, which is aged for four-to-five weeks. The menu also focuses on local produce and uses traditional techniques for curing meat — think green olive mortadella and wagyu bresaola — and making sugo.

Other specialties include gnocchi with black truffle, porcini and portobello ragout; spicy kingfish crudo with orange, fennel and purple basil; and zucchini flowers stuffed with ricotta, goat's curd and Vino Cotto wine. The restaurant is open for dinner from 6pm and breakfast until 10.30am, but closed for lunch. St Ali coffee is available all day, too, and desserts include tiramisu, New York cheesecake and vanilla panna cotta with amaretto jelly.

In Floyd's Bar on level two, there's a spritz menu that starts with the classic Aperol and extends to the Sloe Spritz (Sloe gin, brandy, peach liqueur, pineapple, passionfruit and prosecco). Multiple negronis also make the menu, including a Breakfast Negroni — made with orange marmalade, orange bitter, Four Pillars gin and Cinzano — and the Four Pillars Spiced Negroni. On the wine list, Australian drops using Italian grapes are the focus.

Pretty Boy Italian Steakhouse is located on level one and Floyd's Bar is on level two of Novotel Melbourne Central, 399 Little Lonsdale Street, Melbourne. Both are open seven days a week — the former for breakfast and dinner, and the latter from 2–11pm.