Best places to eat in Brunswick, Melbourne

Brunswick is as diverse as it is big. Lygon Street is a contemporary bar and eatery strip to rival any for coolness, quality and gelato smackdowns. Sydney Road is polyglot heaven for affordable eats and Mediterranean pantry supplies, and great cafes are dotted from Nicholson Street in the east to the wilds of Brunswick West – including Melbourne's groundbreaking hip cafe, Ray.

400 Gradi

Vera Pizza Napoletana is the attraction at this buzzy corner joint, where the crowds spill to a packed bar and tables on the street. An authentic marinara carries a warning – no seafood! – while friarielli (Neapolitan rapa) pairs with sausage. Margherita has a charred, puffy crust and perfect discs of milky fior di latte on tangy tomato sugo, while the anchovies in a napolitana are deliciously sea-tinged.

99 Lygon Street, Brunswick East, 03 9380 2320, 400gradi.com.au

This local is Very East Brunswick – from the wood-panelled front room with its window bar and table seating to the cosy fireside lounge and the casual courtyard out back. Drink wine by the glass (a dozen familiar whites and reds), James Squires beer on tap, 10 almost-craft beers by the bottle, and snack on Sicilian-style bites passed over the fence from Bar Idda next door.

134 Lygon Street, Brunswick East, 03 9380 9003

Bar Idda

Tables draped with nonna-ish embroidered cloths set the Sicilian scene at this trattoria-style eatery where Alfredo La Spina's take on his family's food is better than authentic. Start with a Rosso Antico-infused Sicilian spritzer, share maccaruni with rich beef and pork ragu, a delicious almond-crusted barramundi fillet, and eggplanty caponata spiked with celery and capers. Check the website for news on salami-making classes.

132 Lygon Street, Brunswick East, 03 9380 5339, baridda.com.au

Basfoods

The industrial shelving in this warehouse is piled to the foil-insulated ceiling with Middle Eastern and Mediterranean kitchen staples and treasures. There's a whole aisle of packaged pulses, another of spices, tiny bottles of cumin oil, frozen kibbe and jars of Turkish chocolate spread. They even sell automatic briki coffee makers and ouds for after-dinner serenades.

423 Victoria Street, Brunswick East, 03 9381 1444, basfoods.com.au

Brunswick East Wine Store

Winemaker and long-time local Tim Cohen presides over this relaxed enoteca-bar, stocking 500 wines he describes as 'smoking-hot value for money, but not self-indulgent'. Australia, Spain, Italy and France are the sources, and the focus is on small producers. If you fancy a cheeky glass, he'll have seven or eight bottles open, a grazing menu of cheese and charcuterie – plus stinky truffle and cheese toasties in season.

472 Lygon Street, Brunswick East, 03 9384 0875, brunswickeastwine.com

Lolo & Wren

Tucked into an apartment block in the Ballardian landscape of Brunswick West, Lolo & Wren flies under the radar – but shouldn't. A busy open kitchen sends out Mediterranean-accented brunches with an emphasis on seasonal local ingredients. We love the hearty cazuela of chickpea and chorizo, not least for its crunchy manchego crumb, while a bangin' coffee trifecta comes from Five Senses, Seven Seeds and Proud Mary.

484 Albion Street, Brunswick West, 03 9383 3712, loloandwren.com.au

Mediterranean Wholesalers

The Source for Italian groceries in the north. It's almost all good, but there's real value in the Felicetti organic pasta, BioNature organic canned goods, and big chunks of organic reggiano. Skip the ordinary Italian wines and spend your booze budget on well-priced Peroni, Aperol and Campari. Save $1.50 for Melbourne's cheapest espresso shot at the busy coffee bar.

482 Sydney Road, Brunswick, 03 9380 4777

Moroccan Deli-cacy

Moroccan Soup Bar's dynamic Hana Assafiri has transformed a long-time Lebanese nut shop into a buzzing Middle Eastern cafe. Assafiri and her crew pile plates with house-made falafel, dips, salads and bread in two sizes; the $10 plate is plenty generous, and for $15 you could feed two. Espresso coffee is robust in a French colonial style: try the nus nus – a Moroccan caffe latte.

313 Lygon Street, Brunswick East

Very Good Falafel

Shuki Rosemboim and Louisa Allan's Very Good Falafel has made this old-school strip of Sydney Road a destination for the young and groovy. Their Israeli-Iraqi take on falafel is healthy, hip and very tasty – big, gnarly balls stuffed into spongy pita with sharp salads and pickles. The mixed plate specials are good value, while the lamb kofte in a wrap are #lambalicious.

629 Sydney Road, Brunswick, 03 9383 6479, shukiandlouisa.com

Zero Gradi

While many gelato shops go crazy with premix flavours and wild combinations, Zero Gradi (next to sibling pizzeria 400 Gradi) sticks to tradition: gelato made with fresh ingredients and tasting the way it tastes in Naples, says owner Johnny di Francesco. That means a dozen creamy classics such as pistachio, hazelnut, or bacio; six fruity sorbets; and no flavours more modish than peanut butter and Nutella.

Shop 1, 93 Lygon Street, Brunswick East, 03 9994 5303, 400gradi.com.au

The Age Good Food Guide 2017 is available in newsagents and bookstores, with all book purchases receiving free premium access to the new Good Food app.