Five of a kind: Makeovers

Brunetti

Forget any modest ideals surrounding coffee and cake - Brunetti 2.0 is the go-to emporium for lovers of la dolce vita. There are acres of marble and brass detailing in this cavernous space. Terrace seating on Lygon Street recedes past floor-to-ceiling cold store cabinets filled with elaborate cakes to an interior blinding in its size and bustle, alive with that particular yellow-lit European vibe. Two limousine-long counters flank an enormous coffee round (behind which multiple baristas keep the espresso pumping), one sweet to the other's savoury: think wood-fired pizzas from the burning-bright oven or delicate salads as a prelude to Italian cakes and biscuits as good as nonna's. Behind all the bling, the Melbourne institution is now back in the place where it began.
Brunetti, 380 Lygon Street, Carlton, 9347 2801. brunetti.com.au

Di Stasio

Messing with an institution can be dangerous. No surprises, then, that when restaurant stalwart Ronnie Di Stasio decided the time had come to expand, he chose extension over renovation with the opening of Bar Di Stasio. There's been plenty written about this place, and why not? It ticks all the boxes: a subtly sexy interior, great booze and food to match. Not to mention an array of nook-and-cranny seating arrangements that each do their bit to alter the experience. A seat high up at the monolithic bar is a great vantage point for an all-encompassing overview, while a tiny six-seat booth at the back (''the crying room,'' Di Stasio's Mallory Wall calls it) is ideal for a group tete-a-tete. Party time? A private space just behind the bar fits 16.
Bar Di Stasio, 31 Fitzroy Street, St Kilda, 9525 3999, 0409 166 319. distasio.com.au

O'Connells

Much has been made of the pedigree of chefs who have walked through the doors of O'Connell's (everyone from Greg Malouf to Adrian Richardson), a South Melbourne pub that was at the forefront of the gastro pub movement when it opened in 1990. Fast-forward 23 years and the popular corner local is moving with the times. Pull up a stool at the new raised booths to check out a menu that's as fresh and modern as the interior makeover. Think wood-grilled cuttlefish with chimichurri, a colourful ancient grain salad or fried white anchovies downed with a beer - there are 10 on tap. The look combines Scandinavian chic subtly coloured by the design aesthetic of the early 1970s. One thing hasn't changed: a burger in the courtyard remains a Sunday afternoon must-do.
O'Connell's, corner Coventry and Montague streets, South Melbourne, 9699 9600. oconnells.com.au

David's

After 15 years, David Zhou of the eponymous Chapel Street dumpling and teahouse clearly felt it was time for a change. His restaurant. has undergone a major renovation. Plush banquettes are out. In their place are pristine whitewashed walls, distressed pale timber display cupboards, cheeky school chairs and accents of soft greenery. Youthful and current as the interior may be, the blue-and-white Ming-esque crockery speaks clearly to the restaurant's Shanghainese roots. The menu has been jostled enough to freshen without startling those who knew (and loved) the previous incarnation. All-you-can-eat weekend dim sum for $35 is a test worth taking.
David's, 4 Cecil Place, Prahran, 9529 5199. davidsrestaurant.com.au

Grossi Florentino

Opulence has always been Guy Grossi's forte but the recent renovation of Florentino Upstairs has taken things up a notch. From the Robert Gordon-designed show plates to reinstallation of the finely wrought original chandeliers in the Mural Room, the feel is one of refined elegance. There's a lightened colour scheme, the option of pre-dinner drinks at the newly installed bar (cleverly sectioned from the Wynn Room by a luxe curtain divider), as well as a circulating cheese trolley. The 'Veloce' or business lunch on weekdays is well worth a look. For $65, it includes two courses from the a la carte menu and the complete Grossi experience - think inter-course palate cleansers and five-star service.
Grossi Florentino, 80 Bourke Street, city, 9662 1811.grossi.com.au