The Hardware Club

Upstairs on a buzzy Melbourne laneway—straight out of a lively European summer—sits your new culinary obsession. The Hardware Club is one of those brilliantly cozy, tightly packed dining rooms where the energy is infectious and the hospitality fiercely personal. Pasta purists are actively trying to gatekeep this spot, and one bite of their *Spaghetti all'Assassina*—a crispy, deeply charred, unapologetically spicy masterpiece tossed in day-old sugo—explains exactly why. Expect bold flavor profiles and brilliant textural contrasts. Think squid ink and crab *Frutti di Mare* croquettes oozing with lobster butter. Flatbread blistered with smoked scamorza and housemade habanero honey. The service here is famously warm, with staff doling out handwritten cards, Polaroid snaps, and celebratory tiramisu for birthdays before finishing the night with a killer affogato. Grab a table during happy hour, soak in the groovy Italian soundtrack, and let the kitchen absolutely ruin you for ordinary dining. *Che capolavoro.*