Melbourne's Il Mercato Centrale is finally here. This huge Italian food hall and market — the first of its kind in Australia — was first announced back in 2022 and was expected to open late in he same year.

Unfortunately, the highly ambitious venture encountered a heap of issues that pushed the opening back a couple of years. But all those woes are now in the past, as the team officially opened the 546 Collins Street site at 4pm on Thursday, September 19.

First off, the 3500-square-metre space, spread across three stories, truly is enormous. The first floor has a market feel but with more flash, fun and tech. Each of the vendors is slinging their own specialty goods, with none competing with the other. Here, you can find fresh produce to take home or have them cook it up for you on the spot.

Then, up one floor, you'll find a fine-diner, gelateria, distillery, wine bar, cocktail bar, and a smattering of other food vendors. Head up another staircase to then find a multi-purpose space for holding big events and regular workshops and masterclasses — hosted by Il Mercato Centrale's vendors.

There's a lot going on, and it's best to explore in person, but to help you start planning your visit, we've put together this quick guide to all the vendors who've set up shop on Collins Street's huge new drinking and dining destination. What's more, you won't need to spend all your time running around from stall to stall when dining here — simply scan a QR code and order from a selection of these spots in one transaction, and have them ready to pick up or be delivered to your table (wherever that may be in the food hall) within a few minutes.

Damian Malone's Il Forno bakery sits right at the entrance of Il Mercato Centrale, showing just how important good bread is to Italians. The team here is milling its own flour, making it into handmade loaves of bread and pastries. Quickly pop in before work for a cheeky croissant, or stop by after a day in the office to take some fresh bread home.

No Italian food and drink destination is complete without standout coffee. And Il Mercato has enlisted the help of Jerry Lee to bring it to life on the ground floor. Locally roasted Mosaic by Lavazza coffee is being used in espresso shots, and it's served in quintessentially Italian in style. That means you're not going to find your bougie filter coffees or Melbourne magics here. It is simple and to the point. But for fun, the team is selling its playful coffee caviar. Before you get turned off, there's no fish product in it — simply espresso that's had a little science intervention that transforms it into tiny balls that pop in your mouth.

It's almost impossible to find fresh pasta in the CBD that you can take home. That is until right now, thanks to Angelo Sperlinga who is running this spot. He's been selling pasta for over 27 years now, and has absolutely nailed the art. You'll find a stack of different kinds of pasta here, varying in shape, size and regional origins. Stop by to take these away, or order them with your choice of sauces for lunch or dinner at the new Il Mercato Centrale in Melbourne.

Neapolitan pastries are championed at this pastry stall, run by Alessandro Grillo and Vincenzo Marino. Yes, that means you'll be filling up on sfogliatella, baba, zeppole, and all sorts of cakes and biscotti. Grab a few with your coffee when dining in, or box up a bunch of your faves to take back to the office.

Traditional Roman pizza al taglio is championed at this stall, which is run by Nicoló Conenna  who — like many of the traders here — hails from Italy. Here, you'll find thick-ish crust pizza, fat foccacia sandwiches loaded with meat, veg and cheese, plus some morish arancini — some of which come stuffed with different kinds of pasta rather than rice. Cheese is heavily used here, so be sure to pop a Lactese tablet if you and dairy aren't the best of friends.

Bivano & Sons is running the fruit and veg tall at Il Mercat Centrale, selling locally grown produce as well as fresh juices. Even though this is sitting in the back corner of the ground floor, you won't miss it thanks to the brightly coloured fruit draped all over the front of the stall.

This butcher and steakhouse has one of the sexiest stalls in the market — that is, if you're a meat eater. There's a large glass display right out front with large cuts of meat slowly spinning around on hooks. Drop by for legendary eats like capocollo di calabria and bistecca alla fiorentina, cooked over the grill to order. Prefer to take some of the raw steaks home? Too easy. They'll wrap them up, give you cooking tips and send you on your way.

Out of all the stalls at Melbourne's Il Mercato Centrale, this one is the most specialised. Here, Paula and Gary Harding are almost exclusively selling freshly fried calamari. Yeah, there are a few little salads also up for grabs, but it is all about the salt and pepper calamari, and Italian crumbed calamari — a recipe passed down from their Sicilian nonna. If we can nab a seat outside on Collins Street, this is what we'll be ordering to go with our many rounds of Aperol spritz.

Like it says in the name, La Mozarella (run by the That's Amore crew) is where you get your cheese — specifically, buffalo mozzarella. Traditional Italian methods and recipes are at the heart of the team's practices, preserving the ancient art of cheese making with patience, dedication and love. But mozzarella isn't the only cheese sold here. You've also got fresh ricotta, burrata, caciovalla and provolone, among many others — either served to eat there or taken home for cooking. We'll likely be ordering a few burrata balls while sipping on Italian wines upstairs at the Enoteca.

Wild-caught and farmed seafood seafood can be found down the back of the ground floor market section, run by George Milonas. His diverse range includes a variety of Australian seafood such as fish, shellfish, mollusks, and oysters, which can all be cooked onsite or taken away. Strangely, the team is even selling sushi here — clearly, they know just how much Melburnians love their lunchtime sushi rolls.

This isn't your average chocolate shop. Alessandro Luppolo has brought some next-level bean-to-bar creations to Il Mercato that look just as good as they taste. Its collection includes single-origin dark and milk chocolates, plus a smattering of innovatively crafted bonbons — the flavours of which change semi-regularly.

Just as coffee is an Italian essential in the morning, wine is just as important from the afternoon onward. Nailing the vino was always going to be important at Il Mercato Centrale, and they've done a bang-up job by getting Marco and Michelle Singarella to run the wine bar. You'll find an impressive range of artisanal wines from Australia, New Zealand, Italy, and France, plus a few tap wines from local and Italian producers.

Sit at the bar and order some drops by the glass, or run in to take some bottles home. We highly recommend nabbing a table up here, ordering some fresh oysters and arancini to go with your sip-and-snack session.

La Canolleria is another well-known artistan setting up shop in Melbourne's Il Mercato Centrale. These guys can already be found at Queen Vic Market, South Melbourne Market and their bricks-and-mortar shop on Lygon Street, where they make some of the city's finest cannoli. These are made the traditional way, with fresh ricotta, and come with a heap of different classic flavours.

This ground-floor bar is pumping out all your usual suspects, from local and Italian beers and wines to simple cocktails and mixed drinks. Order these from your table or with the team themselves, drinking late into the night.

Yes, Melbourne's Il Mercato Centrale has its own gin distillery. Because, why not? Australian Distilling Co. is in charge here, making and serving its wide range of gins, which the team will help you pair with whatever food you've ordered from the other vendors. You'll soon be able to participate in gin masterclasses here as well, making and bottling up your own gin to take home.

Rovena Xeba is serving up brilliant artisanal gelato, gelato cakes, waffles and crepes from her small stall upstairs. She uses organic milk, fresh fruits, vanilla beans, organic eggs and butter to create a range of products that embody the quality and tradition of Italian gelato making.

A particular highlight has got to be her signature Spaghetti Ice Cream —  a playful twist on classic gelato. First off, the gelato is made with organic milk and vanilla beans, which is pressed through machinery to resemble spaghetti. It's topped with homemade strawberry coulis — simulating tomato sauce — and finished with white chocolate shavings as grated cheese. It's fun, but far from being naff. It still tastes damn good.

The food hall and market's own bar has taken up prime positon on the second floor, right in front of the stunning windows overlooking Collins Street. Here, bartenders are mixing up all your usual Italian cocktails, plus a few signature sips with plenty of flair. Sit up here and watch the theatrical cocktail-making, or simply have the bevs delivered to whatever part of Il Mercato you've set yourselves up at.

This is one of the stalls we were most looking forward to visiting, for Valerio Violetti is running the show. He's known for creating some of the best pizza in Australia — and has plenty of awards to prove it — and the pizzas he's making here are no joke. Il Mercato Centrale worked hard to get him here, and we are all-too grateful for their perseverance. Here, he and his team are plating up sensational Napoletana pizza, cooked up in one of the two huge puma-shaped pizza ovens. This is a must-visit spot at the new CBD food hall.

Annapaola D'Alessio's pasta stall — located right next to La Pizza Napoletana — is yet another standout spot. Here, D'Alessio and her team are making handmade pasta for the masses, without losing out on quality. You can take this home, but it would be an absolute shame not to try their cooked pasta dishes. They'll change seasonally, so be sure to pop by regularly for some of Melbourne's best pasta.

For us, this is one of the more surprising stalls. We never knew smash burgers were particularly Italian, but we certainly aren't upset to find them at Il Mercato Centrale. Its signature smash burger features a patty made from a blend of angus brisket and chuck beef, smashed onto a hot griddle to create a crispy crust and juicy interior. Topped with melted cheddar, lettuce, and pickles, this burger will satisfy even the fussiest eaters out there.

Restaurants get risotto wrong all the time. It is a true labour of love, that needs to be precicely prepared and cooked. And risotteria crushes it. The risotto is super creamy but still has just the right amount of bite. The team also plates up a bunch of other rice-based eats— perfect for the coeliacs out there. You'll be surprised with just how good the crew's rice-based pasta tastes, while the arancini are beyond perfect.

Chef Jerry Kim is running the fine-dining restaurant here at Il Mercato Centrale, which is currently still under works. Sadly, a lot of Il Mercato Centrale's furniture wasn't delivered in time, so this space feels a little underwhelming right now. Still, once it is done, you'll be visiting Il Ristorante for contemporary takes on classic italian cuisine — served in a more formal setting.

Piadina, a traditional Italian flatbread, is heroed at this small stall up on the second level. These come stuffed with all kinds of classic fillings like ham and cheese, salmon or — our fave — eggplant parmigiana. These bites really transport you to Europe, as the seemingly simple ingredients are so damn good that not much needs to be done to them. Biting into these will make you feel like you've gone to your mate's nonna's place for lunch.

Il Mercato Central Melbourne can be found at 546 Collins Street, Melbourne. The Italian market and food hub is open 7am–10pm from Sunday–Thursday, and 7am–midnight on Fridays and Saturdays. For more details, you can visit the venue's website.

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