Is there anything more Melbourne than rocking up to Marios on a Thursday night and negotiating for a table with a battle-proud waiter? Having status as a regular here – a home away from home, a public living room – is one of the keys to the city. Professional but relaxed, efficient but friendly, the staff at Marios exemplify a type of service that is specific to Melbourne.

The trick here is to pick the dishes they do well and stick to them. Things with pan sauces that include lemon and wine are often a safe bet. Almost all pasta dishes are reasonably good, in the old-school Melbourne way, which is to say: this is not Italy, don’t come here expecting it to be.

The chicken livers might be the best in town: marsala, bacon, spinach, livers cooked just to pink, not a second more. The lasagne? Legendary. Sometimes a restaurant is more than the sum of its parts. Marios embodies the soul of the northside, of Melbourne Italian: its origins and its present and, God willing, its future, too.

Must-order: Penne puttanesca.

Good Food reviews are booked anonymously and paid independently. A restaurant can’t pay for a review or inclusion in the Good Food Guide.