Let’s face it: it’s freezing outside and that cold wind slapping you in the face isn’t pleasant. Thankfully, Melbourne has a bunch of restaurants, bars and cafes to warm you up this winter – whether it’s with a cosy spot in front of an open fire, a warm drink, or food so spicy it heats you from the inside. These are our picks.

Dainty Sichuan
176 Toorak Road, South Yarra / 9078 1686

Don’t be fooled by the name, because dainty it ain’t. If you haven’t yet discovered Dainty Sichuan, a Melbourne institution with a loyal following of chilli fanatics, you really should. And winter is the perfect time to do it. Unless you’re allergic to chilli or Sichuan pepper – in which case, run. This is seriously hot, seriously tasty food that’ll blow your face off and have you planning your next visit in between wiping sweat off your forehead and gulping down mouthfuls of Tsing Tao beer.

Dainty Sichuan has been serving up authentic, inexpensive Sichuan food since 2003. Originally in Collingwood, it moved to bigger digs on Corrs Lane in the CBD, and has now landed on Toorak Road in South Yarra due to its popularity. But don’t let its latest location put you off – it stays true to its roots with the kitchen pumping out mountains – literally mountains – of fierce dried chillies. The space is sleek and modern but it’s the vibrant, fiery and interesting food that makes this place a winner in winter. If you were cold when you walked in, you certainly won’t be when you leave.

Dishes are given a one-, two- or three-chilli rating and if you’re a first-timer it might be best to stick to the safer options. But if you’re brave, order up and hang on: think dishes like fiery Kung Pao chicken that packs a serious flavour punch, pyramids of chilli crabs, ants climbing trees (a pile of noodles studded with pork mince – the ‘ants’), green beans fried with loads of garlic, or a big bowl of sweet, sticky and searingly hot pig’s feet, accompanied by those tongue-numbing, yet addictive, Sichuan peppercorns. A hotpot menu is a relatively new, and popular, addition: big metal cauldrons of stock simmers at your table, ready to cook your chosen meats and veges. The generously sized mains range from $15-$25, and with lashings of chilli, garlic and ginger in most dishes you’ll scare away any winter colds, too.

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The Abyssinian
277 Racecourse Road, Kensington / 9376 8754

Step into this cosy little restaurant for a real taste of the Horn of Africa – and it’s just a stone’s throw from Newmarket train station. A local favourite, The Abyssinian serves up Ethiopian and Eritrean food that’ll warm your belly and make you smile. Surrounded by cultural artefacts, friendly service, warm lighting and a relaxed vibe, it’s the perfect place to hide from the icy wind whipping down Racecourse Road and learn a bit about a culture many of us are unfamiliar with.

The traditional way is to eat with your hands, which is easier than it sounds thanks to the injera bread – a soft, spongy and slightly sour flatbread that looks like a big pancake. Your chosen dishes are tipped onto the injera and you rip pieces from the bread, using it to squeeze and scoop up dishes like chunks of pumpkin coated in berbere (a sweet, hot Serrano-chilli spice mix), tender goat cooked with lemon, cardamom, cloves and cinnamon, or slow-cooked pieces of lamb with spiced ghee and berbere.

The food here is rich, spicy and full of flavour, and it’s pretty hard not to feel warm while you share this vibrant, colourful food with friends and the juices run down your hands. Mains are $15-$24 but the mixed platter – a generous range of dishes served on a big metal plate of injera – provides the best value: $45 for two and $22 for each additional person. A word of advice: book on weekends, and go with someone you’re happy to get messy with.

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Von Haus
1a Crossley Street, CBD / 9662 2756

Is there a more appropriate soundtrack to the depressingly dark winter nights than Nick Cave and his mournful growling? I think not. And bless the staff at Von Haus, because apparently they agree. This beautiful, tiny laneway bar captures exactly what Melbourne’s winter is about with its dark wood furniture, rich, sweet smells of home cooking and interesting wine list (no Oyster Bay sauv blanc here). Shit, there’s even a bowl of chestnuts on the mantelpiece. Actually, it’s a bit like sitting in someone’s kitchen.

If you can nab a table (come early or on a weeknight), there’s plenty to keep you here including a tempting cheese menu (keeping the company of abovementioned chestnuts) and a chalkboard of comfort food like saffron- and cinnamon-braised lamb or hearty Hungarian goulash. There’s a courtyard out the back for warmer nights and smokers, and on Fridays and Saturdays it’s open Haus for brekky or lunch and coffee. But no earlier than 10am on Saturday; it’s winter and Von Haus isn’t getting up early for anybody. Ah Von Haus, you had me at Nick Cave.

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Sister Bella
22 Drewery Place, CBD

Beautiful sister indeed. This bar opened up in 2007 as the younger sibling of St Jerome’s – the much-loved but recently departed bar on Caledonian Lane. Sister Bella – also hidden down a tiny lane pretending to be nothing more than a rubbish bin strip – is a small, hip venue with rough wooden floors, exposed brick walls, an assortment of stools, boxes and cast iron gates (yes), and a jumble of op-shop pictures cluttering the walls. So what makes this place any different from the dozens of other small, hips bars with brick walls and op-shop pictures, you ask? Why, mulled wine of course! Warm, spicy, lovely mulled wine – but only in winter. And when you’re feeling a little mulled yourself, there’s a menu of burgers, pastas and pizza – perhaps chorizo and preserved lemon or ham and dukkah. Mains are $8-$14, but early birds are rewarded with $6 pizzas every day before 6pm. If somewhere to sit is important to you, perhaps visit on a weeknight – Sister Bella is a magnet for cool people, smug with belief that only they know where the cool places are, and on weekends it’s standing room only. Ironic, no?