Head-to-Head · Melbourne
Grossi Florentino vs Chae
Two opposite Melbourne tables: Florentino for a grand Italian occasion in the CBD, Chae for a six-seat Korean pilgrimage by lottery. Book by the night.
The Verdict
Florentino is the grand old Italian dining room on Bourke Street, open since 1928 under its painted ceiling and gilded walls. It traded as Grossi Florentino under Guy Grossi and the Grossi family until they sold the business to Rebecca Yazbek's Edition Group in October 2025, and it has since reverted to its original name, Florentino. The cooking is classical Italian and the room is built for an occasion in the centre of the city. Book it for a celebration or a business dinner in the CBD.
Chae is the opposite of all that. It is a six-seat restaurant in chef Jung Eun Chae's own home in Cockatoo, an hour east of Melbourne in the Dandenong Ranges, where she ferments her own doenjang and ganjang and serves a set Korean menu for 145 dollars a head, drinks included. With three seatings a week, just eighteen people eat there in any week, and seats are allocated by a monthly lottery. It is a pilgrimage rather than a night out in town.
So the choice is setting and effort. Florentino is grand, central and easy to book; Chae is intimate, remote and among the hardest tables in the state to land. Australia has no Michelin guide, so neither carries a star. See both in context in the Melbourne dining guide.
Scores, Side by Side
| Score | Grossi Florentino | Chae |
|---|---|---|
| Food | 8 / 10 | 9 / 10 |
| Atmosphere | 9 / 10 | 8 / 10 |
| Value | 7 / 10 | 8 / 10 |
Which One for Which Occasion
| Occasion | Editorial Pick |
|---|---|
| A CBD celebration or business dinner | Grossi FlorentinoThe grand Bourke Street room and classical Italian service carry an occasion in the centre of the city. |
| A once-in-a-while pilgrimage | ChaeA six-seat home restaurant in the hills is the singular, memory-making meal of the two. |
| Korean food and fermentation lovers | ChaeHouse-made doenjang and ganjang and a set Korean menu reward anyone who tracks the cooking. |
| A large group or an easy booking | Grossi FlorentinoMultiple rooms and normal reservations make it the practical choice for a group. |
| A quiet, intimate dinner | ChaeSix seats and a single nightly menu make it as intimate as dining gets near Melbourne. |
Price Comparison
Florentino spans tiers across its spaces, from the grand upstairs dining room down to the cellar bar and cafe, so you can spend at a special-occasion level or keep it modest. Chae is a single fixed price, 145 dollars a head including drinks, which is strong value for a chef's set menu, though the real cost is winning the lottery and driving an hour each way. Weigh them against the best Italian restaurants worldwide and Korean restaurants worldwide.
How to Book
Florentino is the easy one. The Bourke Street rooms take normal reservations across the dining room, cellar bar and cafe, so a weekday table is reachable inside a week. Read the Grossi Florentino review for the full picture, and note the change of ownership when you book.
Chae runs a monthly lottery for its three weekly seatings, so there is no calling for a Tuesday table. Enter the ballot on its site for the month you want, accept whatever seating you are offered, and plan the hour's drive out to Cockatoo. Read the Chae review before you enter.
For occasion fit beyond this pairing, weigh them against the best Melbourne tables to close a deal and for a birthday. For more Melbourne match-ups see Grossi Florentino vs Brae and Grossi Florentino vs Tipo 00, and browse the full set on the compare index.