Correction (10 October 2026): an earlier version of this page listed places and details we could not stand behind. It has been rewritten from scratch: every place below was confirmed at two independent sources on 9 October 2026.
A date-night list should tell you what you can check before you book: where the place is, what it publishes about hours, and what the Australian Good Food Guide (AGFG) ticks for it. This page covers six sit-down restaurants in and around Ivanhoe. Three are in Ivanhoe, two are on Lower Heidelberg Road in Ivanhoe East, and one is across the border in Alphington.
None of the six had menu prices we could read on its own pages, so there are no dollar figures here. Several have no opening hours on the record either. Where hours are missing, ring the restaurant first, and keep a plan B for the night in case the tables you wanted are booked.
The quick picks
| If you’re after | Head to | Where |
|---|---|---|
| A dinner booking where AGFG lists alfresco dining | Va Tutto | 226 Upper Heidelberg Road, Ivanhoe |
| A restaurant whose AGFG listing ticks alfresco dining | Vasko | 111 Upper Heidelberg Road, Ivanhoe |
| Dinner with hours on its own site, closed Tuesdays | JOIA Cucina | 154 Upper Heidelberg Road, Ivanhoe |
| A dinner-only booking from 6pm, Tuesday to Saturday | Lucille Bistrot | 239 Lower Heidelberg Road, Ivanhoe East |
| A tapas bar on AGFG with vegan options ticked | Barr’d Restaurant Tapas Bar | 240 Lower Heidelberg Road, Ivanhoe East |
| A Greek taverna open for lunch on weekends, per AGFG | ILIOS Taverna | 735 Heidelberg Road, Alphington |
Va Tutto — 226 Upper Heidelberg Road, Ivanhoe VIC 3079
Va Tutto’s own website gives its address as 226 Upper Heidelberg Rd, Ivanhoe. AGFG lists it with the tags ‘Alfresco Dining’, ‘Child Friendly’ and ‘Takeaway’. Those are features on the AGFG listing, so they are the listing’s claim and not ours. We are not printing opening hours or menu prices for Va Tutto, so check its site or ring before you plan around a time.
Stage: A booked dinner where you want the option of outdoor tables, since AGFG tags it ‘Alfresco Dining’; ask for them when you book.
Vasko — 111 Upper Heidelberg Road, Ivanhoe VIC 3079
Vasko’s own site gives 111 Upper Heidelberg Road, Ivanhoe, and AGFG agrees. AGFG lists it with ‘Alfresco Dining’, ‘Child Friendly’ and ‘Takeaway’ ticked, again as the listing’s features. The pages we read carry no date, so treat them as a guide to the place and confirm the details with the restaurant. We found no opening hours or menu prices we could use.
Say this: “Is there a quieter table?” AGFG ticks ‘Child Friendly’ for Vasko, so if a child-free evening matters, ask about the room when you book.
JOIA Cucina — 154 Upper Heidelberg Road, Ivanhoe VIC 3079
JOIA Cucina is the one in this group with a full week of hours on its own site, joia.com.au. The site lists dinner from 5:00pm to 9:00pm on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday, and Tuesday as closed. Friday, Saturday and Sunday add a lunch session from 12:00pm to 3:00pm before the same 5:00pm to 9:00pm dinner. AGFG tags it ‘Alfresco Dining’, ‘Child Friendly’, ‘Takeaway’ and ‘Vegan Options’. The site is undated, so confirm the hours before you go.
Stage: A weekend lunch for two is possible here on Friday, Saturday or Sunday if an evening booking feels like too much for a first meeting.
Lucille Bistrot — 239 Lower Heidelberg Road, Ivanhoe East VIC 3079
Lucille Bistrot sits at 239 Lower Heidelberg Road, in Ivanhoe East rather than Ivanhoe proper. The trading name is Lucille Bistro, and its website lists dinner Tuesday to Saturday from 6pm. That site is undated, so confirm before you book. We recorded no AGFG feature tags or menu prices for it.
Say this: “Are you taking bookings for Tuesday to Saturday dinner?” That is the only window its site lists, so a Sunday or Monday plan needs a different restaurant.
Barr’d Restaurant Tapas Bar — 240 Lower Heidelberg Road, Ivanhoe East VIC 3079
Barr’d is at 240 Lower Heidelberg Road, Ivanhoe East, the same road as Lucille Bistrot. Its own site gives that address. AGFG lists it with ‘Alfresco Dining’, ‘Child Friendly’, ‘Takeaway’ and ‘Vegan Options’ ticked. We could not use the hours AGFG shows for it, and we found no menu prices, so call ahead.
Talk-ability: Tapas is a share-plates format, so the table has plenty to talk about; the venue itself says nothing about noise, so ask when you book.
ILIOS Taverna — 735 Heidelberg Road, Alphington VIC 3078
ILIOS Taverna is at 735 Heidelberg Road, Alphington, next to Ivanhoe. A taverna is a casual Greek restaurant, and the name points that way. AGFG’s hours listing shows it closed Monday, open 5:00 PM to 10:00 PM from Tuesday to Friday, and open 12:00 PM to 10:00 PM on Saturday and Sunday. AGFG is an owner-maintained directory, so those hours may be out of date. It also ticks ‘Alfresco Dining’, ‘Child Friendly’ and ‘Takeaway’.
Exit plan: With a Saturday or Sunday session that starts at midday, AGFG’s listing gives you room for a long lunch instead of a late night; confirm the hours with the restaurant.
Quick answers
Which of these restaurants is open on a Monday?
JOIA Cucina’s own site lists Monday dinner from 5:00pm to 9:00pm. AGFG lists ILIOS Taverna as closed on Monday, and Lucille Bistrot’s site lists dinner Tuesday to Saturday only. We found no hours we could use for Va Tutto, Vasko or Barr’d, so ring those three.
Which Ivanhoe date-night restaurants have outdoor tables?
AGFG ticks ‘Alfresco Dining’ for Va Tutto, Vasko, JOIA Cucina, Barr’d and ILIOS Taverna. Those are listing features, so ask about outdoor seating when you book rather than assuming a table.
Are all of these restaurants actually in Ivanhoe?
No. Va Tutto, Vasko and JOIA Cucina are on Upper Heidelberg Road in Ivanhoe. Lucille Bistrot and Barr’d are on Lower Heidelberg Road in Ivanhoe East, and ILIOS Taverna is on Heidelberg Road in Alphington.
Which of these list vegan options?
AGFG ticks ‘Vegan Options’ for JOIA Cucina and Barr’d. That is the listing’s feature tag, not a menu we read, so check the menu before you book.
How we checked
We checked every place on this page against at least two independent sources on 9 October 2026: OpenStreetMap, the places’ own websites and the Australian Good Food Guide. We copied no menu prices from these places’ own pages, so this page prints none. Menus, prices and opening hours change, so check with the venue before you go. The cover photo is illustrative, from Unsplash, and does not show any place on this page.
Seen something out of date? Email [email protected] with the page link and what has changed, and we will check it again.
Sources
- Va Tutto: openstreetmap.org/10259337545, vatutto.com.au, agfg.com.au/va-tutto-20754
- Vasko: openstreetmap.org/9110868588, vasko.net.au, agfg.com.au/vasko-restaurant-functions-29950
- JOIA Cucina: joia.com.au, agfg.com.au/joia-cucina-90329
- Lucille Bistrot: openstreetmap.org/11729072293, lucillebistro.com.au, agfg.com.au/lucille-bistro-90227
- Barr’d Restaurant Tapas Bar: barrdwinebar.com.au, agfg.com.au/barrd-restaurant-tapas-bar-71001
- ILIOS Taverna: iliostaverna.com.au, agfg.com.au/ilios-taverna-82319
