Correction (4 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 4 October 2026, and every price was copied from the page it was published on.
This page answers one question: where do you book a sit-down French or Italian table in South Yarra when the plan is a proper night out for two? It covers six places. Four are in South Yarra, one is across the border in Richmond and one is in Cremorne, so think of it as in and around South Yarra.
Each place was checked against its own website and at least one other source, and every price is copied from a menu page. Where a venue publishes no price or no hours, we say so rather than guess. Riley reads the venue’s own words for what suits a first, third or anniversary table, and offers a plan B for each.
The quick picks
| If you’re after | Head to | Order this | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Classic French bistro menu | Bistro Gitan | Croque monsieur; gypsy ham, cheese and smoked sausage | $19 |
| Italian with dim lighting | Da Noi | see below | not printed here |
| Italian with a balcony | Caffe e Cucina | Hervey Bay Grilled King Prawns (2) Garlic, Chilli, Basil & Bisque | $37 |
| French mains, BYO tag | Chez Olivier | MOULES GRATINES | $26 |
| French, in Richmond | Tartine | see below | not printed here |
| Cremorne French bistro | Frederic | see below | not printed here |
Bistro Gitan — 52 Toorak Road West, South Yarra VIC 3141
Bistro Gitan is the French pick on Toorak Road West. Its site lists Monday to Friday 12pm to late and Saturday 5.30pm to late, so a Saturday plan starts in the evening. The menu page is undated, so treat its prices as a guide and confirm before you book. On it, the six escargots with roasted garlic and parsley butter are printed at $26, and the lamb crepinette with rosemary and potato mousse at $20. We could not find accessibility details on its site, so ask when you book.
On the menu (copied from bistrogitan.com.au/menu on 4 October 2026):
- Croque monsieur; gypsy ham, cheese and smoked sausage: $19
- Lamb crepinette, rosemary and potato mousse, lamb jus: $20
- Six escargots, roasted garlic, parsley butter, mouillettes: $26
- Parisienne gnocchi, spinach, artichokes, fondue sauce: $29
Split or splurge: The menu prints the Parisienne gnocchi at $29 and the salade du jardin at $15 for a lighter table, or the 250g Victorian Southern Ranges Porterhouse at $55 if it is a big night.
Da Noi — 95 Toorak Road, South Yarra VIC 3141
Da Noi is an Italian restaurant at 95 Toorak Road. Its own site says it sets the mood for romance, with white linen cloth tables and dim mood lighting, and lists Monday to Sunday, 12pm to 10.30 pm. AGFG tags it Alfresco Dining, Vegetarian Options, Vegan Options and Gluten Free Options, which helps when two people eat differently. We could not read any prices, so check the menu before you book. We could not find accessibility details either.
Talk-ability: The site describes a cosy and intimate atmosphere and we could not find any mention of live music, so conversation looks like the plan; plan B is the alfresco seating AGFG tags, if the room is too dim for you.
Caffe e Cucina — 581 Chapel Street, South Yarra VIC 3141
Caffe e Cucina is an Italian restaurant on Chapel Street, and its site lists 12pm to 11:00pm every day of the week. The same site calls its Romeo and Giuletta balcony perfect for a romantic occasion and says proposals have taken place there. That is the venue’s own pitch, so ask whether the balcony can be booked. The seasonal cicchetti menu PDF prints the butter lettuce with honey dijon mustard dressing at $16 and the thin cut fries with homemade mayonnaise at $14.
On the menu (copied from static1.squarespace.com/Cicchetti+Summer+01.10.26.pdf on 4 October 2026):
- Hervey Bay Grilled King Prawns (2) Garlic, Chilli, Basil & Bisque: $37
- Butter Lettuce w/ a Honey Dijon Mustard Dressing: $16
- Thin cut fries served w/ Homemade Mayonnaise: $14
Stage: An anniversary or a planned occasion, since the site itself pitches the balcony for one; AGFG also tags Alfresco Dining as plan B.
Chez Olivier — 268 Toorak Road, South Yarra VIC 3141
Chez Olivier is a French restaurant on Toorak Road. Its site lists 6pm to late from Tuesday to Sunday, with 12pm to 3pm added on Thursday, Friday and Saturday; Monday is not listed. AGFG tags it BYO, Vegetarian Options and Gluten Free Options; BYO is a listing tag, so confirm it when you book. The menu PDF prints steak tartare at $27 and coq au vin at $39. Its site doesn’t carry any accessibility information that we could see.
On the menu (copied from cdn.prod.website-files.com menu PDF on 4 October 2026):
- MOULES GRATINES: $26
- STEAK TARTARE: $27
- COQ AU VIN: $39
- BOEUF BOURGUIGNON: $46
Exit plan: If the evening you want is full, the site lists 12pm to 3pm sittings on Thursday, Friday and Saturday as plan B.
Tartine — 105 Swan Street, Richmond VIC 3121
Tartine is a French restaurant on Swan Street in Richmond, so it sits just outside South Yarra. Its own page says it is a place for a lovely date night, a place to catch up with friends, and a place to sit solo at the bar and eat oysters and sip a glass of Sancerre. We could not find hours or prices that we could print, so call before you head over.
Say this: “Shall we take the bar?”, since the venue’s own page describes sitting at the bar as part of what it is for.
Frederic — 9-11 Cremorne Street, Cremorne VIC 3121
Frederic is in Cremorne rather than South Yarra, on Cremorne Street. Its site lists Tuesday to Friday 12pm to 11pm and Saturday 5pm to 11pm, and says it is closed Monday and Sunday. AGFG tags it Alfresco Dining. We could not read any prices, because the snack menu is an image, so check with the venue first.
Stage: Pick it for a midweek date, since the site lists 12pm to 11pm from Tuesday to Friday; Saturday opens at 5pm, and plan B for Sunday or Monday is somewhere else.
Quick answers
Which South Yarra restaurants suit a date night?
Four of the six places are in South Yarra itself: Bistro Gitan, Da Noi, Caffe e Cucina and Chez Olivier. Da Noi’s own site describes white linen tables and dim mood lighting, Caffe e Cucina’s site pitches its balcony for a romantic occasion, and Bistro Gitan and Chez Olivier both publish French menus with prices. Tartine is in Richmond and Frederic is in Cremorne.
Are there French restaurants for a date in South Yarra?
Yes. Bistro Gitan on Toorak Road West and Chez Olivier on Toorak Road both serve French menus and both publish prices. Tartine in Richmond and Frederic in Cremorne are the nearby French options, though neither publishes prices we could read.
Which date night restaurants near South Yarra are open on a Sunday?
Da Noi’s site lists Monday to Sunday, Caffe e Cucina lists every day of the week, and Chez Olivier’s site lists Sunday from 6pm to late. Frederic’s site says it is closed on Sunday, and Bistro Gitan’s listed hours cover Monday to Saturday only. We could not find hours for Tartine.
What do the menus cost at South Yarra date night restaurants?
Bistro Gitan’s menu prints the Parisienne gnocchi at $29. Chez Olivier’s menu PDF prints coq au vin at $39. Caffe e Cucina’s cicchetti PDF prints the thin cut fries with homemade mayonnaise at $14. We could not read prices for Da Noi, Tartine or Frederic.
How we checked
We checked every place on this page against at least two independent sources on 4 October 2026: OpenStreetMap, the places’ own websites and the Australian Good Food Guide. Every price is copied exactly as printed on the page linked under Sources, on 4 October 2026. 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
- Bistro Gitan: openstreetmap.org/11936232469, bistrogitan.com.au, bistrogitan.com.au/menu
- Da Noi: danoi.com.au, agfg.com.au/da-noi-3451
- Caffe e Cucina: caffeecucina.com.au, agfg.com.au/caffe-e-cucina-3447, static1.squarespace.com/Cicchetti+Summer+01.10.26.pdf
- Chez Olivier: chezolivier.com.au, agfg.com.au/chez-olivier-22350, cdn.prod.website-files.com menu PDF
- Tartine: tartine.com.au, agfg.com.au/tartine-119923
- Frederic: frederic.com.au, agfg.com.au/frederic-74638
