The warmest wine bar in Fitzroy North, Neighbourhood Wine bar welcomes locals with a hoard of local international wines and French-style cuisine in a dim, moody setting.

The rustic floorboards, dimly lit lounge rooms and club house feel seem made for a romantic dinner or a drink. Diners sit at cosy wooden tables or along the long, wide, candle-lit bar which frames the open kitchen to one side and the rows of 60s and 70s jazz and blues records on high rotation.

Wines from every corner of the globe (even Japan and Lebanon) are stacked on open wrought-iron shelving in the main dining room, with a wine list that would compete with some of the city’s finest dining establishments.

The Coffin Bay oysters, as briny and fresh as they come, are served with a tangy red wine and shallot vinaigrette, and a recommended accompaniment is the creamy yet delicate 2010 Domaines Guillot-Broux Macon Chardonnay from Burgundy. Meat is slow cooked and juicy and ideal to share with dishes of roast veggies and fresh salads. Try finishing sweetly with a house-made chocolate éclair with espresso crème, and one last drink over a game of pool.

This is one neighbour you will want to see more of.