Johnny’s Green Room

Johnny’s Green Room is a rooftop bar and dining venue in Carlton, set above the King & Godfree building on Lygon Street in Melbourne’s Little Italy. Its Tuscan-influenced terrace looks across the city skyline, giving the venue a strong sense of place without losing its connection to the neighbourhood below. A semi-retractable roof means the terrace is designed to carry an Italian-summer feel through the year, while the setting suits an evening built around drinks, food and music.

The food comes from acclaimed chef and culinary director Karen Martini, whose menu takes a relaxed Mediterranean approach to Italian classics. The offering is designed for sharing, with examples including pizza, polpette, bresaola, burrata, calamari and crudo. That makes Johnny’s a natural option for groups who want to order across the table rather than settle into a single main, while the à la carte and set-menu formats provide different ways to approach the meal. The website presents the food as an important part of the experience rather than simply something to accompany the bar.

Drinks lean into Italian drinking culture, with cocktails offering fresh interpretations of familiar classics. The list ranges from spritz-style and lighter drinks through to darker, more spirit-forward options. There is also tap beer and a selection of easy-going wines, giving visitors alternatives to the cocktail list. Whether the plan is a long catch-up over shared plates or a drink with a view, the venue’s offering is broad enough to support both food-led and bar-led visits without straying from its Italian character.

The space was conceived by award-winning designer Dion Hall and draws on the atmosphere of an Italian summer terrace. Johnny’s name references a former Carlton nightspot that attracted a bohemian and notorious crowd in the 1970s and 1980s; this version reworks that history for a new generation of Carlton locals and visitors. With city views, a dedicated music program, Italian-style sharing food and a cocktail list built for the dancefloor or terrace, it is best suited to diners and groups looking for an energetic rooftop setting rather than a quiet, formal restaurant.