They’re coming to visit. They’ve asked where they should park. Someone has already mentioned wanting “a nice lunch”. No pressure.

Taking your parents out comes with a very particular kind of responsibility.

You want somewhere good, obviously.

But you also want somewhere you can actually talk. Somewhere with proper food. Somewhere that gives you something to do before or afterwards. Somewhere that makes you look like a person who has their life together and definitely didn’t choose the restaurant in the Uber five minutes ago.

Fortunately, Chapel Street gives you options.

Coffee and a wander? Done.

Market lunch? Easy.

French food followed by a movie? Excellent parenting.

A long dinner where everybody orders too much for the table? Even better.

Here’s where to take them.

IF THEY’VE JUST ARRIVED AND IMMEDIATELY WANT COFFEE

You know the drill.

They’ve barely put their bags down.

“Should we go and get a coffee?”

Of course we should.

At the South Yarra end, MiddleSouthEast is an easy place to begin. It’s on Chapel Street, trades from early morning seven days a week and gives you breakfast, lunch and coffee without requiring everyone to have decided exactly what kind of outing this is yet.

Which is useful.

Sometimes the first hour with visiting parents is mostly logistics.

How was the drive?

Did you find parking?

Are you cold?

Have you eaten?

Coffee first. Bigger decisions later.

IF YOUR MUM SAYS SHE’S “JUST HAVING A LOOK”

Dangerous words.

South Yarra is particularly good territory for the leisurely browse.

Start at Cristina Toscano Everything Food at 549 Chapel Street, where the shelves lean into beautiful things for people who like food: hampers, specialty chocolates, Italian pantry treats and statement homewares are all part of the mix.

This is exactly the sort of shop where “I don’t need anything” becomes:

“Oh, that’s lovely.”

Then:

“Your aunt would love this.”

And suddenly bags are involved.

Further south, Dymocks gives you another reliable browsing stop, particularly if your family can lose half an hour discussing cookbooks, biographies and what everyone is currently reading.

Nobody rush the bookshop.

That’s a family outing rule.

IF THEY LIKE FOOD, TAKE THEM STRAIGHT TO THE MARKET

This is one of the easiest calls.

Take them to Prahran Market.

Rather than locking everybody into one restaurant immediately, the market lets you wander, taste, shop and debate what constitutes an appropriate amount of cheese to purchase.

There’s fresh produce, meat, seafood, deli goods, specialty food and plenty to eat while you’re there. It’s also a proper piece of the neighbourhood rather than somewhere that feels engineered specifically for visitors. The market currently trades Tuesday and Thursday through Sunday, so check the day before announcing your brilliant plan to the family.

And then there is the obvious stop.

IF YOUR FAMILY TAKES CHEESE SERIOUSLY

Find Maker and Monger – Melbourne Cheese Shop inside Prahran Market.

Cheese is the headline, but you can also settle in for something to eat rather than simply standing at the counter making increasingly ambitious purchasing decisions.

If a famous melted-cheese situation finds its way onto the table, nobody needs to pretend this happened accidentally.

Some families bond through deep conversation.

Others bond over dairy.

Both count.

IF “LET’S HAVE A NICE LUNCH” HAS BEEN REQUESTED

This phrase can mean many things.

It usually means you should book something.

On Greville Street, Entrecôte is an excellent answer when the brief calls for a little occasion without making the whole afternoon terribly serious.

The Prahran restaurant takes its cue from the Parisian steak-frites tradition and offers lunch seven days a week, with its brasserie, bar and Greville Street terrace giving you a few ways to approach it.

Order lunch.

Have wine.

Discuss the relatives.

Do not tell the relatives what was discussed.

IF YOUR PARENTS LOVE A LONG LUNCH

You know the type.

Lunch begins at 12.30pm.

At 3.45pm someone says, “We probably shouldn’t stay too much longer.”

At 4.20pm dessert arrives.

Do not fight it.

Go somewhere that understands the assignment.

Entrecôte works nicely for the polished version.

Or, if it happens to be the weekend, head to David’s on Cecil Place for unlimited yum cha.

David’s has been in Prahran since 1999 and specialises in food inspired by countryside Shanghai, with weekend yum cha built around a parade of shared dishes including dumplings, buns, Peking duck and plenty more.

The important part here is shared.

Nothing reveals a family dynamic faster than the final dumpling.

IF DAD’S QUESTION IS “WHERE CAN WE GET A STEAK?”

There is always one.

Take him to Angus & Bon on Greville Street.

It’s a steakhouse in Prahran’s old post office building, and it makes an easy dinner option when everyone wants something substantial, wine is likely to be involved and nobody particularly wants the evening to revolve around tiny plates requiring a detailed explanation.

Sometimes dinner doesn’t need a concept.

Sometimes dinner needs steak.

IF THEY LIKE ITALIAN AND A LITTLE POLISH

Head north to Stella Restaurant and Bar.

The four-level South Yarra venue has an Italian-inspired menu, with a ground-floor pizzeria, cocktail dining upstairs, a private cellar and rooftop terrace.

Which gives you options depending on the family.

Keep things easy downstairs.

Head up for drinks.

Make more of an occasion of dinner.

Or take everybody to the rooftop and accept that your parents may have more stamina than you do.

A humbling but important discovery.

IF THEY’D RATHER SHARE EVERYTHING

Go to David’s.

Its evening menu is specifically designed around dishes arriving as they’re ready and being shared across the table, with Shanghai-style dumplings, noodles, vegetables, seafood and larger plates in the mix.

This is particularly good parent territory because there is always something to discuss.

“What did you order?”

“Try this.”

“Who wants the last one?”

“Did you tell your sister we’re here?”

There it is.

IF YOU NEED AN ACTUAL PLAN

There is no need to drag your parents from South Yarra to Windsor and back again just so you can say you’ve “done Chapel Street”.

Pick a pocket.

For an easy South Yarra afternoon: coffee at MiddleSouthEast, browse Chapel Street, stop at Cristina Toscano then have dinner at Stella.

For the Prahran version: wander Prahran Market, eat something involving cheese, browse Dymocks, take a lap of Greville Street, then settle in at Entrecôte, David’s or Angus & Bon.

And if somebody says they are happy to “just wander”?

Wonderful.

That’s what Chapel Street is for.

A FEW PARENT-DAY COMMANDMENTS

Book the restaurant if lunch is apparently important.

Check Prahran Market’s trading days.

Do not schedule seven consecutive activities simply because everyone is in town for one afternoon.

Allow browsing time.

If they spot somewhere they want to go, change the plan.

And never underestimate how long parents can spend inside a homewares shop once they’ve found something they want to show you.

There is no known upper limit.

THE REAL TRICK? DON’T OVERTHINK IT.

Your parents do not require a special version of Chapel Street.

That’s the point.

Take them somewhere you actually like.

Show them your coffee spot. Wander through the market. Buy something unnecessary. Have lunch somewhere that deserves a couple of hours. See a film. Get dinner. Order another bottle if nobody has anywhere to be.

They came to see you.

Chapel Street just gives you somewhere very good to do it.