Melbourne’s Iconic Dishes

To truly grasp Melbourne’s essence, dive into its diverse food scene—from budget-friendly spots dishing out crispy dim sims (a bit different from dim sum) to high-end restaurants featuring local ingredients like saltbush and finger lime.

Much like the U.S., Australia is a melting pot of cultures, with its second-largest city — nestled between Port Phillip Bay and mountain ranges along the Yarra River — being one of the world’s most cosmopolitan places. Its culinary history reflects centuries of global migration: meat pies from the British, parma from the Italians, souvlaki from the Greeks (or kebabs if you’re among the 42,000 Lebanese Australians), and dumplings from the Chinese. Indigenous Australians have been dining here for over 60,000 years, and their influence is increasingly visible in recent dining trends. Melbourne has also made a global mark with its café culture, leading to the worldwide brunch phenomenon.

Melbourne’s food landscape is a microcosm of its culinary diversity — from smashed avocado on toast for breakfast, a banh mi from a Vietnamese bakery for lunch, to artisanal pasta paired with natural wine for dinner. Add a few flat whites or magics during the day and a sauce-drenched halal snack pack for the evening, and you’ve experienced the essence of Melbourne’s gastronomic scene.

These are the dishes that embody the cultural melting pot that makes Melbourne a top global food destination, alongside some quintessentially Australian staples that are integral to the city’s culinary identity.

Lamb Roast

Few things scream Australia like a classic Sunday roast. With a history of sheep farming since British settlement, lamb is a staple here. A traditional leg of lamb, roasted alongside potatoes and paired with peas and gravy, embodies the quintessential Aussie weekend meal. It’s a staple in pubs and upscale restaurants alike. Melbourne’s lamb roasts often reflect Mediterranean flavors, featuring ingredients such as lemon, olives, oregano, and tomato. Notable spots include Cumulus Inc., known for its almond and red pepper version, and Rumi, where the lamb is spiced and topped with haloumi, feta, and kasseri cheeses.

Banh Mi

After the Vietnam War, Melbourne welcomed a wave of Vietnamese immigrants, bringing with them outstanding bakeries. The banh mi, a Vietnamese baguette sandwich packed with pate, pork, mayo, cucumber, pickled carrot, daikon, and cilantro, quickly became a local favorite. In the vibrant Vietnamese communities of Footscray and Springvale, numerous bakeries offer their take on this sandwich. Highly recommended spots include Bun Bun Bakery, To’s Bakery & Cafe, and Nhu Lan Bakery. For a standout grilled-pork banh mi, check out N. Lee Bakery in the CBD, or try the crispy pork version at Trang Bakery and Cafe.

Meat Pie

If you find yourself in Melbourne from March to September, grabbing a hot meat pie at the Melbourne Cricket Ground is a must-do experience. This hand-held treat features shortcrust pastry packed with minced beef and gravy, best enjoyed with a generous squirt of tomato sauce (which Australians refer to as ketchup). Though factory-made versions like the iconic Four’n Twenty are available throughout the city, the true gem lies in country bakeries. These independent pie shops, such as Country Cob Bakery in Kyneton, offer award-winning pies that have been recognized as the best in Australia. For a more gourmet twist, the Pie Shop in Melbourne features inventive options like a pork-based spag bol pie with cheese and a meat-free cauliflower, cheese, and potato pie.

Gozleme

Melbourne isn’t typically known for street food, but it does have standout exceptions like Greek souvlaki and Turkish gozleme. This savory treat consists of chewy, unleavened flatbread filled with a thin layer of spinach, ground meat, cheese, or a mix of these, then cooked on a griddle. The result is a soft interior with crispy edges, perfect for dipping in your choice of sauce. In Melbourne, gozleme can be found in various places, from train stations and bustling food markets to late-night kebab shops and local school fairs, often lovingly prepared by Turkish grandmothers.

Hot Jam Doughnut

Inspired by the German Berliner, this jam-filled doughnut is a winter favorite in Melbourne. What sets it apart is its scalding hot temperature, straight from the fryer. Locals brave the cold by lining up at outdoor stalls or retro vans to grab these yeast-leavened treats, with the line at the American Doughnut Kitchen van at Queen Victoria Market — renowned for its unique blend of raspberry and plum jams — remaining busy year-round, even in the heat of summer.

Pippies in XO Sauce

Pippies in XO Sauce is a hallmark of Melbourne’s fusion of traditional and contemporary Chinese fare. These Australian surf clams, abundant along the coast, are cooked in XO sauce — a Hong Kong creation from the 1980s that blends dried shellfish, Chinese ham, chilies, and garlic into a sweet, umami-rich concoction. The clams are simmered in this sauce and served in their broth alongside savory Chinese doughnuts. You can savor this dish at places like Ling Nan in Chinatown, Lee Ho Fook, and Bar Liberty, a top spot for wine and food in the city.

The Magic

Each day, Melbourne’s port welcomes about 30 tons of coffee beans, equating to roughly 3 million cups. Coffee is deeply embedded in Melburnian life, alongside live music and Aussie rules football. While the flat white is known globally, the true local favorite is the magic. This distinctive coffee, less milky than the flat white, is a Melbournian specialty, typically comprising a double ristretto with about three-quarters the milk of a flat white.

Capricciosa Pizza

Melbourne has crafted its own unique pizza style, different from New York or Chicago. The pizzas here are smaller, with a thicker, denser crust, and generously topped. The capricciosa, inspired by a similarly named Italian pizza, comes with olives, shredded ham, and mushrooms. On Lygon Street in Carlton, a renowned Italian enclave, you’ll find this classic pizza on every menu of its old-school Mytouries, adorned with Polaroids and sports memorabilia. While Neapolitan-style pizzas have also gained popularity, the capricciosa remains a symbol of Melbourne’s rich Italian-Australian food heritage.

Dim Sim

Often mistaken for dim sum, the dim sim — affectionately known as ‘dimmy’ — was born in Melbourne in the 1940s, thanks to Chinese-Australian restaurateur William Chen Wing Young. Inspired by the local love for siu mai, he crafted a larger version with a thick dough wrapper, deep-fried to a golden crunch. His creation became so popular that it was mass-produced and distributed to gas stations and takeout shops across the city. Today, South Melbourne Market Dim Sims, a venerable 60-year-old family business, is renowned for its round dim sims, available steamed or fried, filled with cabbage, beef, pork, and lamb, and perfect with a splash of soy and chili sauce.

Jaffle

Nearly every Aussie household boasts a jaffle maker, akin to a panini press. Bread slices are buttered and filled with savory fillings — like baked beans or leftover Bolognese — then toasted until they turn into crispy, sealed, clamshell-shaped wedges known as jaffles. While jaffles are mostly a home-cooked favorite, restaurants are revamping this nostalgic treat, offering inventive versions such as the mapo tofu jaffle at Super Ling and Bad Frankie’s vegan butter chicken and Lamington jaffles.

Moreton Bay bug spaghettini at Il Bacaro

Melbourne's dining scene includes exceptional modern and fine dining Italian spots like Tipo 00, Scopri, and Di Stasio, with Il Bacaro standing out. For a solo indulgence, sit at the bar, enjoy a wine recommendation, and order their Moreton Bay bug spaghettini. Moreton Bay bugs are large local crustaceans resembling lobster tails without claws. Their sweet, tender meat, akin to lobster and crab, shines in a delicate chile-garlic sauce paired with thin pasta, reflecting Melbourne’s blend of immigrant flavors and native ingredients, delivered with exemplary hospitality.

Parma

A quintessential Australian pub classic, the parma features a crispy chicken schnitzel topped with ham, a rich tomato-based Napoli sauce, and gooey melted cheese (usually mozzarella and Parmesan). Served with fries and a salad, this dish is known across Australia by various names like “parmi” and “parmy,” but in Melbourne, it's simply parma. While its exact origins are murky, with the earliest menu mention appearing at the Pimlico Restaurant in Kew in 1980, it’s likely inspired by Italy’s eggplant parmigiana, similar to America’s chicken parmesan. Almost every pub in town, whether esteemed or not, offers a parma, often with a special night dedicated to it. For a traditional taste, visit the Birmingham Hotel in Fitzroy, or head to the Napier Hotel, where you can swap the ham for a slice of smoked kangaroo.

Souvlaki and gyros

With Melbourne hosting the largest Greek community outside Greece, souvlaki shops are plentiful, especially popular among late-night pub-goers craving the city’s top drunk food. These family-run Mytouries, open into the wee hours, focus on spit-roasted or skewer-grilled meats (with “souvlaki” used for both). The classic souvas (short for souvlaki) are stuffed with lamb, sauces like tzatziki or mustard-mayo, plus tomato, onions, lettuce, and fries. In Fitzroy, the Real Greek Souvlaki Bar adds feta to its souvas, while in the CBD, Stalactites serves souvlaki, gyros, and more Greek fare around the clock. For a recommendation, follow Ben Shewry of Attica to Kalimera Souvlaki Art in Oakleigh.

Avocado toast

Avocado toast has become a global brunch icon, symbolizing both culinary trends and millennial spending habits. While Melbourne didn’t invent it — Sydney's Bill Granger famously popularized it in 1993 — it’s now a staple in Melbourne's café scene. Known locally as “avo on toast” or “smashed avo,” the classic version features avocado with salt, lemon juice, cracked pepper, and sometimes feta. Many cafés add their own twist, like a runny 63-degree egg, a slice of haloumi, or a sprinkle of dukkah. In St Kilda, Monk Bodhi Dharma opts for a minimalist approach with just feta, mint, chile, and lemon, while in Carlton, Ima Project Cafe incorporates nori paste and furikake for a Japanese flair.

Halal snack pack

The halal snack pack, or HSP, gained international fame in 2016 when an Australian Muslim senator invited a right-wing counterpart to share one. Although the invitation was declined, it transformed the HSP into a symbol of Australian multiculturalism. Equally beloved in Sydney, the HSP is a Styrofoam container filled with fries topped with halal kebab meat (lamb, chicken, or beef), chile, garlic, and barbecue sauces, and occasionally cheese. It’s best enjoyed casually at a local kebab shop after a night out. For the ultimate experience, add extras like tabbouleh, pickles, or falafel.

Sichuan-style crispy eggplant

Melbourne boasts one of the world’s oldest Chinatowns, thanks to the gold rush of the 1850s, and a vibrant Chinese community that continuously reinvents the city’s food scene. Among the many iconic Chinese dishes that define Melbourne — from xiao long bao to Peking duck — Sichuan-style crispy eggplant stands out. These tender, breaded, and fried eggplant spears are stacked like a Jenga tower, drenched in a rich, sweet, spicy sauce that could start a food fight at any table. For a traditional family-style experience, head to Dainty Sichuan in South Yarra. For a modern twist, try Lee Ho Fook and discover a new culinary favorite.

Vegetarian spread at Lentil as Anything

Embodying Melbourne’s alternative spirit, a vegetarian feast at Lentil as Anything is a tribute to the city’s hippie heritage. This nonprofit vegan restaurant chain, named after the Australian band Mental as Anything, operates on a “pay as you feel” basis since its 2000 debut. While the vegan okonomiyaki, served sporadically, is a standout, the restaurant also does impressive community work. The menu varies daily with seasonal ingredients from their community garden.

Laksa

Laksa, the beloved noodle soup, showcases a rich variety in Southeast Asia, with the creamy coconut-based version being a favorite in Australia. This bright orange broth, infused with galangal, shrimp paste, and lemongrass, is packed with noodles, seafood, and bean sprouts. Ideal for a student’s budget, a hangover remedy, or a warming meal on chilly Melbourne nights, laksa is both comforting and affordable. Beyond specialized laksa Mytouries, you’ll find this dish on Chinese, Thai, Indonesian, and Malaysian menus, reflecting Melbourne's rich culinary tapestry shaped by its diverse Southeast Asian community. The city’s dedication to this dish ensures a plentiful supply of this noodle soup staple.

Chicken and rice at Abla’s

One of Melbourne’s iconic Lebanese spots is Abla’s, a restaurant that has been serving Middle Eastern cuisine since the 1970s and ’80s, a period marked by significant Lebanese immigration. The transition from Mediterranean to Lebanese food in Melbourne was smooth, thanks to the city’s favorable growing conditions for key ingredients like olives, lemons, and tomatoes. Abla Amad’s restaurant features her signature dish: a flavorful pilaf of rice topped with shredded chicken, minced lamb, almonds, and pine nuts, all complemented by homemade labneh, embodying the essence of her celebrated cookbook Abla’s Lebanese Kitchen.

Cruffin

Kate Reid, once an F1 engineer and the mastermind behind what might be the world’s finest croissant, also invented the cruffin—a pastry hybrid that took the world by storm in 2013 (though Mr. Holmes Bakehouse later trademarked the name). This innovative treat combines croissant dough baked in a muffin tin, filled with luscious cream, jam, or curd. For the authentic experience, visit Lune Croissanterie in Fitzroy (with a second location in the CBD), where they regularly feature flavors like yuzu, Black Forest, and banoffee pie, attracting lines out the door.

“An imperfect history of Ripponlea” at Attica

Ben Shewry’s ever-evolving menu at Attica ensures that each dining experience is unique, with no two meals being the same. However, one dish that has remained a constant is Shewry’s homage to the restaurant’s local area. “An imperfect history of Ripponlea” is a culinary celebration of three distinct periods in Ripponlea—a small, triangular suburb southeast of Melbourne where Attica is located. This tribute comes in the form of three small tarts, each representing a different cultural influence on the area: the Bunurong people of the Kulin Nation (a red tart with pepperberry-leaf cream, pickled riberries, frozen blood lime, and sunrise lime oil and powder); early English settlers (a black pudding tart with pear and Earl Grey tea cream); and 20th-century Jewish immigrants (a matzo tart filled with jellied chicken soup and fresh dill). Each tart is a tiny yet elaborate tribute to its respective era.

Espresso martini

As Australia’s coffee capital, Melbourne is renowned for its exceptional lattes, thanks to its rich café culture. However, Melbourne’s cocktail scene is a bit newer, having emerged from a tradition of pub drinking. In the early days of local mixology, every bar had an espresso machine to attract patrons after dinner, giving rise to the espresso martini: a mix of vodka, espresso, coffee liqueur, and sugar, shaken to create a frothy top. This cocktail has become a national favorite and while it originated in London, Melbourne’s café and cocktail cultures have embraced it as their own.

Chocolate kooglhoupf from Monarch Cakes

Hailing from Central Europe, this delightful ring-shaped cake finds its way to Melbourne thanks to the city’s vibrant Jewish community, predominantly located in the bayside suburbs. Made with leavened dough for a texture reminiscent of a croissant’s chewy interior, this cake is rich, yeasty, and generously filled with dark melted chocolate, making it a perfect partner for an afternoon tea. For the city’s finest, visit Monarch Cakes on Acland Street in St Kilda, or explore other esteemed Jewish bakeries in the area.

Audrey Bourget is a food and travel journalist based in Melbourne. Originally from Montréal, her move to Melbourne was driven by love, but it was the city's culinary scene that made her stay. Her work appears in SBS Food, Gourmet Traveller, and various international publications. Audrey is also the author of Melbourne l’essentiel.Fred Siggins is a Melbourne-based bartender, writer, and drink expert. He regularly contributes to Time Out, has authored two guides on Melbourne’s pubs, and has been featured in PUNCH, Good Food, and Bars & Clubs Magazine. He currently serves as strategy manager at Sullivans Cove Distillery, known for its Australian single malt whisky.Besha Rodell is a James Beard Award-winning writer who has covered food and culture in various cities across two continents. Previously the critic at LA Weekly , she joined the New York Times Australian bureau as a dining critic in 2017. She also acts as global dining critic for Food & Wine and Travel & Leisure, where she compiles the 30 Best Restaurants in the World list. Fact checked by Lisa Wong Macabasco and copy edited by Rachel P. Kreiter.