Food in Melbourne: 10 Quintessentially Melbourne Dishes and Where To Eat Them

Inspired by sui mai dumplings, dim sims are one of Australia’s most beloved fast food snacks. Comprising ground meat and spiced cabbage served in a dumpling wrapper, these handheld parcels of umami are either prepared steamed with soy sauce or deep-fried with a real crunchy exterior.

Dim sims originated in Melbourne’s Chinatown, but are now a regular takeout item found in fast-food shops and kiosks of street food in Melbourne—not to be missed when taking a guided tour of Melbourne’s markets and food scene.

Where to try dim sims in Melbourne: The South Melbourne Market is famous for its dim sims, which are larger than regular ones.

Sometimes it's the small details that make Melbourne's iconic dishes special. In the case of hot jam doughnuts, the key word is hot, as these German-style doughnuts are always served toasty.

Melbourne’s signature doughnuts are dusted in sugar, filled with raspberry jam, and served in a plain white bag to make holding them a little easier. Bite into your jam doughnut with care, as the jam can burn the roof of your mouth when the doughnuts are fresh.

Where to try hot jam doughnuts in Melbourne: Go back to where it all began for Melbourne at American Doughnut Kitchen in the Queen Victoria Market.

While the flat white has spread from Australia to cafés and coffee shops around the world, the coffee scene in Melbourne is currently obsessed with a different drink that it claims as its own: ”the magic.”

This local favorite is also milky and smooth like the flat white, but is made with a double shot of ristretto and a little less steamed milk for a more concentrated coffee hit that brings out the beans’ sweeter side. Compare the difference on a laneway coffee tour around Melbourne’s Central Business District (CBD).

Where to try magic coffee in Melbourne: You’ll find the magic across the city, but for a high-end choice, try one of the Market Lane coffee shops in the CBD.

A typically working-class food in Australia, the meat pie may be as close as Australia comes to having a national dish. The most stereotypical version of an Aussie meat pie is flaky pastry filled with ground beef and gravy, but variations abound, from versions with gourmet angus beef to vegetarian-friendly curried vegetables.

What’s most important is that the pie is small enough to be held with one or two hands while eating, and that it has a large dollop of tomato sauce (Australian for ketchup) on top.

Where to try meat pies in Melbourne: A classic experience is enjoying a meat pie while watching football at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), but for quality, travel out to the award-winning Buddy Bakery in Melton.

It may not seem especially unique nowadays, but there was a time when the idea of avocado toast, commonly known in Australia as smashed avo, hadn’t popped up in cafés and brunch places around the world.

Like eggs Benedict, smoothie bowls, and grain bowls, avocado toast is a staple of Melbourne brunch culture, with every venue adding its own twist to the simple dish of sourdough toast topped with seasoned avocado.

Where to try avocado toast in Melbourne: Any Melbourne café worth its salt has this on the menu, but Brick Lane Melbourne is a common inner-city choice.

Chicken parmigiana is another dish that probably sounds familiar to visitors, but in Australia, it means something a little different from the rest of the world.

Unlike the Italian-American dish that’s served with spaghetti in Italian restaurants, a parma is a classic pub food comprised of chicken schnitzel covered with cheese, ham, and sauce, served over thick-cut fries—chips in Australia—with a small leafy salad. Pair it with beer or a non-alcoholic lemon-lime bitter for the quintessential pub experience.

Where to try chicken parmigiana in Melbourne: Try the parma at The Local Taphouse in St. Kilda, one of the best food neighborhoods in Melbourne, for a tasty classic take on the dish.

Fish and chips is a classic takeout option in Australia, but even if you’re familiar with the concept, the menu of the average fish-and-chip shop requires a lot of translation. Step into this new world and you’re presented with inscrutable item names such as a dim sim, flake (gummy shark), battered sav (deep-fried sausage), and Chiko Roll (deep-fried roll of beef and vegetables).

Unlike in the UK, fish and chips aren’t typically served with vinegar in Australia; instead, they're served with lemon and addictive chicken salt.

Where to try fish and chips in Melbourne: St. Kilda is a great choice for fish and chips, with many local foodie favorites serving it, from simple kiosks to fine dining establishments.

Another popular Australian dessert and common yardstick for the quality of a bakery is the vanilla slice. A huge slab of vanilla custard wedged between two layers of puff pastry dusted with powdered sugar, the Australian vanilla slice is quite similar to European desserts such as mille-feuille and cremeschnitte, only without a third layer of pastry or additions such as Chantilly cream.

There’s also no elegance to this beloved dessert, which is prone to making a mess and even has the unappealing nickname of “snot block.”

Where to try vanilla slice in Melbourne: Try them at suburban bakeries and cafés, such as The French Lettuce in Carlton.

Thanks to Australia’s multicultural influences and many, many sheep, lamb is just as common a source of protein around the country as other red meats. It’s eaten in various forms, from sausages to lamb chops, but a roasted leg of lamb is perhaps lamb at its best, and the dish most seen on menus when fine dining in Melbourne.

Even though Sunday roasts aren’t a big thing anymore in Australia, dishes like this continue because they’re just oh-so-tasty.

Where to try roast lamb in Melbourne: Try the roast lamb shoulder in the CBD at Cumulus Inc, one of the top restaurants in Melbourne.

It often shocks travelers that Australians occasionally eat kangaroo meat. But kangaroo is actually a lean and nutritious meat, best enjoyed as seared steaks.

The meat is a little trickier to cook correctly, as it can be tough and gamey, but when kangaroo is cooked professionally its rich flavor really shines through. Kangaroo is not the only native animal eaten in Australia—both emu and crocodile are considered delicacies—but it’s certainly the most common.

Where to try kangaroo in Melbourne: See for yourself at The Meat and Wine Co. Southbank, among various steakhouses in the city.