The plates that define Melbourne: what they are, and where to eat the canonical version.
The plates that define Melbourne. what they are, where they came from, and where to eat the canonical version.
The South Melbourne dim sim has been sold at this market stall since 1949: a larger, steamed or deep-fried version of the Cantonese dim sum with pork and cabbage filling in a thick dough wrapper that became a statewide staple.
Where: South Melbourne Dim Sim
American Doughnut Kitchen's hot jam donuts have been fried to order at the same Queen Victoria Market hatch since 1950: cinnamon-sugar coated, raspberry-jam filled, eaten immediately from a paper bag.
Where: American Doughnut Kitchen
Lune Croissanterie's croissant uses a precise lamination process developed by Kate Reid from aeronautical engineering principles: cultured butter, multiple layers and a bake that produces a shell-crisp exterior and a honeycomb crumb that redefines the form.
Where: Lune Croissanterie
The Melbourne flat white: a double ristretto shot with 150ml of stretched whole milk, served in a small ceramic cup with no froth art and no compromise. Patricia Coffee Brewers on Little Bourke Street makes the cleanest CBD version.
Where: Patricia Coffee Brewers
Victoria Street's pho is Melbourne's most important multicultural food culture: 12-hour bone broth, rice noodles and a condiment tray of fresh herbs, bean shoots, hoisin and chilli that every diner assembles to personal spec.
Where: Pho Hung Vuong 2
Supernormal's XO king prawn with XO sauce is Melbourne's most-ordered restaurant dish of the past decade: a single fat prawn in a roasted dried seafood sauce that has been on every iteration of the menu since 2014.
Where: Supernormal
The chicken parma, or parmi, is Victoria's pub staple: crumbed chicken breast, tomato sugo, leg ham and melted cheese served with chips and a pot of Carlton Draught. Every pub in Melbourne has one; the quality spread is enormous.
Where: Builders Arms Hotel
Melbourne's smashed avocado on sourdough toast became the global brunch cliche of the 2010s: the original version, popularised by Cafe Notting Hill in the mid-1990s and taken mainstream by cafes like St. Ali, is a simple combination of ripe avocado, sourdough and lemon that gets dressed up endlessly.
Where: St. Ali
A1 Bakery's za'atar manakish from the wood-fired oven is the best A$5 meal in Melbourne: fresh thyme and sesame blend baked into Lebanese flatbread and handed across the counter at 6am to a line of Brunswick regulars who know exactly why they are there.
Where: A1 Bakery
Laksa King's curry laksa in Flemington is the definitive version of the dish in Melbourne: a rich coconut and lemongrass broth loaded with tofu puffs, chicken, noodles and sambal from a Flemington Malaysian canteen that has earned a devoted following since 1998.
Where: Laksa King
Melbourne's signature dishes include South Melbourne Dim Sim, Hot Jam Donut, Classic Croissant at Lune, Flat White, Beef Pho on Victoria Street. See our signature dishes chapter for where to eat each.