The VICE Guide to the Best Filipino Restaurants in Melbourne

When you’re dreaming about the crunch and crack of roast pork belly or the vinegary tang of adobo curry, save this tab, open this link and pick between Melbourne’s best Filipino restaurants.

If we’re doing a list of the best Pinoy restaurants in Melbourne we need to start with lechon. Lechon is suckling pig slow-roasted until the skin shards like glass and probably the most iconic Filipino food and the Philippines’ most treasured dish. Cebu Charcoal Lechon Belly does one thing: lechon. It roasts pig after pig over charcoal, which you can smell all the way down the street. Order your pork by weight, or just get a whole one, and choose from the sides, rice and chips in the bain marie.

71 McIntyre Rd, Sunshine North

One of the most traditional and affordable Filipino restaurants in Melbourne, the crispy pata (roast pork leg) and sisig (stir fried chopped pork jowl and belly with chicken livers, onions, chilli and calamansi) are must-orders here. Come here to also try Chinese-Filipino dishes like chopsuey and lumpiang and DO NOT leave without ordering halo halo for dessert.

8/10 McCrae St, Dandenong

Every gelato and sorbet flavour at this ice cream shop has been inspired by a Filipino dessert and they are all fucking amazing. There’s combos of pandan, ube, mango, jackfruit, durian, cassava, avocado – every tropical fruit you can think of – and coconut across the board.

50 Leeds St, Footscray; 177 Russell St, Melb CBD; 265A Springvale Rd, Glen Waverley

Just a really awesome Filipino-owned cafe with really awesome bagels with a huge variety of fillings with a lot of Filipino flavours. Pickled green papaya, banana ketchup and calamansi are all on the menu. They also have an Australian-brewed calamansi beer that truly is to die for.

3/576 Barkly St, West Footscray

BAIN MARIES!!! The selection is insane, the value is unmatched and the vibes are impeccable in this food court. Need I say more? No.

Shop 1/792/806 Heatherton Rd, Springvale South

This laid back Filipino restaurant in Melbourne’s CBD is known for its rice combos: rice + meat from the grill. There’s classic pork belly and bbq chicken (inasal) but there’s also skewers you may not find at other CBD spots including chicken feet, pigs ears and pork intestine with a bunch of sauces to go with. Barkada means “group of friends” so when you get to the the dessert menu you can order a mixture to share between up to 10 people.

Level 1/6 Sutherland St, Melbourne

One of the best fine-dining Philippines restaurants in Melbourne is also co-owned by the Kariton Sorbetes chef John River. It’s fancy but the flavours are all there, plus a few new ones too. One for a special occasion.

167 Exhibition St, Melbourne

A local diamond for traditional Filipino food in Werribee known for its meat dishes. It does some of the crispiest pork knuckles in Melbourne, as well as firey sisig, juicy sausages and a huge selection of drinks, chips, snacks and bakery items. Do not drive past this Filipino Eatery for lunch.

5/49 Synnot St, Werribee

“Tambayan” means “hangout place” in Tagalog, the main language in the Philippines, and this Filipino restaurant embraces that. You’ll find all the classics here and some less common dishes including pinakbet – a dish of steamed bitter melon, okra, eggplant and beans with prawns and pork – and pancit bihon – a chicken, prawn and noodle stir fry that’s impossible to stop eating.

100 Furlong Rd, Cairnlea

Come here for all typical Filipino dishes but the signatures here are kare kare (peanut and beef stew) and lechon kawali (crispy roast pork belly). It’s tiny – only a couple of tables – and it is beloved, popular and busy so plan to takeaway if you can’t get a seat.

85 Station Rd, Deer Park