Hawker Hall: Feeding the People
Hawker Hall is food for the people and is one of the best "cheap eat" options in Melbourne. Having visited many Hawker Halls in places like Singapore we are enthused by Chris Lucas' vision and modern twist on the iconic hawker hall. Check out our Best Cheap Eats in Melbourne.
Hawker Halls are places where there's a communal feel, and with tasty and affordable dishes. Ok, so you're not going to get a huge bowl of food for $5 here like you might in Singapore, but we're not expecting that. In fact the prices don't seem to be a whole lot more.
Hawker Hall is the latest venture from the people behind flavour institutions Chin Chin, Baby Café & Pizzeria and Kong BBQ. Housed in a historic-turn-of-the-century horse stable, Hawker Hall is a food and beer hall inspired by the vibrant hawker centres of Singapore & Malaysia.
Capturing the spirit of the lively hawker street-food culture of Malaysia and Singapore, the Hawker Hall menu showcases the best of South East Asian cuisine. With almost 70 dishes based on the rich and varied culture of Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, China, India and more - expect to find Hawker classics such as Nasi Lemak, Char Kway Teow and Hainanese BBQ Chicken Rice.
The World Loves Melbourne loves the Penang Duck Curry with Peanuts and Eggplant. Creamy, tangy and all round delicious with duck perfectly cooked.
The size of the menu creates a unique opportunity to share dishes from all over South East Asia.
The carefully selected beers on tap at Hawker Hall are beers that complement the food and are full of flavour. Brewers - small, large, Australian or international - can have their beers showcased on the 18 taps based on two simple criteria: 1. flavour and 2. matching with food. That’s what ‘Forever Independent’ means to us: No contracts, no deals, just great beers to go with our food.
Sticky red date pudding with Coconut caramel is a superb dessert.
You can't go past the Milo Dinosaur Sundae with Chocolate biscuit is the perfect dessert indulgence.
Add to this the eclectic cocktails inspired by the flavours of South East Asia and wines on tap that have been exclusively blended to match the menu at Hawker Hall and sister venues.
Replicating the many stalls of a hawker market, the Hawker Hall menu is broken down into sections found in a hawker centre. Highlights include:
- CKT (Char Kway Teow) – rice noodles, prawn, lup cheong & smoky soy
- Hainanese BBQ Chicken Rice – with rice, bok choy & chilli sauce
- Otak Otak – salmon in banana leaf
- Nasi Lemak – coconut rice, sardines, shredded omelette & sambal peanuts
- Nasi Goreng – chicken, shrimp, fried egg, prawn cracker & sambal
- Mutton Biryani – with fragrant rice, sultanas & spiced yoghurt
- Fragrant Chickpea Curry – with vegetables, cumin yoghurt
- Carrot Cake (Chai Tow Kway) – stir fried daikon cake, egg & sprouts
- Char Siu Pork – with bok choy.
The Hawker Hall spirit is all about sharing a range of delicious dishes. Guests can simply ask for the ‘Hawker Feast’ in the "feed me" mode and they will be served a banquet of favourite dishes including dessert. The building was originally a stable, which is most evident in the back half of the building with visible trusses. In a state of disrepair, the building was fully renovated over approximately 12 months with Craig Tan Architects and interior designers, Eades & Bergman.
Hawker Hall is a walk-in restaurant with a chefs table available for bookings for lunch and dinner (seating min 8 & max 10).
- Open 7 days, 11am till late.
- 98 Chapel Street, Windsor 3181. (03) 8560 0090.
- 160 seats, which includes over 20 seats outside
Who’s Who
- Benjamin Cooper, Executive Head Chef
- Damian Snell, Head Chef of Hawker Hall
- Chris Lucas, Proprietor