Top 10 Melbourne Pork Dishes 2022
Melbourne is in love with pork belly, pork hock, pork ribs, charsu ramen and all things pork. Here are our top finds for Melbourne's best pork dishes (no particular order) -
Giro D'Italia - Cotoletta alla Valdostana - St Kilda Rd, Melbourne
Cotoletta alla Valdostana is a rock star dish: a fillet that's rolled thin with a rolling pin so it can be folded "like a wallet" according to Dom. Then it is infused with creamy fontina cheese and smoked ham. It's cooked to golden in butter and topped with triple-cooked potatoes. Indulgence on a plate. It's super rich but you can't resist it at Giro D'Italia.
Red Pepper Indian Restaurant - Goan Pork Belly Vindaloo with Peter Bouchier Pork - CBD
Red Pepper Indian Restaurant delights with its curries, as well as starters and snacks, and has been an oasis in Melbourne for authentic and affordable Indian dishes with traditional flavours. This pork curry dishes hits the high notes in terms of balance, quality, authenticity, use of spaices, texture of the gravy, and premium cut of meat. This curry is native to Goa and features tender pork belly premium cuts, no less from Peter Bouchier, and welcome heat. Mop up the delicious gravy with some choice Naan. While Butter Chicken and Rogan Josh are often the first choice of many (and with good reason) the other mains dishes such as this) shine at Red Pepper.
Red Pepper was recently awarded the Lord Mayor's Commendation and has been delighting diners in the Melbourne CBD since 2006, with owner and chef Jagjeet Kaur at the helm. Here you will find engaging service, an excellent beverages list (including top notch wine selection, spirits, some 30 beers including Indian beers, as well as Indian-inspired cocktails). Parking is nearby, as is a tram stop across the road, and the location is at the leafy Parliament end of Bourke St.
Mr Lee's Food - Steamed Pork Belly - Ringwood East
Hero local Mr Lee's Food has won acclaim for best cheap eat restaurant in Melbourne 2019 by Time Out and their Steamed Pork belly is a sensation in its simplicity and perfect execution.
Gukbab - Pork Bulgogi - CBD
Pork Bulgogi is a standout dish from Gukbab in the Melbourne CBD. Chef and owner Kevin has been bringing the best of Korean food to Melbourne, including this rice bowl sensation with tender pork strips and hit of spice. The sauce is addictive. Grab yourself a bowl and watch your stress levels go down.
MR RYU - Pork Katsu Don - Balaclava
Pork katsu sando at MR RYU is a standout, and one of the best in Melbourne. Bread crumbed and a generous 200g pork loin cooked to perfection, with tang of mustard and BBQ sauce, this is a superb dish for a reasonable price. The thick pork loin has a good amount of fat and is juicy, perfect against the soft white bread. If I was working near this precinct I would order the Teishoku and the pork katsu sando regularly.
Cru + - Pork Benny - The Glen
Pork Benny with pulled char-siu pork, wasabi onion, miso hollandaise on pumpkin loaf is a highlight as an innovative and modern dish.
Sun Kitchen - Mao's Braised Donting-style Pork Belly - Albert Park (temporarily closed at Sep 2021)
Sun Kitchen is a revelation in Albert Park with stunning views of the lake and modern Chinese cuisine featuring Cantonese and Sichuan dishes. Slow cooked pork belly is braised with five spice and slow cooked in dark soy; a specialty that had us hooked as addicts. The soft gelatinous pork packed with flavour is arguable the best pork belly dish in Melbourne. Melt in your mouth pork goodness. We hear that this was Chairman Mao's favourite dish and we are not surprised and the rendition by super talented and experienced Head Chef Chan Kwok is first class.
Glistening pork goodness where some fat is good, served with wilted greens.
Head Chef Chan Kwok is a master of pork dishes. One of many popular signature dishes, this is joyous dining.
Chin Chin - Caramelised Sticky Pork - CBD
Caramelised Sticky Pork has been on the menu as a signature dish since Chin Chin restaurant opened in 2011 and has been a much lauded dish among diners.
The Caramelised sticky pork dish features rich and rewarding sweet sticky caramelised pork on the outside, and soft and juicy pork inside. The salad brings a sour dimension, a mix of Granny Smith apple strips, betel leaves, coriander and mint on a chilli vinegar dressing. The genius of the salad is that it brings a tang and pleasing acidity that offsets the pork. Chin Chin does not dumb it down on heat, and this dish comes with rewarding spice and kick. The caramelised sticky pork dish is aesthetically pleasing with a plethora of colours and textures. The colour of the sweet caramelised pork is mouth watering. The aroma of the dish is compelling, including the aroma of Asian herbs.
David's - Traditional Sticky Pork Belly - Windsor (temporarily closed at Sep 2021)
David's classic traditional sticky pork belly that was first made famous when they first opened over 20 years ago, and there is no sign of going off the menu.
JAMU - Crispy Pork Hock - Richmond
Glistening delicious Pork Hock served with a salad is a winner at JAMU with notable sticky sauce that sets offf the perfectly cooked dish.
Do you agree with this list? Others that deserve to be in this company? Please email me This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..