The best charcoal chicken in Melbourne

Housed in an ornate building with beautiful leadlights and floor-to-ceiling windows, Cookshop Rotisserie doesn’t look like your average chicken shop, and it isn’t – former Mamasita head chef Andrew Logan is at the helm. Nominate if you want leg or breast meat and be rewarded with your choice of La Ionica or Bannockburn free-range chicken that falls off the bone. The light brown gravy is smooth without being overly thick – it has the overt savouriness of chicken with a mildly sweet aftertaste. The salads are the most exciting of any chicken shop we visited – the eggplant, dukkah, rocket and tahini salad looks and tastes more like it's from Rumi than a chicken shop. Cookshop has ample bench seating inside as well as outside if you feel like enjoying your chicken in the sun.

What we love: The roast veggies here cooked on a proper Japanese Hibachi grill, and we're obsessed with the whole corn on the cob with smoked-paprika butter.

How much is it? You're looking at paying anywhere from $8.50 to $27, depending on how much chicken you order. Large meals range from $16 to $50.

Nice owners who remember you by name, fat, juicy chooks and addictively good chippies: this neighbourhood joint has all the hallmarks of a proper Aussie charcoal chicken shop. The paper-thin, melt-in-your-mouth, rosemary-and-salt-spiked chicken skin is the crispiest of all the chickens, while the free-range Bannockburn chook itself is tender from being brined before taking to the coal rotisserie. The chips are a dead ringer for Grill’d’s due to the rosemary seasoning, the thick battered potato cakes stay crunchy beneath their generous coating of chicken salt, and the roast pumpkin, zucchini, pine nut and spinach salad is fresher than your average chicken shop salad. We would also recommend the chicken nuggets and the roast vegetables – in this case, zucchini, pumpkin, carrot and capsicums drizzled in an oily spice rub. Coeliacs will be pleased to know the chicken at Smokey Chook’s is gluten-free (no stuffing), and it’s also halal. 

What we love: It's 100% worth the hype – even Hamish and Andy recommended this place!

How much is it? A quarter chicken is only about $6.75, last we checked (August 2024.) For a family pack, a full chicken and chips costs $30. Burgers are all under $13.

Chargrill Charlie's has a cult-like following in Sydney, and after tasting the tender, juicy, perfectly seasoned chooks now that they have set up shop in Melbourne (in Camberwell and Malvern), we understand why. Charlie clearly knows how to chargrill a chicken, having been in the business since 1989, and with 19 stores across Sydney and Melbourne today, there are no signs of slowing down. You can taste the love put into food at Chargrill Charlies, with some top-quality takeaway salads and sides on offer.

What we love: We're calling it – Chargrill Charlie's chips are some of the best takeaway chips going around town.  

How much is it?  A quarter chicken DIY plate costs $21.90, most burgers are under $15 and nothing on the menu is over $26. If you order sides and a drink or dessert, you're most likely to spend about $25 to $30 for a meal at Chargrill Charlie's. 

When the first El Jannah opened shop in Sydney in the late '90s, word of its delicious Lebanese charcoal chicken spread like wildfire and a cult-like following followed suit. Over the next two decades, the franchise grew to more than a dozen locations across NSW, but it took until 2022 for the first Melbourne shop to open its doors in Preston. Melbourne has no shortage of charcoal chicken joints lining its streets, but now Melburnians can pop over to High Street to find out why this particular franchise is held in such high regard. The signature charcoal chicken is cooked over an open wood flame to achieve the crispy and charred skin, and you can get it in serves perfect for everything from a solo meal to a family feed. Pair your meal with a serving of chips generously sprinkled with chicken salt, a serving of warm Lebanese bread and mixed pickles and the famous creamy garlic sauce. For a full list of El Jannah's Victoria locations, visit the website.

What we love: Not that we don't love El Jannah's cosy, booth-style seating, but it's very convenient you can get their juicy chook meals delivered straight to your door via Uber Eats – a godsend on wintry Netflix nights in. 

How much is it?  A quarter chicken meal starts at $19, while most burger and roll combo meals are around the $27 mark. If you've got a big crew to eat with, maximise value by ordering one of the boxed feast meals. The new family feast (which could easily feed four to five people) includes two whole charcoal chickens, hommus, fattoush, hot chips, garlic sauce, pickles and bread for just $106.

"I don’t believe that there is a better charcoal chicken place in Melbourne," a reader passionately wrote to us last year. "If there is, I am yet to find it." Well, this writer wouldn't be much of an investigative foodie if she didn't do her due diligence, so off to Mckinnon we went. This family-friendly local business is serving up some of the tastiest chooks in Melbourne with a smile, using fresh ethically-sourced ingredients. If you ever find yourself in the area, go check it out.

What we love: The chicken here is really quite special, juicy and moist and seasoned to perfection.

How much is it?  A quarter chicken is just $7.50 ($12 with chips), a half chicken is $11.50 and a whole chicken is $19.90. Souvas and rolls come in at around the $15 mark on average. You can also get potato cakes, nuggets and dim sims for under $2 each.

Roll up your sleeves, Melbourne: Sydney export Henrietta’s finger-lickin’ good Lebanese charcoal chicken has finally landed on Chapel Street. It’s the first interstate venue for the ESCA Group’s beloved chick and we couldn’t be more cluck cluck cluck-in’ thrilled! So what can you expect? Far from your traditional local chicken shop, Henrietta fires things up a notch with flame-fuelled meats, the garlic toum of your dreams and classy arak-based cocktails. The menu also sees plenty of other diverse Middle East-inspired eats thrown into the mix, with a splash of modern Aussie flair. Take the juicy barramundi with saffron marga and caviar or the delicate kingfish with baharat and rhubarb, for example. 

What we love: Don’t go past Henrietta’s Lebanese spin on a creamy tiramisu. It’s heaven. 

How much is it? Henrietta is a little fancier than your average charcoal chicken takeaway shop, so you can expect a slightly higher price tag but it's not too eye-watering. A full charcoal chicken meal with toum, pickles, bread and chips or salad comes in at $32. Alternatively, you could get a generous chicken wrap for $21. 

One of many shops bordering the Preston South Shopping Centre, Preston Chicken Shack is easy to miss – look for the plastic strip curtains. The family-run chicken shop is a local favourite, with many of them greeting owners Cathy and William by name. The portion of chicken leg includes more breast and thigh than other shops, and it has pleasantly charred skin and an immense concentration of flavour from the herbs and salt in which it’s cooked. Preston Chicken Shack serves stuffing with its chickens, which has the savouriness of Coles rotisserie chicken stuffing, but with the flavour turned up to 10. Like all the best charcoal chicken we try, it’s very moist. If you’re a potato cake fan, you’ll find that these are just as crisp as the chips. If you’re looking for a green side, the tabbouleh, cucumber and tomato salad is generously dressed with olive oil and hasn’t been hanging around in the bain marie for hours.

What we love: The chips are a standout, with a well-balanced chicken salt-to-chip ratio, and the chips themselves are fluffy on the inside and crunchy on the outside.

How much is it? Chicken combo packs range from $13.90 to $18.90 each, while whole-chicken family packs sit at around the $50 mark.

Expect to wait a while at McManos – the crinkle-cut chips are fried fresh to order. Dave Chen, who has owned McManos for the past 18 years, keeps the paper box lid ajar for your takeaway orders so the chips don’t get sweaty on your way home. It’s a nice and necessary touch, as the chips retain their crunch and generous dustings of housemade ‘secret’ chicken salt clings to every ridge – which might explain why they were crowned the best chips in Melbourne in a 2019 Nova100 poll. They’re particularly a treat when dunked in the dark brown gravy. The chicken is cooked for two hours, and the buttery scalloped potatoes are the best of any chicken shop. The Keen’s curry powder-infused pasta salad reminds us of British colonial-era dishes like kedgeree.

What we love: This is a proper old-fashioned chicken and chip shop with old-fashioned prices to match.

How much is it? A quarter chicken and chips is only about $10.

Though Sunshine Charcoal Chicken does a regular charcoal chicken, it’s the Filipino-style Spanish chicken the shop is known for – and it doesn’t disappoint. The bird is marinated in garlicky sweet soy and then cooked between two metal grills, culminating in chicken that’s tender inside with caramel undertones in its blistered skin. If you haven’t had enough chicken, the nuggets are mini morsels of battered, moist breast. The potato cakes are similarly well fried and go a treat alongside Sunshine Charcoal Chicken’s house-made vinegary Sriracha sauce. The chips are decent without hitting the ball out of the park, but steer clear of the salads – the coleslaw and pasta salads fall victim to too much mayonnaise. 

What we love: It's gotta be the Spanish chichen.

How much is it? Chicken and chip packs cost from about $12.50.

Rooster Bar has an abundance of seating inside and outside, with bain marie salads as far as the eye can see. Rooster Bar has Portuguese chicken available, and we recommend ordering this over the regular charcoal chicken – it’s fused with far more flavour and a pleasantly caramelised, crisp skin. The texture, consistency and integrity of the chips are top-notch, but they suffer from a paucity of chicken salt, so ask for extra. If you’re after a salad, stick to the predictably refreshing coleslaw or pasta salad, which is lifted by sun-dried tomatoes, parsley and a generous glug of olive oil.

What we love: The chicken here is very well-marinated, lending the meat a succulent texture.

How much is it? Quarter chook is $8, add $6 for a half serving, or pay $25 for the whole bird. A side of creamy scallop potatoes is $11.

Single-use plastics are nowhere to be seen, free-range chickens take centre stage and burger patties don a wholewheat bun. Seasonal salads are on offer along with classics like Greek salad and coleslaw, but a word to the wise: the salads here are so good that they sell out quickly. Chips are crisp and gluten-free and can be loaded with a bed of melted cheese, grilled onions, the Hot Bird's signature sauce and whorls of spring onion, and the chicken is juicy and tender – just how it should be.

What we love: Serving sizes are generous!

How much is it? Chicken, chips and salad will cost you from $26 to $56, depending on what size you get. 

Cookshop’s main rival in the inner north is Super Tasty Rooster, where the clientele is as diverse as the speciality wine shops and cafés surrounding it. Super Tasty Rooster’s quarter chicken is ample and tasty, and its crowning glory is its golden chips, doused to high heaven in chicken salt. The thinly battered potato cake receives the same chicken salt treatment as the chips, while the chicken croquette and a creamy pasta au gratin peppered with capsicum and streaky bacon are equally successful sides. The salads are basic but substantial. Owing to Super Tasty Rooster’s Greek provenance, you may also find rizogalo (rice pudding) to be a fitting dessert.

What we love: The fresh new fit-out. 

How much is it? There's a lot of great specials on throughout the week, but this writer usually opts for the quarter chicken, chips and two salads for just $20.

At this bright orange shipping container, marinated meats are grilled on an open charocal barbecue and the vibes are hip, very Brunswick. Though the barbecued suya lamb (suya is skewered marinated meat) is divine, chook fans will get around the whole chicken leg. Don't forget a side of fried plantains and jollof rice.

What we love: The West African flavours. 

How much is it? There’s a whole lot more you can dig into here if you’d like to get better acquainted with native Cameroonian spices, like the charcoal-grilled fish (bones and all) and hot and sweet chicken wings, but after our epic jollof plate the two of us are full – and we’ve barely broken the $50 mark! 

Fancy a budget friendly feed? These are the 50 best cheap eats in Melbourne.

This family-owned and operated business in Malvern East is blessing for chook-lovin' locals. Home to Roost serves up comforting home-style cooked meals, with all chickens hand seasoned and prepared, then marinated for a minimum of 24 hours.The burger fillets are are prepared with a special family recipe marinade. 

What we love: The gourmet salads here are housemade and a lot more exciting and fresher-tasting than your average chicken shop salads.

How much is it? A quarter chicken and chips starts at around $12, last we checked.

Not to be confused with Super Tasty Rooster, another top contender on this list, Tasty Rooster is no less special. The Coburg favourite is known for slinging consistently delicious, juicy and well-seasoned chooks – plus tasty gravy, heavily salted chippies and a winner Greek salad. 

What we love: The fact that there's a huge snaking out the door on Friday nights mean locals love it just as much as we do. Also, the chips go off.

How much is it? Chicken and chips is around $9 to $13, depending on how much chicken you get.