These are the 13 most common Aussie meals served in Melbourne – ranked

We often think of meat pies and chops as classic Aussie meals – but what if we analysed the menus of pubs around Melbourne? What would they show us about the meals that typify contemporary Australian cuisine right now? Time Out has done just that, crunching the data from 150 pubs and clubs around Melbourne to rank the most commonly served dishes, as part of our Price of a Parma 2026 project. Here they are…

The chicken Parmigiana is the undisputed king of pub menus across Melbourne. In fact, it's even more popular than a plain chicken schnitzel, which ranked in third place. Yep, the parma has well and truly earned its place as a contemporary Melbourne pub classic. (It was actually the other way around up in Sydney – where the schnitty topped their rankings and the parma – sorry, “parmi” – only ranked as the fourth most common meal.)

What else are Melburnians ordering when with gusto? A classic passed down to us from England, fish and chips (usually battered, of course), comes in second place on the list (the same result as in Sydney).

The cheese burger takes fourth place, while salt and pepper calamari (also squid) makes a surprisingly strong showing at number five.

Perhaps the biggest surprise in the pub menu rankings: spaghetti or penne Bolognese, which comes in sixth place for Melbourne (even though it didn’t even crack the top 12 in Sydney).

Rounding out Melbourne’s top 10 are the Caesar salad, steak sandwich, bangers and mash (much more popular on Sydney menus) and nachos. Chicken wings and Margherita pizza – which are both more popular in Sydney – also make the top 12, while the rump steak comes in at number 13.

So, what makes a classic Australian pub meal these days? There's clearly plenty of influence from England, Italy, the US, even Austria. And while Asian dishes such as pad Thai, butter chicken, dumplings and bánh mì are undoubtedly part of contemporary Australian eating, we don't typically head to the pub for these, given the incredibly high quality of Melbourne's Thai, Indian, Chinese and Vietnamese restaurants.

One thing’s for sure: when it comes to Melbourne pub culture, the parma still reigns supreme.

These are the most common meals served in Melbourne pubs in 2026, according to Time Out’s analysis:

1. Chicken Parmigiana
2. Fish & chips
3. Chicken schnitzel
4. Cheese burger
5. Salt & pepper calamari (AKA squid)
6. Spaghetti or penne Bolognese
7. Caesar salad
8. Steak sandwich
9. Bangers & mash
10. Nachos
11. Chicken wings
12. Margherita pizza
13. Rump steak

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