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We love Footscray. Everyone knows this. This suburb is so popular it was named the coolest neighbourhood in Melbourne, and we’re regularly going on about how the food, the bars, the shops and the community are what make it so special. But Footscray is enormous – truly, it’s very hard to capture everything great about this suburb in one handy guide. That’s not to mention West Footscray.
West Footscray has its own buzz of activity, but many people do often lump it in with Footscray and miss many of its merits. Here, we’d like to shine a spotlight on some of our favourite West Footscray haunts, which all sit along the suburb’s main drag, Barkly Street. If you live within 5km of the suburb we suggest you check them out soon.
Currently, under Melbourne’s restrictions, a lot of the businesses in West Footscray can’t trade as normal at the moment so be sure you support them however you can. Many offer takeaway or have online shops, and you can help them survive the strange times we are living in.
Harley and Rose
Winners of the Best Casual Dining Restaurant award at our 2018 Time Out Food Awards, Harley and Rose has been staying open during lockdowns offering takeaway of its delicious wood-oven pizza and belly-warming plates like gnocchi, linguine marinara and chicken parma. The attached bottleshop is also still open (our pick are the bougie goon bags from Delinquente Wine Co) so you can complete the entire dining experience.
572 Barkly Street, West Footscray 3012. 03 9689 9752.
Chibog
Filipino eatery Chibog is keen to get the comfort food of the Philippines on your radar. Keen to try some pork sisig? It’s a dish typically made with braised and charred pig ears, pork belly and chicken liver, but head chef Alex Yin uses another cut, then thrice cooks the pork for the best flavour. It’s available for takeaway along with kare kare (peanut butter stew with oxtail), arroz caldo (chicken, rice, ginger and soy-marinated egg), chori burgers and longsilog (cured pork sausage with garlic rice and fried egg). Check out the full menu here.
1/553 Barkly Street, West Footscray 3012.
Migrant Coffee
Coffee and bagels? Could you ask for anything more? Make your weekend coffee stop at Migrant Coffee where Supreme Coffee is the coffee du jour and the bagels come plain, stuffed and in handy packs. They even offer free weekend delivery to surrounding westside suburbs between 8am and noon. Don’t skip the pastries either – the sourdough, vegan doughnuts are a showstopper.
3/576 Barkly Street, West Footscray 3012. 0459 831 203.
Krishna on Barkly
You have your pick of Indian restaurants on Barkly Street but don’t miss Krishna on Barkly, a beautiful family run business that’s been around since the mid-’90s. Krishna is currently serving up delicious vegetable biryani, dal makhani, onion bhaji and sweet gulab jamun. The restaurant is currently offering takeaway and delivery Wednesday through Sunday.
3/578 Barkly Street, West Footscray 3012.
Magic Momo Kafe
You’ve probably tried momos before, those moreish Nepalese dumplings? Well at Magic Momo Kafe, you’ll be able to try a selection of different momos including the fried and steamed versions as well as soup momos and a selection of other Nepalese dishes including noodles, curry and platters.
588 Barkly Street, West Footscray 3012.
