From bubble tea to burgers, burritos and more, why spend on food on your birthday when you can get it on the house?
Did you know that on your birthday, you can spend an entire day eating and drinking around Melbourne without spending a single cent? Yep, it's true! From fast food chains happy to sling you a free burg for making another trip 'round the sun, to ice cream and doughnut shops willing to satisfy your sweet tooth for nil, there's an abundance of free birthday offers around town – you just need to know where to look.
We've made it easy for you by rounding up the best birthday offers around Melbourne right now, so all you need to do is bookmark this page, wait for your special day and then go and enjoy what's yours for the taking! Sure, you might need to sign up for a membership card or two but if you fill out those deets in advance, all you'll need to do on your b-day is simply turn up to receive your free treat. Happy birthday to you!
Is there a treat as nostalgic and heartwarming as a stack of pancakes? In Melbourne, we're home to some truly marvelous sweet creations and they usually come with the price tag typical of a fancy brunch dish. But the good news is that on your birthday, you can get yourself a free one from the OG batter cooks at Pancake Parlour. Drizzle a slosh of golden syrup on top and breakfast is sorted!
Famous on Tik Tok for their carnivorous food porn, the American barbecue masters at Third Wave Café have been steadily garnering rave reviews for their juicy burgs, steaks and ribs since the grand opening in 2010. Perhaps the most generous offer on this list, the eatery promises a free birthday meal on your birthday, valued at up to $80. Check out the website for all the tasty details.
This fruit-fuelled empire from founder Janine Allis needs no introduction. While newer and shinier smoothie bars (like this one, for example) might have swooped onto the market since, we can't deny it: Boost was one of the first, and when you're in the mood, nothing wakes you up like a Mango Magic and a greeting from one of the bizarrely enthusiastic Boost crew members. Better yet, if you download the Boost App and enter your birthday, you'll get a free juice on your birthday if you show your ID.
This artisan gelato house has outlets all over Melbourne and you'll want to make a beeline to one of them asap. That's because if you have the Augustus Rewards app, not only will you get points for every dollar you spend in store and exclusive offers, you'll also get a free double scoop on your birthday. Try the pistachio and hazelnut – you'll thank us later.
Bubble tea fanatics, unite! At Chatime (across many various locations across Victoria), you'll get a free drink in your birthday month. The membership card costs 50 cents, but alternatively you can join via the app for free. The free drink barcode will be sent across by email. Note that you need to have made a purchase in the last three months before your birthday month. But that's a pretty sweet deal!
As far as pizza chains go, Crust's gourmet slices are a little fancier and more varied than what you'd expect – from fun, flavour-packed options like peri peri chicken and garlic prawn to yogurt sauce-drizzled Moroccan lamb. And if you join the loyalty program and download the Crust app, you'll get one free large pizza – valid for 31 days after your birthday. Sign up here.
This Italian restaurant on Flinders Lane has you covered for all your CBD pizza and pasta cravings, and in good news for the wheat-averse, they have a surprising amount of gluten-free options too. A quick squizz at Vapiano's website indicates they've got a two-for-one deal redeemable in your birthday month. Simply join the Vapiano Fanaticos club and the offer will be sent to your inbox three days before your special day. It's valid for 10 days and will add to your order one extra free pizza or pasta on the house.
Are the burgers really better at Hungry Jack's? It depends on who you ask (and which burger joint you're comparing it to), but wherever you stand on this ongoing fast food debate, you can't complain about a free burger. On your birthday, it's the ultimate HJs signature: a whopper. All you need to do to claim it is create an account and complete your profile, including your birth date. Your voucher will be issued on your birthday however, note you're unable to claim it on the same day you enter your birth date – so do it now before you forget!
Taco Bell, the world’s largest Mexican-inspired fast food joint, set up shop in Melbourne in 2019. The South Yarra store is the first Taco Bell outlet to open in Victoria and serves many of the dishes that made the US food franchise so popular overseas – though you can now find outlets all across Victoria (caution: don't get Taco Bell confused with another Mexican eatery, Taco Bill.) If you download their rewards app, you'll get a free meal on your birthday. Click here for more info.
San Churro is a Spanish chocolatier serving chocolate fondues paired with Spain's greatest contribution to carb lovers the world over: churros. Those are fried sticks of pastry dough rolled in sugar and serves with a cup of melted chocolate for dipping. The store has outlets city-wide, and if you join their mailing list, you'll get a free set of those joy sticks with your choice of dipper on your birthday.
Sure, you could grab a sweet treat from one of these marvelous Melbourne doughnut purveyors but sometimes all it takes is one of those sugary Krispy Kreme rings to hit the spot. If you join Krispy Kreme's 'Inner Circle' you'll get a sweet treat gift sent to your home in the lead-up to your birthday. Here's the deal.
Melbourne has long been revered as one of Asia Pacific's most exciting food cities, but that status isn't just attributed to our fancy restaurants – special as many of those upper crust institutions may be. Our laneaways and hidden alcoves are brimming with cheap street eats, smashable pub deals and dinner options you can enjoy under $25 (or even under $10 in some cases), so you can stop counting your hard-earned pennies and start eating instead.
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