Five fries to Try: Where to find Melbourne’s best hot chips

Fans of crunchy, salty, deep-fried potatoey goodness flock to these Melbourne hotspots to get their hot chip fix. Here are five of the best.

Five of the best places to get hot chips in Melbourne.

Edita’s Fish’N’Chips Carlton

This fish-and-chipper run by siblings Tima and Stan Tausinga from the Pacific Islands started out as a market stall and food truck, but has since blown into Rathdowne Village like a warm Samoan breeze, attracting big crowds to try its insanely good Filet-o-Fish tribute (with a dill-forward tartare on a potato bun), prawn tacos and homemade dim sims. Or you could join the queue simply for the chips. Ruggedly hand-cut, these prime examples of potatoey goodness are encased in a quality batter (their Heston Blumenthal-inspired triple-cooked recipe means they’re super crunchy) and finished with chicken salt. In a word, exceptional.

382 Rathdowne St, Carlton North

Edita’s chips are prime examples of potatoey goodness are encased in a quality batter.

Hawkes Farm Boneo

Getting to Boneo requires a trip to the Mornington Peninsula hinterland, but it’s easy to make the extra effort knowing that these famous crispy, golden beauties are waiting for you at the end of it. Made from spuds grown on the 140-acre family farm, hand-cut fresh and served at the on-site shop, these old hands make a superior chip that’s triple-fried at different temperatures for super-crisp exteriors and creamy-fleshed insides. The skin-on philosophy makes them extra rustic and crunchy. Just add coleslaw and dream of the country life. But don’t forget that the chips here are available on weekends only.

661 Boneo Rd, Boneo

Hawkes Farm chips’ skin-on philosophy makes them extra rustic and crunchy.

O’Connell’s Hotel South Melbourne

Proper pub chips, fatter than a frite but less chonky than some, lure carb aficionados to this storied pub that has recently had a major glow-up. Some serious legwork goes into these hand-cut numbers, starting with the potato variety – Russet Burbank or sebago, depending on the time of year – and the triple-cooking method that sees them steamed then chilled then fried at a low temp before being chilled again (phew!) then finished at a high temperature for the perfect balance of crisp outer and fluffy inner. Just add sea salt and a steak, and you’ll be in heaven.

407 Coventry St, South Melbourne

O'Connell’s chips are proper pub chips.

Hagen’s Organics Brunswick East

Cardiologists look away now, but the beef tallow chips at this up-market butcher shop with a takeaway side hustle have an incredible crunch and rich, soul-affirming flavour denied those cooked in veg-derived oils. Chipped daily using locally grown Spud Sisters potatoes, they’re a skin-on affair, with lots of smaller crunchy bits and some that veer into wedge-sized territory. In short, they’re keeping things interesting at this sparkly East Brunswick Village shop. And if you thought life couldn’t get any better, try the house-made gravy or organic ketchup for dipping purposes, along with some chicken-fat garlic bread on the side.

East Brunswick Village, 6 Village Ave, Brunswick East

Hagen’s chips have an incredible crunch and rich, soul-affirming flavour.

Alex’s Fish and Chips Altona

The classic fish-and-chipper is an increasingly rare beast. But Alex’s continues to fly the flag for doing things the old-fashioned way. The chips here are freshly hand-cut and fried until they’re crunchy, creamy and salty in all the right places. Wrapped in paper (possibly by the genial Alex himself) with plenty of those irresistible little nubbles of crispy batter rustling around in the bottom of the pack they’re the perfect treat for eating on Altona Beach (be sure to watch for the seagulls) or taking home complete with the family meal deal of potato cakes, dimmies and battered fried fish.

11 Ford Rd, Altona

Alex’s chips are freshly hand-cut and fried until they’re crunchy and creamy.

Originally published as Five fries to Try: Where to find Melbourne’s best hot chips