A foodie’s guide to eating at the Melbourne Cup Carnival

Heading to Flemington for the Melbourne Cup Carnival? This is your bumper guide on the best tasting trackside food and drink.

Zana Pali, Niki Simos, Jeffrey Kissuei and Harry Ross enjoying a selection of the best foods on offer at the 2022 Melbourne Cup Carnival. Picture: Jake Nowakowski.

Giddy up, the Melbourne Cup is just around the corner, and these are the 10 best trackside eats to try at Flemington at this year’s spring racing carnival.

Mary and a Little Lamb souvlaki.

1. Ms Mary’s Lamb souvlaki

Mary And A Little Lamb

Think slow-cooked lamb bundled in a fluffy pita with red onion, feta cheese and parsley with your choice of tzatziki or mustard aioli.

$18.50, Front Lawn

Nem n’ Nem’s Bahn Mi.

2. Bánh mì

Nem N’ Nem

Get your Vietnamese street food fix with this crusty roll stuffed with either grilled pork, fried chicken or tofu satay with all the traditional trimmings and herbs.

$22, Betting Ring

Gradi at Crown Melbourne’s margherita pizza.

3. Margherita pizza

400 Gradi

Johnny Di Francesco’s world-best margherita pizza is sure to be a carnival hit. The tangy, thin-based sourdough is brimming with sweet tomato sauce, mozzarella and basil. Bellissimo.

$17, Club Lawn

San Antone’s quesadillas. Picture: Jake Nowakowski.

4. Quesadilla

San Antone

Crown Melbourne’s American BBQ joint takes us to the Deep South via Flemington’s front lawn. The quesadillas are packed with oozy cheddar and monterey jack cheese, grilled and folded with your choice of either smoked chicken, beef or pork, served with guacamole, sour cream and fresh salsa.

$18.50, Front Lawn

Peking duck spring rolls with chilli plum sauce at Oriental Teahouse.

5. Peking duck spring rolls

Oriental Teahouse

Our Chinese restaurant favourite gets the golden-fried treatment, matched with a housemade chilli on the side. Not your vibe? Oriental Teahouse also has pan fried pork and prawn and ginger dumplings for your snacking pleasure.

4 for $20, Club Lawn

Don Amigos tacos.

6. Tacos

Don Amigos

Wrap your laughing gear around one (or three) of Don Amigos five taco flavours: slow cooked beef, chipotle chicken, black bean, pulled pork or fish.

$8 -$17, The Park

Hella Good chicken souvlaki.

7. Hella Good chicken souva

Stalactites

CBD Greek icon Stalactites’ souva shop is carving marinated chicken from the spit and whacking it in warm pita with lettuce, tomato, onion and homemade tzatziki.

$17.90, Club Lawn

Crown's Merrywell burger.

8. Fried chicken burger

Merrywell

Crown Melbourne’s fancy burger spot may be known for its cheeseburgers, but at Flemington it’s all about the bird. Fried chicken is slammed between a soft bun with all the usual suspects: Swiss cheese, lettuce, dill and creamy ranch sauce.

$16, Club Lawn

Mister Alejandro's nacho corn chips

9. Nacho corn chips

Mister Alejandro’s

This Melbourne food truck is throwing the ultimate a Mexican fiesta trackside with tacos, burritos, quesadillas and nachos. The cheese loaded tortilla crisps are heaped with a healthy serve of guacamole, sour cream and salsa.

$16.50, Betting Ring

Goldieboy’s cheeseburger.

10. Cheeseburger

Goldieboy

Goldieboy, home to Footscray’s favourite cheeseburger, will serve its signature smashed chuck and brisket between a potato bun, layered with American cheese, chipotle mayo, mustard and tomato sauce and grilled onions. Comes in a single or double serve.

$18 single, $24 double, The Park

AND FIVE LUXE EXPERIENCES

Amaru’s Clinton McIver will be cooking at the VRC’s new Birdcage restaurant Villa Paradiso.

1. AMARU IN PARADISE

The chef behind Armadale’s Amaru will cook a seven-course feast inside the Birdcage’s new fine diner, Villa Paradiso. Clinton McIver will take over the VRC’s 350-seater restaurant. Tickets start at $1200 a person, including premium wines, with Derby Day and Melbourne Cup already sold out.

Rosheen Kaul and Hannah Green of Etta will be cooking at the Lexus marquee.

2. A SENSORY EXPERIENCE

Etta’s young head chef Rosheen Kaul and restaurant owner Hannah Green will take their Brunswick East institution to the Birdcage, hosting a three-course sensory dining experience for Lexus marquee guests inside an 80-seater restaurant. Drink St Remio’s exclusive coffee blend, snack on Victor Churchill charcuterie or sweeten the deal at the KOI dessert bar in parts of the marquee.

Food and desire oysters in the Kennedy marquee.

Mumm's croq (odile) monsier sandwich prepared by Sydney's Shell House.

3. CHAMPAGNE AND CROQ (ODILE) MONSIEUR

Crocodile in a toasted sanger? Sydney’s Shell House chef Joel Bickford has created this smart snack with smoked crocodile ham, riffing on the French cafe classic. The small bite will be served to guests of the invite-only private dining room inside G.H. Mumm’s marquee. Best paired with a glass of 2008 RSRV Lalou, from the champagne’s top-tier range.

4. PENFOLD’S: A SPACE ODYSSEY

The iconic Australian wine brand will make its Birdcage debut with an out-of-this-world food and wine experience. Penfold’s guests will travel through four areas of the marquee — sipping on champagne, rose, whites and reds, with canapes by Penfold’s Magill Estate executive chef Scott Huggins.

5. DESSERT WALL OF DREAMS

Catering kings Food and Desire will be feeding the well-heeled crowd inside the Kennedy marquee on ‘Millionaire’s Row’. Think smoked barramundi, seared scallops and braised duck canapes, with an ever-replenishing sweets buffet for dessert packed with negroni marshmallows and strawberry rose eclairs. There’s also a themed cocktail for each race day.

@heraldsun_

Ready for the Melbourne Cup Carnival? Take a sneak peek inside this year’s Birdcage. #melbourne#victoria#birdcage#springracing#racing#flemington#melbournecup#behindthescenes#sneakpeek#fyp

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