As food prices continue to soar, pub dish specials are more popular than ever, with steak nights, burger nights and the classic chicken parmigiana (aka parma) night keeping pubs cranking during otherwise quiet weeknights.

As the person behind popular Instagram account @tightarsesofmelbourne, I’ve made it my mission to find and share the dining out bargains of Melbourne, including a big list of parma night specials in the inner north and city to keep you happy and satisfied almost every night of the week.

To uncover what makes the perfect pub parma, I went to the pub consistently credited with making Melbourne’s best one − Fitzroy’s Birmingham Hotel (aka The Birmy) − to find out.

Sous-chef Susil Pokhrel has been at The Birmy for six years and is passionate about cooking parmas. So, what’s the secret?

According to Pokhrel, the best parma is perfected through years of practice. The chicken used in a perfect parma should be fresh, never frozen. The tomato-based sauce, known as Napoli sauce, should be seasoned − a step many venues scrimp on − and it should include heaps of garlic.

Next comes the ham. The Birmy uses smoked sliced Virginia ham, giving it a smoky flavour and making it easy to cut. Lastly, the perfect parma is topped with a medley of cheeses to give it that satisfying stretchiness and saltiness.

The perfect sides for the perfect parma are no doubt chips and salad. The Birmy crew only start making the sides after the parma goes in the oven, making sure that the chips are super crispy and the salad never soggy. They make their honey-mustard dressing in-house and carrots are hand-grated (at some places they are not!).

“Once the parma comes out of the oven, the sides should be placed next to, and NOT underneath, the parma – otherwise we end up with soggy sides, and soggy sides are a perfect parma’s kryptonite,” says Pokhrel.

Check out Melbourne’s best bargain parma deals below, but if you’re asking, @tightarsesofmelbourne reckons the clear winner is the classic from the Birmy Hotel for just $17 on Tuesday and Wednesday nights.

Abbotsford

• Tuesday: Terminus Hotel – $20 parmas from noon @theterminushotel
• Tuesday: Park Hotel – $19 eggplant / $20 chicken parma from 4pm @parkhotelabbotsford
• Wednesday: Aviary Melbourne – $22 parma with wine or pot from noon @aviarymelbourne
• Thursday: The Carringbush Hotel – $27 eggplant parma with pot from noon
  @thecarringbushhotel
• Friday: Carlton Brewhouse – $15 parma from noon @thecarltonbrewhouse

Brunswick

• Monday: Sarah Sands Hotel – $18 parmas from noon @sarahsandshotel
• Monday: Miss Moses Bar – $16.99 vegan parma from 4pm @missmosesbar
• Tuesday: Barkly’s Kitchen – $18 parmas from 11.30am @barklyskitchen
• Wednesday: Hotel Railway – $20 parmas from 4pm @hotelrailway_brunswick
• Thursday: Edinburgh Castle – $24.99 w/ pot from 3pm @ec_brunswick
• Thursday: Miss Moses Bar – $29 parma w/ pint or wine from 4pm @missmosesbar
• Sunday: The Cornish Arms – $20 parmas from noon @thecornisharms

Brunswick East

• Monday: The Lomond Hotel – $18 parmas from noon @lomondhotel
• Tuesday: Alchemy Brewing – $20 parmas from 4pm @alchemybrewingco
• Tuesday: East Brunswick Hotel – $18 parmas from 4pm @eastbrunswickhotel

Carlton

• Tuesday: Clyde Hotel – $18.90 parmas and schnitzels from noon @clydehotel
• Wednesday: Queensberry Hotel – $20 parmas from noon @queensberryhotel
• Thursday: Prince Alfred Rooftop & Bar – $19 parmas from noon @princealfredcarlton
• Saturday: The Brandon Hotel – $21 parma w/ wine or pot from noon @thebrandonhotel

Carlton North

• Monday: Great Northern Hotel – $20 parmas @greatnorthernhotel from 5pm
• Thursday: Kent Hotel – $20 parmas @kent_hotel from noon

Coburg

• Tuesday: The Post Office Hotel – $25 parma w/ pot from 5pm @poh3058
• Wednesday: The Woodlands – $20 parmas from 4.30pm @thewoodlandscoburg

Collingwood

• Tuesday: Goldy’s Tavern – $20 parmas from 5pm @goldystavern
• Tuesday: The Grace Darling – $20 vegan / $22 chicken parma from 5pm @thegracedarling
• Tuesday: Hotel Collingwood – $20 parmas from 3pm @hotel.collingwood
• Wednesday: The Craft & Co – $20 parma w/ pot from noon @thecraftandco
• Wednesday: Fox Hotel – $20 parmas from 4.30pm @thefoxhotel3066

Fitzroy

• Monday: The Union Club – $19 parmas from 3pm @unionclubfitzroy
• Tuesday and Wednesday – The Birmingham Hotel: $17 parmas from 5pm @the_birmy
• Wednesday: The Workers Club – $15 parmas from 5pm @theworkersclub
• Wednesday: The Rose – $22 parma w/ wine or pot from 3pm @therosefitzroy
• Wednesday: Mollie’s Bar and Diner – $15 parmas from 6pm @molliesbaranddiner
• Wednesday: Fitzroy Beer Garden – $15 parmas from noon @thefitzroybeergarden
• Wednesday: Blackout Lounge – $18 parmas from 5:30pm @blackoutloungemelb
• Thursday: Royal Derby Hotel – $22 parma w/ pot from 4pm @royalderbyhotel

Fitzroy North

• Monday: Terminus Hotel – $17 parmas from 5pm @terminushotelfn
• Tuesday: Empress Hotel – $20 parmas from 5pm @empressfitzroy
• Tuesday: Railway Hotel – $20 parmas from 5pm @railwayhotelfitzroy
• Tuesday: Lord Newry Hotel – $19 parmas from 3pm @thelordnewryhotel
• Wednesday: Fitzroy Pinnacle – $25 parma w/ pot from 4pm @fitzroypinnacle

Footscray

• Tuesday: Victoria Hotel Footscray – $20 parmas from 4pm @victoriahotelfootscray
• Thursday: Plough Hotel – $19 classic parmas, $23 parmas around the world from 5pm @ploughfootscray
• Thursday: Slice Girls West/Back Alley Sallys – $10 parmarama from 5pm @slicegirlswest

Kew

• Tuesday: Postmaster Hotel – $20 parmas from 5pm @postmasterhotel
• Thursday: Skinny Dog Hotel – $23 parma w/ pot or wine from 5pm @skinnydoghotel

Melbourne CBD

• Monday: The Crafty Squire – $20 parmas from 5pm @thecraftysquire
• Monday: Irish Times Melbourne – $24 parma w/ beer or wine from noon @irishtimes.melb
• Tuesday: Fortress Melbourne – $25 parma w/ pint from noon @FortressMelb
• Tuesday: Melbourne Central Lion – $23 parma w/ pot from noon
  @melbournecentrallionhotel
• Tuesday: The General Assembly – $20 parmas from noon @thegeneralsw
• Wednesday: King Hotel – $25 parma w/ pot from 5pm @thekinghotelmelbourne
• Thursday: The Oxford Scholar – $20 parmas from 4pm @theoxfordscholar

Preston

• Tuesday: The Keys Leisure – $19 parmas from 5pm @thekeys.leisure
• Thursday: Hesi Jimbo/Merri Bar – $20 parmas from 4pm @hesijimbohotchicken
• Thursday: Tallboy and Moose – $20 parmas from 7pm @tallboyandmoose
• Thursday: The Stolberg – $20 parmas from 4pm @the_stolberg

Richmond

• Monday and Sunday: Rising Sun Hotel – $25 parma w/ pot @theriser_richmond
• Tuesday: Richmond Club Hotel – $24 parmas w/ pot or wine @richmondclubhotel
• Tuesday: Royston Hotel – $19 eggplant / $20 chicken parmas from 4pm @roystonhotel
• Wednesday: Bridge Hotel – $20 parmas from 4pm @bridgehotel
• Wednesday: Corner Hotel – $20 parma w/ pot from 5pm @cornerhotel
• Wednesday: Swan Hotel – $20 parma w/ pot from 5pm @swanhotelrichmond
• Wednesday: The National Hotel – $20 parmas from 5pm @thenationalrichmond
• Wednesday: The Sporting Globe – $17.90 classic and $21.20 loaded parmas from noon @sportingglobe
• Wednesday + Saturday: Leadbeater Hotel – $18 parmas from 3pm @leadbeaterhotel
• Wednesday + Thursday: Mt View hotel – $22 parmas from 5:30pm
  @mtview_hotel_richmond
• Thursday: All Nations Hotel – $19.90 parma w/ pot from 6pm @all.nations.hotel
• Thursday: Prince Alfred Hotel – $20 parmas from noon @princealfredrichmond
• Thursday: Richmond Social – $20 parma from 5pm @richmondsocial3121
• Thursday: The Grand Richmond – $20 parma from 5pm @grandrichmond

Northcote

• Monday: Peacock Inn Hotel – Parma specials from 11am @peacockinnhotel
• Monday: Northcote Social Club – $20 parmas from 4pm @northcotesocialclub

Seddon

Monday: Mona Castle Hotel – $20 parmas from 5pm @themonacastle

Thornbury

• Monday: Thornbury Taphouse – $20 parma w/ pot from 5pm @thornburytaphouse