A Foodie’s Guide to Footscray Market, for a True Local Adventure

Gloriously multicultural and diverse, Footscray is heaven for adventurous foodies. You can secure a steaming bowl of pho as easily as you can a glass of natural wine these days, with the suburb a happy patchwork of migrant communities, young families and well-to-do professionals. 

At the heart of it all is the famous Footscray Market, a brutalist building where everyone from elderly locals to big restaurants get their fresh produce, seafood and meat. There’s no shellfish too niche or herb too rare for these stallholders, who can slap together everything from Thai basil and banana leaves to sea urchin and salmon collars with ease. 

What this market lacks in aesthetic bells and whistles it makes up for in soul, and we’re here to help you navigate all its splendour. Here’s where to find the best…

COFFEE

When you’re in this neck of the woods you’ve got to have a Vietnamese coffee, and nobody does a better one than Scarlet Corner Café (Shop 157). Made with drip coffee and condensed milk, they’re explosively strong and sweet and will have you buzzing for the rest of the morning. They also do fun drinks like Oreo tiramisu frappés, taro matcha lattes and strawberry yoghurt smoothies with coconut jelly that are worth travelling for. 

If you’re hankering for a good espresso though, Casita Coffee (Shop 250) has you sorted. They roast their own beans and brew with a little South American flair, offering a dulce de leche-spiked ‘Chilean Iced Coffee’ that will have you completely hooked. Pick up a hot empanada or toastie while you’re there, plus a couple of melt-in-your-mouth alfajores for later.

SEAFOOD

Footscray Market’s seafood purveyors have hundreds of years’ experience between them and do a heavy trade supplying restaurants and home cooks. This means you’ll always get utterly fresh produce and an expansive selection you won’t find at your local supermarket. At John & Kevin’s Fish Supply (Shop 119), Craig McCluskey and his team have been operating for a whopping 40 years – and their commitment to freshness is so absolute they don’t even have a freezer. Swing by for everything from oysters and prawns to rockling and snapper. Special occasion? Select live lobster and abalone from the tanks at Kelvin & Ryan Seafood (Shop 146 -147), or head to Gold Star Seafood (Shop 117) for their famed mud crabs. Meanwhile, the glistening displays at Yue Kong Seafood (Shop 128) will inspired you to cook something new for dinner.

SPECIALTY STORES

What makes Footscray Market special is their passionate purveyors – many do just one thing, and they do it well. Whether that’s focussing on a type of produce, a country of origin or supplying hard-to-find goodies, they bring unparalleled knowledge to their businesses. 

Plant-based foodies will be thrilled at The Organic Vegan Co (Shop 153) where they stock a cornucopia of vegan cheese, alternative mylks and artisan chocolate for the home, while moreish desserts like mango Weis bar-inspired slices will brighten your morning. 

Next door at Nelly’s Nut Shop (Shop 156) you’ll find every nut, bean and legume under the sun for your pantry, while no picnic should be planned without a visit to Footscray Continental Deli (Shop 100). Browse rows upon rows of deli meats ready to be sliced to your liking, cheeses that range from oozy to crumbly, European and Middle Eastern breads and more olives than you can stick a toothpick in.

Lastly, set yourself up for success with all your favourite Asian recipes by filling your pantry with staples from Shoon Loi Grocery (Shop 241). Whether you need fish sauce, chilli oil, vermicelli or rice wine, they’ll have you stocked like a pro. 

BUTCHERS

Running through the centre of Footscray Market is their bustling butchery aisle. What sets the market apart is the variety of meats on offer, meaning you’re bound to find the perfect cut for dinner. A&A Poultry (Shop 136) supplies rabbit, duck meat and turkey tail in addition to chicken, while Hong Kong Butcher (Shop 141) sells succulent Taiwanese sausages and even suckling pig on request. Looking to impress? Head to Amoy Butcher (Shop 135), where they’ve got a quality range of wagyu beef and freshly sliced thin meats perfect for hot pot and shabu shabu. Finally, poultry loyalists will find all the free-range chicken and egg varieties they’re after at Chooks ‘n’ Googs (Shop 196-197).

FRESH FRUIT & VEGETABLES 

A herbaceous wonderland, Footscray Market's array of rare herbs, fruits and root vegetables are sure to ignite the foodie within. Piled high and glistening with water droplets, pick up everything from Thai basil and banana leaves to dragonfruit and plantains from one of the many fruit and vegetable shops around the market. Whether you're looking to whip up a Vietnamese green mango salad, betel leaves filled with eggplant and a ginger nam jim sauce, or even some crispy and nutty cassava chips, the variety (and affordability) here is bar none. 

EATERIES

All that shopping is bound to get you hungry, so you’ll be happy to know there are plenty of places in the market to get a delicious meal. Warm yourself up from the inside with a hearty bowl of ramen or a moreish Japanese katsu curry at Sekai Japanese Ramen (Shop 194) on the perimeter of the market, or grab a banh mi to go from Nhu Ngoc Bakery (Shop 223). A favourite with market regulars, first timers should go for juicy grilled pork in their soft, flaky tiger bread roll.

If you’ve got time to sit down, park yourself at Lutong Pinoy (Shop 251) in the food court for homestyle Filipino cuisine that includes golden-hued palabok (rice noodles), sweet and juicy longanisa (sausages) or fragrant pork sisig on rice. Lastly, don’t miss the soothing congee and traditional Vietnamese noodle soups at the iconic Huu Huu Thanh (Shop 221), where they have over 20 years of experience serving the market’s most loved meals.

Now that your weekly groceries are out of the way, are you keen to explore more of the west? Why not check out our favourite Footscray bars, or let the craving for fresh, salty air take you even further afield to Geelong.