South Melbourne Market

I love this place because it makes me feel that I’m Anthony-​Bourdaining just by walking around it. Bakery, Cheese shops, nuts shops, coffee shops, seafood shops, produce shops, kitchenware stores, you name it. All local goodness condensed here and I was like a kid in a candy store.
Here are items I got:
— chili almond
— dim sim (yes, dim sim! not dim sum)
— Greek pancake thingie
— oysters (2 dozen)
— coffee x 2
— cheese and crackers
I wanted to go for more but I think dim sim (big dumpling w/​big ground beef) was final nail in the coffin for my stomach. But we bought gorgeous cheese and crackers for later and ate them at picnic.
If you are a foodie, this place is a must.

Such a great option and only marginally more expensive than Queen Vic markets.
Parking is always awful so get there early if you can. For ease factor, use the parking lot above the market– so much convenience.
I love love love the food stalls outside the market and it’s one of my favorite things to do, to grab a couple of items to taste before we do our shop. Yum.

I love the South Melbourne Market, and to be honest, prefer it over the Queen Victoria market. It’s smaller, but the quality it great! Some really cool quickly shops inside as well your clothes, fruit/​veg, meat shops (there’s even a Lego store!). Plus it’s surrounded by plenty of other shops, cafes, pubs, etc to keep you entertained all day. Really looking forward to checking out the upcoming night markets! Oh and so much good food! Can’t go wrong!

I LOVE the Melbourne market scene, and this has got to be the best on offer. $ 1 oysters keep my husband happy, and I love to indulge in the great coffee offerings, wine tastings, and delectable treats at the cheese stands and bakeshops. Plus, the neighbourhood around the market is full of cute cafes and happy hour destinations. You can make a day out of the adventure!

While it’s no longer the most convenient market in Melbourne to get to for me, I still savour every (delicious) experience I get have here. Comprising of a fresh food section, deli and bread isles as well as ready to eat food court, restaurants and meat and seafood area there really is something for everyone here!
My recommendation is to start off your market experience bright and early with a take-​away coffee from the excellent Clement. With those caffeine cravings temporarily satisfied it’s time to wander ever deeper into the wonders of the market. First you will spot the homewares and gifts — thankfully there is not as much tourist junk here as the Queen Victoria Markets in the CBD so you can drop in and find something nice for a gift. The few $ 2 shops here also have some great bargains on offer if you need some cheap plates or glasses. Next you will get into the designer stores with a whole area dedicated to sunglasses, jewellery and homemade novelty gifts (think of a pot plant made out of a neon yellow skull or dinosaur paper weights).
My favourite section is next — the delicious deli. Cheese, cheese and more cheese stretch out before you, only broken by the odd artisans baked bread or marinated olive. If you are like me and love deli food then spend a while here talking to the friendly business owners — they love what they do and will happily let you sample a dip or some olives. There is a ready made food section just beyond this though I would suggest wandering back to the main street to one of the delicious Spanish restaurants serving fresh paella! After all this shopping and food it’s only fair that you get a massage — that’s right, you can get that here too (and it’s super cheap!). This is not a place to visit if you are in a rush because you are almost guaranteed to get distracted by all the things going on!

This is my local market being only a few minutes from my workshop. Out of the main markets in Melbourne, this is my favourite. Better quality then Queen Vic, cheaper then Prahran.
With all markets, you need to learn where to get what, so it takes a long time to learn and understand. There are very few things I can’t find here. Surrounded by good cafes and restaurants, theres a lot in the general area to explore.
I made a decision to not support places like Coles and Woolworths because of the way the treat farmers, suppliers, customers, and employees. It’s great to help support local people and produce and one of the best things about the market is the social and community aspect. Being able to chat to people, for instance the couple at the potato place about new produce, recipe ideas, work and life.
This is part of the fun and enjoyment surrounding food and a great look at Melbourne’s food culture.

The South Melbourne markets are server my underrated. Everyone knows of Queen Victoria markets, but that does not even compare to South Melbourne. Yes, it’s a bit further out of the city center, but it’s worth it. The stalls here are much more stable and have nicer items than the cheap trinkets found at Queen Vic markets. There’s also better food options whereas Queen Vic has more produce for your weekly food shopping needs to get fresh organic foods, not prepared meals. This one is partially outdoors and partially indoors. It also has the famous dim sum, which has its own Unilocal page. I definitely recommend buying some dim sum from the market because it’s a great buy for the price in reference to size and flavor. But my FAVORITE part of these markets were the macarons I bought: the BEST I’ve ever had. They were three dollars each, but HUGE size for macarons making the extra money worth it. My favorite was the Elvis macarons: peanut butter and jelly, the most amazing macaron I’ve ever had. The raspberry crème macaron was also insane as it was covered in a fruity fudge. We got 5 different flavors but those were my standout favorites. They were perfectly cooked and I dream about going back and buying them again, as I will push my parents to take me there again.
Definitely a must-​stop over the Queen Victoria market, you won’t regret it.

My fave Melbourne market.
South Melbourne is a smaller, less chaotic version of the Queen Vic. Stalls, prices, and quality are on par but I find SM way more manageable and less stressful to navigate, particularly on a busy weekend. Despite being smaller than the behemoth that is QV, this market is still as big and diverse as could hope for: You’ve got your super cheap purveyors of rock bottom priced veg, your fancy free range organic eggs, the gourmet potato shop, delis full of imported cheese, etc. Highlights from our last visit included purple cauliflower, tiny navy blue potatoes, jalapeño peppers from Mexico, jack cheese from the US, endive, and rainbow carrots.
There also some great cafes tucked into and around the market grounds, like Padre and Clement, some tasty places for lunch or a snack, and cool design and clothing stores. The location is great, just a few metres from the 96 light rail tram and very close to the West gate.
A good locals market but also fab place to take out of town visitors when you want to show them what Melbourne is all about.

Second time to the South Melbourne Market in a week. Love this market. Have been to the others, and by far, SMM is the best. Much smaller that the Q Victoria, more down to earth and less expensive than Prahran Market, Fresh seafood, great, fresh vegetables, awesome dim sims. Just the right combination of food and domestic shops. This will be our week stop for meat and veggies. Just finished juicing up some of the fruits and veggies I bought today. Yum. Can’t wait to cook up the banana prawns for dinner.

We went to South Melbourne Market for the first Melbourne Tea Fair. A trail of 13 exhibitors was set up throughout the regular market.
The Little Wine Shop had buckets of European beer available like Spaten and Laško. Killer Sprocket had a stand in front of Swords Select and I enjoyed their peated-​malt Bandit.

OMG, this one is THE best market in Melbourne, hands down!!! :D I thought Prahran Market was superior to Victoria Market, but South Melb Mkt is, by far, my favorite of the bunch! Like Victoria Market, this one’s a sprawling business, with both fresh meats and produce, as well as numerous shops selling housewares and a variety of other products. Unlike Victoria Market, South Melb Mkt is well-​maintained and clean — discarded produce and empty crates aren’t scattered pell-​mell. The food court is extensive and a vibrant place to grab a bite. This South Melbourne residential pocket, too, is such a cool area of cafes and pet stores and shops! I definitely will spend more time at South Melbourne Market, and its neighborhood!!!

A decent market. I like it, it has a nice vibe, and lots of cool and funky stores.
A great deli selection with all the freshest meats. Great $ 2 baguette, cheeses & olives for those cheese parties.
Entertainment all around, always bands playing, people lining up at the seafood stall and as everyone knows the famous south Melbourne dim sims. Great coffee shop (Clement). and lots of surrounding stores. A nice day out at South Melbourne Markets.

The South Melbourne Market is pretty cool and is more of a local market that serivices the local area but it does have it’s own charm. The fruit and vegetable stalls are mainly located towards the Coventry St. end of the market. The size is just right. It’s not too big to the point where you get lost or too small that your choices are limited.
If you want bargains on your fresh fruit, veg, meat and bread, come here late in the day. The prices are much reduced from bread to meat and fruit. This demonstrates their goal to sell fresh produce and the guarantee the freshness of it.
The market doesn’t only sell groceries, it has other shops that sell photoframes, manchester, clothing, footwear, artwork, carpets, bikes and much more.
The coffee choices are good, in addition to $ 1 oysters, which are delicious and fresh from the two seafood vendors. They both offer a range of condiments: Lemon (of course), Tabasco, Worcestershire Sauce, seafood cocktail sauce, wasabi mayo etc. You can basically have oyster with the works while standing up and having a quick oyster pit stop.
For fruit, I recommend Fruits On Coventry. They have the largest range of fruits and even have some exotic fruits. I have tried other fruit stores such as Rod’s Fruit Stall but this one is the best.
The best ice Cream is at Fritz Gelato. They sell nice warm donuts, great ice cream and sell great coffee. My favourite flavour is probably chocolate.
The selection of meats, cheeses and other ready to eat items is very good and the prices are generally reasonable. The nut stall next to the carpark entrance has good nuts. I like the Salted Cashews there and the Peanuts are pretty good.
When you’re done with shopping, just head to the restaurants on the exterior of the market and nearby streets is a good way to unwind and round out the weekend.
Parking is free on Market days for 2 hours (either on top of the market or under Woolworths or Spotlight)
Overall, I would come back here.

I love the south Melbourne market. It has a great variety of fresh produce and locally sourced meats, fish and poultry. It’s not too big that you get lost or too small that your choices are limited.
Some of my highlights include $ 1 oyster shots at the fishmongers, amazing bacon and smoked sausages at the polish deli and the Devine sourdough at the bakery on Coventry street.
If you like a bargain then the late afternoon specials are a must. Most things are reduced, from bags of veggies and fruits to trays of meat to loaves of bread. This also demonstrates the freshness of the produce.
Of course the market has much more then just groceries it also has a variety of shops selling homewards, Manchester, clothing, footwear, artwork, bikes and much more.
When you’re done with shopping the myriad of cafés and restaurants lining both the exterior of the market and the surrounding streets provide a great way to unwind and round out the weekend.

A visit to South Melbourne Markets always reminds me of my travels around the world visiting interesting markets and interesting people.
Always a great place to go for some cheap entertainment as you walk around, people watch and buy cheap cheese!

I absolutely love the feel of this place. Very much the younger sibling of Queen Victoria Markets it is more or less a slice of the very same thing. Similar to Prahran Market but better. Tonnes of stalls, tonnes of awesome things to collect and best of all, it has awesome coffee to keep you going. Stop by at Clement or Padre so that you can keep shopping all day. Buy this, buy that. Enjoy yourself.

To be perfectly honest, I much preferred the bustle of Queen Victoria, though as a tourist I suspect it was because I was looking for something a little different.
South Melbourne definitely has its own charm, and it does feel like somewhere you’d visit to buy groceries and get your shopping done, as opposed to QVM, which feels a little more like a day fair.
So SMM really gets four stars because it feels much more real, more like a market I’d visit to get my shopping done, while QVM is where I’d recommend if you were just looking for the ‘market experience’
Some excellent coffee choices are available here, and the standard wonderfully affordable oysters from two different seafood vendors are all deliciously fresh. I like that they both offer condiments for people eating there; in addition to lemon, you can find Tabasco, and between the two different shops, Worchestershire sauce, seafood cocktail sauce, wasabi mayo, sweet chili… it’s nice that you’re basically able to get the works while standing up and having a quick oyster pit stop!
There’s also of course places to buy meat, cheeses, wine and the like, and there’s plenty of clothing and other items to browse, there’s a touch smaller selection in terms of interesting ready to eat items, and the donut truck off to the side is really underwhelming, but overall, I do like the charm of the place.
PLUS, 2 hours free parking on market days! Either atop the market itself, or at the various malls next to it (the Spotlight for example, has free 2 hours as well). Yay for free parking!

I love this place. The market is much smaller than Vic Market with a bit more charm. There’s free parking up to 2 hours in the parkade and more often than not, there’s live music or buskers around. On a weekend, it’s quite busy but still nice to grab fruit and veg, freshly baked bread, meats and flowers :) Try the dim sims!

Yes I know that there’s other markets in Melbourne.
But this one happens to be my favourite. It may have something to
do with the fact that I’ve been coming here since I was four or so.
There was always something to do adventure’s.
I find Phraran market a bit too snobby and sporadically laid out,
the Vic market is pretty doper cool– but it takes up heaps of energy walking
it’s lengths. It’s deli section is smaller than a post stamp. Yes, I like the South
Melbourne market for it’s cool rooftop parking feature. This is at the front of
the market– just near stall one. I also like that it is relatively condensed, well
sectioned, and you can loop back to other area’s if needed.
It has all the quintessential hallmarks of any fine market: fresh and wide
range of fruit and veg, deli’s, cool little stores, and all manner of other
things; seafood’s, meat’s and deli’s. I will usually shop at random, so
long as I get what I need, it can be a different plan of attack each time.
Always good Little stop off points for drinks, coffee’s, snacks whatever else
too. I don’t really see all the hub-​bub is about the dim-​sims though; a great
big cricket ball of fried mystery meat, cabbage and pastry that is
nothing special.

Incredible and indescribably large! Joie de vivre evident everywhere… Crowded and loud, such a fun atmosphere. Every kind of delight imaginable was sold here… and loads and loads of people too. Came by way of tram, as it lets you off precisely at the base. Walk up a few steps and welcome to a foodie’s heaven!!!
Fresh fruits/​veg, bakers, seafood, fresh charcuterie, lamb, sausages, Middle Eastern food, Italian stuff… Had no time to make it up to Queen Vic market near CBD, so spent a good amount of time picking out exactly what to purchase to cook for dinner…
Chose the freshest, largest shrimp (caught the day before) and about 4 kinds of sausages. There was already-​breaded schnitzel in the display case, and got some lavash bread to top it all.
Warning: as most foodie and fresh markets, comestibles here are a pretty penny, and don’t expect to obtain a bargain, unless you’re the lucky one who times the visit before they’re closing up shop, which, incidentally, is the smartest time to throw out a bargain, name your price.
Betcha more than not, given you’re not attempting to flat-​out fleece them, you’ll get the nice deal accepted.
There is also a dedicated section to fleamaket-​like goods, bohemian bric-​à-​brac, what not. Ethnic vendors abound with their wares.
Love love love it here… ate lunch outside the periphery, at the many many vendors selling food. There is also a smallish but limited indoor food court that is actually housed under the SMM itself.
Awesome. And so was the weather… November clocking in high 80’s! Not altogether so different from the look and feel of Reading Terminal Market, Philly.