Prahran Market

Cleaner and less crowded than Victoria market. The meat and fish areas don’t spell and everything is kept neatly. They have an organic grocer, ripe, which has a good selection of organic produce and health foods including kombucha which I was delighted to see.
On the downside there are too many places to eat in the actual market besides quick grab and go fast food, but there’s many places to have a sit down meal outside of the market.
Note– they are closed on Monday and Wednesday, so I’ll save you the trip

My first time here was actually for the Chocolate Festival over the weekend. I thought the market itself was easy to navigate around, had a great variety of stalls, sections were clearly marked, eg. Deli section. I particularly loved being able to try some of the cooked meats on offer (sausages were being bbq’ed at the time) and I tried different types of cheese at the deli too, which was great! Probably helpful if you are not sure what to cook for a meal and wish to try something new. I didn’t actually eat here for lunch though, as the food prices at the permanent food stalls/​cafes were a bit more expensive than what I would find in say, Vic Market or the cbd.

Place kicks ass. I am a visitor so really didn’t buy a ton but if I lived in Melbourne I would be by here all the time.

What more could you want or need? This market has it all without being too large and full of over kill. Flowers, Cheese, Deli’s, Butchers, Fishmongers, The Potato Man (who sells Truffles), Fruit & Vegetables galore.
Another winner for me is the Prahran Market constantly holds events like:
The annual Cheese Festival, The Tomato Festival, The Truffle Festival & Cooking Demonstrations.
There are stalls that make fresh food to be enjoyed there so why not grab a bowl of mussels and enjoy the live music they have on the weekend.

There are many delightful things about this market. Fresh produce, the best meats, cheeses, seafood, delis, flowers and locally made stuff. You will not find tourists and rubbish for sale, thank goodness! It’s a real market for the locals in search of inspiration for dinner or with an open afternoon to lounge in the courtyard.
During one of the busiest days I came right in the heart of the cheese festival. More than the normal vendors lined inside and outside the market with pop up shops, cooking demos, tastings and many smelly-​good bites to buy.
I skipped the queues and headed straight for a smaller but even more satisfying queue at The Mussel Pot. A husband and wife team were busy cooking up delightful dishes to please a sailor or royalty. Thankfully they serve to the common woman!
While I was sad that their mussel chowder sold out, I went for the closest option of the chilli coconut cream mussel bowl with a slice of sourdough. There was no shortage of flavour with garlic, parsley, tomato and sherry blending with the chilli and coconut to form an amazing broth. The mussels went down quickly and the broth with all its hidden treasures were enjoyed with the bread. I will return to sample more from their menu. It is no wonder they have won multiple awards from the market for best food.
The market has something for everyone and the shop owners are all friendly and knowledgeable so you can pick a great wine to go with your handmade pasta and get the right cut of beef. Enjoy your visit to the market, I sure do every time. :)

A really charming traditional food market in one of Melbourne’s most happening areas.
If you’re into farmers markets and supporting local businesses this is a pretty cool place to go in Melbourne.
There’s a veggie and fruit section, meat, fish, garden and deli section. There’s something here for everyone but mainly for those who want fresh products for good prices. Oh and awesome ready made food…
There are tables both inside and outside where you can enjoy your purchases or you can grab your box of goodies to go.
My recommendation is to stock up on fresh and yummy market foods and then head out for a picnic in the park!
Enjoy!

Prahran Market, while still with it’s original charm, is probably the slicker and cleaner of Melbourne’s major markets (compared to South Melb and Queen Vic). Smaller in size, the quality from vendors is quite high — but the prices match and shopping here is a little more expensive than the others.
The meats and seafood are awesome, you can always find something interesting here that you won’t get shopping at a supermarket. Great deli selections too.
Prahran Market is also home to the original Market Lane which is a must-​go for coffee.
There is a new section at the front for Street Food which is kinda cool… but I can’t go past the old classics like The Felafel Man (so cheap and delicious!).
All in all a great market and far less crowded/​overwhelming than QV.

Am loving Gary’s Quality meats, and the smell in the meathall from all the butchers cooking sausages out the front of their shops. Too inviting.

This was my first adventure after arriving in Melbourne. Trying to stick to my Paleo ways while on vacation. Great selection of fruits, veggies and various areas catering to oils and cooking accoutrements. Overall a pleasant place to shop and get your clean eating on!

Any kind of large-​scale farmers’ market gets 5-​stars from me. Even if I’m not shopping for anything, I love wandering about the various «booths» taking in the vibrant colors of fresh produce. Prahran Market is very near our home, so its convenience is primo. This market is decidedly more upscale and far less ethnic than the much larger Queen Victoria Market. And, too, I love the food court and live music! :D

There is nothing like being able to scout around to pick the best fresh food available.
I am very lucky to live 2 minutes from Prahran market.
Fresh fruit & vegetables, fresh flowers and specialty stores such as deli’s, butchers, cakes and many more.
This place is a regular haunt for us now. We love it.

This is one of Melbourne’s traditional markets
Has a great range of butchers delis fruit shops and cafés.
You can find Essential Ingredients a specialty cooking shop.
There is a great mushroom shop and potato shop.

My Local market & enjoy it for that. I find it best early on a Saturday Morning around 8 am. Take your pick of produce available at the many fruit & vegetable stands. The Organic Butcher has all the great Cuts of meat. «Prime cuts». Good Coffee from Market Lane Coffee where they do a pour over brew with changing roast flavours.
The main hall and market floor has recently undergone renevations. So noticed a number of new traders on the floor.
If you want to enjoy a Nutritious breakfast the Café at the commercial street entrance will make you a delisous tasting & more importantly nutritious egg white omellet. This is nice as it is getting hard to find with alot of cafes working to a set menue.

I have a confession to make. I’ve been cheating… on Camberwell Market.
I was in the ‘hood and had time to kill so wandered in the market to have a quick browse. This was my first visit since the recent renovations and I LOVED it. The fresh fruit and veg area seems just so, well, fresh! It was bright and airy and I wanted to eat everything.
It beats Camberwell Market hands down for variety and price in every department. I think I’m willing to jump on a tram every week to stock up.

Isn’t interesting how perceptions change over time?
Growing up I was so accustomed to the South Melbourne Markets, that
I thought anything else was inferior. Well, South Melbourne Market did steal
my heart first, for a good 15 years, but I was pleasantly surprised when I visited
here the other day.
Sure the layout is a little different, but what originally was a «just going to duck in
for a quick fifteen minutes, to pick up some ingredients,» turned into almost an hour
of getting lost in a world of distractions before I actually bought anything. Everything
was new and exciting, and I still didn’t even check out everything there. You know those
high prize lotteries with upwards of $ 20 million to be won? I think a size able portion may
easily be lost here. So many things that I want. Food, kitchen stuff, spices, fresh pasta,
and the the deli’s. I could get lost here. In fact I did.

Prahran Market has undergone a pretty huge revamp where the green grocers used to be. Although the layout has changed somewhat, most of the sellers are still in their original spots but you’ll notice immediately the wider aisles, bigger shops and also more decorative elements in signage or shop fronts.
It’s pretty interesting, looks like there’s also a few brand new shops that have popped up, and so the choice on offer has increased.
It’s probably still having a bit more work done but as of yesterday it was pretty much back in full swing almost.
Now that I live further away from the market, every trip back now and then makes its so much more enjoyable and reminds me of what I miss so much. The atmosphere unlike other giant, expansive metal roofed markets.
If you read the reviews prior, you’d get the general idea that Prahran Market is a bit more upscale than the rest in Melbs. True. But I disagree with that pricing is generally more expensive here. It’s competitive, and you do get what you pay for. Sellers here only stock THE BEST quality produce or items they can make or source, so if you place quality as a premium than this is the place to go. I’ve still managed to get cheap veggies, meat and fruit in the early mornings on Saturdays; believe you me. Cheaper too sometimes compared to the supermarket across the road. Key is to buy in season people, know what’s current and off course walk around a bit before settling on your chosen stall.
Highlights of the market for me include the egg stand, the fresh pasta stall (now selling dimmies in all incarnations too), the fruit and veg beside the meat section, jasper coffee, the cheese and dip stall where you’ll get four cheeses for a tenner (chose wisely there) and the Asian grocer as well as Claringbolds seafood.
Speaking of which, the Asian grocer has everything. Seriously, props to that shop! You don’t need to be huge to have a huge range. And they are super friendly, ask them to show or recommend unfamiliar ingredients and they gladly help you even when there might be a queue at the counter. Quality AND variety.
Sellers are friendly and will take the time to talk to you, especially if you ask the right questions. Weekends is a must-​go time, where the hustle and bustle that makes a market a market. The courtyards lovely too for kids. But surprisingly it’s busy during the week, over lunchtime where there’s more of a crowd.
Parking is the only b*tch here, the Elizabeth st car park has doubled in price over the years and now charges by half– hour blocks.

A great market with a good balance of stalls and services.
From great coffee at Market Lane and Jaspers to the perfect restaurant quality gourmet spud (Michael Mow) or mushrooms (Damian Pike), Prahran has almost anything you would wish for.
A criticism of Prahran Market that I commonly hear is that it is too expensive … and this is probably a valid point to make … yet you are getting the best quality fruit, vegetables and meat available. By the way Aldi is next door for the basics :)
My tip for shoppers is that exploration can lead to surprising finds … from the potato stall that sells fresh wasabi roots to the asian grocer that sells Italian vongole clams … you will be rewarded for digging around.

The Prahran market makes me feel all warm and fuzzy on the inside.
With every fruit and vegetable known to man, you can find whatever foodage you need. More deliciously fresh delis than you can poke a baguette at and enough deliciously smelly cheese that makes your little brother’s gym bag smell like roses.
Don’t miss the organic grocer /​organic fruit and veg stand or the cute little nut guy (he’s not a nut).
The Essential Ingredient is up the other end of PM for all your specialty cooking & baking needs. I stay away from the EI as I can’t leave there without putting a hole in my wallet.
Love the florists here, super fresh, good, wholesale prices so you’re sure to get a great bunch of flowers at a great price.
Beware though that prices on most stands here are exorbitant (the mercs/audis/bmw’s parked out front make this a dead giveaway). Most of the time I chose to shop here on Sunday afternoon after 2pm to get a massive bag of f&v for a bargain!
Pick up a coffee at Market Lane after your big shop!
xx

So I’d heard all the splendid things about South Melbourne Market but not a whole lot about Prahran. Playing second to fiddle it seems.
What Prahran lacks in magnitude, they bring in character. The layout seems to happen a lot more organically, with it’s edges spilling out over an otherwise grid-​like arena.
I had a ball exploring these markets, as well as the tastings.
The best thing about markets are the free morsels of cheeses, fresh fruit, chutneys, tepenades, nuts, dips and sweets! And the Prahran folk are much more generous with them. Brunch — sorted!
To see what I mean, find your way to the lovely lady with her table of Turkish Delight toward the back. She will be practically forcing these drops of jelly sweets down your throat. Her Halva is divine too.

I do love the characters in the Prahran Market and like to think they have as much fondness for me as I do them.
There’s the flower lady with her super fresh blooms, the character in the far corner who screams about the price of his mangos as if his life depended on it and of course there’s *my* Bahn Mi lady who knows exactly how I like my sandwich. Then you have the cute kids in the coffee shop and the dude on the mushroom stand who I’m certain moonlights as some kind of poetry reading musician (he just has a *look* about it, okay?).
There’s the cool guy in the Asian grocery store, the egg people and the woman who sells her dips and olives with abundant passion. It’s a real family here and it is the people who make it one of the best places to shop for produce in Melbourne.