The best hot chips in Melbourne

Crinkle cut. You either love 'em or you hate 'em. But it's not the crinkle cut of the fries at Belles that make them so moreish: it's the fries' classic Old Bay seasoning that lends them their reddish tinge. How does one describe Old Bay? It's a blend of 18 herbs and spices with the most notable flavours being celery seed, paprika, cinnamon and various chillies and peppers. And it certainly works with the thickness of a crinkle cut that acts as a mere vessel for all that flavour.

These aren't fries, darling, these are frites. Minimalist and dare we say sophisticated? Yes, we know they serve them at McDonald's but we might argue that shoestring fries are the most superior type of fry there is. And the frites at Entrecôte are no exception. Long, slender and crisp ribbons of deep-fried potato, doused in the perfect amount of salt. They're often accompanied by steak and the venue's secret herb butter sauce, or topped off on a mitraillette, and they're just as good enjoyed on their own. 

There's nothing quite as satisfying as old-school chicken shops, and this one attracts long queues daily for a reason. Crinkle cut (to catch optimum quantities of the housemade chicken salt), their chips are fried fresh to order and come takeaway with the lid slightly ajar to preserve their crunch. What a thoughtful touch! These bad boys were crowned the best chips in Melbourne in a 2019 Nova100 poll, so do yourself a favour and grab a box of 'em – smothered in McManos' addictive dark brown gravy, of course. 

Super Tasty Rooster is another joint on this list known for its juicy chicken (and you can get the quarter roast at a steal on weeknights), but its crowning glory is undoubtedly the chips. Golden straws are doused to high heaven in chicken salt with a selection of condiments at the counter for your saucing pleasure. After the bell rings, you'll see tons of hungry kids from the nearby Fitzroy North schools digging into this majestic snack by the boxload – the best evidence there is that this neighbourhood favourite has mastered its chip game.  

We're entering loaded fries territory now and it's a totally different league of hot chips. No longer is the fry the focal point but the ingredients that have made their bed on it. The ratio of topping-to-fry is also of utmost importance. At burger chain 8bit we believe they've nailed it with their chilli cheese fries. Expect a chunkier, beer-battered steak cut fry topped with chilli AKA a variation of chilli con carne featuring tender ground beef, cheese sauce, jalapeños and spring onion. Gamechanger.

Gami's been making the rounds on 'best fried chicken in Melbourne' lists for a few years now, but in our books, it's not just the chicken that deserves all the hype. We also love the sweet baby corn smothered in melted cheese, the tteok bokki (stir-fried fish and rice cakes) and of course – the chips made from locally grown tatties. Here, you can get them simply fried in Gami's signature batter, but if you really want to go all out you should opt for the 'Potato Heaven.' It comes with layers of creamy mashed potato and mozzarella, wedges topped with sweet chilli sauce, sour cream and tomato sauce. Now, that's chips taken to the next level.

You might not stop to think an Indonesian venue offers one of the city's best fries, but we're here to show you that it does. West Melbourne's Yoi Indonesian Fusion has many a hard-hitter in terms of food, but its salted egg fries should certainly not be overlooked. Not only are they shoestring fries (the superior kind, you should know that by now), they're also coated in salted egg yolk that lend it a sharp, umami characteristic. 

The B.East is a rock'n'roll Brunswick banger replete with brioche burgers, bacon martinis, and some of the spiciest hot sauce known to man. As soon as you walk in, you just know the kitchen's chips are going to be legendary. To get the full experience, ask for the 'Deathstar fries', which arrive beer-battered and doused with bacon bone gravy, chilli cheese sauce and dark beer hot sauce. Your plant-based pals can have them vego on request.

Some people like their chips fat, fluffy and chunky, others like theirs skinny, crisp and French as frogs. If you belong to that latter group, it's worth making the trip up to Her Rooftop for a sundowner cocktail and basket of the Thai fries. Salty, peppery and perfectly golden-fried, the straws of delight are the perfect accompaniment to the CBD views and your Thai-inspired Marg. While we can't deny we love a good plate of Macca's fries as much as the next sane person, trust us when we say these ones are even better.

Ask any British expat living in Melbourne where to get the best chips and gravy and a look of sadness will briefly water their eyes, because the answer for them is usually "back home." So a Northern English lad decided to open a food truck completely dedicated to brining the U.K. chippy magic to our shores, and we're grateful. Northern Soul's chips are a winner, better yet with authentic British toppings like mushy peas, curry sauce, chippy gravy and ketchup. Every Thursday, try what Northern Soul calls 'Ireland's national treasure', the Spicebag Supper – wok-tossed salt and chilli chips with green peppers, sliced red chili and onion, crispy shredded salt and chilli chicken, curry sauce and prawn crackers. It's an epic flavour bomb. 

We couldn't possibly omit poutine from this list, and while B.East's poutine might dismay Canadians (note: there are no cheese curds), it sure is delicious. It's a messy medley of rich bacon bone gravy, crisp, beer-battered steak cut fries and shredded Jack cheddar. It truly is a meal in itself.

This late-night diner was the winner of our Best Cheap Eat award in 2018 and everything that comes out of that kitchen is truly fire. If you're a chip fiend you can get them hand-cut, basic, fried and salted in all their simple glory, but why not go for the poutine? Here, they use actual cheese curds (a rarity in Melbourne) and the pepper gravy's as fantastic as you'd expect at a place with serious carnivorous street cred.

Hidden away in a strip of shops off a major road in Footscray is a deep-fried gem. This is Chicken Palace – home of roast chooks, moreish gravy and chunky chips. You won't find run-of-the-mill charcoal chicken shop gravy here, this stuff is so good you can eat an entire tub of it in one sitting. Again, flawlessly chicken salted steak cut chips act as a mere conduit to the umami gravy that's immersed in drippings from the chicken. It's bliss.