The best parmas in Melbourne

For a thick and juicy cut of chicken breast coated in a golden crumb, look no further than the Birmy in Fitzroy. The saucy bird's coated in fresh, garlicky napoli sauce, topped with thick slices of smokey Virginia leg ham and finished off with a generous medley of melted cheese. It's so succulent that its juices permeate the bottom crumb causing it to go soggy, but you won't have that issue because it will be gone in 60 seconds. It's that good. 

Tucked away on Fitzroy Street, The Standard lies off the beaten track of Brunswick Street – a location that may risk its oversight on those chilly nights when a hot pub meal is sought after fast. But not for the regulars who've tasted The Standard's epic parma before. They'll make a beeline straight for this well-kept secret to wolf down what could easily be recognised as one of Melbourne's tastiest chicken schnitties. Expect a thick free range house-crumbed chicken breast, prosicutto, napoli, tasty cheese and even a bit of feta. The latter adds a tang not usually found in other parmas, but it's nonetheless welcome. Generous side portions of salad and chips are perfect for mopping up the rich cheese and tomato juices. 

Melbourne’s original craft beer pub remains one of our best, and their parma is no disappointment. Huge quantities of cheese ooze from the sides, capturing crispy chips and ensuring the perfect combo of chicken, ham, sauce, cheese and chip in every bite. Paired with one of their amazing beers, you can’t go wrong.

Triple M Melbourne's 'Best of Melbourne' competition in 2024 officially crowned Dandenong Pavilion as the venue with Melbourne's 'Best Parma'. Thousands of votes poured in for the search – and we know how passionate Melburnians get about parmas – but it was this humble brother-and-sister-duo run establishment that took out top gong.  Co-owner Joel told Triple M Melbourne that the Dandenong Pavilion churns through "a couple of hundred kilos of chicken" every week. As for their secret? “Just free-range, organic chicken – start there. We get the breast fillets in ourselves… butterfly them, coat them, and cook them. No real secret, just quality ingredients. Stick to our process and be consistent,” explained Joel. 

Served on a big wooden board, the Cheeky Pint's chicken parma here is truly what parma dreams of – huge, thick, juicy and slathered in just the right amount of leg ham, tasty mixed cheese and napoletana sauce. It's no wonder this is known as the biggest and best parma in the west, but we honestly reckon it would give a lot of northside parmas a run for their money. It also comes with seasoned wedges, which somehow elevate the experience better than chips do, and a yum house salad. Wash it down with a local brewski and you're golden!

It would be wrong of us not to mention this Korumburra pub, since at the recent 2024 AHA State Awards for Excellence, it won the highly coveted Parma of the Year award. The key judging criteria included the quality of the produce, tenderness and appearance, topping-to-meat ratio, presentation (Was it constructed well? Was the cheese grilled?) and the quality of the side dishes, aka crispy chips and a fresh salad. You know, all the things we hungry punters look for when smashing a parma at our local. 

From stand-up comedy nights to live sports and even a rooftop bar, plenty of reasons abound why the Imperial Hotel is a popular CBD meeting spot. But the famous chicken parma has got to be near the top of that list. If you’re a person for whom size matters, the whopping bird here is a drawcard alone. But other factors also crown this parma supreme. There’s the thick, succulent hunk of crisp schnitzel, for one. There’s also a very generous slathering of melted cheese, which marries nicely with the lick of slightly sweet passata. All in all, it’s difficult to fault this parma and you’ll certainly feel satisfied after eating it. Finish the meal off with fries, a zesty slaw salad and a pint of your fave beer.

A perennial Fitzroy favourite, The Napier is known for its epic pub meals like the infamously huge Bogan Burger. Their parma is no dainty morsel either, and comes either with ham or with thick slices of smoked and peppered kangaroo loin alongside shoestring fries and a garden salad. Get that up ya.

We really like this pub’s friendly service and atmosphere, but you'll want to go the parma here too. The plate comes decorated with chips and a well-dressed salad with a parma that spreads out in all directions. This meal was once ranked third on this parma judging wizard's website and we agree – it definitely at least deserves a spot in the city's top ten. Better yet, you can get it for just $20 on a Tuesday night.

This family-orientated restaurant in Olinda is a warm, inviting inn with a classic British-inspured pub menu. A favourite among locals, the tavern boasts a selection of 15 types of ales, lagers, ciders and stouts on tap as well as a neat selection of wines. But you're here to hear about the parmas, right? Well, the ones here are are famously hearty. The traditional (and massive) chicken parma is our pick, but you can also branch out with an Irish parma (served with bacon, cheese and curry sauce), a Southern American-style parma and an Italian parma (with basil, bocconcini, pesto and tomato.) Each comes on a bed of chips, with a generous pile of glossy garden salad. 

The first thing you need to know about the chicken parma at this Lygon Street institution is that it's flipping huge. Like, seriously, you'll probably need to bring another person along with you to help you finish it off. Is is the most sophisticated parma in the world? No, and you might even find tastier ones on this list. But if size is your main priority, you can't do much better than this one. 

Don't be fooled by the pretty plating of Grace Darling Hotel's chicken parma. While it makes other chicken parmas look like pub slop in comparison and so you may be tempted to discount this one as hipster sacrilege, give it a taste first. Torched mozzarella cocoons this tender package of chargrilled free range chicken, house-made sugo and double-smoked ham. Best enjoyed with a frosty pint of craft beer, it comes with rustic chips and a salad. One bite is all it takes to see why this chicken parma is one of the greats. On Tuesday nights, it won't set you back more than $22, or you can opt for a vegan eggplant version if your prefer. An optional pot of Coopers Pale Ale comes with it for just $4. 

While this parma might not have been around quite as long as some of its competitors, it's still at its flying best. You'll taste loads of fresh basil, a perfect crust cooked to an even golden brown, and thick, full-flavoured ham. Notably, the cheesy blend coating this parma includes scamorza, an (often smoky) Southern Italian cow's milk cheese. Dip shoestring fries into the saucy blend to reach ultimate parma bliss. Perhaps best of all, on Tuesdays they've got a 'Parma and Pups' night so you can bring your furry friends and enjoy a parma for just $20! 

This pub's been pouring pints since 1875, so it makes sense that over its 150-year tenure it's learnt a thing or two. One of those: how to serve up a bloody good parma. Orrong’s version is a no-nonsense parma, the type that goes down very well with a circle of mates and a round of ice-cold pints. Topped with smoked leg ham, braised tomato sugo, and lots of cheese, this parma is 300 grams of brined, crumbed, fried heaven. Once you’re done, smoosh your chips around on the plate to mop up all the yum.

Head over to North Melbourne to take advantage of this meaty fix. The Leveson's renowned chicken parma isn't trying to fluff itself up, but that's part of its charm. It comes with all the fixings you know and love, including crumbed chicken breast, shaved ham, napoli sauce and cheese, plus a leafy salad and some crisp beer battered chips. What else could you want in a pub meal? Thursday is 'Parma and Pint' night, where you can get a parma and a pint of craft beer for a cool $25.

Our team have checked in on this parma quite frequently over the years. For business? Perhaps. But also for pleasure. Hand-crumbed and coated in layers of napoli sauce, mozzarella and smoked ham, this parma may be your standard pub fare but it gets the job done. In fact, many believe this is one of the few perfect parmas in Melbourne. Every Wednesday it's Trivia Night and parmas are on special, so you can pre-load your brain before testing your general knowledge with a chicken or eggplant parma (with chips and salad) for just $22.

It’s rare to find a pub where the food is as good as the sporting culture, but The Palace – our 2016 Pub of the Year – is just that place. Their parma is a thick and flavourful panko-crumbed chicken breast with ham, cheese and napoli sauce, and if you pop in on a Thursday it's on special at $24 – plus, you can participate in the pub's 'funky trivia' night! 

While you might be impressed by this 150-year-old building’s recent sustainable reno if you haven't checked it out in a while, it’s the revived food and drinks offering that has our hearts aflutter. There's a lot to choose from, but even the humble chicken parma ($28) here is a marvel. If you're all about quality meat and produce, try this one.

Melbourne Uni favourite the Clyde Hotel has been going since at least 1866, and honestly, not much has changed since then. Early Carlton Football Club meetings were held at the Clyde, and Blues fans (and those in other jerseys) still flock to the pub during the footy season to watch the flat screens in the beer garden or main bar. But fortunately for the uni students, footy spectators and Carlton locals who frequent this spot all year round, the grub is not bad at all for basic pub fare. Particularly the massive parma, which, conveniently comes in a half serve if you like, and is crispy and generously cheesy.