Alex Canteen

Right on the pulse of Queen Vic Market—Alex Canteen delivers the kind of unpretentious, high-voltage Vietnamese cooking you usually have to hunt for. Market regulars know the drill. You bypass the standard stalls and head straight here for the bún bò Huế—a deeply rich, lemongrass-spiked broth heavy with shrimp paste and slick with fiery chilli oil. Melbourne’s sandwich purists place their crispy pork bánh mì straight into the city's top tier, obsessed with that shatteringly crunchy baguette and vibrant veg. Seeking pure comfort? The grilled chicken phở and flawlessly executed fried rice hit every single time—especially when dusted with their tableside mushroom seasoning for a massive umami spike. Wash it down with a potent, perfectly balanced Vietnamese milk tea or a fresh watermelon shake. Fast, ridiculously affordable, and fiercely flavorful.