Six Cheap Eats to Try in Kensington for 2025
170 Bellair St, Kensington
This no-frills room churns out textbook Thai classics, as well as lesser-known regional dishes you’d find at a higher-end restaurant. Big plates are to be shared and split with your penny-pincher friends. A real weeknight lifesaver.
What to Try:
Moo Ping - grilled marinated pork neck served with Thai Special sauce ($12)
Ka Na Moo Grob - a homemade crispy pork belly stir-fried with Chinese broccoli for only ($20)
Laksa King
6–12 Pin Oak Cres, Flemington
Their celebrated combination curry laksa ($16.80) still draws queues since its inception in 1998. Yes, there is a queue here most days. And for good reason. Pace yourself, servings are soup-tureen big, and the menu is comprehensive.
The Abyssinian
277 Kensington Rd, Flemington
A cultural lesson in class from this Ethiopian food icon. This is the ultimate share food, where cutlery is discouraged and eating with your hands, using Ethiopian flatbread Injera as your utensil, is expected. Come with an open mind and friends who are happy to forsake silverware and split the bill.
What to Try:
Dorho Zighini - famous East African chicken casserole dish, slowly cooked in a rich well well-seasoned Berberé sauce, served with a whole boiled egg for ($25)
Double Dutch Bakery
61 Stubbs St, Kensington
Run by local coffee roastery, Rumble Coffee, this is a grab-and-go institution. An essential before getting on the Kensington stop train. Extremely buttery sausage rolls, cracking coffee.
What to Try:
Wagyu Reuben - Waygu corned beef from Mathews Artisan Butchers, gruyere cheese, sauerkraut, house-made Russian dressing and pickles, on light rye sourdough
Mama Le
31 Stubbs St, Kensington
When hospitality meets maternal love. Welcome to Mama Le, a project by mother and daughter duo, Leanne and Lisa. This is Vietnamese comfort food with a casual meets classy touch. Noodle Night is every Wednesday with $16 vermicelli bowls. You can even get a “chicken schnitty” option.
What to Try:
The Feed Me set menu - edamame beans, Crispy Pork Bao, Caramelised Chicken Wings, Lemongrass Beef Pho Roll, Vietnamese Chicken Curry, Vietnamese Seafood Goi Salad and a side of steamed rice ($49pp)
London K Burgers
482 Macaulay Rd, Kensington
Korean flavours meet Melbourne smash-patty culture. Korean cuisine is full of cross-cultural masterpieces, like Korean Fried Chicken. But only London K Burgers is doing Kimchi-lamb loaded fries, with 8 hours slow-cooked lamb, kimchi, KFC sauce, sriracha, spring onions, sesame and shredded cheese. This is cheap, cheerful and very ambitious for a humble burger bar.
What to try:
LKB Cheeseburger - 150g Beef patty,Cheese, Lettuce, Tomatoes, LKB Sauce, Ketchup, Mustard & Pickles ($14)
That’s cheap eats in Kensington sorted for now. There are still so many more places in this great neighbourhood for you to try. From mellow Stubbs Street to the roaring Racecourse Road, a cheap meal here is often one of the best you’ll get. Sounds like you might like budget bites and laid-back bistros? Head to my roundup of Best Casual Restaurants in Melbourne 2025.