Parlour Diner

After a biggish weekend, we were craving fried chicken/​wings and ended up at Parlour Diner. Two of my dining companions have been there previously and thought the food here was good. It’s probably after lunchtime, coz its past 2pm by the time we got there, the place was not that busy for a sunday afternoon. This place looks like one of those American diner you see on tv. But beside that, there isn’t anything too special.
We started with a chocolate milkshakes (which we requested it to be made thick), but its no thicker than any other milkshakes I have had. Its still delicious, but probably too sweet for my liking.
Then the greedy guts (all of us) ordered the 6 fried chicken as a main, the buffalo wings as a main and the lobster po boy all to share between 4 of us.
Firstly, the place was not busy, and our food surely took forever to get to us one at a time. The buffalo wings was not the normal buffalo wings I have had, this one was covered in batter and wasn’t tangy or spicy. It definitely has a bit more taste than the fried chicken, but it costs $ 22.50 with a small bowl of salad and some curly fries which I didn’t see the value of it. The wings was probably the best of all the dish we ordered but definitely had way better wings, this has a nice coating but the flesh was not juicy.
The fried chicken was done on breast and it was dry and overcook and not juicy at all and pretty tasteless. I had to say very disappointed. The onion rings that we chose was filled with battered and was pretty tasteless too.
Finally the po boy, lobster and shrimp, we cut it into 3 and my ¹⁄₃ of it was just bun, salad an a couple of shrimp, where is the lobster?
All in all, the company was good, but it will probably take a lot for me to want to waste my calories on this one. Too many other great places to try.

Let’s see… This place is serving up the best approximation of American style burgers that I have found in Melbourne. I’m not quitting the search yet, though.
I had the Parlour burger which comes with a moderately sized beef patty stacked to the ceiling with cheese, tomato, lettuce, all on a brioche bun. The meat had a nice crunchy char – difficult to find in Australia and definitely the way burger patties should be done – but wasn’t seasoned well.
The fried chicken is delicious. The breeding is perfect, and the meat is nice and juicy. I just prefer my fried chicken to be bone-​in and a total mess to eat. I recommend it, though.
Fries and onion rings are a slice of heaven when dipped in the house aioli.
Overall, I definitely recommend this place. It stands out on my hamburger radar.

Tried Parlour Diner for the first time as I was craving Ribs and Fried Chicken, the Ribs were under cooked, fatty and not a good cut to eat, The fried Chicken was coated and fried perfectly but bland, it was just fired chicken. For Ribs and Fried chicken there are alot better in Melbournre, may be their burgers are better but there are alot of good burger places in Chapel Street.

Excellent burgers and shakes. Really simple burgers and not overly huge but they do them really well. Nice patty, great sauce and good balance of other items on the bun.
The shakes are great. Not artificial toppings or anything and not sickly sweet. They are huge too! The choc peanut butter shake is great!!!
We had a side of the fried chicken and curly fries. Chicken is top quality and boneless breast. Got a nice bite to it also.
The only let down was the curly fries. Clearly from a frozen pack and well over seasoned. Just too salty.
Good service and nice little vibe about the place.

Ogling the burgers that were ordered by patrons before us made my tummy grumble as they were paraded in front of our view. My jaw nearly hit the table when our food arrived… OMG! Oh dang… I didn’t I would get such a HUGE Lumber Jack size serve. I thought these chicken strips were of the teeny weeny sort but, Hell NO! These were like chicken breasts split in half! The Curly fries… oh fu**k yeah! I love curly fries! This meal even came with a large handful of coleslaw/​salad with this tangy creamy sauce which I struggled to wolf down because I was so full…

One of three things has happened; 1) there’s an in joke on Unilocal that Parlour Diner make the best fried chicken when in fact it’s total rubbish, 2) the cook was having a really off day. Like a really, really off day, like maybe his dog had just died or 3) the fried chicken was SO good that my taste buds completely shut down and that’s why the fried chicken was totally flavourless to me. Funny though, I could taste the salt on the curly fries.
I am a huge fried chicken fan and I left more than half of mine on the plate because not only was it not OMGthebestfriedchickenevaaah it was actually not very nice. The coating didn’t even taste like it had been seasoned so the outside while quite crunchy and promising in texture tasted like fried flour. Mmm! And the chicken on the inside was dry, and again not very flavoursome.
I’d like to give Parlour Diner’s fried chicken another chance in case it was just scenario 2 (in which case condolences on the dog) but at $ 22 for 4 pieces it’s a pretty pricey experiment.
I would have given just 1 star but the staff were super friendly, the side salad was alright and the décor was kinda kitsch and cute.

People write too much. And maybe think too much. Burger and fries are a yes. The ribs, less so: oven made, tender but lacking spice or smoke flavor with sauce squirted on top. Ours were not hot either.
The burger MORE than makes up for any rib shortcomings. It’s solid and not all jacked up with whack ingredients pumped into the patty, as so often happens here. The house hot sauces are superb. And they have bottles of Sierra Nevada. I will be back for the chicken.
Very nice folks as well, which a lot of eating establishments in Melbourne lack.

After telling my mates how great this place was, it was very disappointed they’re not open when they say they are.
At least there are options along chapel.

This place tries very hard to resemble an Austin, Texas diner, and in some ways it succeeds. However, pretense oozes from the walls (a silver tray with Twinkies for purchase, selling jarritos– a Mexican soft drink).
The burgers are mediocre and a tad expensive.
Staff are friendly, the place gets packed and there is elbow wrestling from time to time.
The beer selection is poor Budweiser? Corona? Brooklyn Lager? where are the quality brewskies from the US and Mexico? Speaking of, why are Mexican products showcased? Oh right, because it is an Austin diner…
I get it now.

This place was really cool, a nice change from everything else you see on Chapel a Street and when we went also not too busy.
Plenty of really good American food, the fries in particular were amazing and the burgers were pretty filling.
Definitely worth a visit and a good place for dinner on Chapel Street if you’re looking for something delicious and a little more chilled out.

Oh man, after eating a meal at Parlour, I get the urge to go to a NASCAR race and sleep on bald eagle-​stuffed pillows. This is straight up ‘Merica, but done right.
So, so tasty. And so salty. And fried. And did I mention tasty?
I ordered the deep fried chicken strips with curly fries and that fabulous dipping sauce. Everything was great, as in STEAMING hot, not too oily, and fresh (can chicken strips even be called that?!). I remember it being a bit on the salty side, as I had to suck down a few glasses of water, and left feeling a bit on the bloated side.
Service was also friendly and accommodating, but remember to order and pay at the counter, take your number, and they’ll bring out the food when it’s ready. The mismatched décor really does the whole «shabby-​chic» styling right.
A true gem of Windsor.

Yes this place is great!
I took a date here and we were having a giggle in the corner and the staff had to come up and ask us what is going on! Very friendly and approachable guys.
Try the curly fries. They are delicious!

Melbourne’s Best Cheap Eats
BY SHARKING FOR CHIPS AND DRINKS
Just what Chapel Street needs, you say, another ‘fast food’ outlet. But the boys at Parlour are producing some genuinely good dude food and have created a really welcoming diner-​style eatery with swivelling bar stalls, metal milkshake flasks and food served on trays. Buttermilk crispy fried chicken chops, half and full rack serves of BBQ baby back ribs, an assortment of burgers, and sides that include super-​curly curly fries and pale ale onions rings. Takeaway is also available and (we think) they have now finally got their liquor license.

Food here is awesome! Burgers were seriously amazing… Somewhere nicely in between American and a homemade Aussie burger…
Great place to catch up with a friend, perhaps pre-​drinks or prior to a movie at The Astor, as the service is fairly quick. The ‘Chef’ bought the burgers out himself which made the experience kind of personal — appreciated!
This place will soon get busy though and I’m not sure if it will be able to support it, in terms of space.
Definitely will be going back though!

This place is gooood!!! I had the hotdog, my wife had the fried chicken with curly fries, we took photos hehe… So nice!!! I look forward to going back and trying other meals from the menu. Oh and I’m going to bring friends…
No doubt once I try the burgers and shakes, my review will go 5 star.

A friend of mine had a rough morning and some comfort food was in order. His actual instructions were, «Take me to a place where food represents feelings so that I can eat them.» For some reason, Parlour struck me as the perfect place to go, and I was right. While Parlour clearly styles itself on the American short order diner, this is fused with a cool but welcoming Melbourne vibe that is very well suited to its Windsor location. (So for any Americans seeking out this diner for a home-​away-​from-​home experience, this won’t quite satisfy that desire but it will still give you a great meal, Melbourne-​style.) I love the clean, mismatched retro décor and the window bench offers great people watching opportunities.
My friend ordered the fried chicken burger, which he devoured along with the morning’s anxieties, while I went for the Miss Saigon — the fish burger. The burgers are probably no bigger or smaller than your average burger these days, but I only got through half of mine — the rest I ate cold for dinner that night, and it was just as delicious as it had been warm at lunchtime. As the name suggests, the Miss Saigon uses Asian flavours (the greens and sauces) to great effect. Add to this some delicious curly fries and great coffee, and all feelings were appropriately eaten — although some banoffee pie at the end wouldn’t have gone astray but, alas, we were too full. Luckily, Parlour has now made it into my list of favourite places on the Windsor end of Chapel, so I’ll doubtless have plenty more opportunities to get that in my belly.

Chapel street finally plays host to a homely and welcoming café.
A welcome relief from the ultra capitalist and endless shops of Chapel street,
Parlour Diner draws much from the diner style. It’s worth noting too that’s is
tucked neatly within the bohemian end of the street. Parlour plays true to it’s
namesake, and it’s a great example of how a striped back and minimalist café
can be done in the right way. It’s a no fuss and easy going, one feels at home
from the moment they enter. Whilst still in it’s early stages, parlour boasts much
potential.
It’s a bigger space this time around, so there’s more to utilise.
Burgers, which serve both as the trade and hall marks of Parlour espouse the
dedication and commitment to high end burgers. There’s six options to choose
from, and these essentially showcase the very ethos of parlour itself.
A quick breakdown; the eponymous parlour burger provides the beef option,
it’s a classic example of a true quality beef burger done well (cheese, tomato, melting beef patty). Add egg and bacon for the captain, Chipotle and Asian slaw
for the the Dynamite, Earth burger is a vegetarian option, Whilst miss Saigon
provides a fish option, and a pork slider completes the deal.
Two options are available for the flat top dogs, and as hot dogs go, both excel.
You’ll also find coke, curly fries (HEAVEN!!!) shakes, excellent coffee, and jarritos
soft drinks. All’s that’s missing is some great Sierra Nevada beers, Buffalo wings,
and most likely, a few other secret options. Beginning with excellent All-​press
coffee, a pit stop here is a great way to start the day. All day breakfast is another
draw card, it seems that parlour plays its cards exceedingly well.
The breakfast menu provides a few options, but it’s all executed perfectly.
It’s a prefect excuse to to drop in for a late, and satisfying breakfast. On a Saturday, you can be happy to take advantage of a full breakfast at any time of the day. It’s early days yet, but Parlour has proved it has plenty of miles in the tank.
It’s the little touches here, that really make the difference.