Melbourne Market Cooking Experience

Experience the Real Melbourne: Market, Tram and Kitchen

Discover Melbourne the way locals do. Start your day at the famous Queen Victoria Market, tasting your way through its stalls and meeting the traders. Then hop on one of Melbourne's iconic trams and ride just 3.5 km out of the city to Abbotsford, on Victoria Street, one of Melbourne's most multicultural food streets.

At Otao Kitchen, our professional chefs guide you through a hands-on cooking class using seasonal produce and native Australian ingredients, then you sit down together to an early dinner of everything you've cooked, with matched wines.

This is the real Melbourne, beyond the postcards: a world-famous market, a classic tram ride, and the multicultural neighbourhood food culture that most visitors never get to see.

Ways to Join

Public experience – every Thursday
Join a small group of up to 10 guests for the Full Day, including a seat on Queen Victoria Market's official 10am Ultimate Foodie Tour. Book for one, two or three people, with savings for two and three. Perfect for visitors to Melbourne, couples, families and food lovers.

Private groups – any day
Your own group of 10 or more, for birthdays, hens and bucks parties, family gatherings and food-loving friends, with your choice of date and seasonal menu. Pick your market and we will organise the rest of the day for you.

Corporate events
A fully tailored day for team building and client hosting: your choice of market, menu and team cooking challenges, with a tax invoice for your business. Pick your market and we will organise the rest of the day for you.

Schools
A market and cooking excursion for school groups, with non-alcoholic drinks and discounted pricing. Ideal for hospitality, food technology and language students. Pick your market and we will organise the rest of the day for you.

Your Day (about 6 hours)

10.00am – Meet at Queen Victoria Market
10.00am–12.00pm – Guided market tour with tastings, meeting the traders and discovering seasonal produce
12.00–1.00pm – Travel to Otao Kitchen, 393 Victoria Street, Abbotsford
1.00–4.00pm – Hands-on cooking in small teams, then an early dinner of everything you've cooked, with matched wines

Public experiences run on Thursdays at these times. Guests make their own way from the market to Otao Kitchen by tram, train or Uber. For private groups, start times can be adjusted to suit your group and the market you choose.

Your Market: Queen Victoria Market

Your day begins at Queen Victoria Market, Melbourne's most iconic market, with premium meat, seafood, deli and seasonal produce. Queen Victoria Market trades Tuesday and Thursday to Sunday, and its own official guided tour can be arranged on request.

Private Groups: When Queen Victoria Market Is Closed

Queen Victoria Market doesn't trade every day. On the days it's closed, we take your group to another great Melbourne market instead:

Monday – Prahran Market
Wednesday – South Melbourne Market or Prahran Market

Private groups can also choose one of these markets, or our Victoria Street walk, on any day they trade:

South Melbourne Market – Fresh seafood, artisan cheese and gourmet produce in one of Melbourne's oldest markets. Trades Wednesday and Friday to Sunday.

Prahran Market – Rare and seasonal ingredients, seen through a chef's eyes. Trades Monday and Wednesday to Saturday.

Victoria Street, Abbotsford – A guided walk through the Vietnamese grocers, butchers, fishmongers and herb shops on our doorstep. Available any day, with no travel time.

Market trading hours change from time to time and will be confirmed when you book.

Sample Seasonal Menus

Each season we build a menu of four feature dishes – Asian, Spanish or Italian, Mexican and a dessert – using the best of what's at the market, with native Australian ingredients woven through every menu. Your group cooks in teams, then shares the full table.

The menus below are samples only. Dishes change with the season and what's freshest at the market on the day, so your final menu may differ.

Summer (December to February) – Seafood and stone fruit
1. Asian: Vietnamese prawn and herb rice paper rolls with nước chấm
2. Spanish: barramundi a la plancha with saltbush romesco and charred capsicum
3. Mexican: kingfish ceviche tostadas with finger lime and avocado
4. Dessert: grilled stone fruit with lemon myrtle cream
Market focus: prawns, barramundi, kingfish, tomatoes, capsicum, avocado, mint, Thai basil, peaches and nectarines, plus native finger lime, saltbush and lemon myrtle.

Autumn (March to May) – Chicken and mushrooms
1. Asian: Japanese chicken karaage with lemon myrtle salt and pickled daikon
2. Italian: chicken cacciatore with field mushrooms, olives and warrigal greens
3. Mexican: chicken tinga tacos with bush tomato and chipotle salsa
4. Dessert: wattleseed panna cotta with poached pear
Market focus: free-range chicken, mushrooms, daikon, tomatoes, corn tortillas, pumpkin and pears, plus native lemon myrtle, warrigal greens, bush tomato and wattleseed.

Winter (June to August) – Kangaroo and root vegetables
1. Asian: Korean bulgogi-style kangaroo with kimchi slaw
2. Italian: kangaroo ragù with pappardelle and mountain pepperberry
3. Mexican: kangaroo barbacoa tacos with pickled onion and bush tomato salsa
4. Dessert: blood orange and olive oil cake with wattleseed cream
Market focus: kangaroo, carrots, celery, cabbage, Korean pear, onions and winter citrus, plus native mountain pepperberry, bush tomato and wattleseed.

Spring (September to November) – Fish and fresh greens
1. Asian: Thai fish cakes with cucumber and finger lime relish
2. Italian: snapper with spring asparagus and saltbush salsa verde
3. Mexican: prawn aguachile with cucumber, chilli and lime
4. Dessert: mango sticky rice with toasted macadamia
Market focus: snapper, prawns, asparagus, peas, cucumber, spring onions, herbs and mangoes, plus native finger lime, saltbush and macadamia.

Prefer one cuisine? Your group can choose a single-cuisine menu instead: European (Spanish or Italian), Mexican, Australian Native (*), North Asian, Thai or Vietnamese. Vegetarian (tofu or mushroom) and chicken alternatives are available for every dish on request.

Getting from the Market to Otao Kitchen

Otao Kitchen is at 393 Victoria Street, Abbotsford, only 3.5 km from Queen Victoria Market. You'll have an hour between the end of the market tour and the start of the class, which is plenty of time by any of these options:

Tram (about 40 minutes) – Walk 10 minutes down Elizabeth Street to Collins Street, or hop on any tram heading down Elizabeth Street, free within the CBD. Take tram 109 towards Box Hill and get off on Victoria Street, near our door. A myki card is needed once you leave the Free Tram Zone.

Train (about 30 minutes) – From Flagstaff or Melbourne Central station, take a Mernda or Hurstbridge line train to North Richmond station, then walk about 7 minutes to Otao Kitchen. A myki card is needed.

Uber or taxi (about 15 minutes) – Approximately $20–30 per car, depending on time and demand. A great option for groups of three or four sharing a car.

Travel costs are not included. Private and corporate groups can ask us to arrange a coach (quoted separately). Please check the PTV app or ptv.vic.gov.au on the day for timetables and service changes.

What's Included

• Guided market tour with tastings (Full Day and private experiences)
• All ingredients
• Hands-on cooking class with professional chefs
• Early dinner of four feature dishes with matched wines, beer or soft drinks
• Recipes online to recreate at home

Pricing

Public experience (Thursdays, up to 10 guests)
Full Day with Queen Victoria Market Ultimate Foodie Tour:
1 adult: $327
2 adults: $621 (save 5%)
3 adults: $903 (save 8%)
Child aged 10–15, with a paying adult: $299 (non-alcoholic drinks)

Private groups (any day, from 10 guests)
Seasonal menu with private market tour: $345 per person (minimum spend $3,450)

Corporate events and schools
Please contact us for a tailored quote at [email protected] or 0405 720 470.

Please enquire for groups over 48.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

• The Melbourne Market Cooking Experience is perfect for your Christmas party, birthday, anniversary, hens or bucks party, team building, client hosting or corporate event. Speak to us so we can tailor the day, the market and the menu to your group. Coach transport between the market and Otao Kitchen can be arranged; travel costs and charges may apply.
• We can cater to different dietary requirements – please let us know by email at [email protected].
• Public Full Day guests join Queen Victoria Market's official tour, and its tour terms also apply. The market tour runs rain or shine, and involves walking and standing for about 2 hours. Please let us know in advance about any accessibility needs.
• If a market closes unexpectedly, we will move your tour to another market or our Victoria Street walk.
• Travel from the market to Otao Kitchen is at guests' own cost by tram, train or Uber, unless a coach is booked.
• Private group bookings are based on a minimum of 10 guests, and bookings for fewer guests are charged at the minimum. Corporate and school bookings are quoted on enquiry.

BOOKING TERMS

• More than 14 days before your event: one free transfer to another date, or a credit valid for 12 months.
• 7 to 14 days before: transfer to another date on payment of the $49 per person change fee, subject to availability.
• Less than 7 days, or non-attendance: no refund, credit or transfer. You may send someone in your place at no charge – just email us their name and dietary requirements before the event.
• All changes must be requested by email to [email protected] and are effective once we confirm them. We may waive these conditions in cases of illness, bereavement or other exceptional circumstances.
• Arrival: please arrive at the market 10 minutes early. Tours and classes start on time and we can't repeat content for late arrivals.
• Dietary requirements must be advised at least 10 days before the event. Our kitchen is not allergen-free. Closed-toe, non-slip shoes are required for the market and the kitchen.
• Read our full Terms & Conditions and FAQs.

Book Your Melbourne Market Cooking Experience

For availability, tailored menus or team-building challenges, contact us:
Email: [email protected]
Phone: Experience Manager on 0405 720 470