The Queen Victoria Market is the biggest open air market in the Southern Hemisphere, and a Melbourne icon. It’s usually only open during the day time, but it runs the Queen Vic Night Market during the week on Wednesdays, throughout summer and winter. Instead of the usual traders, who predominantly sell fruit, vegetables and other produce, the Night Market is full of hot food stalls and food trucks, making it a great place to catch up with friends for an indulgent market dinner (pretty much none of it is healthy).

I acknowledge the Boon Wurrung and Woiwurrung people as the First Nations owners of the lands now recognised as Melbourne. I pay respect to their Elders, lores, customs and creation spirits. I recognise that these lands have always been places of great natural beauty, culture and community. 

The Food

I tried a Sloppy Joe, which I’d only ever seen on American TV before. I was with American friend, Laura, who informed me that it wasn’t a particularly authentic Sloppy Joe, which she said is usually a burger with minced meat instead of a pattie.

It was bolognese on a fluffy hot dog roll, buried in fries. It was tasty but I wouldn’t order it again. Like those super salty Korean potato slinkies that are suddenly everywhere, it’s flavour didn’t outweigh how bad it is for you. If I’m going to send myself to an early grave with food, it has to be mind blowing, in my books.

Of course, if I can get my hands on the real deal in the US, I will definitely give it another try.

I’m actually not crazy about bolognese, not that you’d know this as I devoured my Sloppy Joe. By the time we got food, I was pretty hungry. I’d seen a few great looking dishes at other stalls, but most of the queues were ridiculously long. Being hungry and patient are mutually exclusive.

There are also several stalls selling homewares, clothes and knick knacks, but I only had eyes for the food.

The Queen Vic Night Market is one of many ways that Melbourne embraces winter, rather than shying away from it. Melbourne winters are not easy, yet the city always finds a way to lure people off the couch and into the night.

Visiting Melbourne? Check out my Melbourne Travel Guide.