Melbourne is the capital of bottomless chips. Here’s where to find them

From ranking fast-food fries to a report on “chipflation” in our restaurants, Chip Month is well under way at Good Food – and what better time is there to eat as many chips as you can handle? Whether you like them between bites of fried chicken, or slicked in punchy sauces, consider this your formal invitation to indulge in a bottomless chip deal this March and beyond.

Bottomless barbecue and sides at Q Barbeque, Mulgrave

Meat is cooked over red gum for up to 16 hours here, but on Sundays, the smokers work extra hard, when the pitmasters roll out a $65 all-you-can-eat Southern feast. The piece de resistance is a platter of wagyu brisket, pulled pork and sausages surrounded by a steady stream of sides – including fries. Six sauces pull everything together, including a riff on barbecue sauce that deploys the Korean chilli paste gochujang.

907 Springvale Road, Mulgrave, qbbq.com.au

Unlimited steak frites at 98 Lygon Street, Brunswick East

Many venues across the city offer specials on steak frites. This neighbourhood bistro takes it up a notch. On Wednesdays, you can settle into 98 Lygon Street’s exposed brick dining room and pay $69 for as many helpings of dry-aged porterhouse steak as your heart desires. Of course, each round lands with a fresh pile of crisp thin-cut fries and house-made peppercorn sauce.

98 Lygon Street Street, Brunswick East, 98lygonst.au

$32 all-you-can-eat wings, chips and slaw at Bird, Brunswick East

Chicken rules the roost at Bird, but the chippies are mighty too – the team blanches and flash-fries each batch until crisp before tossing them in a secret seasoning mix. From Mondays to Thursdays, the new-gen chook shop offers 90 minutes of unlimited wings, chips and slaw. Choose from four signature wing flavours plus one rotating option. Don’t waste any – there’s a $1 charge for every uneaten wing, a caveat we can get behind.

179 Weston Street, Brunswick East, birdbangnchicken.com

$30 wagyu steak and endless fries at No Biggie, CBD

City cafe Operator Diner’s tables usually carry milkshakes and buttermilk pancakes. Come 5.30pm, Wednesday to Sunday, plates of steak and fries take over. Pop-up restaurant No Biggie’s most expensive item is $30 – and it’s still a steal. Get a 250-gram wagyu steak, refills of skin-on fries when you hold up a “Mo’ Fries” sign, and your pick of chimichurri, herb butter, or red wine or peppercorn sauce. Hot tip: go with three people to try every condiment, then throw in $4 for more of your favourite to dunk your chips into.

130 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne, instagram.com/nobiggie.melb

Hack your steak frites order at Entrecote, Prahran

If there’s a must-order at this chic Greville Street address, it’s the steak frites. Rangers Valley 270-day grain-fed porterhouse is topped with a 19-ingredient herb butter: so far, so good. But the insider tip is to ask for more shoestring fries when you (inevitably) finish the first serve. The restaurant says they’re cut from a high tannin potato variety for maximum flavour.

142-144 Greville Street, Prahran, entrecote.com.au

Fries top-ups upon request at 7 Alfred, CBD

When you know exactly what you want for lunch, this is the restaurant for you. A 220-gram O’Connor scotch fillet with fries cooked in beef tallow is the only main course at 7 Alfred (and its Sydney counterpart, 24 York). The decision lies in the four sauces: a kombu-forward Cafe de Paris butter, a sprightly chimichurri, veal jus or green peppercorn. Beyond the menu, find the French influence in the venue’s red-and-white interiors and the gesture of providing chip top-ups upon request.

7 Alfred Place, Melbourne, 7alfred.com.au

All-you-can-eat at Bluestone American BBQ, Coburg

Friday happy hours are a tried-and-true way to kick back. Why not extend the idea to a $65 all-you-can-eat Southern feast? Peach-glazed Berkshire pork ribs, chicken wings and all the trimmings, including twice-cooked fries dusted with smoked paprika, are yours to demolish. Alternatively, combine the booze and the barbecue at Bluestone’s weekend buffets, where the same smoky chips meet chicken chops, cheesy pork sausages and an open bar.

470 Sydney Road, Coburg, bluestoneamericanbbq.com

Unlimited chicken, sides and soft-serve, Flappy Joe’s, CBD

From Wednesdays to Sunday evenings, sandwich deli Sloppy Joe’s morphs into this fried chicken pop-up with a difference: the chook is all-you-can-eat. Jot the number of tenders, drumsticks and wings you want on an ordering slip; pick from hot honey, spicy cayenne or au naturel; then choose from 10 sides. Coleslaw, pickles and lightly salted fries are some grease-cutting contenders. Finish with nostalgic soft-serve, perhaps vanilla-and-raspberry swirl.

2/190 Queen Street, Melbourne, instagram.com/flappy_joes

$72 endless supper (with bottomless drinks) at Maven, Fitzroy

TikTok-famous chef Morgan Hipworth’s bakehouses might be popular daytime haunts, but his Mediterranean-leaning restaurant encourages after-dark fun. From 8.45pm on Fridays and Saturdays, the $72 spread includes unlimited snacks and drinks for two hours, with two highlights for chip fans. Crisp-edged potatoes rest atop Greece’s spiced feta dip tirokafteri, while herb-dusted fries come with aioli − both are perfect for soaking up jugs of cocktails. Non-drinkers can dive in too: $42 lets you feast alcohol-free.

402 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy, maven.melbourne