Cheap Eats in Malvern Under $20 — 2026 Local Guide

Everything on this list costs less than $20 for a full meal. Not a side dish with a $6 surcharge and a “serving suggestion” — a proper meal that leaves you full. Malvern has more sub-$20 options than most suburbs, and these are the ones we go back to.

Under $10

A1 Kitchen — Glenferrie Road

Address: 144 Glenferrie Road, Malvern What: Middle Eastern bakery + grill Price: $3.50-12 Hours: Daily 7am-9pm

The cheese fatayer ($3.50) is the benchmark cheap eat in Malvern — flaky pastry, salty halloumi filling, perfect straight from the oven. The falafel wrap ($8) is stuffed tighter than structural engineering should allow. The mixed plate ($12) is technically over our $10 bracket but feeds two people, so per-person it qualifies.

The move: Go at 7:30am when the spinach pastries come out fresh. Buy four. They’re $3 each.

Pho House — High Street

Address: 84 High Street, Malvern What: Vietnamese pho + banh mi Price: $8-14 Hours: Daily 10am-9pm

A regular pho ($14) is a full meal — the broth has been simmering since 4am (you can smell the star anise from the street), the portions are honest, and the herbs come on a separate plate so you build it yourself. But the real deal is the banh mi ($8) — crispy roll, pork, pate, pickled veg, chilli, coriander. It costs $8. Eight dollars. For what’s arguably a top-five sandwich in Malvern.

Order this: Banh mi ($8) + Vietnamese iced coffee ($5) = $13 total, full and caffeinated.

Under $15

Souvlaki Brothers — Glenferrie Road

Address: 129 Glenferrie Road, Malvern What: Greek souvlaki + grill Price: $12-18 Hours: Mon-Sat 11am-10pm, Sun 12pm-9pm

The lamb souvlaki ($14) is the one. Proper lamb carved from the vertical spit, not the pre-marinated supermarket stuff. Tzatziki is made fresh. Chips are hand-cut. The chicken version ($12) is slightly less exciting but still excellent value. The mixed plate ($18) gets you both meats plus salad plus chips plus bread — it’s a lot of food.

Dumpling Lab — Wattletree Road

Address: 66 Wattletree Road, Malvern What: Handmade dumplings Price: $12-16 Hours: Daily 11:30am-9:30pm

Twelve dumplings for $12. Pan-fried, steamed, or boiled — your choice. The pork and chive ($12) are the classic. The prawn and ginger ($14) are the upgrade. They make them in front of you behind the counter, which means they’re never more than an hour old. Add a side of smacked cucumber ($6) and that’s $18 for a genuinely satisfying meal.

Pro tip: The chilli oil is house-made and seriously hot. Start with half a spoon.

Under $20

Pub Feed — The Malvern Arms — Glenferrie Road

Address: 246 Glenferrie Road, Malvern What: Classic pub meals Price: $16-22 Hours: Kitchen 12pm-9pm daily

The parma ($20) is the pub parma gold standard — chicken schnitzel that’s actually crumbed and fried to order (not the pre-made food service ones), napoli sauce that tastes like it came from a can in a good way, ham, mozzarella, chips, and salad. Monday is parma night ($16 with a pot of beer). The steak sandwich ($19) is the other winner — scotch fillet, caramelised onion, rocket, aioli, on sourdough.

Curry Junction — High Street

Address: 43 High Street, Malvern What: Indian/Sri Lankan curries Price: $14-20 Hours: Daily 11am-10pm

The butter chicken ($16) is the safety pick and it’s genuinely good — creamy, tomatoey, not too sweet. But the real play is the Sri Lankan fish curry ($18) that most people walk past. It’s coconut-based, slightly sour from goraka, and packed with more flavour than the butter chicken has ever dreamed of. All curries come with rice, pappadums, and a small raita.

The $20 Lunch Challenge

We tried to eat the cheapest possible filling lunch in Malvern. Here’s the best we found:

Winner: A1 Kitchen falafel wrap ($8) + a flat white from any cafe ($4.50-5.50). Total: $13. Properly full.

Tips for Eating Cheap in Malvern

1. Lunch > dinner. Most restaurants jack prices 20-30% after 5pm. The identical dish at lunch is $4-6 cheaper.
2. BYO saves $30+ for couples. Check which restaurants allow BYO — corkage is usually $3-5 per bottle.
3. Market shopping. If Malvern has a market, go Saturday morning before close for discounted produce.
4. Pub specials. Every pub has a weeknight deal. Most don’t advertise online — check the blackboard.
5. Skip UberEats. The $8 falafel wrap becomes a $15 falafel wrap after delivery fees and service charges. Walk there.

Nearby Cheap Eats

• Armadale Cheap Eats
• Toorak Cheap Eats
• Malvern Best Restaurants — for when payday hits
• All Malvern Articles

Last updated: March 2026

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