Melbourne Arancini

THE VERDICT

For an authentic taste of Italy—the kind Nonna would be proud of—make tracks to Melbourne Arancini and wrap your choppers around their golden morsels of pure perfection. 

Operating since 2016 and just six clicks from the airport, the eatery is run by husband and wife duo Paul and Laura Muscara, who turned their family Christmas tradition of arancini making into a Melbourne institution. 

Their recipe has been passed down for three generations—so you know the taste is legit. Experimenting with flavour profiles is what makes this duo extra special though, with a focus on using seasonal produce, you’ll find some serious flavour bombs on their ever-changing menu. 

Think: creamy chicken, leek and mushroom, a spicy tomato arrabbiata, Italian sausage with broccolini, juicy garlic prawn and four cheese—a decadent blend of mozzarella, provolone, parmesan. And you can never go wrong with their award-winning OG, the bolognese ragu. 

The eatery is only open to the public Fridays (11am to 2pm) and Saturdays (10am to 2pm)  so you’ll want to plan your social cal accordingly. The reason behind the short hours? Each arancini is handmade (with lots of amore) at the Tullamarine kitchen, and takes three days to perfect. On Mondays, the team prepares the seasonal ingredients and creates different flavours. Tuesday, they cook their rice and assemble the arancini. Wednesday, they crumb and fry them. Thursday is delivery day to eateries across Melbourne, Mornington and Geelong, leaving Friday and Saturday your only chance to devour these delish rice balls. 

Among the 550 fresh arancini on display (cooked on the spot so they’re uber fresh), you can also purchase cold arancini to take home for some mid-week munching. Pro tip: they absolutely slap in the air fryer. Still hungry? They also make fresh lasagne, pasta, homemade sauces, chicken schnitzel and sausages—basically all the makings of an epic Italian feast at home.

Words and Images: Morgan Reardon and Melbourne Arancini.

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