Glen Waverley eats in two places. There’s Kingsway, the open-air strip where the fried chicken, late-night noodles and best coffee live, and there’s The Glen at 235 Springvale Road, a shopping centre that has quietly assembled one of the east’s better food line-ups under one roof.
Locals queue at both, and neither side is wrong. The honest answer to “where should we eat” depends entirely on the night you’re having, so here’s the case for each camp, followed by the outliers worth leaving both of them for.
The case for Kingsway
Kingsway is where you go when the night has no fixed end time. Bon Chicken & Beer at number 91 does crispy, juicy Korean fried chicken in soy garlic, sweet chilli and spicy, backed by Hite and Cass on the beer list. The chicken headlines, but the kitchen also turns out bibimbap, bulgogi and kimchi fried rice. The room seats about fifty, takes big groups without fuss, and there’s a function room and outdoor seating when the occasion grows.
China Bar at 68 Kingsway is the late-night stalwart: a narrow, busy room doing quick, freshly made pan-Asian food, from dumplings and soups through to roast duck, at prices that explain the walk-in crowds after everything else shuts.
For Thai, D’elephant Thai Cuisine at 78 Kingsway leans into street food, with curries, stir-fries, soups and salads, vegetarian and gluten-free options, and Thai iced tea to cool everything down. The Kingsway room runs indoor and outdoor seating and takes private functions. It also keeps a second, more casual outpost inside The Glen, which tells you something about how this suburb works.
And the strip holds the coffee win: Black Flat Coffee Brewers, a hole-in-the-wall at 6/39 Kingsway pulling Axil Coffee Roasters blends through a La Marzocco GB5. Iced lattes, flat whites and dark roasts all get the same care, there are pastries and light snacks if you’re peckish, the staff learn regulars’ names quickly, and the prices are kinder than the quality suggests.
The case for The Glen
Inside the centre, the anchor is Bia Hoi Beerhall, a fully licensed Vietnamese beer hall with alfresco tables. The menu is built for sharing: fried chicken, beef pho, banh xeo and Vietnamese barbecue, matched with light Vietnamese beer that handles the chilli, plus cocktails and wine for the non-beer contingent.
On the lower ground floor, Angie’s Dumpling Bar runs a Shanghai-themed room and a menu of pan-fried and steamed dumplings, from traditional pork through to vegetarian, with noodles and stir-fries in support.
Chinta Ria Soul brings the pedigree: it has been serving hawker-style Malaysian food since 1990. Laksa, nasi goreng and char kway teow lead the menu, vegetarian and gluten-free diners are properly catered for, there’s a private room seating thirty, and the cocktail list wanders into pandan colada and lychee martini territory.
Stay for something sweet
The Glen’s real trump card is dessert density. Kurimu bakes Japanese choux pastry fresh on-site daily and fills each one to order, in original custard, strawberry and chocolate, each finished with a crunchy, nutty topping. Laurent Bakery covers the French end with sourdough, croissants and chocolate cake, and Le Crois rounds it out with macarons, tarts and cakes in flavours running from matcha and yuzu to classic chocolate.
If you’re deciding what to actually order across the centre, start here:
- Beef pho and a Vietnamese beer at Bia Hoi Beerhall
- Pan-fried pork dumplings at Angie’s Dumpling Bar
- Laksa at Chinta Ria Soul
- An original cream custard choux at Kurimu on the way out
The Springvale Road wildcards
Just up from the centre, two doors deserve their own trip. BBQ Code at 249 Springvale Rd does Korean hot plate barbecue where you cook wagyu and pork belly yourself at the table, with grilled chicken sticks, dukkbokki, bibimbap, crispy chicken wings and soju filling out the order. The room is modern and comfortable, and it handles everything from casual dinners to celebrations.
Crazy Wing at 269 Springvale Rd is the heat merchant: Szechuan cooking with a reputation built on spicy chicken wings and a Szechuan-style hot pot, in a big, casual room with a mural down one wall. It works for groups, families and couples alike, and delivers through Uber Eats and DoorDash on nights you can’t face the drive.
Blackburn Road, for a quieter table
When you want a booking rather than a queue, head to Blackburn Road. Basilico at number 216, formerly Al Vecchio Forno, has been part of the neighbourhood for close to twenty years and was recently refurbished; it does family-style Italian, meaning pasta, pizza and seafood done properly rather than reinvented, with wine, beer and cocktails behind the bar.
Nearby at 252 Blackburn Rd, Corlam Kitchen covers Indian, Sri Lankan and Malaysian cooking in a casual, unpretentious room, with strong vegetarian and vegan options. It makes this guide on value: the food outruns the prices, and it delivers through DoorDash and Uber Eats too.
So, the verdict. Pick Kingsway for a loose night that ends late, The Glen for a decision-by-committee dinner where everyone wants something different, and the outliers when the meal itself is the plan.
Where to next
This is the working shortlist, not the full census of the suburb. The full list of food and drink in Glen Waverley has every venue we track, and the Glen Waverley local guide covers the rest of the suburb, from bowling to escape rooms.
