Three Blue Ducks, Melbourne — Restaurant in Melbourne

Three Blue Ducks in Melbourne promised a meal to remember, and it delivered—but for all the wrong reasons. Walking in, I expected something bold, vibrant, and reflective of the city’s dynamic food culture. Instead, what I got was a culinary disaster that left me wondering how a restaurant with this much hype could go so spectacularly wrong.

Let’s start with the chicken parmigiana. It was, quite frankly, a tragedy. Dry to the point of being inedible, it felt like chewing on cardboard that had been coated with a thin veneer of tasteless breadcrumbs. No amount of sauce could save it because, well, there wasn’t much sauce to begin with. It was as if someone had taken all the joy out of this classic dish and left behind a sad, lifeless imitation.

The service didn’t do much to help either. If you enjoy being ignored, then this is the place for you. The staff seemed disinterested, inattentive, and disconnected from the dining experience entirely. Plates were dropped off with no enthusiasm, and requests for basic things like water or condiments were met with blank stares or outright indifference. It felt like we were an inconvenience in their day rather than paying customers.

The lamb dish was the only thing that could even remotely be considered a saving grace, but calling it “good” would be generous. The lamb was cooked fine, but the accompanying salad was uninspired—a few leaves thrown together without any thought or creativity. It was edible, sure, but not the kind of dish you’d expect from a place with such a reputation.

And then came the sides. Oh, the chips. How do you mess up chips? Somehow, they managed it. Unseasoned and stuck together in greasy clumps, they felt like they’d been sitting under a heat lamp for hours. And the coffees? Lukewarm at best. When a coffee arrives colder than the Melbourne winter, you know something’s gone terribly wrong.

This meal was a perfect storm of mediocrity and mismanagement. In a city where even the smallest cafes deliver standout dishes, this felt like a betrayal. Three Blue Ducks isn’t just a bad meal—it’s a warning. A reminder that hype, reputation, and a nice-looking venue mean nothing if the basics aren’t done right. Melbourne deserves better, and frankly, so do you. Save your money, your appetite, and your sanity. There are far better...

Not recommended, very underwhelming service, although they do have decent food.

I agree with comments from other disappointed restaurant goers who have left reviews, and many I have spoken to in person who have unfortunately shared the same sub-par experience.

The service was very slow and the staff that we were able to get the attention of had a "not my job" attitude with the exception of only one who was helpful. The restaurant was not at all busy, we had a large table of diners and there was only 4 other tables with between 2-4 people each (including inside and outside areas). Drinks took forever, and the first 3 (yes, 3 individual servers) who came past with drinks for other guests on the table explicitly said they were too busy to help with getting drinks. After waiting for a generous amount of time, I asked they guy who seemed to be the manager if we could order from the bar (to save them time) and was told that the server would be coming to take our drinks order. He proceeded to potter about, I observed him for a couple of minutes, he could have easily taken a quick around the table drinks order instead of saying it was somebody else's job. More waiting ensued to order our first drink, easily 30 minutes before we were even able to place a drinks order.

While slow to come out, the food itself is quite delicious, if my review was on the food alone I could give it 4 stars. Alas, the rest of the experience has to be included.

No-one took away empty glasses, nor asked if we wanted more drinks, and we only managed to order a second drink because we flagged a server down when we heard them mention to someone else that it was "last call for drinks".

I have also purchased items from the takeaway portion during the small amount of hours in the day they are open (we are often there early in the morning or later in the afternoon/evening and the takeaway place is usually closed). The staff are are pleasant, however the barista is super slow, each time I have ordered a coffee, I can only see one being made at a time.

I visit the amazing wave park 4-6 times per week and would love to be able to purchase food here also, supporting the local business. Currently I would not recommend visiting here until some significant changes take place based on my experiences...

🍯 Glazed Roasted Half Chicken, Sweetcorn Salsa 🍠 Sweet Potato Hummus, Sourdough Focaccia 🍍 Raw Kingfish, BBQ Pineapple, Sweet and Sour Lime Dressing 🥗 Mixed Grain Salad, Beetroot, Fennel 🥔 Handcut Chips, Confit Garlic Aioli

Located at Melbourne’s man-made surf park URBNSURF, Three Blue Duck’s two-story restaurant looks out over the crystal clear surfing lagoon. The menu showcases ethical and sustainable produce from Victoria's best suppliers. The award winning restaurant now has 5 locations in NSW, VIC and QLD. 🦆

I had previously visited twice - once for brunch and dinner during the winter. Showing potential with inventive dishes, there was still room to improve. I was very excited to revisit for their Summer menu, especially for lunch on a hot 38 degree day. With the waves crashing in front of us it was the perfect scene. You would hardly even remember you were in the industrial backstreets of Tullamarine. ☀️

The Hummus sounded and looked a little better than it tasted. Not much flavour and although the bread was super fresh, it wasn’t quite firm enough to carry the hummus. The Kingfish was a real highlight with incredible charred and sweet and sour flavours coming through.

The Roasted Half Chicken was beautiful glazed with honey and lemon thyme, very moist and generous! We paired it with a refreshing Grain Salad and some Hand Cut Chips. The Chips were a disappointment across the board.. they were dry and felt old or reheated (not suggesting they were, just how we described them).

On such a hot day with all the doors and windows open and only some luke warm table water, we did really feel the heat. Service was initially attentive with our first waiter, we barely had any for the rest of our seating. We had to hail down staff to bring us cutlery, plates, take finished plates, ask where our food was, the bill ect.🍴

Overall, such a unique location to eat some well thought out food. I will still return again, maybe next time I’ll also fit in a cheeky swim....