Hunky Dory Fish & Chips Highett: Fresh Seafood, Family Roots and a Healthier Spin on a Classic

On Highett Road, among the everyday bustle of shops, cafés and commuters heading to and from Highett Station, one brightly lit shopfront has become a local fixture for more than two decades. Hunky Dory Fish & Chips at 284 Highett Road is not simply another takeaway counter. It is a licensed, dine-in and takeaway seafood kitchen that sits at the meeting point of a long Greek fishing tradition, Melbourne market freshness, and a menu that lets you choose between the old-school comfort of battered flake and chips or a grilled fillet with salad and brown rice.

The story behind the shop is as important as the food. Hunky Dory grew from a family of fishermen whose work on the water dates back to 1927. Greg, the man the brand still calls the heart of the “Hunky magic”, spent his childhood on commercial fishing boats beside his Greek father and grandfather. School holidays were spent behind the counter of the family fish-and-chip shop. His father became a familiar face at the Melbourne Fish Market. When the first Hunky Dory opened in 2004, the family stood beside him. Greg’s grandfather was still wearing a Hunky’s T-shirt in store well into his nineties.

That lineage shows on the plate. Seafood is sourced from the markets, filleted with care and cooked to order. The stated mission has never changed: shake up the fish-and-chip game and give it a healthier spin, without turning away anyone who still wants a crispy potato cake, a dim sim and a pile of hot chips. At Hunky Dory, as the family puts it, everyone has a seat at the table — whether they want to be as healthy or as naughty as they like.

The Highett store sits in Highett Village and serves both the local neighbourhood and people passing through Bayside and the Kingston corridor. You can eat in, with indoor seating and outdoor tables, or take a parcel home. The shop is fully licensed, so a glass of house wine or a beer can sit beside a grilled salmon or a classic flake pack. Families are welcome; there is a kids’ menu, high chairs and a casual, unfussy atmosphere that regulars describe as hospitable rather than formal.

The menu covers both traditions. On the comfort side you will find battered or crumbed fish — flake, hake and other market fillets — potato cakes, calamari rings, dim sims, chips, tartare and lemon. Packs such as The Old School, The Bay and The Hunky Dory bundle those favourites for one person or a couple. On the lighter side there are grilled salmon, whiting, barramundi and other fillets, Greek and spinach salads, brown rice, steamed greens and Hunky Bowls that combine fish with vegetables and grains. Burgers and wraps, including a panko fish burger, sit in between. Desserts, sauces and drinks round out the offering. Large orders for functions are taken as well.

What customers return for, according to years of local reviews, is consistency: fish that tastes fresh, chips that are properly cooked, salads that are actually crisp, and staff who treat a weekday lunch the same way they treat a Friday night takeaway rush. Portions are generally generous. Prices sit in the everyday rather than fine-dining range. Delivery through the usual platforms is available for those who cannot get to Highett Road.

Highett itself makes the visit easy. The shop is a short walk from Highett Station along Highett Road. Street parking is available nearby, subject to the usual time limits. Opening hours are seven days a week from 11am, typically until 9pm Monday to Saturday and a little earlier on Sunday. Public holiday hours can vary, so a quick call is wise before a special occasion.

Hunky Dory is now a multi-site Melbourne brand, with shops from Port Melbourne and South Melbourne to Ringwood, Oakleigh and beyond. The Highett kitchen remains one of the neighbourhood faces of that story: a family business that never pretended fish and chips had to be only one thing. You can still order the pack your grandparents would recognise. You can also leave with grilled fish, a proper salad and brown rice and feel you have eaten well.

Pull up a seat, take a parcel home, or feed a crowd. The invitation from the HD family is simple: relax and soak in the Hunky love.

Hunky Dory Fish & Chips — Highett Shop 3, 284 Highett Road, Highett VIC 3190 Phone: (03) 9555 4787 Website: www.hunkydory.com.au Open seven days from 11am (Sunday hours may close a little earlier; please check before visiting) Dine in, takeaway, delivery and large orders Licensed | Family friendly | Indoor and outdoor seating