Short version: every Tuesday from 5:30pm, Third Wave BBQ runs all-you-can-eat. Three tiers, $69, $93 or $119 a head, plus an optional $59 bottomless drinks package. You order, you eat, you finish what’s on the table, you order more. That’s the whole deal.
Now the longer version, because “all you can eat” gets thrown around a lot in Melbourne and most of it is a bain-marie and a heat lamp. This isn’t that.
What you’re actually eating
Everything on the AYCE table is the same brisket, ribs and pulled pork we serve à la carte. Nothing gets dumbed down for the deal. The brisket is Black Angus, hickory-smoked 8 to 10 hours. The pulled pork sits in the smoker for 12 hours. Beef ribs get a 9-spice rub and a long hickory smoke. Lamb shoulder goes 6 to 8 hours and comes with salsa verde to cut through the fat.
This is the part that matters. A lot of all-you-can-eat works because the food is cheap to make and you fill up on rice. Smoked meat is the opposite. It’s slow, it shrinks, and you can’t fake it. So the maths only works one way: we keep bringing out proper barbecue and trust you’ll tap out before we lose the bet. Bring an appetite and you’ll win. That’s the challenge, and we mean it.
The three tiers, and which one you want
The tiers aren’t small, medium and large of the same thing. Each one opens up more of the menu. Here’s how to pick.
$69 — the core smokehouse run
Brisket, pork ribs, pulled pork, wings, sausage, the sides. This is the meat-and-potatoes tier and honestly it’s plenty for most tables. If you came for barbecue and you want a lot of it, start here. You won’t leave hungry.
$93 — add the big-ticket cuts
Everything in the $69 tier, plus the cuts people usually order as a treat: beef ribs, lamb shoulder, the heavier hitters. This is the tier for a proper feed with mates who came to do damage. The beef rib alone is 450g raw before it hits the smoker, so pace yourself.
$119 — the full table, including the showpieces
The top tier brings out the stuff we’re known for, including our take on the Thor’s Hammer, the whole 3kg-plus beef shin we reckon we put on the map in Australia. Shotgun shells, the lot. This is a birthday tier, a “we just got paid” tier, a “settle an argument about who eats more” tier. Order it when the occasion earns it.
If you’re not sure, the $93 is the sweet spot for most groups. The $69 is the value pick. The $119 is for when you want the whole show.
The $59 drinks package
Add $59 a head and drinks stop being a tab you watch nervously all night. It pairs with the food the way it should, something cold and easy while you work through a brisket. Optional, per person, and worth it on a table that’s settling in for the night.
Two house rules. Read them.
All-you-can-eat at a smokehouse only works if everyone plays straight, so there are two rules and they’re simple.
The whole table’s in. Everyone dining does the AYCE deal. You can’t have one person on the package and one ordering a single burger off the side and nicking ribs. Fair’s fair.
Finish what you ordered before the next round. Clean plates, then we bring more. No ordering six racks “to be safe” and leaving half of it. We don’t want the waste and you don’t want to be the table that ordered eyes-bigger-than-stomach. Order, finish, repeat, for as long as you can hold out.
That’s it. No timers, no portion police, no weird gotchas in the fine print.
How it stacks up against other all-you-can-eat in Melbourne
Let’s be honest about the comparison instead of just thumping our chest.
Most cheap AYCE in town is buffet-style. You queue, you serve yourself, the food’s been sitting. It’s cheaper than us and that’s a fair trade if you just want volume. Korean and Brazilian churrascaria do à-la-table all-you-can-eat done well, and if that’s your craving, go and enjoy it.
What we do is American smokehouse barbecue, brought to your table, cooked the same long way whether you ordered one rib or ten. The honest pitch: we’re not the cheapest all-you-can-eat in Melbourne and we’re not trying to be. We’re the one where the all-you-can-eat food is the actual good food, not a watered-down version of it. If that’s the trade you want, this is your Tuesday.
Which venue suits your table
Six venues, five around Melbourne, and they’re not identical.
Albert Park (181 Victoria Ave) is the flagship. If it’s a big night, a birthday, or you want the full range including steaks on the menu, this is the one. It’s where the brand started and it shows.
Hawthorn East (234 Riversdale Rd) is the other venue with steaks on the à-la-carte menu, so it’s a good pick for a mixed table where someone wants a Wagyu porterhouse instead of the AYCE.
Moorabbin (20 Station St) and Ascot Vale (508–510 Mt Alexander Rd) are solid neighbourhood picks, easy for a local Tuesday feed without trekking across town.
Officer (Shop 7/43 Siding Ave) covers the southeast and outer suburbs, so if you’re out that way you don’t have to drive an hour for good barbecue.
Our sixth venue is Applecross in Perth (888 Canning Hwy), and there’s a Gold Coast venue opening around September 2026.
One honest note: all-you-can-eat is a Tuesday deal and availability can vary by venue, so it’s worth a quick call to your local before you rock up with eight people. The team will sort you out.
Come hungry. That’s the whole brief.
This works best when you treat it like a challenge. Skip the big lunch. Wear the stretchy jeans. Bring the mates who talk a big game about how much they can eat and let them prove it. The kitchen will keep the brisket coming. Your job is to keep up.
Tuesday. 5:30pm. $69, $93 or $119, plus $59 for drinks if you want them. Book your table and we’ll see how hungry you really are.
FAQ
What days is all-you-can-eat at Third Wave BBQ?
Tuesdays only, from 5:30pm. It’s a once-a-week deal.
How much is all-you-can-eat?
Three tiers: $69, $93 and $119 per person, depending on how much of the menu you want access to. There’s also an optional $59 per-person bottomless drinks package.
What’s the difference between the tiers?
Each tier opens up more of the menu. $69 covers the core smokehouse range (brisket, pork ribs, pulled pork, wings, sides). $93 adds the bigger cuts like beef ribs and lamb shoulder. $119 brings out the showpieces, including our Thor’s Hammer.
Are there any rules?
Two. Everyone at the table has to do the all-you-can-eat deal, and you need to finish what you’ve ordered before the next round comes out, so order what you’ll actually eat, then go again.
