Best Basque Burnt Cheesecakes in Melbourne

Lasagne is Australia’s national crisis dish, sourdough is our ride-or-die isolation bread (although Japanese shokupan is nipping at its heels) and babka is our perfect lockdown dessert.

But Basque burnt cheesecake – all caramelised and glossy on the outside, wobbly and custardy on the inside – is fast becoming this year’s break out cake. For the uninitiated, it’s less sweet than its North American relative, the New York cheesecake, and also lacks a biscuit-y base. That makes it dangerous in the best possible way: it’s easy to hoover up one of these things in no time at all. Here are our favourites.

Marion

During the first lockdown, wine bar Marion partnered up with sourdough doyen Baker Bleu to become a one-stop grocery shop. The cheesecake here is a bestseller. Don’t take your chances hoping there’ll be one in-store – pre-order online for pick-up to avoid cheesecake heartbreak.

53 Gertrude Street, Fitzroy

Book a Table

Maker & Monger

Live southside and want to get in on the action? Marion’s Basque cheesecake is also available to order from Prahran’s chapel of cheese. Fridays and Saturdays only.

Shop 98, Prahran Market 163 Commercial Rd, Prahran

Q le Baker

Also at Prahran Market: this very fine take on the cheesecake. This one comes in small ($25) and large ($60) – but we recommend large. It's better to have too much of a Basque cheesecake than not enough.

Shop 709 163 Commercial Road, South Yarra

Attica

Of course Melbourne’s best restaurant is in on the takeaway Basque cheesecake game. If Attica’s taught us one thing this year, it’s that when chef Ben Shewry decides we’re going to eat a certain dish in lockdown, it’s a safe bet that’s what we’ll all be doing. This is one of the bigger cheesecakes on this guide – it’ll make for eight big slices.

74 Glen Eira Road, Ripponlea

Calere

Right across the road from Marion, Calere is selling caramelised pineapple Basque burnt cheesecakes. In Taiwan, caramelised pineapple cakes are often given as gifts for engagements, promotions and other special occasions. Those flavours are here added to the Basque cheesecake – and the result is worth celebrating. The original’s also on offer, for those who prefer the classic.

166 Gertrude Street, Fitzroy

Sebastian

This beachside diner has been running an excellent takeaway menu for a while now, but now that the weather is warming up we think the San Sebastian-inspired range of dishes will find an even greater audience. Sebastian's Basque burnt cheesecake is a total doozy. Order online or find a local stockist here.

26 Esplanade, Williamstown

Nomada Food & Wine

As expected, this Fitzroy tapas bar’s rendition is an absolute cracker. It comes in two plump, roughly muffin-sized pieces for $15. It’s also available at sister restaurant Añada, via Providoor.

412 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy

Book a Table

Philippe

Even though it’s typically associated with Spain, the Basque region actually stretches into the south-western tip of France. So a classic French restaurant doing a riff on this cheesecake isn’t as strange as it seems. And at $40, this one is great value.

115-117 Collins Street, Melbourne

Ovens Street

It’s almost perpetually unavailable and when it is, you can only find it on a Friday, but darn it if this isn’t a cheesecake worth holding out for. Refresh this page in hope of a restock.

19 Ovens Street, Brunswick

Good Pudd

We have the pandemic to thank for Good Pudd, the side hustle from UK pastry chef and (temporary visa holder) Carley Scheidegger, who’s worked at Lune and Lesa. She releases a new dessert menu every week, but the Basque cheesecake refuses to be booted off the menu. It’s just too good.

Sucette

This Moorabbin-based online shop specialises in canelés – a cylindrical rum and vanilla-flavoured pastry from Bordeaux, but its Basque cheesecakes have slowly been edging their way into the limelight. Alongside the classic flavour, consider the cacao-flavoured Basque cheesecake which (very successfully) adds dark chocolate to the mix.