Australian Foods to Try: 15 Dishes Every Visitor Should Eat

Ask ten Australians to name their national dish and you’ll get ten different answers, plus an argument. That’s because Australian food isn’t really one cuisine. It’s British pub classics, Italian, Greek, Lebanese and Asian migration, Indigenous ingredients that have been eaten here for tens of thousands of years, and seafood from three oceans, all mixed together.

If it’s your first trip, this list of Australian foods to try will help you skip the guesswork. For each dish you’ll find what it is, where to eat it, and whether it works for vegetarians.

Savoury Australian classics

1. Meat pie

A hand-sized pastry filled with minced beef and gravy. Australians eat them at the footy, at petrol stations and from small-town bakeries, usually with a squeeze of tomato sauce on top. Country bakeries tend to beat the city chains.

Vegetarian? Most bakeries also sell a vegetable, curried veg or cheese-and-spinach pie.

2. Sausage sizzle

A grilled sausage on a single slice of white bread, with fried onions and sauce. You’ll find them outside hardware stores on weekends, at school fêtes and at polling booths on election day, where it’s called a “democracy sausage”. It’s cheap, it usually raises money for a local club, and it’s very Australian.

3. Chicken parmigiana

A crumbed chicken schnitzel topped with tomato sauce, ham (sometimes) and melted cheese, served with chips and salad. It’s on almost every pub menu. Fun fact: in Melbourne it’s a “parma”, in Sydney it’s a “parmi”. Locals feel strongly about this.

4. Fish and chips

Battered or grilled fish with thick-cut chips, ideally eaten on the sand. Ask what’s local and fresh. Flathead, snapper and barramundi are common choices. Watch out for seagulls.

5. Vegemite on toast

A dark, salty spread made from yeast extract. The trick is to spread a thin layer over hot buttered toast. Don’t eat it by the spoonful like Nutella, which is what most first-timers do. Vegemite is vegetarian.

6. Smashed avo

Australian café culture made “smashed avo” famous: crushed avocado on sourdough, often with feta, lemon, chilli and a poached egg. It’s the classic brunch order, especially in Sydney and Melbourne. Read our guide to Melbourne coffee culture to pair it properly.

Australian desserts and sweet treats

7. Pavlova

A meringue base, crisp outside and marshmallowy inside, piled with whipped cream and fresh fruit like passionfruit, berries and kiwi. It’s a Christmas favourite. New Zealand also claims it, so tread carefully.

8. Lamingtons

Squares of sponge cake dipped in chocolate and rolled in desiccated coconut. Some come with a layer of jam and cream in the middle. Bakeries and supermarkets sell them all year.

9. Tim Tams

Two chocolate biscuits with a chocolate cream filling, coated in more chocolate. Try the “Tim Tam slam”: bite off opposite corners and use it as a straw for hot coffee or Milo. They make the easiest souvenir to carry home.

10. Anzac biscuits

Chewy biscuits made with rolled oats, coconut and golden syrup. They’re tied to the Anzac soldiers of World War I and are especially popular around Anzac Day on 25 April. They contain no eggs, which makes them a good pick if you avoid egg.

11. Fairy bread

White bread, butter and hundreds and thousands (rainbow sprinkles), cut into triangles. It’s a children’s party staple, and somehow adults still reach for it.

Australian seafood and native ingredients

12. Barramundi

A mild, flaky white fish found in northern Australia. The name comes from an Aboriginal language. Try it grilled with lemon in Cairns or Darwin.

13. Moreton Bay bugs

Don’t let the name put you off. These are a type of slipper lobster from Queensland with sweet, firm meat. They’re often served grilled with garlic butter.

14. Sydney rock oysters

Smaller and creamier than many other oysters. Eat them fresh with a squeeze of lemon at the Sydney Fish Market or a waterfront restaurant. They feature in our Sydney 3 day itinerary.

15. Bush foods

Look for native ingredients on modern menus: finger lime (tiny citrus “caviar”), lemon myrtle, wattleseed (nutty, coffee-like flavour), macadamia, Davidson’s plum and quandong. Some Indigenous-owned businesses run bush food tours, which are the best way to learn how these ingredients are traditionally used.

Tips for vegetarian travellers from India

• Menus usually mark dishes with V (vegetarian), VG (vegan) and GF (gluten free).
• Ask about hidden ingredients: egg in cakes and batters, gelatine in desserts and some yoghurts, chicken stock in soups and risotto, and fish sauce in Thai dishes.
• Bakeries, cafés and food courts almost always have at least one vegetarian option.
• If you miss home food, our guide to Indian and vegetarian food in Australia covers the best suburbs to visit.

Can you bring Indian snacks to Australia?

You must declare all food when you land, including spices, namkeen and sweets. Some packaged items may be allowed after inspection, but undeclared food can lead to large fines. Read our Plan Your Trip guide before you pack.

FAQs about Australian food

What is Australia’s national dish?

There isn’t an official one. The meat pie, pavlova and Vegemite on toast are the dishes Australians name most often.

Is Australian food spicy?

Traditional Australian food is mild. But Thai, Indian, Sichuan and Malaysian restaurants are everywhere in the big cities, so you can easily find spice.

Is it easy to eat vegetarian in Australia?

Yes. Vegetarian and vegan options are common in cities, and most restaurants are happy to adjust a dish if you ask.

What food should I bring back from Australia?

Tim Tams, Vegemite, macadamias, Australian honey and native spice blends travel well. Check India’s customs rules for anything with meat or dairy.

Hungry for more? Browse our Food & Drink guide for wine regions, food markets and coffee.