What to eat and drink in Australia: dishes, etiquette and dietary tips

Australian cooking is a British base plus waves of migration: Italian, Greek, Vietnamese, Chinese, Lebanese and Thai food are as ordinary as a meat pie. The reliable pattern is to eat what the region does best — seafood on the coast, café breakfasts and laneway bars in Melbourne, Asian food in the big-city suburbs, wine and cheese in the Barossa and Tasmania.

Breakfast and coffee are the strongest everyday meals. A café breakfast of smashed avocado on sourdough with a poached egg, or a bacon-and-egg roll, is the standard order and comes with coffee that most visitors rate above what they get at home. Order and pay at the counter, then take a number to your table.

For dinner, the pub is the default: a chicken parmigiana, a steak or a lamb roast with chips and salad. Seafood is best near the water and in season — Sydney rock oysters from NSW estuaries, Moreton Bay bugs and barramundi in Queensland, Coffin Bay oysters and Tasmanian salmon in the south.

Prices below are 2026 estimates in Australian dollars, before drinks. City centre and tourist areas run at the top of each band; suburbs and country towns at the bottom. Supermarkets and takeaway are the cheapest way to eat well: a bakery pie or a banh mi is a low-cost lunch. Treat every figure as a band to check against current menus, not a fixed price.

Alcohol is the biggest variable. A schooner of beer and a glass of wine in a pub sit well above bottle-shop prices, and restaurant wine is marked up heavily. Many restaurants allow BYO wine for a corkage fee — ask before you sit down.

Order and pay at the counter in cafés, pubs and many casual restaurants; table service with a bill at the end is normal in mid-range and up. Splitting the bill is routine and staff will do it without complaint. Tipping is not expected — round up, or leave 5–10% for good table service (check). Taxis and delivery apps are similar.

At a barbecue, bring something: meat for the grill, a salad or drinks. "BYO" on a restaurant sign means you may bring your own wine, usually for a corkage fee. "Shouting" a round means buying drinks for the group, and you are expected to shout back. Drinking is legal from 18 and photo ID is checked at bottle shops, bars and clubs.

Vegetarian and vegan food is easy in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and most coastal towns, and most menus mark options (check). Gluten-free is widely understood and labelled (check). Halal meat is available in the big cities and in many suburbs; kosher food is concentrated in Sydney and Melbourne (check). In small outback towns, choice narrows to pub food, bakeries and supermarkets, so plan ahead if you have a strict diet.

Serious allergies need care. Peanuts and tree nuts appear in Asian dishes and desserts, and kitchens share woks and fryers, so cross-contact is likely (check). Carry a written card naming your allergen and show it before ordering. Seafood allergies matter here: fish sauce and oyster sauce turn up in unexpected places.

Street food in the usual sense barely exists outside markets and food trucks, and food safety standards are high (check). Tap water is safe to drink nationwide (check local advice after floods). Wash fruit, and treat market seafood with the same caution you would at home. If you get sick, pharmacies sell oral rehydration salts cheaply, and travel insurance is worth having for anything more serious.

Coffee is a national ritual. A flat white, long black, cappuccino or latte is the standard order, and quality is high even in small towns. Order "takeaway" if you want it in a cup, and expect the barista to ask whether you want it here or to go.

Wine regions worth building a day around include the Hunter Valley north of Sydney, the Barossa and Clare Valley in South Australia, Margaret River in Western Australia, and Tasmania's cool-climate vineyards. Cellar-door tastings usually charge a small fee, often refunded against a purchase (check). Craft beer is everywhere, with taprooms in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and regional towns.

Native ingredients are increasingly on menus: lemon myrtle, finger lime, bush tomato and wattleseed in sauces, desserts and gin. They are worth trying once, and they are the clearest thing on a modern Australian menu that you will not find at home.

This page was last checked in September 2026. Prices are 2026 estimates in Australian dollars and change with season, city and venue; confirm current menus and cellar-door fees locally. Food safety, water and dietary guidance follows the official sources listed below — check local advice after floods or in remote communities.