10 food & drink experiences you can’t miss in Australia
From ocean-fresh seafood to native flavours and cult coffee orders, these are the must-have dishes and drinks you should be ordering when you visit Australia’s best cities and towns. Your belly will thank us later.
Travelling around Australia? Make sure to bring your appetite! Here, produce is famously fresh, and every region has a dish or drink that just tastes better on home soil. From seafood pulled straight from the ocean to bush flavours you won't find anywhere else, these are the food experiences you'll remember long after the plates are cleared.
Slurp shucked oysters by the sea
Bruny Island, Tasmania
Image: Tourism Australia
Tasmanian Oysters are known as some of the freshest and tastiest in the world. Begin your Bruny Island day at Get Shucked, which has some of the best in the region. Half a dozen fresh oysters (about $19) are shucked to order, and best eaten immediately. Add a lemon wedge and a glass of local Pinot sparkling and you've won the morning. It doesn’t stop at oysters. Take your time around the island to experience cheese tastings, leatherwood honey, and artisan chocolate, with plenty of good coastal scenery too. Watch for white wallabies and echidnas as you drive. Finish with a local whisky, a Tassie wine, or a craft beer before heading back, and give yourself a full day so you can go slow.
Where to stay: YHA Hobart Central
Build your own seafood market feast
Sydney, New South Wales
View this post on Instagram
There's no better place in Sydney for seafood with a view than Sydney Fish Market. The revamped waterfront precinct has more than 40 traders with endless choices that come fresh, fried, or grilled on a hibachi, with Blackwattle Bay and the city skyline as your backdrop. Locals queue before dawn for the daily auction, but sleep in and you’ll still score the freshest catch. Sydney rock oysters from De Costi are around $24 for a dozen, prawns on ice are about $40 a kilogram and sashimi-grade tuna from Peter's or Claudio's will set you back about $15. If you’re eating there, grab a seat outside as seagulls circle above. For the full foodie experience, book a behind-the-scenes tour to watch the auction floor in action or join a cooking class, where you'll learn to prep fish like a pro.
Where to stay: YHA Sydney Central | YHA Sydney Harbour
Crack warm macadamias straight from the roaster
Byron Bay, New South Wales
Image: Destination NSW
About 15 kilometres inland from Byron Bay sits The Farm, a popular local institution where you can wander the property on a self-guided tour. Start by cracking into freshly roasted macadamias still warm, buttery-sweet, and nothing compared to the supermarket version (bags from $12). Then stroll through the orchards past citrus trees and kitchen gardens that supply the Three Blue Ducks restaurant, where salads are picked metres from the table and desserts use local honey, nuts and tropical fruit. Mains start around $28, or just grab a coffee ($5) and snacks by the gardens if you're keeping it light. It's another version of Byron away from the beach crowd that's worth experiencing at least once.
Where to stay: YHA Byron Bay | YHA Cape Byron
Sip sunset pints as cargo ships sail pass
Fremantle, Western Australia
Image: Gage Roads Brewery Co
Gage Roads, a portside brewery on Victoria Quay, is a local favourite and Fremantle's prime spot to watch the sunset like a local. The beer here is brewed on-site and poured straight from the tank, with no middle man between you and a pint of Single Fin Summer Ale or Little Dove Pale Ale (around $12) The kitchen has the best in Western Australian produce too, with Shark Bay snapper, Geraldton octopus, Fremantle sardines (mains from $30), and a tasty lobster roll. Grab a table outside during golden hour and watch container ships glide into port. Celebrating 20 years in 2025, Gage Roads has become one of Australia's top independent breweries, and this is their flagship. Before or after, pop next door to the WA Maritime Museum, one of Fremantle's best attractions.
Where to stay: YHA Fremantle Prison
Taste native botanicals and crocodile dumplings
Cairns, Queensland
Image: Ochre Restaurant
If you've ever wanted to try Australia's wild native ingredients, Ochre Restaurant in downtown Cairns is a good place to start. Diners come here to taste what grows and roams in Far North Queensland, with crocodile and emu dumplings (part of the mains from $36), kangaroo fillet, and desserts that have Davidson plum and wattleseed. Wash it down with a green ant gin, and indulge in the three-course set menu from $88 if you want the full native botanical experience. For something lighter on the wallet, Thai Foodies House in Orchid Plaza serves authentic Thai with most plates under $20, with some of the best pad thai in town. Both restaurants are near the iconic Cairns night markets, perfect for a post-dinner stroll.
Where to stay: YHA Cairns Central
Drink waterfront pints at Felons and cruise the brewery belt
Brisbane, Queensland
Image: Felons Brewing Co
Brisbane's brewery scene has exploded, and the best place to start is Felons Brewing Co, which sits right on the Brisbane River under the iconic Story Bridge. Grab a schooner of Harbourmaster Pale Ale or Waterfront XPA (around $12) and sit on the sprawling deck as the city lights up past sunset. The kitchen also does elevated pub food, with beer-battered flathead, wagyu burgers, crispy pork belly between $25 and $35. From there, hit Newstead Brewing Co in the brewery belt for hoppy IPAs and wood-fired pizzas, or Range Brewing for craft ales and a laid-back warehouse vibe. A Brisbane Brewery Tour (from $119) can take care of the organising, or take advantage of Queensland's current 50-cent public transport fares and bar-hop solo.
Where to stay: YHA Brisbane City
Feast on schnitzel, pretzels and strudel
Hahndorf, South Australia
Image: German Arms Hotel
Just outside Adelaide, Hahndorf is Australia's oldest surviving German settlement, and the main street looks like a Bavarian village from the 1800s. The food reflects the atmosphere, and you’ll find authentic pretzels, schnitzels the size of your plate and apple strudel washed down with German beers (mains at The Haus and the German Arms Hotel start from about $30). Back in the city, the Adelaide Central Market has been an institution for over 150 years with more than 70 stalls, perfect for grazing fresh produce, cheese and smallgoods, plus multicultural bites. Street food options start around $12, and guided tours (from $59) help you navigate the variety without missing the good stuff.
Where to stay: YHA Adelaide Central
Drink a ‘magic’ coffee like a local
Melbourne, Victoria
Image: Proud Mary Cafe
Melbourne's coffee culture is legendary, and if you're in the know, you'll order a "Magic". It's a Melbourne-born specialty that's a double ristretto topped with silky steamed milk in a smaller cup. Stronger than a latte and smoother than a cappuccino, it hits the perfect coffee-to-milk ratio. Head to iconic spots like Brother Baba Budan in the CBD (they invented the Magic), Patricia Coffee Brewers for their "black or white" simplicity, or Proud Mary in Collingwood for adventurous brewing methods. Most cafes charge under $6 for a Magic, and the city's laneways are packed with world-class roasters and baristas who take their craft seriously. Just ask for a "magic" and watch the barista nod in approval.
Where to stay: YHA Melbourne Central
Devour fish and chips on the beach
Apollo Bay, Victoria
Image: Apollo Bay Fishermen’s Co-Op
Apollo Bay's fishing fleet brings in fresh catch daily, and there's no better way to enjoy it than with fish and chips by the beach. The Apollo Bay Fishermen's Co-Op has been the local institution since 1948, serving Southern Rock Lobster and Bass Strait flake. Another local favourite is the Apollo Bay Seafood Cafe, which has served fresh local seafood for nearly two decades. Grab your order, walk five minutes to the beach, and eat with sand between your toes.
Where to stay: YHA Apollo Bay Eco
Order a ‘Kosci’ after a day in the mountains
Jindabyne, New South Wales
Image: The Banjo Paterson Inn - Kosciuszko Brewing Company
You can't visit Jindy, as the locals call it, without ordering a "Kosci". Start at the Banjo Paterson Inn, home of Kosciuszko Brewing Company, named for Mount Kosciuszko, Australia's highest peak about 45 minutes away. Order a schooner of their Pale Ale ($10) and grab a table outside where, if you time it well, the lakeside sunsets have hues of pink and orange. Over at Jindabyne Brewing, the beers are named after mountain peaks and local landmarks. Grab an Island Bend Pilsner or Kiandra Golden Ale (around $10) and settle in for hearty mountain food. Pies, burgers and schnitzels are around $30, perfect after a day walking the lake or hitting the trails.
Where to stay: YHA Thredbo
Words: Troy Nankervis
Book direct and save
By booking direct with MyYHA you'll receive our exclusive discounted rates. Sign up or login to get 10% off at select properties.
