Trends here to stay in 2026

Greek food

In 2025, Greek restaurants were as hard to ignore as a quality olive oil spilt on a white tablecloth. The wholesome pleasures of village cooking spread from east coast to west in a symphony of saganaki, charred octopus and feta. Everyone knew a “great new Greek place”, went face-down in the dips and pretended they’d always loved oregano this much. It was loud, lemony and utterly joyful.

Weird locations

Who doesn’t love a hidden gem? Venues flirting with the economic benefits of FOMO blossomed into a full bouquet of locations even your GPS might struggle to find. Melbourne spawned Pop’s Postie Roll – a former post office now selling chicken schnitzel rolls through a porthole window – and a nameless taco joint in a Chinatown laneway (Taqueria Sin Nombre – look for the dumpsters and turn left). North Adelaide welcomed 10- seater Turkish diner Mini Lokanta, located in the front room of Enver Tuğrul and Gökçe Özbecene’s home; and behind a backstreet roller door in Marrickville, the eclectically multicultural Baba’s Place continued to charm Sydney.

Matcha

Finding matcha in our cities is now less a search and more an inevitability. Turn any corner and there it is: wickedly green, oat-milked and served by someone versed in its origin story. Some cups are grassy perfection, others taste like regret and hot water, but the ritual has sticking power. But our matcha addiction comes at a cost, primarily to the good people of Japan, who are experiencing shortages while their premium product goes offshore.

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Creative chicken

Is it a sign of these cash-strapped times that the most quotidian of meats is flying high? Chicken, once derided as the ‘boring’ person’s choice, found its main character energy on menus in 2025. Whether it’s grilled, skewered, fried, roasted whole or charcoaled to perfection, chook is now the poster protein du jour.

Brassicas

Leafy greens have strutted onto Australian restaurant menus like they own the place. The nana-like charms of broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower and their crunchy cousins have elevated them from side dishes to heroically drizzled headline acts. Chefs discuss them with the kind of reverence once reserved for steak, while diners nod over ‘coal-kissed brassica medleys’. And for 2026, you ask? We’re tipping celtuce (a thick rooty lettuce also known as stem lettuce) to ride to the top of the vegie hit list. Watch this space.

What’s out for 2026

Smug water

Yes, hydration is important. But when it comes to water service in restaurants, a subject that ought to be transparently clear remains maddeningly opaque. “Still or sparkling?” is a guaranteed trigger for social awkwardness at the table. Ask the waiter about prices and you’ll feel like the world’s biggest tightwad. Don’t ask, and risk a $12 bottle of imported Italian stuff with the carbon miles of a 747.

Caviar

Avruga caviar is the dining shill that refuses to die. Despite not being ‘caviar’ at all, these little smoked herring orbs continue to pantomime their upmarket aspirations at restaurants that really ought to know better. The real stuff, meanwhile – genuinely luxe fish roe – has become the culinary equivalent of driving a Ferrari. Watching a bunch of tech bros do caviar ‘bumps’ does nothing for the mood in a dining room. It’s time to bump this one off the dining list.

No eggs

Brunch became politically sensitive in 2025 when the egg shortage turned the breakfast staple into a luxury item. Supermarket egg shelves stood empty, cafes bore ‘no eggs’ signs like bad news, and even the Prime Minister got asked during the election campaign how much eggs actually cost. As well as causing flashbacks to the great avo shortage of 2016, the 2025 egg shortage brought a new- found appreciation for one of life’s simple joys. May supply chains stand firm in ’26.

Chocolate mousse

This officially reached Peak Menu in 2025, appearing on every second dessert list in all its unimaginative glory. Light, airy, predictable; the safe choice for chefs afraid of risk and diners too tired to decide. At least Melbourne’s Maison Bâtard gussied up the experience by delivering its ‘mousse au chocolat’ via a tableside service trolley. On that note, its sibling restaurant Grill Americano was behind the 2024 tiramisu revival – keep an eye on Chris Lucas’ hospo group to see what 2026 has in store at the sweet end of the meal.

Tech-led dining

Computers definitely won 2025, but the analog resistance is growing to the tech-led ‘enshitification’ of hospitality. Sitting down in a restaurant and ordering via a QR code leaves an algorithmic aftertaste like artichokes with oaked chardonnay. And don’t get us started on robot waiters. They might be a novelty act for the kids, but they’re a sign of the apocalypse for anyone who likes asking questions, splitting the bill or simply being seen. Let’s get our hospo house in order and bring back the human factor.

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