Prices are rising. Budgets are under pressure. Yet in 2025,one thing is clear: we Aussies still prioritise a meal out.
According to a new report from SevenRooms, around two in five of us (42%) dine out at least three times a month. In Sydney, that number is even higher, at one in two people (55%). If you’ve ever tried booking a table on Saturday night in Surry Hills, that probably won’t surprise you.
And people aren’t treating it like a cheap bite, either. SevenRooms report also states that Aussies are prepared to dish out up to $97 per person, with those in cities with higher costs of living (e.g. Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne) willing to spend extra for premium experiences. Dining out offers more than food - it’s a reason to get out, reconnect, and enjoy something beyond the everyday routine.
Even the when is changing. Mondays, once the quietest night of the week, are now seeing a wave of new bookings. Interest in Monday reservations has surged 152% over the past year. More than half of bookings are made at the last minute. This shift tells a story: dining out has shifted from a special occasion to a weekly routine.
To better understand what’s driving dining preferences across Australia, CupoNation analysed TripAdvisor listings and Google search trends to reveal how cuisine availability and consumer curiosity are shaping where, and what, Australians choose to eat.
Australia’s Top 10 Cuisines and Eatery Types
We’re a nation of flavour lovers, but which ones hit the spot more than others?
To find out, we started with looking into the availability of eatery types across the country using TripAdvisor listings data across Australia’s six largest cities.
Looking at the national picture, some clear winners emerge. Australian eateries lead with roughly one in eight listings (3,326 venues). Asians follow closely at one in ten (2,988). Cafés make up 6.4% (1,792), with Italian close behind at 4.9% (1,380).
Together, these four categories account for more than one in three eateries across urban centres. They offer a nice blend of familiar meals and international favourites that fit a broad range of tastes and budgets.
Top 10 Most Searched for Cuisines in 2025
While TripAdvisor shows us what Australians can eat, Google data shows us what they want to eat. Search behaviour reveals more than just hunger, it captures cultural curiosity, emerging food trends, and a national appetite for discovery.
To dig into that demand side, we analysed over 9,400 Google search terms containing the word “cuisine”, adjusted for location and population size. The result? A revealing snapshot of the cuisines Australians are actively seeking out in 2025.
Here’s how the top 10 cuisines stack up, and what that says about what’s really whetting Australia’s appetite:
🥇 1. Japanese – 202,500 monthly searches
A clear frontrunner, Japanese cuisine dominates the search charts nationwide. That’s nearly 4× more interest than any other cuisine, showing Aussies’ deep love for sushi, ramen, and beyond.
🥈 2. French – 53,000
Never topping city-level lists, but impressively consistent across the board. French cuisine wins hearts with its timeless bistro dishes, buttery pastries, and fine-dining flair.
🥉 3. Vietnamese – 44,000
Fresh, fragrant, and accessible, Vietnamese food pulls strong numbers, especially in urban hubs. It's closing in on French, showing growing appeal across diverse demographics.
4. Korean – 40,500
Korean cuisine is hot on Vietnamese's heels: from BBQ to bibimbap, the rise of Korean pop culture seems to be mirrored in our food searches.
5. Italian – 36,200
A staple in homes and restaurants alike, but surprisingly lower than expected. Italian searches trail Korean by nearly 5,000 monthly queries.
6. Chinese – 26,000
A longtime favourite, but now being edged out by newer players on the food scene.
7. Indian – 24,500
Holding strong, Indian cuisine remains a steady favourite with its bold spices and comforting curries.
8. Greek – 22,000
Mediterranean flavours continue to appeal, with Greek cuisine just behind Indian in national curiosity.
9. German – 8,100
A niche interest, but still makes the top 10, thanks perhaps to hearty fare and Oktoberfest vibes.
10. Ethiopian, Russian & Thai – 5,400 (tie)
These three cuisines share the final spot, each with modest but equal search volume. This signals a growing appetite for more adventurous, globally diverse food experiences.
While global favourites continue to lead, there’s clear movement towards less mainstream cuisines, pointing to an appetite for discovery.
Australia’s Fastest-Growing Cuisines by Search Interest
Some cuisines stand out not for their volume but for their impressive pace of growth.
If the top 10 cuisines reveal what Australians are craving now, the real intrigue lies in what's heating up next. YOY search growth highlights which culinary styles are gaining momentum and moving from niche to mainstream, or from curiosity to craving.
Leading the pack is Ethiopian cuisine, with a staggering 2,767% increase in searches. This is a clear signal that Australians are opening up to bold, communal dining experiences and rich, spice-driven flavours. Similarly, interest in “cuisine nouvelle” (or French) is up 1,600%, suggesting a renewed curiosity for modern, artistic interpretations of traditional French cooking.
Even established cuisines are seeing fresh growth. German cuisine, while sitting near the bottom of the nationwide top 10, surged by 1,588% in searches, suggesting a major resurgence in curiosity. Meanwhile, Japanese cuisine, already the most searched across Australia, still managed a 1,025% rise, proving it continues to attract both loyal fans and new explorers.
Other fast-climbers include English, Korean, Vietnamese, and Filipino cuisines, each registering impressive gains. It’s clear that Australians aren’t just sticking to the familiar but searching for the next flavour frontier.
Most Searched for and Fastest Growing Cuisines in Australia’s Top 6 Cities
Australians are searching for authentic flavours, and Japanese cuisine tops the list in most major cities. That being said, there are specific regional cuisines that are enjoying a stratospheric rise in popularity among flavour-curious city dwellers. Here, beyond the big hitters, Google search data uncovers a deeper story: one of regional nuance and a growing appetite for bold, lesser-known dishes that reflect each city’s evolving tastes.
Sydney’s favourite food by searches is Japanese. However, the pan-Asian affinity doesn’t stop there, there’s an evident curiosity for other regional Chinese cuisines. Searches for Xiang-style food, famous for bold spice and heat, have ballooned by 823%, pointing to an adventurous dining culture seeking out regional heat.
Canberra is another stronghold for Japanese, but with a twist: Uyghur/Xinjiang cuisine is up 809% in searches. While volumes remain niche, the growth is steady, suggesting curiosity is evolving into lasting interest.
Adelaide is consistently loyal to Indian cuisine, particularly dishes from the north. Searches are up 408%, reinforcing a strong local appreciation for spice-forward meals like curries, tandoori, and biryani.
Melbourne sees Korean cuisine take the top spot in search volume. Next in line, Hunan and Xiang dishes are quietly gaining popularity, with a 238% increase in searches over the past year. Melbourne diners seem to be seeking out complex flavours, rather than short-lived trends.
Brisbane, another city where Japanese reigns, but a standout surprise: a 540% spike in American cuisine searches. Brisbane is breaking from the pack with a turn toward hearty, indulgent fare: think burgers, BBQ, and Southern comfort food.
Perth leads with Japanese cuisine once again, but all eyes are on Africa. Searches for African cuisines have jumped 425%, possibly driven by new restaurant openings or growing awareness of vibrant dishes like jollof rice, injera, or tagines. It’s a big signal from a city often seen as more conservative in its tastes.
What links these cities together is a growing willingness to look away from the mundane. Australians are increasingly using search to advise their food discovery, and it’s usually leading them to smaller and more distinct regional cuisines they may not have tried before.
Most Food-Curious Australian Cities
Australians love their food, but which city is truly the most cuisine-obsessed? We crunched the numbers, analysing the total number of cuisine-related searches across major metro areas over the past year. To level the playing field, we adjusted for population size and calculated how many searches each city logs per 1,000 residents per month.
Melbourne takes the crown with 26.3 searches per 1,000 people, reinforcing its reputation as Australia’s foodie capital. Despite having fewer total searches than Sydney, Melburnians search for food at a higher rate than anyone else in the country.
More unexpectedly, Adelaide claims second place with 24.5 searches per 1,000 people, punching well above its weight in both search activity and culinary curiosity.
Sydney, despite recording the highest total search volume, ranks third when adjusted for population, with 23 searches per 1,000 people. It's a strong showing, but perhaps not what many would expect from Australia’s largest and most diverse city.
Rounding out the list, in Brisbane there are 22.3 searches per 1,000 people for unique cuisine terms, 22.1 in Perth and last place - 17.6 searches per 1,000 people in Canberra.
These numbers show that while the biggest cities dominate in raw traffic, smaller metros like Adelaide are just as passionate, if not more so, when it comes to exploring global cuisines.
Food Trends Across Australia’s States and Territories
Japanese cuisine dominates search traffic across most of Australia, with seven out of eight states and territories choosing Japanese over other cuisines. The only outlier, South Australia, where North Indian tops the chart.
New South Wales and Victoria each record 49,500 monthly searches for Japanese food. Queensland follows with 33,000, then Western Australia (18,000), the ACT (2,400), Tasmania (1,950), and the Northern Territory (450). These numbers reflect how ordinary items like sushi and ramen have become staples.
But look deeper, at the percentage increase in search volume, and the differences begin to emerge.
South Australia ranks North Indian food as its most searched cuisine overall. Meanwhile, interest in Mediterranean food has seen a sharp rise of 878%, suggesting a growing preference for lighter dishes like mezze and grilled seafood.
Western Australia shows an increase in searches for Hong Kong cuisine, up 156%. Likely driven by a heightened interest in Cantonese-style menus or restaurants offering contemporary fusion eats.
New South Wales combines a high search volume for Japanese with the country’s biggest spike in interest in Xi’an cuisine. That category is up 1,646% and brings together hand-pulled noodles, chilli oil and strong spices.
Queensland still favours Japanese cuisine, but excitement around Uyghur and Xinjiang food is building, with both seeing a 156% jump in searches.
Victoria keeps Japanese food at the forefront but also sees a 367% jump in searches for broader pan-Asian offerings often grouped under "Oriental" cuisine. This label may be vague, but the growth suggests expanding interest in a wide range of Asian styles.
Tasmania shows one of the biggest increases in searches for Indian cuisine, up 500%. The overall numbers are smaller, as is the state, but the growth rate is worth noting.
The Northern Territory shows a similar shift. Japanese cuisine remains the most searched, but Indian is gaining quickly, up 300%.
ACT follows the national trend with strong gains for Uyghur and Xinjiang dishes, both increasing by 614%.
These contrasts demonstrate how a shared favourite like Japanese food can coexist with regional discovery.
Australians are combining tried-and-true meals with new tastes that echo developing demographics, travel, and shifting dining habits.
Is Chicken Australia’s Unofficial National Dish?
Forget roast lamb - if a national dish were chosen from what’s listed on TripAdvisor, chicken would be the winner.
According to TripAdvisor, there are 23,706 restaurants spread across the six largest cities. Of all the dishes served, chicken takes the crown; nearly 10% of these restaurants feature it on their menus, making it the most widely offered item by far.
Salads come in second, showing up in 8% of listings, followed by beef at 6%, fish at 5%, and desserts at 4%.
Further down the menu rankings, pork is available in just 2% of restaurants, and rice dishes appear in only 0.5%. While these are still seen here and there, nothing rivals chicken’s dominant presence on the menu.
Conclusion
Amid rising costs and shifting routines, food continues to hold a central place in Australian life. Whether it's a last-minute Monday night reservation or a spike in searches for Xi’an noodles or Ethiopian stews, dining out has evolved from a luxury to a cultural habit, one shaped by mood, opportunity, and growing culinary curiosity.
The data points reflect a population seeking connection, comfort, and novelty in the everyday, choosing to explore diverse cuisines despite financial pressure. While staples like chicken dominate menus nationwide, the sharp rise in interest around lesser-known global dishes signals a broadening palate and an appetite for discovery.
In a country where dining out serves as both ritual and release, food trends offer more than flavour. They offer insight into how Australians are navigating uncertain times, one plate at a time.
Methodology
This analysis is based on data gathered between May 2024 and May 2025.
TripAdvisor listings were reviewed across six cities: Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide and Canberra. CupoNation recorded the share of variety across the cuisines and the frequency of certain dishes.
Google search data was sourced via KeywordTool.io, focusing on entries that included the word “cuisine”. Over 9,400 terms were analysed and filtered by city and state. Duplicates and low-volume searches (under 200 monthly) were excluded for regional calculation. Branded searches were excluded.
At city level, figures were adjusted for population size when analysed. We included all terms with volume and we did not include unique terms with 0 search volume.
For national trend comparisons, only keywords with more than 500 searches per month were included,and percentage increases were calculated only for cuisines with growth over 200%. Branded and broader cuisine terms (African cuisine, Asian, European) searches were excluded. We only counted cuisines at national level (Italian, French, etc.) and more specific cuisine types (Xi’an, Uyghur etc.)
Behavioural insights were sourced from SevenRooms' 2024 Australian Diner Trends report.