Dining

Old Aug 2nd, 2016, 08:10 PM
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Dining

I will be traveling to Sydney and Cairns in September. Where are some good places to eat? I hear the food in AUS is very pricey compared to the US.
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Old Aug 2nd, 2016, 11:51 PM
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Sydney is a very cosmopolitan & diverse city of about 5m people.

There is a fantastic range of fresh food of just about every type & at every price point you could imagine.

Whilst there are some chains ( like McDonalds etc), Australian dining is predominantly owner-operated single unit or several restaurants with the same owners but serving different styles of food.

Perhaps some slight hint about
1) Where you will be staying / wishing to eat?
2) The types of cuisine you like?

Food may well be more expensive in some parts of Australia than in some parts of the US.

However, In my experience, the restaurants, bistros & bars I have visited in NYC, WashingtonDC & various towns in The Hamptons, have menu prices about the same $ ( ignoring the FX difference which is running about 25% in your favour at the moment.) as our capital cities, of which Sydney is one.

A couple of big differences in Australian dining ( & other areas) compared with the US:

1. The price you see is the price you pay. There are no additional taxes.*

2. You do not have to tip. Anything to anyone for anything, at any time.

Did the source of your "very pricy " information also advise you of these important facts as well?

* some places charge 10% surcharge on public holidays, Sundays or foe large groups.

One more thing you may find helpful:

In Australia, an "Enteee" is just that - a course or dish before the Main.
Perhaps this is why people from the US think the portions are small for the price here.
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Old Aug 3rd, 2016, 03:39 AM
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Good advice from Bokhara2, would also add that dining in Cairns is expensive but worth it. Seafood is the way to go at Cairns. If you have some time and money treat yourself to the Flames of the Forest experience near Port Douglas.

Remember no tips
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Old Aug 4th, 2016, 11:55 AM
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>

That statement has no meaning.

The US has multitudes of price points. Shockingly, so does Australia.
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Old Aug 6th, 2016, 11:23 AM
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Thanks for the tips. A party of 11 will be staying near the central business district at the Radisson Plaza Hotel, close to The Rocks and not far from the opera house etc. I have heard about the no tipping which is great. Keeps it simple. We will be in Sydney 6 nights, then head up to Cairns for 3 nights and finish in Fiji on our way back to the US. We like all types of food, I hear the beef in Sydney is delicious. I personally eat a lot of chicken and some seafood.

My next question. I will use my credit card for most purchases and read where I may need a PIN which I have just in case. Do I need to purchase any Australian currency for incidentals? Trying to figure out how much, perhaps for souvenirs. I usually carry the country's currency for tipping which doesn't appear to be necessary.

Thanks for your advise.
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Old Aug 6th, 2016, 11:58 AM
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Yes, you will need some AUD for incidentals.

Whilst an increasing number of small businesses, coffee bars etc., do have "tap & go" / pay pass technology, many also have a minimum $ for card purchases.

Most POS machines are set up to recognize chip & signature cards, but some junior staff are not always swayed of it, so a PIN is useful, as well as a good security.

Just use your debit card in an ATM to withdraw what cash you need. See if your bank has an affiliation with an Australian Bank, to minimise transaction fees.

The Radisson is in a good, central position, about 1km to the Opera House, a little further to The Rocks.

There is plenty for your group to choose from for restaurants, bistros, cafes, etc.

Zomato is a useful guide, as are the Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide & various Cheap Eats guides. Google is your friend.

Make sure you take at least couple of ferry trips on the Harbour while you're here.
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Old Aug 6th, 2016, 02:31 PM
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Timeout is also a good resource for online restaurant reviews, what's on & things to do.

I'd encourage you to venture a little beyond the CBD - to Potts Point, Surry Hills, Darlinghurst in the East; Chippendale, Erskineville,Newtown & Balmain in the inner west. Perhaps you might enjoy the pubs in Paddington & Millers Point.

Another Sydney favourite is Ferry, Fish & Chips. Manly & Watsons Bay both have good take-away shops near the beaches.

If you like a walk, there are myriad - from a short 15-20 minute walk from Milsons Point back to the city across the Harbour Bridge, to walks of 2-3 hours around parts of the Harbour.
Google: Sydney Harbour walks.

Download a decent Sydney map & use Rome2Rio or Google maps to locate & work out your transport.

On that note, you will need Opal cards for the excellent t public transport. Google details.

I had a stack of links saved to paste for you, but Fodors' marvellous system refuses to paste from a note page on my iPhone and after 4 or 5 attempts, I'm afraid my patience has expired.

Nevertheless, I'm sure you're capable of googling.

One last thing - and don't be offended, I'm assuming you have or will applied for your Australian Visa. You'd be amazed at how many of your countrymen seem to think they will not require them as they are from the US.
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Old Aug 8th, 2016, 07:45 AM
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We had a dual chip card - can operate as +pin or +sign. Every dang Aussie POS terminal defaulted to chip+sign, never used the pin.

Why would you "purchase" Aussie dollars? Just take some out of the ATM when you arrive.
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Old Aug 8th, 2016, 07:17 PM
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Thanks for all the great tips! Yes I have my visa and so do the other travelers. I work for a bank so I don't have pay the fee to purchase foreign currency that's why I like to take some currency with me. I love to walk so will google a good map. I read about the Opal card and have the ferry map. Pretty sure some questions will come up. Thanks again.
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Old Aug 17th, 2016, 02:49 PM
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Be sure you know what happens if you make a purchase using your PIN. In the US we are still behind the rest of the world, even if your cards now have a chip embedded.

All three issuers of my finally-with-chip American CCs told me in no uncertain terms that if I use the PIN the transaction will count as a cash advance, incurring finance charges from the moment it happens.

Points-of-sale in Australia all give you the option of signing, so no worries.

And for local currency (always handy for this and that), use an ATM - with a debit card from home that draws on your checking account. If you make it Schwab or Capital or Andrews (and probably others) you don't even pay for the ATM fee.

About prices: No way is the average more expensive than in the US. Plus - no tax added, no tip (NO TIP!), and it only costs you about 80 USD to get 100 AUD, so things are definitely in your favor. So that twenty-dollar meal on the menu costs you about 16 of your greenbacks.

Now add the custom of BYO and you can eat and drink very reasonably and have a great time.
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Old Aug 20th, 2016, 03:23 AM
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I live in Australia and as far as I know, signatures for credit card purchases are rarely (if ever) accepted any more. I can't remember the last time I was able to sign for something - must be at least a year ago. It's now PIN or paywave everywhere.
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Old Aug 20th, 2016, 07:15 PM
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Well, sorry to contradict, just this past March-April I signed in dozens of places - the card scanner gizmo tells the attendant whether it's a PIN- or a signature-type card, and without even looking up as if something was out of the ordinary, each time the attendant handed me the slip or the touchscreen to scribble my John Hancock. Business as usual - for people like US travelers, and maybe others.

Ditto in N.Z.
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Old Aug 20th, 2016, 07:56 PM
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That's good to know. Perhaps it's only for cards issued by Australian banks that signatures are not accepted. There was quite a bit of media attention in Australia when they removed signatures but of course that may not be enforceable for cards from banks outside of Australia, especially if PIN transactions are treated as a cash advances by some banks overseas, as someone stated earlier on this thread.

In the reverse, when I was in the UK, I was always asked for a signature, even though I normally used a PIN in Australia.
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Old Aug 20th, 2016, 11:45 PM
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Dreamon: Australian issued chip & pin credit cards are recognized at the POS & pins required.

This does not apply to those o/s issued cards which don't have pins.
As others have commented, sometimes staff have to be reminded of this, if they have not been trained or have not come across foreign issued c/cards previously.

Notwithstanding; I am occasionally asked to sign for one of my ( Aust issued) Amex cards.
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