FOOD: EATING IN AUSTRALIA
 

Over the years I have seen many reports saying it is expensive to eat in Australia compared with the USA. Now I have to disagree with that statement quite strongly because those who state that are comparing apples with oranges. It is a bit like a friend of mine who went to France and said to me how expensive it was there for accommodation and food - it is NOT EXPENSIVE in France, in fact it is extremely reasonable but then you must frequent the places that the locals go i.e. I pay about $US 29 per night for accommodation in Paris and it costs me about $8US for a three course meal when I am travelling in France because I try to become a local and it pay off in many ways. Same applies to Australia but I cannot say that you would find the same accommodation in Sydney as you would in Paris for the same price but then that is because we do not have those little private hotels like they have in Paris.
In Australia we don't have places like Wendy's or Denny's or those places where you can get a take away anything at all, this is because we are only 20 Million people and don't have to cater for large volumes of hungry people who like fast food. If we want to have a meal that is inexpensive then we go to one of the many clubs and pubs which serve huge, nourishing meals for say approximately $12 US or perhaps we would have an Australian hamburger with " the works" which includes the meat patty, egg, bacon, pineapple, salad, beetroot ( someone once suggested that if we had "proper" catshup ( sp???) we would not need beetroot but give me beetroot every time as I love it on hamburgers, sauce, onions and just about anything else they can find - this will cost you about $6 US with chips and is a meal and a half in itself. Then of course we have the wonderful and nourishing fish and chip shops where a nice piece of fish will be either fried or grilled for you, with chips for about $5 US.
I had a pub meal the other night and my husband had a seafood medley which was on a plate fit for two people and had fish, scallops, prawns, fishcakes, chips, 4 vegitables and that cost $12US. A better meal you could not have had. Restaurants in Austalia are for people who want to spend an evening out - they are not places you eat every night and there are good ones, bad ones and ones in the middle. If people choose not to take on board the information will not get the benefit of the help that is given.
Please though when you make a report, do it in a way that is factual and accurate. There has been many, many helpful hints on eating in Australia over the years that many people have spent time in writing. If you wish to differ from their tips, then OK but you will then pay the price but please do not say that because you decided to do things differently Australia was expensive - it did not have to be that way!!!

I agree and disagree. I think Australia can lift it's game to be honest. Yes great food if you live in some areas but when you look at the country as a whole the food can be pretty average. Tourism areas especially lend themselves to rip off operators. Some outback/rural area pubs and restaurants could perhaps invest in a cookbook.

On the costs side I go along with Neil's comments. We pay a bit more because we don't have the underclass or poverty levels of the US. This is changing however so it may not stay that way for long and we kiss goodbye forever our famous egalitarism.

What is odd to me is that there seems to be this war on this site between the two countries regarding food. The US vs Australia on all things foody would probably make a few non natives of either country fall off their chairs laughing.

Good advice for those looking for low cost meals. Pubs and clubs are where Aussies go for a meal when they want a night away from cooking or just to catch up with friends. Restaurants are mainly for a celebration and then chosen on merit rather than location. I would eat at a cafe more ofen than a restaurant.

Also some cultural differences may come into play. Many Americans, not all, are just not attracted to wine with meals or the pub atmosphere. We lean more toward being European in that way. A recent visit from a relative from the US made us feel total sinners for having wine with most meals. No lie. The religous right has a strong presence in the US.

One thing I noticed was that the food and drink on offer at public places seemed to be of a MUCH higher standard in Australia than here. I'm thinking of places like Taronga and Melbourne Zoos, where it was possible to have a perfectly serviceable meal with a beer or glass of wine in a reasonably pleasant room. Nothing special, just ordinary, thoughful, and decent.

Here in Seattle, if you go to the Woodland Park Zoo (terrific in most other respects), you will have the choice of several absolutely repulsive options, either fast-food chain items miraculously made even worse, or "upscale" bilge with names like "EURO SANDWICH PLATTER", all pre-made and served by incompetent and terrified immigrants. And that's a huge step up from the disgusting garbage they USED to serve. And of course, no liquor, as our Puritanism prevents the very idea of enjoyment without accompanying criminal abandon from being allowed in our minds.

As I've said elsewhere, the price of restaurant meals in Australia isn't so bad when you account for tax, tip, and much much cheaper wine.

I agree with Liz. Eating out in Australia does not have to be an expensive affair at all.

In Melbourne for instance you can get many a reasonably priced meal in the "foodie" suburbs of Brunswick, Lygon Street or St Kilda without breaking the bank. Just go where the locals go.

Also we have notced that the Asian restaurants are very reasonably priced, Thai in particular.

There are places where you will pay through the nose for food. I remember one Italian restaurant in Downtown Melbourne where we paid AUD$30 for a starter of three scallops. Best darn scallops I have tasted but still only three. The total bill for the night was AUD$1,000 for six diners wine included. However, this restaurant was really one for the occassion, not a place to be frequenting nightly. Better to find a nice local restaurant that serves good food to local people then you will be charged accordingly.

Also (but not reigniting the debate) you should not feel obliged to tip in Australian restaurants (Or for that matter, in ones in NZ) as the true cost of the meal is included in the price of the food, not a service charge at the end.

Also as Liz says eating in France can be very reasonable. If you are out in the country, try hiting the markets that are run in the small (and not so small) towns. Buy your food fresh from them, cheese, meat, veges. Fantastic and a great price too. It appears the French have remembered that food does not have to come irradiated, preserved and, shrinkwrapped in plastic in a chiller in a supermarket.

Oh - I disagree absolutely with fnarf's opinion on tipping. If there is a service charge added to the bill - in the more expensive places that I rarely frequent - then it's perhaps up to you. One hopes the money actually goes to the waiters. But if not - and it rarely is in neighbourhood eateries - then you must tip. Even if it's only coffee and cake. I just remember being a waitress myself - don't you?

As for eating cheaply in Australia - pubs and clubs often give excellent value, but you get what you pay for in that area. Roast of the day, burgers, etc. If it's more adventurous then it's likely to be pre-prepared, chilled, frozen, whatever.

Your local Thai will cook the food to order - with plenty of veggies if you go for a stir fry. I have a choice of about six - all good, but my fave does more than I can eat for under $12 eat in or take away. Indian is usually more expensive but still a bargain.

I can't compare with the US as I've only visited once and what I remember is the mega size of the portions and the huge waste.

Having said all that I would agree that in really small places - especially roadhouses - the food is pretty unappetising. But then it has maybe had to be shipped in from a long way away. Still - a trivial point - it would be nice to be able to get a sandwich on other than sliced white bread.

That's my only whinge. Otherwise eating cheaply and well here is a delight - especially as BYO is the name of the game.

I'm an expat living in the US. The one thing that I have noticed is that here in the US it is - at times - harder to find a 'Mom & Pop' restaurant when there are so many chain-restaurants present.

I think due to the nature of the chain restaurants in the US, it is easier for the 'average' tourist to visit one of those, as opposed to seek out something unique and different.

Now, the 'traveller' is the person who wants to eat at the unknown place and discuss life with the locals, etc.

In Australia, there are more expenses in owning a restaurant, and more likely as a result of the location, probably less or limited clientele.

When I think about eating at a non-chain restaurant, let's see, I ate at Bella Vita last week here in Indianapols. www.bellavitaatgeist.com - and my meal, including tip, was $16.25. I had a small side salad, pasta, and water to drink. That averages out to about 20AUD. I can certainly get a nice meal for 20AUD at a non-chain restaurant in Australia. Sometimes it's just seeking it out to try and find it.

I've also found that produce in Australia, overall, is much better than that in the US. The quality of meat in an 'average' restaurant is on par with an 'above average' restaurant here in Indianapolis. I can't speak for the rest of the country as this is primarily where I eat!

I think it's all about where you are and what you want to eat. If you want seafood, it's obviously going to cost more. Same if you are in a tourist 'trap'.

Something else to keep in mind is that, from my perspective, Americans do eat out more than Australians. Where a friend of mine here might order pizza once a week, and eat out for dinner twice a week, my comparitively-wage-earning friend in Australia might only eat out once a week.

One more factor -- Australians tend to view dining out as more of an experience. It's a time to relax and enjoy a leisurely meal, where in the US, at an average restaurant, it's all about 'get in and get out'.

Thoughts?
(the other) Liz

Here is a tip if you are travelling in outback places or those areas which are not tourist areas. Always go for the food stop that has plenty of trucks around it. That usually means that that is a good place to eat with nice hearty meals because they do cater for the man on the move.

The "get in and get out" syndrome results from the staff having to rely on tips for most of their pay. It suits the owner too, of course.

fuzzylogic, I may be getting out of touch, but I've never seen a service charge in an Australian restaurant, expensive or inexpensive. Where has this happened to you?

Neil:

I wonder by service charge if it's a surcharge?

My parents owned a coffee shop in Katoomba, and we had a 10% surcharge on Sundays and Public Hols.

I'm an American expat living in Indonesia and just returned from two weeks in W.A. yesterday. I love Australia, and wholeheartedly agree with emilid's comments regarding the produce in the US. Every time I walk into an Australian grocery store I'm amazed at the produce - it's abundant, fresh and positively huge! I saw the biggest leek I've ever seen just the other day in a Perth grocery store. Where I come from (Colorado) we just don't get the quality produce that I've seen in Australia - (with the notable exception of Rocky Ford cantalope in August!)and I for one, am incredibly jealous.

As far as price, I do find Australian restaurants more expensive than in the US, about half again as much, but I have no problem paying more for good quality food.

As mentioned, in the US we have oodles of chain restaurants where you can get way too much food for a reasonable price. The advantage is that you know what to expect, the disadvantage is that after awhile, the food in all those chain restaurants begins to taste the same (to me anyway).

Without exception, the restaurant meals we had during our W.A. trip were unique and incredibly fresh, and yes, a wee bit expensive by American standards.

I love the fact that in parts of Australia you can call in at an olive grove and pick up some freshly made tapenade, then stop at a dairy to pick up some cheese, then head over to the nearest winery to get a bottle of wine.

I came home from this trip thinking that Australia is very much a cafe culture. Coffee shops and cafes abound, and the locals seem to thoroughly enjoy lingering over a cup of coffee and a muffin. It's a nice change from the constant rushing around in the US.

Ah, Food Glorious Food!!!

Actually, forget the whole food thing, I just want to know where LizF stayed in Paris for $29 USD!!

I don't feel that food in Oz is more expensive, especially when you factor in the fact that you're not tipping, as in the US that's 15% of the bill.

That said, I would also have to say, from my experience (and I'm a hard critic coming from a family with a restaurant background, and myself having been a waitress and a bartender) that the service is better in the U.S. Yeah, when your tips are part of your earnings you tend to hustle more for them.

As far as produce between the two, I have often wistfully hoped for a salad bar somewhere in Oz when visiting. Again, this is a regional thing. I'm in California and we have amazing produce -- all year long.

Sydney, (and Melbourne) like San Francisco have wonderful Asian restaurants that are/can be inexpensive and great.

My favorite travel / picnic lunch or dinner, either in Europe or Oz or NZ will consist of wine, cheese, bread and salami. I'm a happy girl with that combination.

I also have had great luck with going to a Woolworth's in Oz or NZ and getting an entire roasted chicken or some kebabs if you're in accommodations where you can accompany this with some "sides" and have a lovely meal on your balcony.

Regards,

Melodie

I've noticed surcharges up here in BC, but they are usually fuel surcharges on BC Ferries. Hey ferryboats have to eat too.

AndrewDavid

Melodie -

I hear you on the bread, cheese, salami and wine! We had exactly that several days in W.A. Throw in some local mandarins, perch yourself on a boulder overlooking the ocean, and presto, perfect picnic.

I s'pose I will be sorry for answering Melody on this but there are a number of hotels in Montmartre which cost from $29 US per night that I know of. My daughter and I had arrived at the backpackers there and after negotiating the narrow stairs with about 3 suitcases and up 4 flights we got to our room which was quite ok but the kitchen where we could make coffee was a pig stye and the lounge was equally so plus there were restrictions on what we could do etc, as all backpacker accommodation has so many rules, that the next morning we went looking for something more suitable. If you get off the train in Montmartre and look up the street to Sacre Couer ( sp?) there is a little private hotel about 3 premises from the corner of the street. It has a billboard out the front and there is a long narrow staircase to the reception but the rooms are fresh and clean, the owner very hospitable and the lounge area comfortable if homely. It IS NOT FLASH but you won't get cheaper for the same quality. Also the owner does not speak English so if you don't know any French you will have to resort to sign language.
The owner was happy to carry my cases up the stairs and when his son was on duty we could speak converse as he spoke English. Last year I stayed in another nice little hotel out on the way to EuroDisney which was $34US per night but that included continental breakfast. I did meet a Canadian chap who asked me what hotel I was in as he was in one that cost $160US and thought that that was a bit expensive for one person. I guess you pay for what you get to a great extent in Paris but I have never paid more than $40 per night and I have stayed in some lovely little places there. The private hotels do not have gyms, restaurants, bars and all the trimmings but they are good and they will suit me just fine as long as the bed is comfortable and the room clean.

LizF,

Thanks for replying -- my curiosity was piqued!

Narrow stairs and a filthy kitchen aren't too appealing; the second place sounds much more appealing.

I laughed about your comment of looking for the sign when you get off the train. When I was there, they kicked us off the train in the middle of nowhere!
Yep! Another one of the famous French strikes -- we were in St. Germain, and after two stops everyone had to get off, so we looked at the map and got a general idea of where to go for Monmarte.

You obviously have better luck staying at cheapie accommodation though -- I stayed at a cheap motel in Vegas last month and the maid stole my shoes. Not kidding.

Melodie

Indeed, as you said in the first post here, it is comparing apples to oranges. Unfortunately, there are a lot of sweeping generalizations about both eating in Australia and eating in the USA in this thread. There's a lot of truth to the postings, but again, you just can't say that all of the US has bad produce and or that all pub food in Australia is great.

I didn't really notice Australia as being particularly more expensive than the US as far as food goes, but then again, I wasn't traveling in order to make comparisons, I was just enjoying the moments. Also, I tend not to eat at fast food places in the US, so maybe the costs between the places I go and the places I went in Australia were simply comparable.

Believe it or not, good food is to be had in the US. Just as in Australia, often that depends on not going to tourist areas, but finding out where the locals eat. Yeah, some of it's bad, and the portions can be huge, but really, honest, there are good meals to be had.

Agree Toucan2 - we had lots of good meals in the US, with good-quality ingredients and a few mediocre ones, but only one outright bad (actually, beyond bad) experience - our own silly fault, when we made the mistake of straying into an Olive Garden franchise. But I've had some terrible meals in Australia, too. I would also have to agree that Australian service can on occasion be lackadaisical.

As mentioned before here, though, fast American service has a downside if you're looking to have a leisurely meal and the waiter is desperate to free your table for another walking tip. Neither system is ideal, and which one we prefer is mostly a result of our cultural conditioning.

I quite agree with you Toucan2 that there is good food to be had in the US. One of my favourite places in Number 86 Queen Street Charleston, N.C where I had one of the best steaks ever in my life and the ambiance was fantastic. Another gem of a place was at the Epcot Centre in Florida ( yes at the Epcot centre - can you believe it?) I had another steak there which was on Southern mashed sweet potatoe which is mashed with butter, brown sugar and bourbon. Gosh that was nice! Another memorable meal was a breakfast in Palm Springs with some local friends of mine and that too was with some black peas I think which I had never had. Can still remember the beautiful home made fruit pies in the pubs of the North West of the USA where you got a choice of about 7 different ones which were delicious. Of course one could also mention the beautiful salmon cooked in Alaska where I had some in Skagway and Ketchican.
Then there were some very memorable meals that I had in Santa Fe and others that I had in the Deep South which needed a dose of "beano" before and during so that you would not be lonely for the next couple of days.
Yes one cannot make sweeping statements but in each of these memorable meals that I had ( and there are many more) it was always from information given to me by locals. When I have had to find my own way around the outcome was never as successful and rewarding as "being in the know".

That's why these boards are so wonderful...we can ask each other and be "in the know" can't we(:

I still don't understand Vegemite though (ducking for cover).

Oh, and LizF, I'm headed for Washington state on Wednesday for a week and one-half ("Home") and can't wait to visit the fruit stands. I miss the berries at home. Where we are now, they never seem as good. There are some fresh fruit pies in my immediate future I'm sure.