What We Order When No One’s Watching (Tour Guide Favourites)
Wildly Australian. Deeply Local.
When we say we eat what we love, we mean it. From sneaky late-night snacks to plate-licking guilty pleasures, here’s what our food tour guides actually order when the spotlight’s off. It's not all photogenic brunches and market-friendly bites — some of these are straight-up messy, meaty, and borderline embarrassing. But damn, they’re good.
Looking for unique things to do in Sydney? This article dives into what your food tour guide actually eats on their day off — from off-menu legends to local secrets hidden in plain sight. Get the insider scoop on the real must-eats across Sydney.
Table of Contents
- Late-Night Laksa in Cabramatta
- The Unholy Schnitty Wrap in Marrickville
- Deep-Fried Glory in Lakemba
- The Szechuan Sit-Down in Chatswood
- The Inner-West Bakery Crawl
- Why Food Safari Guides Eat This Way
- How to Taste the Real Sydney
- Come Walk With Us
1. Late-Night Laksa in Cabramatta
Let’s start strong — Cabra’s laksa joints are where the real ones go when they’re craving broth that kicks like a mule. You want creamy coconut milk? Spicy sambal that fogs your glasses? Prawn tails sticking out like antennae? We don’t go here for the decor. We go because the broth is basically medicinal. Order it with extra fried tofu, load it up with bean sprouts, and slurp like no one’s watching. Because honestly, no one cares. They’re too busy doing the same thing.
This is the kind of stop we dream about on our Food Safari nights — loud, aromatic, and a little chaotic. And that’s the point.
2. The Unholy Schnitty Wrap in Marrickville
No judgement — sometimes a guide wants chicken schnitzel, garlic sauce, pickles, and hot chips inside a Lebanese flatbread that’s been lightly torched on the grill. Enter the schnitty wrap. It’s not official, it’s not refined, and it’s definitely not going on a tasting menu. But in Marrickville, a suburb where cultures collide in all the right ways, this Frankenstein lunch is a rite of passage.
No forks. No cutlery. Just grab and go. We hit this up between tours, during prep days, or whenever life feels a bit too clean and kale-heavy.
3. Deep-Fried Glory in Lakemba
Let’s get one thing straight — Lakemba during Ramadan is one of the greatest food tours in Sydney you’ll never forget. But outside the festival lights and the crowds, our guides still sneak back for that deep-fried golden goodness: spicy potato samosas, kebab rolls wrapped in foil, honey-drenched desserts that stick to your fingers and your soul.
It’s walking tour fuel, just not the Instagrammable kind.
4. The Szechuan Sit-Down in Chatswood
Off-shift, we go north. And when we go north, we want chilli oil that could start a fire. Chatswood’s Szechuan joints serve up hotpot, cumin lamb skewers, and these dry-fried green beans that crackle with garlic and fermented mystery.
We don’t take first-timers here without warning. But on our own time? We’re in the corner booth sweating bullets and loving every second. You don’t know Sydney’s food scene until you’ve cried spicy tears with a pile of napkins on your lap.
5. The Inner-West Bakery Crawl
Here’s our Sunday religion: Marrickville, Dulwich Hill, and Leichhardt — three stops, minimum. We’re talking pork and fennel sausage rolls, Nutella-filled bomboloni, and coffee so good you forget you’re in a strip mall.
No maps, no plans. Just walking, eating, and letting the smell of warm pastry lead the way. A Food Safari Sydney regular might recognise a few haunts, but guides take it next level. We know which bakery burns the edges just right.
6. Why Food Safari Guides Eat This Way
When you live in Sydney and you run food tours, your palate gets stretched in weird and wonderful ways. You learn to love textures you once feared. You crave sauces that don’t even have names in English. You stop chasing what’s trendy and start chasing what’s real.
Most tourists only scratch the surface. Locals often don’t scratch at all. But tour guides? We go deep. We know where the aunties stir the pot like it’s witchcraft. We know the back doors, the off-menu dishes, the stuff they’ll only make if you ask really nicely. That’s what we eat when no one’s watching.
7. How to Taste the Real Sydney
Let’s be clear — Sydney isn’t just Bondi brunches and rooftop tacos. It’s spice-drenched street corners, tiny family kitchens, and three-generations-deep bakery counters. You just need someone to walk you there.
That’s where we come in. Whether it’s a curated walking tour in Sydney, a night-time food safari, or a deep dive into migrant flavours you won’t find in a guidebook, The Australian Food Guy is your inside connection.
We’ll show you what makes this city delicious — from the elegant to the downright filthy. Because Sydney food is about both.
8. Come Walk With Us
Hungry yet? Good. That means you’re ready.
Book a tour with
The Australian Food Guy, and we’ll show you what we order, why we order it, and where to find the best bites in this gloriously chaotic city. Whether you’re a first-time visitor or a lifelong local, there’s always more to taste.
Wildly Australian. Deeply Local.
Check out our full range of
food tours in Sydney on
theaustralianfoodguy.com — we’ll bring the appetite, you bring your walking shoes.






