[category]
[title]
In attempts to go viral, every year the food at the Sydney Royal Easter Show gets whackier. Last year it was THICC Cookies served in bowls of milk like cereal, and of course the ridiculously popular 1-metre tanghulu fruit sticks. In 2026, there’s dry ice and rainbows to catch our collective attention.
So, what’s worth your coin, and what’s better left on the ’gram? I ate my way around the Sydney Easter Show 2026 to bring you our honest thoughts. (Happy Easter, and happy eating!)
Lychee Iced Tea & Dumplings ($23), Dumpling King
OK, so this was a strange combo – fried dumplings with chilli oil in a bowl atop a cup filled with lychee juice (as they say, a ‘sip and dump’). There’s a hole in the bowl to poke your straw through. Both the dumplings and the juice were decent, but I would have liked more dumplings for $23, and they didn’t have any garnish (like they did in the photo) when I went, so I’m giving them a 7/10.
Where is Dumpling King? Not far from the entrance, near the corner of Showground Rd and Riverina Ave, before you turn right towards the Woolworths Dome.
View this post on Instagram
Scallop Burger ($24), Burger Head
This was surprisingly good! A fried chicken fillet with pickles, onion, cheese and burger sauce in between two potato scallops instead of the usual burger bun. I thought it might be really greasy and OTT, but it wasn’t! It was well crafted and yum. A decent feed for $24, so I’m giving it 8.5/10.
Where is Burger Head? This is just inside the entry to the Honky Tonk food hall. Bonus: You can take a seat out of the sun.
Rainbow Cheese Toastie ($10), Carousel Cafe
I probably never had hugely high hopes for the rainbow toastie – call me old fashioned, but I prefer my cheese yellow. Unfortunately ours wasn't served warm, and the rainbow cheese wasn’t exactly gooey stretchy because it had hardened too much since being cooked, so we mostly saw blue-coloured cheese. Perhaps worth it for the novelty, but not for the flavour or texture – 3/10. I’d opt for the less inventive eats from this eatery.
Where is Carousel Cafe? In the little kids’ ride section, on Orana Pde.
The Butter Marble Run Edition (limited), Firepop
After the disappointing colourful cheese, we wanted a sure-fire winner that always delivers, so we headed over to Firepop – from the restaurant of the same name on Enmore Road. We tried a few different sticks from their selection, including a special marble-run edition – four chunks of beef, all with different marble scores, that you eat in order from the leanest (MBS 2-3) to the butteriest (MBS 9+). I was actually too busy salivating to register how much they were, whoops. But worth it, 10/10.
Where is Firepop? On Riverina Ave, kind of diagonally between the Woolworths Dome and the Woodchop Cafe end of the Woodchopping stadium.
Chip on a Stick ($8), Maddix's
You also can't go wrong with a twisty potato, especially when it’s topped with chicken salt. No notes. And this was the most affordable food item we bought all day, and one of the best – 9/10.
Where is Maddix’s? One of them is on Riverina Ave, opposite the Woolworths Dome (you can’t really miss it, it’s huge).
Dragon’s Breath ($14), Fruity Poppin
The people who brought us “Australia’s first 1-metre tanghulu” sure know how to build hype – you can still get the tanghulu, but this year they’re also peddling the “Dragon’s Breath” dessert, a bowl of little coloured puffs in a cloud of smoke thanks to liquid nitrogen. When you eat one, the cloud puffs from your mouth and nose. Clever, and theatrical, but not really that tasty. They taste like little cereal balls, a bit underwhelming. If you like getting content, they are worth it for the video, but taste-wise, I’m giving it 5/10.
Where is Fruity Poppin? Next to Dumpling King – not far from the entrance, near the corner of Showground Rd and Riverina Ave, before you turn right towards the Woolworths Dome.
Butter Dipped Ice Cream ($9), LA Loops
What the heck is Butter Dipped Ice Cream? It’s just that – it’s a soft-serve dipped in melted butter. When the hot, melted butter hits the cold cream, it hardens, forming a thin butter film around it. And it tastes just like ice cream dipped in butter. The cone is nice, good quality. All in all, it’s a decent little treat – 7/10.
Where is LA Loops? In the Showbag Pavilion.
Giant Crème Brûlée ($20), Bon Brulee
This family-sized brûlée (probably a good size for about three people) delivers that satisfying “crack” when you break the surface, and a delicious, creamy filling. Loved it, 9/10.
Where is Bon Brulee? In the Honky Tonk food hall.
Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out Sydney newsletter for more news, travel inspo and activity ideas, straight to your inbox.