From fried chicken burgers to spit-roasted pork tacos and sour cherry pain suisse, Newcastle’s food scene can’t be conquered in a single weekend.

January 9, 2026

Newcastle’s identity as a food hub is nothing new; its Indigenous name, Mulubinba, translates to “place of edible sea ferns”. But lately, the city’s culinary pulse has quickened, fuelled by a wave of openings and the clever reinvention of a few local favourites.

We’ve now reached the point where there’s too much good food in Newy to fit into a single weekend. From excellent bakeries and sandwich shops to fried chicken joints and bistros, here are the places to make time for on your next visit.

Arno Deli makes its sandwiches on Tuscan-style schiacciata.

Arno Deli

This panino spot takes its name from the Arno River in Florence, where owner Will O’Brien ate the best sandwich of his life. Today, he’s paying it forward with his signature #1, a salty, creamy tribute featuring finocchiona salami, eggplant, pecorino and artichoke crema on Tuscan-style schiacciata. It’s one of 48 sandwiches that rotate on and off the menu. The crowd favourite is #28, a chicken parma built on crumbed chicken thigh cooked in beef tallow, layered with smoked mozzarella, vodka tomato sugo, and salsa verde. Don’t skip the cannoli, filled with Italian sheep’s milk ricotta and rippled with yuzu marmalade.

179-181 King Street, Newcastle, arnodeli.com.au

Scottie’s kiosk, where you can order fish and chips to take away.

Scottie’s

A former fish and chip shop, this sustainable seafood restaurant and wine bar run by mother-and-son duo Jennifer Roberts and Jack Magin still sells fish burgers and battered hoki and chips from its takeaway window. But that’s not all. You can also get a lobster club sandwich stacked with a hash brown and a blistery XO prawn pancake, the dark, savoury seafood sauce made in-house by head chef Vincentius Rudy Widjaja. The beach is close by, but Scottie’s outdoor area – complete with fairy lights and garden furniture – is hard to beat, especially when you can order a sweet-tart yuzu margarita on the side. In the evening, Campari-cured trout and lobster tortellini are served by candlelight.

36 Scott Street, Newcastle East, scottiesne.au

A fried chicken and mash burger from Newy Fried Chicken.

Newy Fried Chicken

With its cayenne-spiced seasoning, double-breading and six escalating levels of heat, the orange-hued, craggy fried chicken here is more Nashville than Newcastle. Locals have faithfully followed Newy Fried Chicken around from its early days at the Newcastle Hotel to a pop-up diner in Broadmeadow, where it’s been operating for the past two years. Soon, the nomadic era ends as Nic Brady opens a bricks-and-mortar store in Cooks Hill, a two-storey space featuring a ’70s-inspired bar and pool table. The menu, however, remains sacred: fried chicken served in soft sesame-seed buns or in packs with pimento mac ‘n’ cheese and a sweet Carolina-style slaw.