What’s hot on Australian menus in 2026

Smash burgers, hot honey, and global flavours are leading Australia's menu evolution.

The biggest menu shifts in Australian foodservice for 2026 are happening at dish level, with smash burgers becoming standard, hot honey expanding its footprint, and international formats moving into everyday dining.

The smash burger has shifted from a menu experiment to a standard expectation in Australian foodservice, according to Tastewise data.

Over the past 12 months, smash burgers have grown 28.9%, reaching a 1.2 menu share index—the highest benchmark in Tastewise’s lifecycle scoring system.

The figure indicates the format has moved beyond early adoption, with strong consumer demand and widespread operator presence.

The report noted that the challenge for operators is no longer whether to introduce a smash burger, but how to create differentiation within an established category.

Flavour innovation is becoming the main battleground. Hot honey toppings, tracked with a 1.0 menu share index and 56% growth, are one example.

Gochujang sauces, up 18.5% and gaining wider operator use, point to another direction.

Operators treating smash burgers as a standardised commodity risk blending into an already crowded space.

Hot honey in Australia has grown 56% over the past year, with a 1.0 operator-indexed menu share.

Its appeal spans lunch and dinner occasions, with Tastewise data linking it to rising consumer motivations around comfort, up 81.1%, and satisfaction, up 12.1%.

Most menu appearances remain concentrated in chicken and burger formats, whilst dessert uses remain relatively limited.

The intersection with growing signals such as tiramisu, up 15.1%, suggests potential for sweet-and-spicy combinations.

The growth of laksa (+20.3%), shawarma (+28.2%), gochujang (+18.5%), and ulam (+67.2%, the fastest-growing item in the dataset with Filipino origins) reflects a broader shift in Australian menu development.

The report says that global cuisines are no longer appearing only as influences or decorative additions; operators are adopting complete formats and preparations.

This marks a change from earlier fusion-driven approaches, where global flavours were often added as accents.

Today, international formats are becoming the foundation of menu concepts: chicken yakisoba in izakaya-style venues, mansaf in Lebanese casual dining, and beef bulgogi burgers in Korean-Australian fast casual settings.

Amongst the Tastewise dataset, 13.87% of Australian consumers are selecting Asian-influenced formats, placing it behind only broad motivations such as “tasty” and “fresh” in share.

Southeast Asian cuisine accounts for 5.3% share, whilst Middle Eastern cuisine has reached 3.38% with 4.2% growth.