NEED TO KNOW
- We sampled 10 fun savoury and sweet food creations available at the 2026 Sydney Royal Easter Show.
- Our savoury favourites include a rainbow cheese toastie and a pickle on a stick.
- Sweet offerings we love include soft serve dipped in butter, a fairy floss sushi-style roll, and a giant crème brûlée.
The 2026 Sydney Royal Easter Show is right around the corner, and that means it’s time for food like you’ve never seen it before! Every year, vendors at the Easter Show put on their best creative hats to come up with wonderful savoury and sweet offerings that push the boundaries of expected flavours. From the eye-catching and the photo-worthy, to the food pairings you didn’t expect, you’re in for a treat this year.
I was lucky enough to get a preview of the Winning Bites food items that will be on offer. What is Winning Bites? They’re the 10 must-try food items at the 2026 Easter Show, chosen by a panel of judges – Tokyo Lamington’s Eddie Stewart, MasterChef alumni Depinder Chhibber, and FoodToker Tom Smallwood.
Each of the below dishes was created especially for the 2026 Sydney Royal Easter Show – you won’t be tasting them anywhere else! Read on and get excited for the culinary magic.
Sydney Royal Easter Show 2026 Winning Bites: Savoury foods
Wally’s Hot Dogs: Hot Honey Corn Dog
This Hot Honey Corn Dog is what happens when a Show classic meets a viral food trend. The creators of this offering took a traditional dagwood dog and made it gourmet by dipping it in hot honey and coating it in a chilli spice mix. They told me it took a lot of experimenting to get the right blend of sweet and spice. (Spoiler: They nailed it.) If you’re not a fan of chilli, you can coat the corn dog with toasted sesame seeds instead.
Tasting notes: The sweetness of the honey hits first, and then you get the warm burst of chilli. It’s a surprisingly good combination. But be aware, the chilli heat will build the more you eat.
Good for: Those who love all things chilli, and for anyone after a modern take on a classic Show food.
Carousel Café: Rainbow Toastie
You’ll need to see this one to believe it. It’s a rainbow cheese toastie, and yes, it really does look like that! Inspired by something the creators saw on a trip to Japan, the multi-generation show family behind this toastie wanted a kid-approved Show food, and they certainly achieved that. The intention was to bring the carnival into food – and with white bread, a three-cheese mix and food dye they’ve turned the everyday into something extraordinary.
Tasting notes: A comforting cheese toastie, just like Mum used to make.
Good for: Kids of all ages! Or anyone after a light savoury snack. Best enjoyed while still warm.
Burger Head: Nashville Hot Pickle on a Stick
If you enjoy the tangy and sour taste of a pickle, and you’re not afraid of a little heat, then the Nashville Hot Pickle on a Stick should be on your list to try. Here, the humble pickle meets Nashville chicken. They coat the pickle in a flour mix, soak it in buttermilk, deep-fry and coat in a Nashville-style spice mix (their own recipe) and chilli oil. To finish, a buttermilk dressing is drizzled over the top.
Tasting notes: The coating on this one was delightfully crispy, and the buttermilk dressing balanced the heat of the chilli nicely. Overall, the heat is mild, and the sour pickle still cuts through.
Good for: A portable savoury snack to power you through the afternoon.
Dumpling King: Sip and Dump Cup
The name of this one threw me off, but when I saw it, it immediately made sense. It’s a dumpling and iced tea combo in a clever carry-cup contraption that lets you hold them both in the one hand. I anticipate you’ll see these everywhere when you make your trip to the 2026 Royal Easter Show! This creation is inspired by Chinese street food from Chongqing.
Tasting notes: The beef dumplings were delicious, crisp on the base with a tender filling. The lychee iced tea was cooling with the right amount of sweetness.
Good for: An all-in-one lunch on-the-go to keep you hydrated, cool you down and fill you up.
Clayton’s World x Burger Head: Potato Scallop Chicken Burggah
This food creation takes two fast food favourites and smashes them together to create the super indulgent Potato Scallop Chicken Burggah. It’s a classic fried chicken burger, but uses potato scallops instead of a burger bun.
Tasting notes: Super crispy potato and fried chicken, and a zingy sauce. You want to come hungry to eat this one. Plus, it’s best tackled sitting down – you’re going to get messy.
Good for: This double-deep fried creation is one for the fast food fans. It’s a hearty lunch that’ll give you enough energy to make it through to the fireworks.
Sydney Royal Easter Show 2026 Winning Bites: Sweet foods
Fruity Poppin: Dragon’s Breath
It’s no surprise that this sweet offering made the Winning Bites top 10. It uses liquid nitrogen, making this entry a feast for the eyes as well as the stomach. A popular Asian street food is the inspiration behind these Korean corn puffs. The puffs are frozen with liquid nitrogen to add some crunch and a fun ‘dragon’s breath’ effect when you eat, and drizzled with condensed milk for some sweetness.
Tasting notes: The bites are light and airy with a satisfying crunch and a gentle fruity taste. The touch of sweetness from the condensed milk helps lift the dish. It reminded me of breakfast cereals.
Good for: A light bite to satisfy the 3pm slump, and a convenient snack to carry around the Show.
Loops Funnel Cake: Butter-dipped Soft Serve
This is one of those flavour combinations I didn’t expect. Soft serve and butter! Here, the soft serve is dipped in clarified butter (which is almost pure milk fat) and then sprinkled with salt.
Tasting notes: The butter and salt combine to give a lovely salted caramel taste, and harden around the ice-cream like a choc-top.
Good for: Keeping you cool as you stroll around the Showgrounds.
Fluffy Crunch Fairy Floss: Flurolls
Ready for another of those unexpected flavour combinations? Fairy floss, ice-cream … and fetta. Inspired by sushi, these “Flurrolls” fairy floss rolls are made with a five-colour rainbow fairy floss. Load on vanilla ice-cream, sprinkle with grated fetta, roll into a log, cut into slices, and voilà. The cheese and ice-cream pairing is inspired by a region of Columbia where cheese is often paired with desserts.
Tasting notes: The salty/sweet combination was a triumph, and the fetta helps balance the sweetness of the fairy floss and ice-cream. To lean into the sushi vibes, each tray of Flurolls is served with chopsticks.
Good for: A sugary pick-me-up best for sharing with family or friends.
Chimnutz: Golden Bunny Brûlée
Can’t choose between a funnel cake, ice-cream and crème brûlée? This Golden Bunny Brulee rolls all three into one pretty package. Here, the funnel cake is coated in a hot cross bun-inspired spice mix, then filled with vanilla mudcake, a custard-style crème brûlée, and vanilla ice-cream (their own recipe). To finish, a golden, burnt-caramel-flavoured sauce is drizzled over the top. If you like, you can customise this with other sauce toppings instead.
Tasting notes: The vanilla and caramel flavours blended well in this sugary-sweet treat, and the cinnamon-y hot cross bun spice was a fun surprise. The vanilla ice-cream was soft-serve style and refreshing.
Good for: All the sweet-tooths! A substantial morning or afternoon tea treat that will also cool you down on a hot day.
Bon Brûlée: Giant Crème Brûlée
Ask anyone what the best part of a crème brûlée is, and most people (myself included) will say “the toffee top”. And that’s exactly the idea behind this Giant Crème Brûlée – to keep the classic flavour but get more of the crunchy top. To maximise the crunch, these are made extra large, and extra wide and flat. The crème brûlée is made on site using real dairy (Riverina Fresh – one of the sponsors of the 2026 Sydney Royal Easter Show).
Tasting notes: The toffee top had a brilliant crack and lovely taste, and the lush, creamy filling was smooth and sweet.
Good for: A shared dessert with friends or family. And the blow-torching to scorch the toffee adds some carnival flair.
The Sydney Royal Easter Show 2026 runs from April 2-13 at the Sydney Showground, Sydney Olympic Park.
