You’ve hit the gym hard all week, been an absolute angel when it comes to tracking your macros and your cheat day is finally here. The day when you can wear your loose pants, pig out and have a real feast. But where to find the best places for a cheat meal in Australia?
We have the ultimate list of the spots to hit up across the country for a serious feed. From burgers dripping with cheese to carbs and even more carbs, these places are worth the calories.
Best Cheat Meal Dishes In Australia
How do these rankings work?
1. Mac Daddy Chicken Parm at Fat Jaks – Melbourne
For one of the ultimate cheat meals in Australia, Fat Jaks burger bar is the spot to go. The burgers are huge, but we only have eyes for their incredible parmas. Top pick: the “Mac Daddy” with macaroni, cheese sauce & Mexican cheese. Add on tasty sides like wings, mac & cheese bites, and nachos.
2. Burger at Chuck Wagon- Adelaide
To say that the portions here are big would be the understatement of the year. Chuck Wagon is the place to come and have any sort of cheat meal you fancy to really treat yourself. Managing to get the whole burger into your mouth would be a good start.
3. Loaded Greek Waffle Fries at Niko’s Kitchen – Sydney
You might think you’ve tasted loaded fries before, but nothing can come close to these bad boys. Niko’s serves up proper filthy and delicious Greek Waffle Fries are topped with lamb, Tzatziki and chilli Sauce.
4. Grilled Cheese at Melt Brothers – BrisbaneÂ
Using only the freshest ingredients, Melt Brothers offers a variety of mouth-watering cheesy melts all served on a fresh artisan sourdoughs, including gluten free and vegan options.
Whether you want a cheesy, garlicky, bacony pile up or a Vegemite toastie, all your grilled cheese dreams will come true here.
5. Sunday Roast at The Duke Bar And Bistro – Perth
Now this is what we call a proper feed. The meat and veg are piled high, the Yorkshire puddings are homemade, fluffy and taste unreal. You’ll never go short of gravy either, making this a wonderful way to end the week.
6. Margherita Pizza at SPQR – Melbourne
SPQR does some of the very best wood-fired and sourdough pizza on the continent. They have gluten free options and the room is always buzzing with excitement from hungry customers. Just LOOK at that perfect charring on the crusts…
7. BBQ Platter at 2 Smoking Barrels Barbecue Joint –Â WollongongÂ
‘Cos it’s not really a cheat day without plates piled high of meat and carbs, right? One of the essential cheat meals in Australia is a BBQ platter and our fave spot is 2 Smoking Barrels. Tender AF brisket, juicy sausages, ribs and all sorts of American barbecue grub awaits.
8. French Toast at Smug Fig – Brisbane
This is where to come for a serious cheat meal. The French Toast here changes weekly and is always super creative. One of the most recent creations was all about m&ms. Vanilla ice cream, chocolate sauce, French toast rounds, choc waffle cone and smashed m&ms all in one.
9. Cinnamon Fried Bao at Brother Hen – Melbourne
This sweet sandwich bao is too good not to include. Brother Hen has created an incredibly pretty (and out-of-this-world delicious) cinnamon sugar-dusted fried bao filled with Golden Gaytime and Nutella with honeycomb pieces. The toffee and vanilla ice-cream goes perfectly with the soft, sweet bao.
10. The Grazing Box – Adelaide
Plan your cheat day in advance and you won’t even have to leave the house if you order one of these beautiful grazing platters. You’re going to want to have a few people over to help you tackle this one: it’s filled with cheeses, meats, marinated veg, dips, bread, chocolate & more gourmet goodies.
11. BBQ Fondue at Third Wave Cafe- Melbourne
We repeat: BBQ fondue. That’s a fondue fountain dripping with house-made BBQ sauce. For dipping, there’s a real feast. Beef brisket, pork ribs, spicy sausage, slow smoked wings, cornbread waffle sticks and mac & cheese croquettes. Oh, and it comes with a bucket of liquid cheese on the side.
12. Meat Pies at Tuck Shop Cafe – Perth
The pastry is flaky, the meat tender and the pies absolutely packed full of flavour. So good you’d nearly think about having a second one. And you know what? You should. This is one of those cheat meals in Australia that you’d travel half way across the country for.
13. Chocolate Pancakes at Axil Coffee Roasters – Melbourne
It’s brunch time, baby! These chocolate pancakes with all the fillings are seriously good. Thick and fluffy pancakes are made with rich cocoa, with juicy raspberries and caramel popcorn on top. And of course, a decent scoop of ice cream!
14. Hot Dogs at Lord of the Fries – Surfers Paradise
Lord of the Fries is an ethical fast food restaurant that’s taking Australia and NZ by storm. They serve up unbelievably good hot dogs and burgers – and fries, duh –that are all 100% vegan. The hot dogs is a veg sausage piled high with traditional dog fixings – crunchy pickle, relish, peppers, a generous drizzle of mustard and a dusting of celery salt.
15. Chocolate Ice Cream at Gelato Messina – Brisbane
This is gourmet ice cream at its best. Gelato Messina has 35 regular flavours, with the chocolate being a superstar. They even make their own chocolate to put into the ice cream, using the highest quality single origin Ecuadorian cacao they can get their hands on.
16. Breakfast in Bread at the Paddock Bakery – Burleigh Heads
How could anyone not be tempted by this? When it comes to the best cheat meals in Australia, Paddock Bakery kills it. This is chorizo sausage, black beans, veggies and queso fresco, served in a Paddock wood-fired sourdough bread bowl, then topped with mozzarella & a fried egg.
17. Fish & Chips at Tankk Gourmet Fish and Chips – PerthÂ
This is easily one of the best places for an indulgent meal in Oz. For something different than the usual battered fillet of fish, order the cream cheese & bacon stuffed Shark Bay prawns! Plus, all of their seafood is 100% wild caught and responsibly sourced.
18. Cheeseburger at Downnout – Sydney
They focus on big flavoursome burgers served up with a selection of great craft beers that are always ice cold. As combinations go, you couldn’t really ask for more than that. Good luck getting these bad boy burgers into your mouth in one go…
19. Rainbow Bagels at Sunday in Canberra – Canberra
The rainbow bagel craze took NYC by storm, and now it’s hit Canberra for one of the must-eat breakfast cheat meals in Australia. The menu here is full of ultimate comfort dishes, but these colourful bagels are a winner. Smeared with rich cream cheese and sprinkles, you’ve the perfect start to your feasting day.
20. 5 Cheese Risotto at Nonna’s Cucina – Melbourne
The incredibly cheesy and creamy risotto is cooked with five of the best Italian cheeses – Fior di latte, pecorino sardo, taleggio, gorgonzola and pecorino romano. It’s then tossed and folded in a cheesewheel right on your table, as you drool all over your plate in anticipation of the first bite.
21. Korean Fried Chicken at Chir Chir – Burwood
Korean Fried Chicken is one of the most popular cheat meals in Australia right now, thanks to its beautiful crispy skin and tangy flavours. Chir Chir (pronounced Chi-Re Chi-Re) takes things up a notch with their cheesy chicken dish that comes with a jug of cheese sauce to smother it in.
22. Breakfast Carbonara at Morning After – Brisbane
This is the best hangover meal that has ever existed, no doubt about it. A piping hot plate of silky papardelle pasta, field mushrooms, smoked pancetta & manchego cheese with an oozing egg cracked over it all.
23. Eggplant Pasta at PM Eat and Drink – Darwin
Carbs are a must when you’re pigging out, and this pasta dish is hearty, full of flavour and super satisfying. Basically, it ticks all the boxes. Fresh casarecce pasta is tossed in an eggplant ragu with creamy ricotta cheese on top. It’s one of those cheat meals that’s actually not bad for you – these are premium ingredients.
24. Mac and Cheese at Sean’s Kitchen – Adelaide
Mac and cheese is the key to our greedy hearts, and the cheese-fest version at Sean’s Kitchen unlocks it every time. It’s a mouthwatering dish of macaroni covered in artisan cheese that’s bubbled on top from the grill. Keep an eye out for special versions of it, such as crab meat (below).
25. Pulled Pork Eggs Benny at Laneway Speciality Coffee – Darwin
A classic dish when it comes to cheat meals in Australia, Eggs Benedict comes in many forms but this meaty masterpiece tops them all. The freshly baked sourdough toast is topped off with perfect poached eggs, BBQ pulled pork and herb hollandaise.
