A round-up of our favourite feeds from eateries in Newcastle and surrounds

At HUNTERhunter, it’s no secret that we love food. It’s kind of our whole deal! So, naturally, we spend a lot of time eating our way around Newcastle and its surrounding regions. 

These are some of the dishes we’ve eaten around town recently that really wowed us. Some are menu items we order on repeat, some are dishes that have surprised us and stuck with us, and the rest are just plain scrumptious. Happy eating!

Alicia, Newcastle Editor

Chocolate & Custard Pain Suisse – Union St Pastry

If you consider yourself a bit of a sweet tooth and you’ve yet to drop by Newcastle’s newest patisserie, I highly suggest you make your way over to Wickham’s Union St Pastry. Brought to us by former owners of Lorn’s go-to spot, you’re guaranteed a tasty treat. With 12 flavours to choose from on the daily (with a mixture of both savoury and sweet), the hardest decision is stopping yourself at one! As a huge lover of all things vanilla slice and almond croissant, I can confirm that the chocolate and custard pain suisse was an absolute favourite.
Where: 9 Union St, Wickham

Dan Dan Noodles – Oceane Hotel

Oceane Hotel is one of those places that kind of surprise you when it comes to the menu – whilst its aesthetic screams upmarket harbourside pub, the food really is a treat to the senses. You can choose from a selection of seaside flavours from salt, paddock-to-plate dishes from marketta, Italian-inspired dishes from dotti, or my personal favourite, Asian treats from goya – the Dan Dan noodles with wagyu beef and peanut sauce offered the perfect combination of flavours.
Where: 29 Honeysuckle Dr, Newcastle 

Potato & Rosemary Pizza – In Forno

I’m a self-confessed pizza fiend – so much so it’s my dish of choice to the question, what would you eat if you could only eat one dish for the rest of your life? So, when it was a takeaway night and my partner suggested the potato & rosemary pizza from Charlestown’s In Forno, it was an obvious hell yes. The bases from In Forno are out of this world and the toppings were simple yet done well. Cannot recommend more for your next pizza fix.
Where: 36 Pearson St, Charlestown | Shop 5-6/81 Beaumont St, Hamilton

Whipped Ricotta & Puffed Bread – MIINE

Somehow, the food at MIINE has ended up on my favourite picks for the last few versions of this series so if that tells you anything, let it be known that they know how to do their food. Our group dined on one of the set menus and whilst the pizza and pasta were delicious, the standout was without a doubt the whipped ricotta and puffed bread. A delicious starter (that we may have eaten a few too much of). 
Where: 13 Darby St, Newcastle

Alissa, Director

Caramel Slice – Praise Joe

If you’re a non-calorie counter, and love to indulge, you’ll enjoy every bite of Praise Joe’s caramel slice. The smooth-as-silk caramel is topped with a rich layer of chocolate, it’s super sweet, and so good!
Where: 8/20 Elizabeth St, Tighes Hill | Westfield Kotara

Cheeseburger – Brunker Kebabs & Take-away

I’m all about an old-school cheeseburger – the kind you grab from your local takeaway – and when you find a good one, you stay loyal. For me, that’s Brunker Kebabs & Take-away. Their burgers are spot on – perfectly stacked, the buns are quality, and the beef patty goes right to the edge.
Where: 255a, Brunker Rd, Adamstown

Friday Express Lunch – Flotilla

It’s called the ‘Express’ lunch, but we managed to linger for about 3 hours. Catching the late Winter menu, as you’d expect, it was amazing. It’s hard to pick a highlight however, the blue fin tuna and Jerusalem artichoke, and the black truffle dessert are hard to forget.
Where: Flotilla, 9 Albert Street, Wickham

Nachos – Antojitos

Driving down Woodstock Street on a Wednesday night, with no other dinner plans in place, I couldn’t help but stop, and my order of beef nachos and a chicken burrito reminded me again why I love Antojitos so much.
Where: 235 Maitland Rd, Mayfield | 11 Steel St, Newcastle West

Steak Sandwich – The Greenroof

I also love a well put together steak sandwich, and the one I had at The Greenroof recently was one of the best I’ve had in a long time. Stacked with lettuce, tomato, caramelised onions, and cheddar. The rump steak was tender, the bread was golden and buttery brown, and it came with a nice amount of crunch.
Where: 71 Tudor Street, Hamilton

Jas, Sub-Editor and Accounts Manager 

Philly Cheesesteak – Arno Deli

When Arno Deli announced that they were opening seven days a week, I was cheering! To find out that they were celebrating by serving up Philly cheesesteak for three days only, I immediately jumped online to preorder. The sliced beef, peppers, onion, provolone, and ‘Whiz’ (processed cheese) on a Martin’s Hoagie Roll was absolutely worth the mouthwatering anticipation. I’ll be keeping my eye out for the next one.
Where: 197/181 King St, Newcastle

Pork belly 3 ways + Seafood Bouillabaisse – Cor Eat

I’ve been keen to try CorEat since it opened in 2022, and we finally visited last week for a birthday dinner. We all ordered separately, but I still managed to have a taste of everyone else’s dishes to alleviate any food envy.

The highlight was the seafood bouillabaisse, a savoury broth of Slipper lobster, prawns, mussels, scallop, and calamari cooked in tomato chilli Kombu sauce and served with warm bread. The pork belly was beautifully plated and featured sous vide cooked in bulgogi sauce served with spicy charcoal grilled and Korean BBQ meatball with pickled cabbage and kimchi gel.

Finally, the melt-in-your-mouth wagyu brisket MB7+ was slow cooked in Kalbi sauce, with shallot infused potato, XO vegetable, and rice tuille. The flavours in all of the offerings were incredible, and I’m looking forward to my next visit.
Where: 35 Hunter St, Newcastle