By Marie-Antoinette Issa.
From beauty hacks to designer dupes, Instagram has truly educated us on some interesting (albeit occasionally questionable) trends. When it comes to videos that make us stop scrolling through our feed, food is no exception.
While some #horriblemeals are obviously not worth the hype (looking at you, TikTok Tacos made by boiling beef, eggs and cheese in a bag of Doritos), here are six viral foods you can try at some of Sydney’s most popular cafes - that actually taste really good!
Crookies:
A mouth-watering hybrid of croissants and cookies (believed to have originated from New York City's Union Fare bakery) this delectable dessert may offend French purists, but it nonetheless gained widespread notoriety online after being shared by Insider Food - a popular food-focused media outlet known for showcasing innovative and indulgent culinary creations.
Find it at: one of the best Sydney cafes serving this treat - which combines the flakiness of croissants with the sweetness of cookies - is Bar Biscotti, where Operator Paris Emsis says:
"I was pleasantly surprised with the final result. Customers already loved our choc chip cookies, but when we combined it with a flaky croissant, the result was so decadent and that’s when I understood the hype.”
Strawberry matcha lattes:
Strawberry matcha lattes have taken TikTok by storm. Not a huge surprise when you consider how good they look…and taste! While other colour-changing lattes (like last year’s iced blueberry matcha latte and 2018’s activated charcoal ghost lattes) have previously captivated both wellness warriors and Insta-influencers, we suspect that the mesmerising swirls of green and pink in this version - coupled with the health benefits of the titled tea - may make it the 'berry' best one yet!
Find it at: Blackwood Cafe in Bondi (which sells more than 400 cups a week), or, the original Blackwood Pantry outpost in Cronulla - where it is made of a secret recipe that features homemade strawberry jam, oat milk and matcha as its key ingredients.
Feta fried eggs:
Also known as TikTok eggs, crispy feta fried eggs stormed social media in 2023, propelled by a viral video that showcased their simple yet irresistible preparation. While the feta fried eggs recipe by @graceelkus (with more than 15 million views on TikTok), was originally made with crispy cheese, chilli pepper, avocado and tortilla, later incarnations further simplified this dish to just the two ingredients in its name.
Photo credit: Cooking with Ayeh.
Just cook Greek feta until soft and caramelised, then mix it with olive oil, garlic and herbs before topping with fried eggs. Ultimately, the ease of preparation and the explosion of flavours had many home cooks believing that this dish was worth a crack.
Find it at: With a social media post inviting guests to tuck into their feta scrambled eggs as far back as 2020, it would seem that the Hungry Spoon Cafe in Oately, was egg-stremely ahead of its time!
Chopped Sandwiches:
If you’d have told us that chopping cold meat, cheese, lettuce and condiments, serving it on a crusty bread roll and calling it a chopped sandwich could spark a social media frenzy, we would have said you were, well, a few sandwiches short of a picnic!
Nonetheless, that’s exactly what happened to Farmer in the Deli in Brooklyn, New York - which claims to have created the original chopped sandwich - before @jacksdiningroom brought it to the masses - with his video liked by more than half a million hungry carb-connoisseurs on Instagram… and counting!
Find it at: While technically a diner, BurgerCo Sydney does an excellent chopped cheese (made with lettuce, tomato, onions, pickles, grilled beef and cheese chopped and lopped onto a milk bun). Otherwise, we suggest swinging past one of the city’s many super sanga spots - including Self Raised, AP Bakery and the iconic South Dowling - rolling the dice and asking them to dice things up.
Supersized croissants:
For a viral food of the homegrown variety, croissants continue to captivate pastry people, online and IRL. From the long lines that snaked around the corner when Lune opened its Sydney outpost to wheel-shaped varieties, the classic French pastry fave continues to reign supreme in cafes across the city - including a bakery in Sydney that claims to sell the largest croissant in the country.
Find it at: La Dorée, whose signature sweet dish weighs a whopping 1.2 kg and is said to be best washed down with a three-litre coffee, consumed with a ladle.
Pink poached eggs:
The Mean Girls movie made it clear that "On Wednesdays we wear pink.” For many Millennials, this particular shade works just as well in meals, which is why so many cafes have opted to think pink and incorporate a touch of this pretty floral hue into their dishes.
Find it at: While its rosy walls and rockabilly signs provide a perfect backdrop for aspiring influencers to capture their social media content, the food really does come up roses at Rocca Cafe in the South Sydney suburb of Ramsgate. Be sure to snap a pic of its pretty pink poached eggs, which pair perfectly with their luxury-label latte-art coffees.
