Morning Market, Cubanos by Charlie Carrington and Tandoori Chicken: All the New Food Coming to the Australian Open in 2024

We love the fanfare of the Australian Open – the buzz of seeing our favourite players up close, the excitement of centre court duels. And while tennis is number one, we’re also anticipating the food and menus available from returning restaurant and bar pop-ups – from a diverse mix of the city’s best chefs, venues and collaborators – and some first-timers right at the AO. Expect familiar favourites and intriguing new dishes across Indian, Persian, Italian, Cuban and more cuisines.

If you plan to work up an appetite racing between courts, make sure these new food picks are on your radar.

Cafe and bakery Morning Market – by Andrew McConnell (Supernormal, Gimlet and Cumulus Inc) – is setting up among the action on Grand Slam Oval. It will keep the crowds appropriately caffeinated for the long days ahead and serve baked goods, chicken and salad sandwiches, a kimchi toastie, pepperoni focaccia pizzas by the slice, coffee and more.

Chef Jessi Singh has made a career out of high-quality Indian food that bends the rules and focuses on the fun parts of dining. He’s behind Daughter in Law in Melbourne (plus Adelaide and Byron Bay) and Pinky Ji in Sydney, and wins crowds over with non-traditional twists on Indian classics. At his Australian Open Pinky Ji pop-up you’ll find papadi chaat (a twist on nachos), tandoori-style rotisserie chicken and chips, and fresh mango lassi.

Iranian migrant Hamed Allahyari runs a social enterprise cafe in Sunshine where he employs asylum seekers, refugees and new migrants. Salamatea usually serves Persian classics across breakfast, lunch and dinner, and some favourites from the menu are being served at its AO pop-up; Allahyari has also curated an on-the-go selection of Persian staples like sambooseh (a crispy potato dish), and falafel wraps and plates with a selection of dips.

Melbourne salad bar Green-On is health focused and its ethos is “impactful eating”. That means using hyper-local ingredients, eliminating food waste, and using as much of an ingredient as possible and serving dishes in reusable bowls to cut down on single-use packaging. At the AO iteration you’ll find classic Green-On salad bowls like the green goddess, packed with nutrient-dense ingredients like spinach, barley, green beans and pumpkin seeds. Also try the loaded sweet-potato chips.

Light Years is all about easy-going, modern, shareable Asian-style cuisine. The Byron Bay diner can also now be found in Burleigh Heads, Newcastle and Noosa, and we’re stoked to see the northerners at the Australian Open for the first time. Expect favourites from chef Robbie Oijvall’s menu, with a variety of bao buns and fillings alongside miso corn and furikake fries which blend Malaysian, Vietnamese and Thai flavours.

You’ll find plenty of other culinary gems to explore around the grounds. We’re particularly excited about Atlas Dining chef Charlie Carrington’s newest spot, Little Havana. It’s popping up at the AO with its take on the classic cubano sandwich – mustard, pickles, ham, cheese, roasted pork and Swiss cheese on a long roll. Snackers will find a lot to love about Uncle Charlie’s, an Indigenous-owned business using native ingredients to flavour classic popcorn.

This article is produced by Broadsheet in partnership with the Australian Open. Tickets for the Australian Open 2024 are now on sale at now through Ticketmaster.