Part 1 | The Enduring Plate: F&B Trends Shaping 2026 and Beyond
- KK
- Jan 13
- 6 min read
Updated: Jan 27
In the fast-paced world of food and beverage, trends can feel fleeting, posing a distinct challenge for asset owners and leasing professionals working with standard five-year terms. The key to a resilient F&B strategy lies in identifying the movements with enduring appeal: those that have demonstrated sustained growth and are moving beyond the early adopter curve into the mainstream. As we enter 2026, we examine some of the cuisine trends that shaped how we dined in 2025 and, more importantly, identify the strategic shifts with the potential to define successful precincts for years to come.
Late last year, I found myself in a revitalised laneway precinct in Melbourne's CBD fringe, watching a growing queue that wrapped around the corner for a new Japanese katsu sando bar. It reminded me of something a developer once told me: "Retail follows food, and people follow both." What became clear throughout 2025 was how the operators thriving today think beyond the plate. They're actively curating experiences, programming different dayparts, and shaping the social energy that makes precincts come alive.
In a challenging operating and economic environment, the operators that stand out focus on the details. They optimize every opportunity to engage customers and build their brand through the design of their spaces, the experience (whether dine-in or takeaway), and every aspect of the customer journey. Exceptional food remains essential, but success now comes from orchestrating atmosphere, service, and moments of discovery that leave a lasting impression. Identifying, nurturing and bringing these like-minded operators together is what creates a thriving retail destination.
Trend 1: Japanese Concepts as Strategic Precinct Anchors
The maturation of Japanese-inspired F&B in Australia is a prime example of an evolving yet enduring trend. We've moved beyond novelty restaurants to deeply integrated place-makers, a shift powered by staggering travel numbers. According to the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO), over one million Australians visited Japan between July 2024 and June 2025, with April 2025 alone seeing 115,000 travellers (a 42.6% year-on-year increase).
This surge has created a sustained domestic demand for authentic, culturally grounded experiences. Critically, the renowned Japanese focus on hospitality and meticulous detail delivers a powerful "experience add" that resonates deeply in a value-conscious climate. The thoughtful service and visible care associated with omotenashi, the Japanese approach to hospitality, makes a meal feel worth the spend.
The experiential layer separates enduring concepts from passing fads. At high-end omakase venues, you see the choreography of the chef's movements, the precise placement of each piece of sushi, the hushed atmosphere that transforms dining into performance. This attention to detail cascades across all price points. Consider Suupaa's konbini section, where the careful curation of Japanese snacks and the pristine display refrigeration recreate the sensory experience of Tokyo convenience stores. The atmosphere matters as much as the menu, from the minimalist design aesthetic to the ritualised service moments that signal care and quality.
The proliferation of high-end, hyper-focused sushi omakase concepts continues, especially in Sydney. The trend is also evolving into more accessible, yet equally authentic, distributed attractors. Torori (Melbourne & Sydney) transforms dessert into a contemplative experience, where the theatre of watching matcha soft-serve being precisely piped becomes part of the value proposition. Prefecture 48 (Sydney) offers a curated journey through regional Japanese cuisine at various price points, with interior design that evokes different prefectures and service that educates diners about each dish's provenance.
These ventures are experiential anchors, not just another food concept. Developers are leveraging this demand for curated sophistication to elevate a precinct's entire image, using F&B to signal an astute, global focus and a commitment to quality that permeates the wider development.
Looking ahead to 2026: Expect continued expansion of accessible Japanese formats that program multiple dayparts, with particular growth in regional-specific concepts (beyond Tokyo and Osaka) and breakfast/brunch-focused Japanese offerings filling critical morning activation gaps in mixed-use precincts. Equally compelling is the emergence of hyper-specialised concepts that reflect the Japanese philosophy of mastery through focus. The recently opened Oden restaurant in Melbourne exemplifies this approach, dedicating itself entirely to the art of oden (simmered dishes in dashi broth). Similarly, Otogo in Ultimo focuses exclusively on onigiri, elevating the humble rice ball into a curated experience. These single-product specialists create compelling destination dining while maintaining operational simplicity, a particularly attractive proposition for developers seeking differentiated tenancies that can trade efficiently across extended hours.
Trend 2: Vietnamese Cuisine – The Next Frontier for Precinct Curation
Given the Japanese model, is Vietnamese food the next strategic frontier with long-term potential? All indicators point to yes. The conditions are compelling: soaring travel affinity and a foundation of beloved staples, led by the banh mi (a strong contender for Australia's unofficial national sandwich). The next wave is already moving beyond these classics toward a focus on regional specificity and contemporary refinement.
Recent data shows a significant surge in Australian travel to Vietnam: a 35.4% increase in the 2024-25 financial year compared to the previous year. From August 2019 to August 2024, there was an increase of almost 58%. Travellers returning from Da Nang, Hanoi, and Hoi An are now seeking the distinct flavours of Hue's imperial cuisine or the street-food specialties of Ho Chi Minh City. The opportunity lies in supporting independent operators who focus on specific dishes (Northern-style pho with its clear, delicate broth or authentic Hanoian bún cha) over generalised pan-Asian menus.
Beyond regional authenticity, we're witnessing a compelling evolution with chef-driven Vietnamese concepts that apply fine-dining technique to traditional foundations. Khanh Nguyen's trajectory from award-winning Sunda and Aru in Melbourne to his current role as executive chef at King Clarence in Sydney exemplifies this approach. A Vietnamese-Australian chef trained in some of Australia's most demanding kitchens (Becasse, Mr Wong, Bentley, Cirrus, and Noma Sydney), he brings classical French technique and modern plating sensibilities to Southeast Asian - and particularly Vietnamese - flavours. His stated mission has always been clear: to change perceptions of Vietnamese cuisine beyond its "cheap and cheerful" categorization.
What sets operators like Nguyen apart is their fusion of Vietnamese heritage with classical technique and modern expression. The food is heritage-driven yet refined enough to command premium positioning. At Sunda, he deliberately incorporated Australian native ingredients, creating dishes that feel familiar yet distinctly different (a culinary expression of his dual identity). This represents a sophisticated evolution that honours cultural roots while pushing culinary boundaries, demonstrating how Vietnamese cuisine can anchor both accessible formats and destination fine dining.
The experiential dimension here is equally critical. The most successful Vietnamese concepts translate the vibrant energy of Vietnamese street food culture into their service and design. Think open kitchens where diners can watch bánh xèo sizzling on the griddle, the aromatic theatre of pho being assembled tableside, or interiors that reference the nostalgic aesthetics of Hanoi's old quarter without resorting to cliché. In chef-driven spaces, this might manifest as the precision and ritual of fine dining service applied to Vietnamese preparations: dishes like cha cá lã vong (Hanoi's famous turmeric-marinated fish) reimagined with modern plating, or the theatrical presentation of claypot dishes in contemporary dining rooms. The atmosphere (whether conveying the bustling informality of a street hawker or the refined elegance of Hue's royal cuisine) becomes part of the storytelling that justifies premium positioning.
Integrating these nuanced concepts provides a powerful tool for place identity. It grounds a precinct in genuine, localised storytelling that often reflects the neighbourhood's migrant history, creating a sense of authenticity that feels instantly rooted and relevant. The beauty of Vietnamese cuisine's current trajectory is its versatility: it can anchor both accessible, high-frequency casual formats and destination-worthy fine dining, giving developers strategic flexibility across different precinct typologies and demographic profiles.
Looking ahead to 2026: Watch for the emergence of premium Vietnamese concepts led by chef-driven operators with fine-dining pedigrees, regional-specific specialists (particularly Hue and Northern Vietnamese cuisine), and elevated banh mi concepts that apply restaurant-quality techniques to this beloved format. The spectrum now ranges from $15 bún cha to $150+ tasting menus, all authentically Vietnamese, all strategically viable.
In Part 2, we'll explore how two everyday staples have evolved into strategic precinct anchors. The artisanal bakery and the elevated sandwich shop share a common thread: they've transformed familiar formats into destination experiences through visible craft, experience design, and operational excellence.
In the meantime, follow us on Instagram @food_In_sight for ongoing coverage of the food trends and inspiring retail design that are shaping precincts across Australia and beyond.
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