The Region Riverina team lunches at the wonderful Al Maghrib restaurant. Photo: File.
When I moved to the Riverina from Sydney in 2017, I was shocked at the amazing quality of the eating out scene.
Eight years down the track, it seems many of the diverse multi-ethnic family restaurants and cafes are struggling to stay open while fast food chains such as McDonalds are lining up to replace them.
It will be a tragedy if Riverina locals don’t appreciate what they have and support independent family-owned eateries to prevent multinational chains from taking over.
“Do they even have restaurants in Griffith?” I was asked by a Sydney friend when I told them I was moving to the irrigation town.
“You better get used to pub food,” was another comment.
As someone who dined out three times a week, these slurs made me nervous.
But I shouldn’t have worried, because it soon became apparent that many Sydneysiders had never been here.
From Zecca Handmade to Limone, Il Corso, Guiseppes, La Scala and Belvedere, I was able to gorge myself on some of the best Italian fare I’d ever tasted, in beautiful settings. There were also great Indian and Asian options, the pubs did better than average grub and it wasn’t long before one of the world’s premier steakhouses opened on the main street. A thriving cafe landscape had me covered for tasty lunches and chic inner city-style breakfasts too.
On regular trips to Wagga, I was impressed with venues such as Hide Steak & Bar, Thiagga, Nahiba’s Kitchen and Al Maghrib, the only Moroccan restaurant in regional Australia, which makes you feel as if you’re in Casablanca.
Spare restaurant in Wagga also offers excellent main courses. Photo: Oliver Jacques.
In many ways, dining out is a more pleasurable experience in the Riverina than it is in Sydney – you’re spoiled for choice but don’t have to book weeks in advance, circle around carparks for a free space or wait in queues for half an hour to be served.
But the top class scene has diminished somewhat in recent times. Wonderful eateries like Pastorale by Meccanico, Mates Gully, Cafe Deli and O’Donnells have shut and many others are advertised for sale. Some, such as Zecca and Limone, have ceased serving dinner and are only open for breakfast and lunch.
Meanwhile, multinational chains are thriving. McDonalds is set to open its fifth Wagga outlet in Boorooma, after launching a second store in Griffith last year. Oportos has opened new outlets in both towns these past few months. Overall, there are around 15 fast food stores in Wagga and 10 in Griffith, where they now outnumber traditional Italian restaurants.
The growth in fast food is fuelled by strong local demand. Customer line-ups are often out the door or cars in drive-thrus extend through to the next street. This encourages developers to open new outlets at different locations.
It’s true that the franchises are generally locally owned, employ locals and contribute to the local economy. But the sheer volume of these chains in small population clusters is making it difficult for restaurants that offer slower cooked, healthier options to compete.
Fast food in moderation is fine, but it’s becoming a staple in our busy lives. As Griffith nutritionist Cassandra Irvin points out, a regular intake is linked with weight gain, blood sugar instability, poor energy, and long-term risks such as diabetes, heart disease and mental health concerns.
The Riverina food bowl is fortunate to have an array of classy cuisine that’s the envy of regional Australia. If we shun our Italian, Indian, Asian, Middle Eastern and high-quality pub fare in favour of easier and quicker alternatives, the make-up of our dining scene will quickly change for the worse.
As anyone in hospitality will tell you, things have never been tougher. Those taking a risk so we can eat well deserve our support. Once the good restaurants go, we may never get them back.
