Bankstown is fast becoming one of the MUST VISIT destinations for all Sydney’s foodies, and Bankstown Bites helps you discover and explore the culinary delights, diversity of culture and the warm, welcoming people you will meet along the way. On the traditional land of the Dharug people, Bankstown is home to a wide variety of incredible, authentic food offerings and is a celebration of flavours, colours and culture that can be visited at any time of the year, day or night. WEST invites you on a roaming food tour to explore ‘Where Interesting Happens’ and just some of what Bankstown has to offer.
Bankstown is incredibly easy to get to, to visit by car it’s a very short distance just off the M5 motorway with plenty of parking in the city centre. By train, you arrive in the heart of all the action. Bankstown is also a very walkable city centre, so it’s easy to get around, with food at the heart of daily life. It is always bustling. Laneways connect streets and as you explore you can discover beautiful public art sculptures, green, leafy places to sit and parks that connect you to some of the destinations WEST explores.
Start your day right, with a refreshment. Not just any beverage but something unbelievably good. The Alley LuJiaoXiang serves up amazing teas, located on Greenfield Parade. Visually these drinks are stunning, and the flavours are genuinely exceptional, redefining what tea can be. The impressive interiors serve up contemporary cool and it’s a great place to plan your day out. You absolutely have to try the Signature Brown Sugar Deerioca Series - the Crème Brulee Fresh Milk Tea was sensational. Little Happiness is as the names implies, sweet and refreshing, and the Snow Strawberry Lulu was a light and refreshing alternative.
Wander down towards Siagon Place, in the heart of Chapel Road and the start of Bankstown Plaza and make your way up towards something of an institution in Bankstown. Bahn Mi Bay Ngo, always seem to have a line-up of avid locals, foodies and celebrities out front, waiting for their chance to taste one of this families classic Bahn Mi. They have been serving up incredibly fresh Banh Mi for generations. The Crispy Roast Pork is relatively new on the menu and loved by Celebrity Chef Manu Feildel. Honestly everything they serve up is incredible. If you’re with a friend, ask them to cut the crunchy rolls in half so you can taste a little of each.
Just up the street is Café Nho. This is frequented by many locals, who gather out on tables and chairs streetside for their daily dose of a Vietnamese coffee. If you haven’t tried Vietnamese Coffee, you really are in for a treat. Made on Sweetened Condensed milk it is rich, flavourful and packs a punch. Take in the street life of Bankstown, the chatter and hustle of daily life in this part of town. Café Nho also make exceptional fresh, colourful and delicious desserts. This is a food tour and there are no real rules, so treat yourself to some of their signature fruit desserts or a perfectly proportioned Mochi Ice Cream. From Durian to Coconut or Black Sesame, there is something for everyone.
Heading up towards the bridge that links to the northern side of Bankstown, we are going to take you on walking tour to some of our favourite spots, looping back over this bridge and into Bankstown Plaza once again. Just on the curve of the plaza, opposite the Vietnamese Boat People Monument, you will see the very cool, Machi Machi. Another great drink spot for a bubble tea and perfect pit stop to grab a refreshment on your adventure throughout the day. The Mojito is simply refreshing and good fun too.
There are just so many places to eat, you are sure to find something to fall in love with. Our next stop is one of these at Knafeh & Co, a quick pit stop for a coffee and a delicious treat. This family-owned store is a 5-minute walk on the Appian Way and offers beautiful Lebanese delicacies which are almost entirely gluten free. Beautiful colours, textures and tastes, grab something to take home for family and friends – sweet of savoury.
The streets of Bankstown are quite leafy, cosmopolitan even. Sidewalks are full of tables and chairs in an almost Parisian way. Our food tour takes us along Chapel Street to Paul Keating Park, which is framed by the impressive built form of Western University, the Brian Brown Theatre and the Bankstown Library. WEST would strongly recommend you stop and take a quick peak at all of these. The face of change, growth and renewal is present in these very beautiful buildings. In fact, Bankstown holds some very cool 60’s & 70’s architecture dotted throughout the city centre. Our next stop, Little Saigon Plaza, is the new kid on the block and a fun place to spend some time indoors
This is a place you can send an afternoon trying a variety of cuisine. A host of places to explore and discover including Seafood Master, Saigon Social and Soju Social. Once again, this destination is a hive of activity, colours and flavours. Nan Yang, located on French Avenue, is a fusion of Malaysian and Thai food. Another great dining spot to share with friends with entire menu being 100% Halal.
As we make our way back along Chapel Street, you’re probably wondering how much more great food Bankstown can offer up. The reality is, so much more. Bankstown Bites gives you the opportunity to discover and explore so much more than just food. The people are wonderful, sharing their diverse backgrounds, stories, language and culture, through food. It’s why we love the West, and it really is where interesting happens.
Our next locations are destinations in and of themselves. You are in for a treat. Heading back down Chapel Street, and almost back to where we started, is Pitago. Inspired by the ancient capital of Hue, known globally for its incredible cuisine, you get to experience Vietnamese Food like you have never, ever tried before. The whole experience draws on the unique Vietnamese/French Colonial aesthetic and dishes celebrated and created for the Nguyen Dynasty interpreted into contemporary dishes. Day or night this is a great place to eat, on weekends you can even catch some live Jazz Music. Make sure you check out the upstairs area and the intimate courtyard at the rear.
A nighttime watering hole, worth a visit if you are exploring into the evening is the Basement Brewhouse. Located within Bankstown Sports Club, this world within a world has a host of food offerings and includes the Brewhouse, which is home to the South West’s own craft beers. Try some of the 30+ on offer.
Lady Banks Rooftop, Sydney’s largest rooftop bar is also a great place day or night and offers casual dining with a Mediterranean flair. The rooftop seating is expansive and particularly beautiful to view right across Greater Western Sydney’s skyline. At night it sparkles with lights and is another special place, loved by locals and a must visit destination. The wine list is excellent, the cocktails delicious and you can drop in for some freshly baked-to-order flatbread and dips or dive into a whole great big meal.
A day out in Bankstown is uniquely, beautifully Western Sydney. WEST loves the harmonious mixture of different cultures and cuisines along the streets, laneways and MUST VISIT destinations you simply have to come and try. Bankstown is a foodie haven and a place that keeps you wanting to come back for more and more. Bankstown Bites is an annual event, with walking food tours you can book, but this itinerary is something you can do just about every day of the week. It really is where interesting happens.
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