I am often asked about restaurants around Australia which serve bush tucker but I know that the enquirers are not looking for grubs and goanna but for restaurants serving authentic Australian dishes prepared in a contemporary style using native or indigenous ingredients.

There are a number of these ‘bush tucker’ restaurants around Australian which are well known for serving game meats such as kangaroo, wallaby, emu and crocodile. However, they are less popular than those establishments which use native herbs, spices and wild fruits such as wattleseed, riberries, rosella, Lemon Aspen, Lemon Myrtle Sprinkle and Alpine pepper.

Apart from restaurants which are dedicated to serving this gourmet bush tucker, there are many Australian restaurants using just a few ingredients on their menu. This reflects the way that these once only wild ingredients are becoming mainstream and creative chefs are learning to use them just as they do with foreign foods.

So I have compiled a short list of restaurants that I know who serve modern Australian bush tucker or authentic Australian food either as their main cuisine or somewhere in their menus.

Ochre Restaurant - Cairns, Queensland
Ochre Restaurant specialises in Australian seafood, Australian game meat, bush food and regional Australian cuisine. With head Chef Craig Squire at the helm Ochre Restaurant Cairns is the most highly awarded Cairns Restaurant. Ochre Restaruant strives to develop new and exciting dishes that maximise the flavour possibilities of Australia’s native produce.

Tukka Restaurant - West End Brisbane, Queensland
Located in Brisbane’s trendy West End, Tukka Restaurant allows visitors to enjoy an exclusive Australian culinary experience. Tukka Restaurant’s native Australian menu include mouth-watering rainforest fruits, spice from desert tomatoes, pepperberry from the mountains of Tasmania and the lean, rich meats of emu, wallaby, possum and wild boar.

Tjanabi Restaurant - Federation Square Melbourne, Victoria
Tjanabi’s menu has been designed to provide diners with a “Taste of Australia” – drawing upon quality Australian produce and native ingredients. The menu includes flavours drawn from native plants, fruits and berries, matched with quality Australian game meats, seafood and regional produce.

Seabelle Restaurant & Wine Bar - Kingfisher Bay Resort, Fraser Island, Queensland
Enjoy Australian bush foods and wonderful fresh seafood at Seabelle Restaurant & Wine Bar, Kingfisher Bay Resort. The resort has an excellent program called Taste of Australia where guests are given the edible fruits, berries and leaves to touch, smell and taste, as well as information on how it was harvested and used by the Aboriginal people.

Red Ochre Grill - Adelaide, South Australia
The Red Ochre Grill concept was the brainchild of Andrew Fielke who developed and nurtured the idea of a “Truly Australian” restaurant dining experience using indigenous produce in 1985. The Red Ochre Grill menu includes traditional native fruits, berries, game meats and seafood.

Deep Blue Bistro - Coogee Sydney, New South Wales
Deep Blue Bistro is located in the southern Sydney suburb of Coogee and has magnificent views over Coogee Beach. Recently, Deep Blue Bistro introduced a Bush Tucker degustation menu to compliment their existing daily menu. Their concept was for guests to explore the culinary wonders of Australia through an Outback Degustation Menu.

Red Ochre Grill - Todd Mall Darwin, Northern Territory
Red Ochre Grill has created a whole new Australian cuisine with traditional native fruits, berries, game meats and seafood and the best of Australian wines and beers. The menu changes seasonally and is unique in its use of innovative and exciting dishes with a mix of contemporary and native influences.

Ironbark Cafe - Manuka, Canberra 
The Ironbark Cafe and Catering specialise in using Native Australian ingredients to create unique meals that give a true meaning to Australian Cuisine. They use native ingredients fom the Kimberly to Tasmania as well as supporting local communities. They use a wide range of seafood, native berries and fruits.  Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Paperbark Camp - Jervis Bay, New South Wales
Paperbark Camp Jervis Bay serves a wide range of local produce & seafood as well as an interest in using Australian native ingredients. The menu features ingredients like paperbark, bush tomatoes and macadamia nuts to name a few.

The Coolgardie Safe - Perth, Western Australia
The Coolgardie Safe is the only bush tucker restaurant in Perth and is renowned for combining Australian produce with Australian native ingredients. Their Tastes of Australia platter features crocodile, kangaroo, baby marron, emu fillet, karri smoked chicken, wild lime compote, australian fetta, bush tomato chutney, quandong relish and damper.

Many of the native ingredients used by bush tucker restaurants are now available online from Vic Cherikoff’s online store at www.cherikoff.net/shop

I'll continue to keep this list of bush tucker restaurants up to date, but if I’ve missed any which should be listed contact me and I’ll add to them to the list