20 Sydney food bloggers to follow on Instagram in 2026

Twenty Sydney food accounts sorted by what they are actually useful for, from the feeds that can fill a room on a Tuesday to the ones covering vegan, halal and Western Sydney, and how to tell a review from an ad.

Most Sydney restaurant decisions now start with a saved Reel. Someone posts a slow pan across a charcoal grill, a crowd lining up for bánh mì in Cabramatta or a table of share plates on a Walsh Bay pier, and a booking follows within the week. The accounts behind those posts range from creators with close to a million followers to small feeds that only cover halal spots, vegan menus or the suburbs west of Parramatta.

This list sorts 20 of them by what they are actually useful for. Follower counts are rounded and current as of September 2026, and they move every week, so treat them as a guide to reach rather than quality.

The big Sydney food accounts

These are the feeds that can fill a new restaurant on a Tuesday. Expect polished video, fast coverage of openings and a mix of paid and independent posts.

1. Lily Huynh, @biteswithlily (about 940K)

The largest Sydney food account on most rankings. Short, punchy Reels that cover everything from cheap eats to dessert spots, with a strong pull among younger diners who plan nights out straight from their feed.

2. Jasmin Weston, @jasminseats (about 512K)

Upbeat, personality led videos where the reaction is half the content. A reliable feed for seeing what a dish actually looks like on the plate before you commit to the trip.

3. Adrian Widjy, @adrianwidjy (about 512K)

Adrian also runs the @placesinsydney page, so his content leans towards where to go rather than just what to eat. Useful when you want a venue, a view and a meal sorted in one save.

4. Liz Miu, @itslizmiu (about 503K)

Lifestyle and food blended together, with plenty of Sydney cafes, restaurants and date night picks. A good follow if the setting matters as much as the menu.

5. Jesse Freeman, @foodcoma_eats (about 322K)

Big portions, big flavours and no pretence. Burgers, fried chicken, loaded plates and the places that serve them, filmed the way you would actually eat them.

6. Kevin LA, @sydneyfoodboy (about 203K)

Best known for his Sydney Bánh Mì series, a running tour of rolls across the city and the west. It is one of the more useful ongoing formats in the Sydney food scene because it compares like with like.

Reviewers who are clear about who paid

If you want an opinion rather than a promotion, these accounts are upfront about how each meal was covered.

7. Philip, @philsosophyy (about 31K)

His profile states that he pays for every meal and runs no sponsored food posts. That makes the feed smaller than the big names, but every rating is his own money talking, which is rare on Instagram.

8. Simon Leong, @simonfoodfavourites (about 36K)

Blogging about Sydney food since 2008, long before Reels existed. Simon tags hosted and paid posts with #invite, #gifted or #ad, so you always know which meals were on the house.

Cooks and chefs worth following

9. Courtney Roulston, @courtneyroulston (about 220K)

A cook and TV presenter whose feed is built around recipes and produce. Less about where to eat, more about what to do with a good piece of meat or a box of seasonal vegetables.

10. Khanh Nguyen, @genghiskhanh (about 131K)

Executive chef behind King Clarence, Ashe and Bar Vespertine. Following a working chef gives you a view of Sydney dining from the pass, including the dishes and techniques other chefs are paying attention to.

11. Lina Jebeile, @thelebaneseplate (about 151K)

Lebanese home cooking made approachable, with family recipes and the kind of generous spreads Sydney’s Lebanese community is known for. A good follow before a trip to Lakemba, Punchbowl or Bankstown.

Feeds for a specific kind of eater

The smaller accounts are often the most useful, because they filter the whole city down to what you can actually eat.

12. Tess Begg, @tessbegg (about 392K)

Plant based food and lifestyle content with a large following. A strong starting point for anyone trying to eat less meat without eating worse.

13. Renee Buckingham, @sydneyveganguide (about 43K)

Exactly what the name says. Vegan menus, new openings and venues that do more than one token plant based dish.

14. @sydneyhalalfoodblogger (about 17K)

Halal dining across Sydney in one place, which saves a lot of calling ahead to check. Covers everything from street food to sit down restaurants.

15. Bhavna, @themoderndesi.co (about 37K)

Modern Indian food, recipes and Sydney spots, with a focus on how South Asian flavours are showing up on menus across the city.

16. Bri, @westernsydneyblogger (about 14K)

Western Sydney gets less attention from the big accounts than it deserves. Bri fills that gap with local restaurants and cafes that rarely show up on inner city lists.

17. Kat and Alex, @thefoodinbox (about 122K)

A couple sharing Sydney meals together, which makes it a handy feed for date night ideas and places that suit two people sharing a table.

18. @nickandhelmi (about 146K)

Another duo account with a broad Sydney spread. Good for quick, watchable overviews of places worth a detour.

19. Janice Fung, @itsjanicefung (about 34K)

A long running Sydney food and travel blogger, with a feed that balances restaurant visits, cafes and trips away.

20. Ingrid, @sydneyfoodbites (about 15K)

A smaller, steady feed of Sydney meals without the heavy production. Useful as a second opinion alongside the bigger accounts.

How to tell a review from an ad

Under the AANA Code of Ethics, advertising in Australia has to be clearly distinguishable, and that applies to influencer posts as much as billboards. In practice, look for tags such as #ad, #sponsored, #gifted or #invite, a Paid partnership label under the account name, or a line in the caption saying the meal was hosted.

A hosted meal is not automatically a bad review. It just means the creator did not pay, and the restaurant knew they were coming. The most useful signal is consistency: a creator who occasionally says a dish missed the mark is worth more than one who loves everything.

It also pays to check the comments. Locals will often say whether a place lives up to the video, and that is usually where you find out about wait times, portion sizes and whether you need to book.

From a saved post to an actual table

The gap between saving a Reel and eating the meal is usually a booking. If a post has you craving a proper steak or a long lunch by the water, the guide to restaurants in Sydney is a quicker way to compare options than scrolling back through a creator’s grid.

For harbour dining, Elements Bar and Grill Walsh Bay sits on Pier 8/9 at 23 Hickson Road, the kind of waterfront setting that tends to perform well on camera.

On the Pyrmont side of Darling Harbour, Elements Bar and Grill Pyrmont at 3 Harris Street is built around charcoal grilled cuts and a relaxed bar.

If the feed you follow leans west, the Inner West dining guide covers Haberfield and the suburbs food creators keep coming back to.

Frequently asked questions

Who is the biggest food influencer in Sydney?

As of September 2026, Lily Huynh (@biteswithlily) has the largest following of Sydney focused food creators, at close to 940,000 followers.

Which Sydney food bloggers do not accept free meals?

Philip (@philsosophyy) states on his profile that he pays for all meals and does not run sponsored food posts. Simon Leong (@simonfoodfavourites) accepts some invitations but labels them clearly.

Are there food bloggers for vegan or halal diners in Sydney?

Yes. @sydneyveganguide and @tessbegg cover plant based eating, and @sydneyhalalfoodblogger focuses on halal restaurants across the city.

Who covers food in Western Sydney?

@westernsydneyblogger focuses on the west, and @sydneyfoodboy’s Bánh Mì series regularly heads out to suburbs such as Cabramatta.

How do I book a restaurant I saw on Instagram?

Most creators tag the venue, so tap through to its profile for a booking link. For Elements venues, you can book online in a couple of minutes.

Booking after the scroll

Follow the accounts that match how you actually eat, then book the one that keeps coming back around. Start at the Dine with Elements booking page, or call 1300 ELEMENTS (1300 353 636).