Zen X (Japanese) Teppanyaki and Sushi Bar, Wagga Wagga

Tempura prawn and avocado sushi, Zen X Japanese, Wagga Wagga

Chicken teriyaki, Zen X Japanese, Wagga Wagga

Red Lanterns. Check. Origami cranes. Check. Stone sculpture in pebbles. Check. All of the Japanese restaurant cliches are to be found at Zen X in Wagga Wagga! The fact that there is a Japanese restaurant in Wagga at all is one of those nice, unexpected things that country NSW throws at you every now and again.

Zen X offers up the standard Japanese menu with sushi, teriyaki chicken, yakitori and a few other faithful favourites jostling for position on the menu. Zen X provides a nice little touch with free wasabi peas and pickled vegetables on arrival. The standard of the food is reasonable - it is fresh and tasty but not a blow-your socks-off amazing experience. However, it is more than good enough to satisfy your cravings for all things Japanese while you are in Wagga Wagga. The real winner on the menu is the tempura prawn sushi and the miso soup is also above standard.

Zen X Japanese Wagga Wagga

The service at Zen X is all softly spoken politeness and the food comes out with accuracy and efficiency which is not always the case in country NSW where time seems to run at a generally slower and more peaceful pace.

Zen X is located at xx and also offers a teppanyaki experience and private tatami rooms if you are looking to celebrate.

Miso soup, Zen X Japanese, Wagga Wagga

Tatami rooms, Zen X Japanese, Wagga Wagga

Useful Links:

Zen X website

Il Corso Italian Restaurant, Wagga Wagga

Il Corso Italian Restaurant, Wagga Wagga

The Style: There is nothing subtle about the faux-marble roman warrior surrounded by plastic olive trees which greets you at the door. There were also a few plastic grape vine garlands hanging near the front of the restaurant. Fortunately, the main dining area was decorated more modestly with the old-style black and white photos which seem to be taking over Italian restaurants everywhere. The restaurant is quite big and with the tiled floor and huge space, it was absolutely freezing. Fortunately, the waitresses seemed to notice that the patrons were all eating in their coats and scarves on what was a very chilly Wagga Wagga night. They turned up the heating and also did their best to shuffle people around to get them into warmer areas.

Il Corso Italian Restaurant, Wagga Wagga

The taste: Il Corso's menu was made up of pasta, pizzas and a fair selection of meat and chicken dishes. I found the inclusion of mango chicken on the menu to be a little bit scary but just avoided that and went for some classics. The chilli and parmesan bread was truly delicious as was the spaghetti con gamberi which was tasty with a nice sauce and a generous serve of seafood (although the waitress accidentally served up an entree instead of a main so the helping was smaller than expected.) The capriciosa pizza was generously topped and overall it tasted very nice. It did look a bit dry and overcooked but was surprisingly moist and tasty to eat. The only real downfall was the processed shredded ham. I think some nice shaved leg ham would have made it so much the better.

Spaghetti con gamberi, Il Corso Italian Restaurant, Wagga Wagga

Capriciosa pizza, Il Corso Italian Restaurant, Wagga Wagga

Chilli parmesan bread, Il Corso Italian Restaurant, Wagga Wagga

Rocket and parmesan salad, Il Corso Italian Restaurant, Wagga Wagga

The service: The waitresses at Il Corso made a real effort to help out when the temperature plummeted but did get our order wrong. The staff were generally friendly and welcoming although one was yelling at other staff openly in front of customers which was a little off putting.


The price: The bread, pasta and pizza as well as drinks for two came in at $59 but remember they accidentally served us entree size mains so add a few dollars if you want a more generously sized meal.


The location: Il Corso Italian Restaurant is located at 16-18 Bayliss Street in Wagga Wagga, New South Wales.

Uneke Lounge, Wagga Wagga

Uneke Lounge, Wagga Wagga

The Style: Uneke Lounge in Wagga is a trendy little eatery in Wagga Wagga, NSW attached to a gift and home wares shop which goes by the same ‘Uneke’ brand. Uneke's exposed brick walls, leather couches and fireplace create an inviting atmosphere and the wall hangings add some vintage glam. The seating at Uneke Café  includes long tables and clustered couches which invite mingling between people, however, when I was there for breakfast, most offered a quick smile before burying their noses into the complimentary magazines and newspapers.

The taste: the menu offers up standard café fare including burgers, steak sandwiches and wraps. The bircher muesli which I ordered from the breakfast menu was a standout – it was presented beautifully and fortunately, there was not a hint of the gluggy blandness which some mueslis offer up. On the lunch menu, the lamb salad was extremely tasty although not very pretty to look at. The burgers get the nod of approval too.

Bircher Muesli, Uneke Lounge, Wagga Wagga

For the sweet tooths, the cake cabinet here is so enticing and I couldn’t resist picking up a cupcake to go. Pretty as a picture!

Cupcake, Uneke Lounge

The service: Service here is professional and friendly. The orders are taken fast but I did have to wait almost thirty minutes for my breakfast. The café didn’t look that busy at the time so I was not expecting the delay – lucky the flavour made it worth the wait!

Uneke Lounge, Wagga Wagga

The price: Prices here are on par with other cafes in the country. Lunch for two with drinks comes in around the $50 mark. To see full menus, click here.

The location: Uneke Café is located at 140 Fitzmaurice St in Wagga Wagga, NSW. Mon-Wed 8:30 - 5:30. Thur - Sat 8:30 - 10:00pm. Breakfast on Sunday.

Indian Tavern Tandoori Restaurant

Indian Tavern Tandoori Restaurant, Wagga Wagga

The Style: Indian Tavern Tandoori Restaurant is like a piece of Bollywood landed in the middle of Wagga Wagga. You will be greeted by stone elephants as you enter the restaurant via the tiled entranceway. The restaurant is decorated with embroidered rugs, gilt-framed paintings and trinkets in all the colours of the rainbow. It comes dangerously close to being gaudy but luckily pulls up short of that…just!

Poppadums with onion and tomato relish

Chicken Pakora

The taste: The restaurant offers up a large menu of Indian classics. The flavours are great and you can choose the level of heat you want in your curries. The butter chicken here is so different and so much better than any other I have tried. The Rogan Josh is also particularly good with the beautiful spice combination really packing a punch. The Indian Tavern is becoming quite well known winning a number of local and regional awards. Most recently, it won the 2010 Restaurant and Catering award for regional Indian/Sub-continental restaurant and was also recognised in the 2010 I ♥ Food awards.

Butter chicken and Lamb Rogan Josh

The service: The service here is always great – the staff are polite, smiling and eager to help. The wait for food is never unreasonable once your order has been placed. The only downside is that you will be unceremoniously turned away if you don’t have a booking on busy nights so always call ahead to be on the safe side.

The price: Meals are reasonably priced with entrees from $5.90 - $18.90, mains from $13.90 - $24.90 and breads abd accompaniments from $3.50 - $5.50. The restaurant is licensed.

The location: The Indian Tavern Tandoori Restaurant is located at

81 Peter Street, Wagga Wagga. It has a sister restaurant at 14-16 Pall Mall in Bendigo.

Cocolatte Chocolatier, Wagga Wagga

Cocolatte Chocolatier, Wagga Wagga

The Style: When this place first opened, it was one of the more stylish cafes in Wagga Wagga. Decorated in a boudoir style with chandeliers lighting the room, the place is decked out in warm browns keeping with the chocolate theme. Unfortunately, as time has passed the glossy finish of the store has deteriorated. That said, the overall feel is still warm and inviting. There is a children’s play area at the rear which means parents can enjoy their hot chocolate in peace while the kids are entertained. The local artworks on the wall are great and all are for sale.



Cocolatte Chocolatier Caramello Hot Chocolate



The taste: Cocolatte Chocolatier has a focus on all things chocolate with drinks, cakes and handmade chocolates the stars of the show. The quality and presentation of the handmade chocolates which went polished and appealing on my first visit to sadly looking very clumsy this time around. Instead of gold leaf decorations and a menu of appealing flavours, there was a shelf of kangaroo shaped chocolates and a giant chocolate freckle, neither of which had a sense of quality or appeal.

Cocolatte Chocolatier has a fair selection of sweets on offer at any given time and a small menu of savoury dishes too. I ordered a caramello hot chocolate and this was delicious. Served with a chocolate shot on the side (basically melted chocolate), the presentation was nice and the taste was gooey and decadent. The chocolate cake was moist and rich and came with a scoop of chocolate ice cream to cap it all off.



Cocolatte Chocolatier chocolate cake

The service: This is what has let the place down time and again. The staff are very young and all look disinterested in both their product and your experience. There are frequent eye-rolls to cap it all off. Definitely NOT service with a smile.

The price: Coffees and hot chocolates range from $3.50 - $6.50

The location: Cocolatte Chocolatier is located at 68  Bayliss Street which is the main dragin Wagga Wagga, NSW.

Charles Sturt University Winery

Grapes, Charles Sturt University Winery, Wagga Wagga

Charles Sturt University Winery is located on McKeown drive on the outskirts of Wagga Wagga in NSW. The Charles Sturt University Winery forms part of the Eunony Valley Trail along with Harefied Ridge Winery, Eunonyhareenyah Winery and Wollundry Grove Olives. A map of the Eunony Valley Trail is available here.

The cellar door offers tastings and sales of wine, cheese and olive oil. I recently made the trip primarily to taste the cheeses on offer so I was quite disappointed to find that there was an unexplainable absence of cheese on that particular day. This news was passed on with no apology which made for a bad start to the experience. The oil and wines thankfully were available for tasting so the trip wasn't entirely wasted. I tried reds only and they were all quite pleasant with the Shiraz coming out on top.



Cellar door - Charles Sturt University Winery




Charles Sturt University Winery vineyard, Wagga Wagga



The cellar door was decorated in light wood and had a large window overlooking surrounding vineyards and the wine science school. Although the service could have been warmer, it was still enjoyable to hear about the history of the school and the winery with an outlook that gave a true wine-country feel to the experience.The profit from wine sales goes into research and development so a visit to the winery is a great way to support the Australian wine industry. Just make sure yoou phone ahead if you want to try cheese!






Charles Sturt University Winery - award winning Shiraz