Where to buy American food in Sydney – If there’s one thing expats tend to miss living overseas, it’s food from their home country. As an American expat living in Sydney, being in a major international city means food choices and cuisines are nearly unlimited, which is fantastic, but there’s still always a few things from home I miss. I’m talking the essentials: Hershey’s chocolate, American peanut butter, Pillsbury cinnamon rolls in a can (don’t judge).
To help other expats, I’ve rounded up some of the best places in Sydney and online to find American groceries and products. Consider it an edible form of nostalgia.
In most places mentioned, prices are generally higher than you’d pay in the states, but sometimes a little slice of home is worth the cost. I’ve included the locations and what sort of food they tend to stock, although that’s always subject to change.
I’m also a huge fan of American restaurants- here’s our recommendations for the best American burgers in Sydney, if you’re hungry. We’ve also rated Deliveroo and Uber Eats, if you prefer your burgers from the comfort of your couch.
Hope this list is helpful! Here’s our top recommendations for where to buy American food in Sydney:
USA Treats, within the Fast Fruit Store, St Leonards Forum
Update, Dec. 2017- USA Treats has unfortunately closed down.
Stock– This small grocery store always has a large selection of American (and British) foods and candy. Usually stock includes breakfast cereals, lots of Hershey’s chocolates, syrup, and candy bars, Junior Mints, sodas (A&W, Dr Pepper in various flavours), Kool Aid, and Halloween candy, including candy corn. They also offer seasonal homemade soups, salads, and takeaway options.
How to get there– Located next to St Leonards train station, within the forum. Upon exiting the station, take an immediate right and you can’t miss it.
USAFoods.com.au (online)
Stock– USAFoods is a huge website, with a massive selection of American food, from spices, cereals, chips and crackers, sauces and BBQ rubs, and perennial classics such as Goldfish, Lifesavers, and Pillsbury products. Their stock can change often and they do tend to run out of products quickly. But, if you’re looking for something particular, this is the best place to start your search.
How to get there– Order online, they ship Australia-wide.
Costco
Stock– Everyone’s favourite Saturday morning excursion has landed down under. I can’t vouch for whether the food bar has the giant hot pretzels of my childhood, but expect to see a big range of American products, like what you would find at home, including American-style bacon, frozen foods, and grocery items and sweets.
How to get there– Located in Lidcombe, you’ll find ample parking and these huge stores are easy to spot, even from a distance. As in America, membership is required to shop here.
Sweet Surprises, Penrith and Campbelltown (and online)
Stock– This candy store has a huge array of American, British, and Kiwi sweets. They also have a range of groceries, including Pop Tarts, Marshmallow Fluff, Smucker’s, and pancake mix. The stores have an old-fashioned feel and are worth a visit, if you’re in the area.
How to get there– They have locations slightly outside Sydney, or you can order online.
http://www.sweetsurprises.com.au/
The Candy Store, Leura
Stock– This quaint candy and sweets store is in Leura, a beautiful town in the Blue Mountains, about a two-hour drive west of Sydney. They have a large selection of chocolate and candies from around the world, and stock Altoids, Wonka, Hershey’s, and Nerd products, and even American hot sauces.
How to get there– Located in Leura Mall, they are close to the train station in Leura, or can be reached by car. You can also order online.
City Convenience, Sydney CBD
Stock– This clean and, well, convenient chain of convenience stores tends to have a wide range of American chocolates, include all types of Hershey’s Peanut Butter Cups (my personal favourite), as well as some sodas. Great for a quick chocolate fix when you’re running errands in the city. If you’re looking for where to buy American food in Sydney, this ia a great and easy option.
How to get there– They have a wide range of location throughout the city- details can be found on their website.
http://www.cityconveniencestore.com/
David Jones Food Hall, Sydney CBD
Stock– David Jones, one’s of Australia’s better department stores, has two flagship stores in Sydney, on Elizabeth Street and Market Street. On the ground level of the Market Street store, you’ll find the Food Hall. Similar to Harrods, you’ll find a huge range of champagne and oyster bars, sushi trains, and fresh dining options. They also sell gourmet international groceries. On a recent trip, I saw a huge amount of Jelly Belly, and other assorted chocolates, snacks, jams and sauces, and gift baskets with American and British options.
How to get there– Located on the ground level of 65-77 Market Street, Sydney
https://www.davidjones.com.au/Store-Services/Food/Food-hall
O Canada (online)
Stock– Had to throw in a helpful suggestion for our neighbours up north. This online site sells a range of Canadian and American foods. Expect everything maple syrup, snacks, sauces, baking supplies, and they also have gluten-free selections. You’ve got to like any business with a kangaroo holding a hockey stick on their homepage.
How to get there– Order online, they ship Australia-wide.
Edit (January 2019): I recently noticed City Essentials, a convenience store within the Star Casino in Pyrmont, has a wide range of American foods, including some I’ve never seen in Australia. This included a wide range of US cereals, flavored Oreos (such as Red Velvet), and lots of candies. Worth checking out if you’re in the area or heading to dinner or a show at the casino.
(All recommendations are based on my own chocolate-loving experiences, and have not been influenced by the stores named above)
What’s your favorite food from back home, and have I missed any good spots? Would love to hear your recommendations!
What a fresh perspective. I spend so much time sitting in America and dreaming of going abroad that I don’t ever think of living abroad and searching for home. When I first moved to Tucson from Ohio, I kept seeing corn fields along the sides of the highways. I even remember a trip to Paris where I had to have a Mc Donalds hamburger. Sometimes, you need a little bit of home when you’re on the road.
Thank you! Yes, I love living overseas, but always nice to be reminded of home sometimes 🙂
It is always nice when you are living abroad and you have access to some of the things that you have in your home country. This is especially true of food. Food gets you closer to the flavours and aromas of your own country in spite of the distance. It is so nice to see that there are so many options for American food in Sydney.
It’s funny, I’m Australian and my husband is from the US, when i moved to the US I was trying to find Australian food desperately. Now that we’re back in Australia I’m trying to find US food! David Jones food hall is a great spot in Sydney 🙂
How funny! I am not sure if there’s much Australian food in the US, but my parents did notice the other day that American Targets sell TimTams! 🙂
Thanks for this post.
I agree with you about wanting foods that you eat on your own country. Find the stores that can cater to your needs is really a relief. I also experience the same thing during my travels. Although the thought of trying the local foods excite me, sometimes I still look for the foods which are already familiar to me.
Yes me, too! Always good to try new things but also nice to be reminded of home 🙂
So great to know! Love that you give so many different options. Sometimes I go visit my aunt and uncle in Sydney and I totally know what you mean when you say American peanut butter!
It’s so good!
That’s interesting. It’s so good to know that you can find American food even there. Thanks for sharing.
Oohhh.. cool tips! I always think that a taste from home can be a really good cure if your are homesick and all that. I’m sure a lot of expats or expats-to-be will find this very helpful indeed!
Thank you!
A very useful posts for American Expats in Australia. I can totally relate to this feeling. Being an Indian, who’s a foodie, who lived in 2 different countries, I do look out for Indian ingredients in other countries.
Thanks- yes, it’s funny how we like to find what is familiar!
I’m sending a package to a pen pal in Brisbane. Are there any American foods/items that you desperately miss that you cannot get anywhere over there?
Hm, good question! It really depends on what they like- personally I love Peter Pan peanut butter, which you can’t get over here, as well as Bounce dryer sheets, for doing laundry. Luckily though, Australia is getting better and better in terms of stores that offer American foods 🙂
Would you know what is the cheapest method of shipping food to Sydney? My fave corn chips is from Paqui. They don’t ship internationally but a quick research with mail forwarding companies costs about $90AUD for 6 packets of chips. It costs that much due to chip packets taking up volume rather than weight.
Hm, good question! Postage is definitely expensive. Have you checked if true chips are on USAfoods.com? They seem to have a really good selection, may be cheaper than shipping from US?
USA foods just opened in Sydney – I think it’s in Belmore
Thanks! Yes, I heard it was opening but have been overseas the past few weeks. Now that I’m back I will definitely check it out!
You forgot about the Lollybug in little Hartley, nsw that’s where i go to get my captain crunch!
Ooh thank you for the recommendation! I haven’t been there, but will definitely check it out!
Disclaimer: Not an American expat here, but ventured here as I was trying to find Twinkies in AU.
I was previously posted to Caringbah for a short while, there is a small little shop right at the entrance of Caringbah station, where they sell some American / European candies and snacks (I got my twinkies from there). It’s called Parry’s Milkbar & Candy Store, so if you ever go around that area I hope this is useful.
Side note: I like the coffee there as well, and I pretty much bought from them every day for the period I was there. The owners are really really nice.
Thanks for the suggestion! I haven’t heard of that one, but sounds like a good option- glad they had Twinkies!