Updated December 2025 – please note dates under photos for updated foods on offer
Time for a new review of the Qantas Business Lounge Sydney Domestic now we are on the other side of Covid. This is becauses my previous review was done when travelling was still quite affected by Covid restrictions. So what are the food offerings in the lounge like now?
For a lounge which should be the flagship domestic lounge for Qantas, I find the food offerings lacking compared to some of the other Qantas domestic lounges. This lounge is in desperate need of an overhaul including in terms of its food offerings. There is only 1 hot meal option available (other than soup) and each time I sample it, it seems sloppy and of poor quality – but more on that later.
And of course toasted sandwiches – a Qantas Lounge staple – still make an appearance. Ham, cheese and tomato toasted sandwiches seem to be many people’s go to in the lounge. While this combination is pretty tasty, eating processed meats such as ham frequently isn’t good for health. So I am not really a fan of these toasted sandwiches being one of the main food offerings for frequent flyers.
2024 NOTES: When I visited on 31 March 2024 I entered the lounge at approx. 2.45pm and there was one hot dish available (chicken and rice), this was taken away at 3pm. When staff were asked about this they mentioned the hot dish would not be available again until 5pm. This was similar to my experience in Melbourne a few days earlier. In place of the hot dish they brought out sandwiches and platters of vegetable sticks and cheese/ham/crackers. When I visited the lounge on Sunday 16 June 2024 I was there about 1pm and there was no hot dish (e.g. butter chicken and rice), only a few rows of pies which were just warm. Visiting in December 2024 there was a hot dish (Mango chicken) when we were in the lounge at 2pm and there were the new toasted paninis from the Panini Bar.
2025 NOTES: Visiting the lounge on 10 February 2025 at 1pm I visited the Panini bar and where there were two varieties available. There was also a hot dish on the buffet, and a large plate of vegetables sticks in addition to the sandwich fillings.

What’s Nutritious
- I like how there are a variety of foods available for you to make up your own plates/meals for example sliced vegetables, cheese and ham, dips, and salads can be used to make a sandwich or a salad bowl. I prefer this as it puts you in more control of the food you eat and it can help you make healthier choices.
- Toasted sandwiches are a staple of both the domestic Qantas Business Lounges and Qantas Clubs and by being able to make them yourself you can add more salad and protein fillings which will help make the sandwich more nutritious. This is important since the sandwiches served during the ‘covid period’ were terrible and on many occasions basically just bread.


- Antipasto and vegetable crudites are a great addition to the cold buffet options so you can serve yourself a nutritious snack if you are in the lounge between meals or aren’t that hungry. This is important as you don’t have to have a sandwich or plate of hot food just because you are in the lounge and the food is free. Sometimes having a small snack is all you need.

- A jar of mixed nuts was one of the snacks on offer at the bar which was great. A rich source of nutrients, including plant based protein and healthy fats, mixed nuts are a really healthy snack and one I recommend especially when flying. There are also very small dishes that hold around a handful of nuts which is the perfect portion size.

- A chickpea salad and a potato salad are two healthy salads which I loved seeing at the buffet. While these salads are mainly carbohydrates they are sources of fibre which help keep our gut healthy. Chickpeas are also a source of plant protein. So a few spoonfuls of these salads on your plate will provide a great nutrient boost.

- 2023 saw platters of vegetable crudites, cheese, salamis and dried fruit make an appearance at certain times of the day. This is fantastic! Having a variety of fresh vegetables, dips, cheeses and dried fruits available regularly helps everyone have easy access to nutritious snacks.

Not so great (caution).
- There were pies served at lunch time in June 2024 – to be honest I don’t know what type of filling was in them. The first pie I picked up I think was a shepherds pie but it was really hard to tell. There was really small amounts of minced meat, and some really sticky potatoes and a couple of peas. But the taste was just not there and the filling seemed like it was being repurposed into pies.


- In 2023 they started serving special plates (like a Plate of the Day) – here is the Pork Belly which was served with potato wedges. Unfortunately they are not kept under any heat and so by the time I saw the dishes and tried one the wedges were cold and the pork belly was really tough.

- Now I have nothing against sandwiches, in fact some sandwiches can be a very nutritious meal. I have put these sandwiches (chicken, bacon and lettuce) here in the caution section for exactly that – caution. These sandwiches are made on white turkish bread which is generally lower fibre and more refined than wholegrain. Also the only vegetables are iceburg lettuce – it would be better to have more colourful vegetables. So if you fancy these that’s ok but have a side salad to boost the nutrients.


- Similar to the comments above re sandwiches, the Panini Bar has potential but also if budget cuts make the catering too cheap (so remove a lot of sandwich filling) then could be not very nutritious. So when you visit the lounge and you enjoy a panini from the new Panini bar just take a look at how much filling it contains – you might want to add some more salad from the buffet. The panini flavours on the first day I visited where roasted vegetable and Reuben. I was surprised that the Reuben had a fair amount of filling with a few slices of pastrami, sauerkraut and cheese. But there was still a lot of white bread so I only ate half. Another day when I had the Green goddess chicken it was not great at all – there was only 1 semi dried tomato and one piece of greenery (spinach??) in the entire panini. The chicken was also shredded so there wasn’t much in it at all. The panini was mainly bread (see picture below).



- Rice crackers and corn chips were on offer as snacks alongside the hummus, cheese and antipasto. They are both ultra processed without any fibre. It would be better to have wholegrain options available. During 2023 rice crackers and corn chips continued to be served regularly on the buffet.

- A selection of cakes are available usually available, however I must admit I don’t know which flavours these are as I didn’t try them. Also the foods that were served at the tea and coffee station were milk arrowroot biscuits and Liquorice Allsorts.

- Processed rice snacks are also usually available on the bar. These types of snacks are ultraprocessed, with additives such as colours. Even if you have a small portion of these in the small snack dishes, they are still basically refined carbohydrates which can be digested very quickly. Eating these types of foods regularly can have negative impacts on health through their effects on raising blood sugar levels quickly.

- Butter chicken and white rice was the hot dish on one of the days I visited (with the other day having chicken cacciatore). The butter chicken seemed to be mainly made up of sauce, with some chicken and no vegetables. This was slightly improved in December 2023 when I experienced it served with more chicken and vegetables and less sauce (see below). Butter chicken can be quite a heavy and energy dense dish with butter (and sometimes cream) featuring as main ingredients alongside a tomato based sauce. Now while I don’t know the exact recipe of this dish, in general I would consider butter chicken as a dish to be had occasionally. If you are in this lounge frequently and this dish is served regularly, serving smaller portion sizes i.e. using the small soup bowls instead of the plates in the lounge can help reduce your energy intake, especially if you are planning to eat on the plane or it is in between meal times.



- The chicken cacciatore had some vegetables in it along with the chicken, however the sauce tasted quite sweet to me. It reminded me more like a sweet and sour type sauce, rather than a tomato based sauce.

Qantas Business Lounge Melbourne Domestic (Breakfast) Food and Nutrition Review (updated 2024)
The Qantas Melbourne Domestic Business Lounge offers a variety of healthy breakfast options, including eggs, baked beans, Bircher muesli, and fresh fruits and vegetables for juicing. However, it also has less healthy choices like pancakes, sausages, and refined cereals, making it important for travelers to choose wisely.
Last word from travel food and nutrition review for Qantas Business Lounge Sydney Domestic
I don’t love the Qantas Business Lounge Sydney domestic (even with the 2024 upgrade to include a Panini Bar) and find the food offerings pretty average for a business class lounge. However I do like there are always vegetables, salads and cheeses available so you can eat well. The only thing is I find the offerings can get pretty repetitive and so if you are flying regularly I feel the food overall is disappointing. Fill up your plate with the vegetables and salads, and only have the hot food if it looks like it is pretty good quality – don’t just eat it because it is there.
For information on Qantas food on flights to and from Sydney domestically, check out my review of Qantas Economy Food and Qantas Business Class Food.
For more information on my visits to airport lounges, don’t forget to follow me on Instagram and Tik Tok. And I always love hearing from you so if you want personalised advice or consultancy services please reach out.
NOTE: All pictures of Qantas Business Lounge Sydney domestic are my own and I review a lounge from just the foods and menu I see during my visit. There may be different options available at other times.