Melbourne sandwich royalty and a cult American burger chain are making their tennis debuts in Garden Square, joining a local food stand that sold 16,000 baguettes during this year’s Grand Slam.
Since launching in Richmond in 2017, Melbourne sandwich royalty Hector’s Deli has never served up sangers at its own dedicated pop-up, only at its five locations across town. But that will change this summer when it opens an outpost at the Australian Open.
Arguably Melbourne’s most famous sandwich shop – which many locals and out-of-towners also consider the city’s best – Hector’s is set to make its tennis debut at Garden Square, a huge open-air casual food and drink precinct.
It joins much talked-about burger shop, Shake Shack, one of the few US franchises not to have ever done an Australian pop-up. This will be the first time its burgers are served locally.
“The Australian Open! It almost doesn’t get more iconic than that,” says Hector’s co-founder Dom Wilton. “We’re really excited about being able to meet the challenge.”
He had been in talks to pop up at the tennis in past years, but says he now finally has the right people power to make it happen at the high standard that Melburnians expect.
Instead of trying to reinvent the wheel with the menu, he’s bringing most of the Hector’s heroes to Melbourne Park. Two non-negotiables were the beef pastrami and dill pickle toastie and the chicken schnitzel, so big it hangs out of its milk bun. Sweetening the deal will be the signature square-shaped, maple-glazed doughnuts.
Joining Hector’s in Garden Square will be two other venues hitting the Australian Open for the first time.
Chadstone’s fancy butcher and deli Vic’s Meat – from the team behind the even-fancier Victor Churchill – will debut with a twist on an Aussie classic: the snag in bread.
Meanwhile, Maha chef-owner Shane Delia is giving Melbourne a taste of his recently opened Brisbane restaurant Layla that’s rooted in Middle Eastern flavours but has influences from India. Expect to try his ras el hanout-spiced “habibi” butter chicken.
“Each year, we strive to deliver a food and drink program that is full of quality, variety and a few surprises,” says Fern Barrett, Tennis Australia’s head of product growth and innovations.
“At Garden Square we’ve played with a reputable mix of restaurants and brands that feel elevated yet attainable.”
Returning to the precinct next year is Prahran’s French brasserie Entrecote, with its decadent cheeseburger and a steak frites baguette that it sold more than 16,000 units of this year. It’s made with top-quality meat from Vic’s, which will be stationed next door.
Elsewhere around the grounds will be Ho Jiak’s contemporary Malaysian food, a collaboration between old and new Greek from Stalactites and Taverna, Vietnamese fried chicken by Season in Brunswick and Japanese convenience store fare from Cremorne’s Suupaa.
For tennis-goers wanting to splurge, the premium AO Reserve experiences offer two-in-one access to the tournament’s best hospitality offerings and the best seats in the house, with prices starting from $630 per person.
In 2026, restaurant heavyweights from interstate are leading the charge. Peter Gilmore, the acclaimed chef of Sydney’s three-hatted Quay and two-hatted Bennelong, is behind the Champions Rooftop on Rod Laver Arena’s balcony. Rodney Dunn and Severine Demanet’s award-winning Tasmanian restaurant The Agrarian Kitchen is taking over the AO Glasshouse, its flagship dining space. And there’s a bistro by Brisbane’s swanky SK Steak & Oyster.
For best-in-class boozing, you can book a private bar suite overlooking Rod Laver run by the crew from Caretaker’s Cottage, with clever cocktails and canape-style snacks.
The Australian Open 2026 runs from January 12 to February 1 at Melbourne Park. Tickets on sale at ausopen.com
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