Cheese toast, spag bol: Sizzler’s best and worst dishes ranked

The buffet-style restaurant chain might have closed its last store in 2020 but the memory of Sizzler food lives on. Taste takes a look back at some of the foods which shaped childhoods.

Ever since the final remaining Sizzler restaurants closed across Australia in 2020 for good, it’s felt like the end of a food era.

Every now and then, we think about cheese toast and self-serve ice-cream and this makes us feel surprisingly nostalgic.

Whether you loved it or hated it, Sizzler was an Aussie institution … and everyone on team Taste has been reminiscing about the things they used to eat there as a kid.

Here, we rank Sizzler’s most legendary dishes, from the very worst to the absolute best.

1. Rice salad

“It always looked like a very sad fried rice, with absolutely nothing exciting in it. Oh, and it was cold.” – Ali

2. Steak

“It’s not clear if the cross-charred beef from the ads actually existed … because most people just went for the food bars and the bread. Nobody actually ordered off the menu.” – Kelly

Sizzler’s buffet-style food was a hit back in the day.

3. Potato salad

“Welcome to the daggiest potato salad of your childhood.” – Laura

4. Soup

“I always went for the tomato soup but what always excited me were the fake little dinner rolls that you could dunk right in.” – Bec

5. Fruit salad

“I remember the rockmelon and pineapple being particularly good. You never go to a restaurant and just get chunks of fruit any more.” – Stephanie

All Sizzler restaurants closed in Australia in 2020. Picture: Grant Parker

6. Prawn cutlets

“Everyone loves crispy crumbed prawns, right? But these were only allowed on a very special occasion.” – Gemma

7. Bacon bits

“They were intended for salad, but we sprinkled them on everything. I saw one kid eat so much he barfed.” – Sarah

8. Spag bol

“Weirdly, this is the only hot thing I remember at the pasta bar. You’d always cover it with that powdered parmesan, served in a big communal bowl with a big communal spoon.” – Rebecca

Ice-cream and fruit from the Sizzler Restaurant dessert bar.

9. Ice-cream

“The soft serve bar was basically Mr Whippy with everything you can possibly think of to put on top. Sprinkles, nuts, little brownies, cubed jelly, more sprinkles, fudge sauce. I remember making the best sundaes.” – Rosie

10. Cheese toast

“It’s the main reason people went to Sizzler – it was iconic. You’d have to chase down one of the harassed teens working there to give you more free bread.” – Jodi

You can make Sizzler's cheese toast at home.

Sizzler cheese toast recipe

When Sizzler closed, we missed its most famous dish so much that we enlisted our expert foodies to recreate it.

Not only did they nail it, but they did it IN AN AIR FRYER. What are you waiting for? Grab some thick white sliced bread and get the full recipe here.

For more recipe ideas, go to taste.com.au or check out the Taste Test Kitchen now.

Originally published as Cheese toast, spag bol: Sizzler’s best and worst dishes ranked