• How to make a Bloody Mary

Close the blinds, stock up on headache tablets - hangover season is officially here to ruin your weekend. A calendar full of work Christmas parties, family get-togethers, and New Year's blow outs means many of us will be dealing with the unpleasant after effects of abusing the free bar tab that makes work functions almost bearable.

Tackling a hangover is a highly personal process. Some choose to punish themselves with a long, sweaty run followed by a green smoothie chaser. Others collapse into the warm, comforting arms of caffeine and carbs. Despite the variety of tactics applied to beat hangover demons, some approaches are more common than others and it appears that Australians have a few, clear favourites when it comes to hangover dining.

A survey recently conducted by meal delivery service Foodora indicated that dumplings and soft drinks were the most ordered food item on Sundays from 10am-12pm (with chips and burgers coming a close second).
Deliveroo also reports a surge in ordering on weekend mornings, with a 20% rise in people needing sustenance delivered to their homes.

While it's not surprising that more people get food delivered to their home on weekend mornings, the popularity of dumplings indicates Australia's tastes have expanded to include more than the typical hangover classics, with Asian dishes now a particularly popular morning after choice.

Asian influences - the chefs' choice

As head chef of Hanoi Hannah's Richmond outpost slated to open in early 2018, Mathew Johns isn't surprised that Asian flavours are being embraced as hangover cures by Melbourne's diners. "There's something so comforting about chicken soup. Having it with coconut water is good to get hydration going after waking up dehydrated," says Mathew, who turns to chicken pho the morning after a big night out.

Recently joining forces with cult burger slingers Huxtaburger to create a limited edition banh-mi burger, Mathew believes Australian diners are increasingly embracing strong flavours (such as lemongrass, chilli, coriander and ginger) for breakfast. "The banh-mi burger is a great hangover food option. We've sold quite a lot of them on weekends."

Shannon Martinez of hit vegan eateries Smith & Daughters and Smith & Deli also turns to Asian foods when she's hungover. "Personally, yum cha is my go-to hangover food. Dumplings are greasy, starchy, carby and salty – all those things you need when you're hungover. I definitely don't want fruit salad when I'm hungover," says Shannon.

Recognising that hangover dining is a category within itself, Shannon has crafted a few dishes especially for hungover customers. "At Smith & Deli we have certain menu items that we only do on Saturdays because those are hangover days. We even have a pizza called the hangover pizza that has things like hash browns and barbecue sauce on it. We only serve those over long weekends because we know people will have been hitting it hard over the break and will want an over-the-top food to cure their hangover."

Hangover classics still deliver

While Asian dishes may have grown in popularity, it appears the great Australian hangover classics are still favoured by many a thirsty, bleary-eyed punter on the hunt for sustenance the morning after drinking.

Sydney takeaway chain Chargrill Charlie's has been serving Sydneysiders chicken, chips, burgers and more since 1989. With stores in ten locations across the northern, eastern and inner-western suburbs, Chargrill Charlie's gets particularly busy in the lead up to Christmas.

"We always see a big spike in the number of hungover customers during the holiday season, starting from the last two weeks of November through to December and January," explains Ryan Sher co-owner of Chargrill Charlie's. "There is also a noticeable spike in (hungover) customers after a big sporting event win. After people have been out celebrating all night, they stop by for their fix of food the next morning."

Open for orders from as early as 8.30am, the classic, Australian combination of a quarter of a chicken and chips washed down with a soft drink is an enduring favourite with hungover customers at Chargrill Charlie's but Ryan has his own top picks when it comes to hangover dining. "My personal favourite…would have to be our bacon and egg roll with barbecue sauce… and some devil wings on the side for extra comfort."

Hair of the dog, elevated

Perfect for hangover veterans who are able to back up a night of drinking with a spot of day drinking, many restaurants and cafes now offer breakfast cocktails on their brunch menus. A hit with groups who want keep a party going after a big event like a wedding or birthday, many establishments have legitimised the act of partaking in a sneaky morning drink to take the edge off (or perhaps delay) the onset of a wicked hangover.

In Melbourne, Le Bon Ton's boozy Sunday brunch offers $1 oysters and bottomless Bloody Marys and mimosas from 12-5pm. In Adelaide, the Flinders Street Project has a breakfast cocktail menu featuring espresso martinis and cold-pressed juices spiked with vodka or gin. Perth's Sayers Sister doesn't mess around, with jugs of sangria and bottles of prosecco featuring on the breakfast menu alongside sophisticated brunch mainstays such as potato rosti and salmon gravlax.

Whether lining up for a limited edition, vegan hangover pizza, crawling to a local takeaway shop for a chicken burger, recuperating at a cocktail-fuelled brunch with friends, or ordering in dumplings to eat on the couch while watching Rage, dusty Australians are well taken care of during hangover season.