‘If our food is good enough, they will come’: the hidden dining gems at Australian petrol stations and carwashes

‘I liked that it was a bit unusual and very quirky’: 2 Foodies owner Peter Nguyen set up his Vietnamese eatery at a vacant Subway store between a carwash and a petrol station. Photograph: Jessica Hromas/The Guardian

In south-west Sydney, there’s a small diner serving a beef phở so rich it’s the colour of rendang. Along with the usual sidekicks – bean sprouts, Thai basil, lemon – it comes with pickled garlic and chilli sauce, both made in-house. Customers will tell you this is one of the best bowls of phở in Sydney. The restaurant is called 2 Foodies and if you’ve never heard of it, that’s probably because it’s hidden between a petrol station and carwash in Mount Pritchard.

The location of 2 Foodies is unusual, but it isn’t unique. Incredible food can be found in carwashes, car parks, convenience stores and all kinds of traditionally less desirable urban Australian locations – you just need to know where to look.