Fusion cuisine is general term for the combination of various forms of cookery, the concept can take several forms. One approach is regional fusion that combines the cuisine of a region or sub-region into a single eating experience. Of these sort, Asian fusion restaurants have become popular in many parts of the United States, often featuring Indian, East Asian, and South-East Asian dishes alongside one another and offering dishes that are inspired combinations of such cuisines. In Australia, due to the incresasing influx of migrants, fusion cuisine is being reinvented and is becoming increasingly the norm at numerous cafes and restaurants; with Sydney now considered one of the best cities in the world with regard to the quality and creativity of asian-fusion restaurants.

Another incarnation of fusion cuisine is a more eclectic approach, featuring original dishes using varieties of ingredients from various cuisines and regions and combining them. Such a restaurant might feature a wide variety of dishes inspired by a combination of various regional cuisines with new ideas.

A third approach uses foods with a form based on one cuisine, but prepared using ingredients and flavors inherent to another cuisine or cuisines. For instance, pizza made with cheddar and pepper jack cheese, salsa, refried beans and other common taco ingredients is often marketed as "Taco Pizza" or a similar concept, and is a fusion of Italian-American (pizza) and Mexican-American cuisines. Similar approaches have been used for fusion-sushi, such as rolling maki with different types of rice and ingredients, e.g. curry and basmati rice, cheese and salsa sauce with Spanish rice, or spiced ground lamb and capers rolled with Greek-style rice and grape leaves (resembling inside-out dolmades).

Since fusion cuisine is a general term, it is legitimately applied to either sort of restaurant. While many diners feature dishes from Greek, Italian, and sometimes Asian cuisines side-by-side, these restaurants are generally not considered fusion as they fail to combine any elements of the cooking styles and also have no over-arching fusion or eclectic theme.

To sample great fusion cuisine, try it at Deck1 Exotic Scene & Cuisine Chiang Mai, a superior restaurant by the Ping River. Recommended dishes include Thai-style Pomelo Salad with Tempura Shrimps and Salmon Roe, Miso Tom Yum Soup, Crisp Skinned Salmon on Wasabi Mashed Potato with Wakame Sauce and more.