3 Best Restaurants in Inner City and the Eastern Suburbs, Sydney

Chef Armando Percuoco established this Italian gem in 1987 and continued to run it until 2018, when longtime head chef David Wright and his wife Rosalba Bertocci took over. The menu remains rooted in traditional Neapolitan cuisine, featuring small starters of raw or lightly cured seafood, handmade pastas, whole fish, and rich, meaty mains such as slow-cooked lamb shoulder with ricotta, mint, and lemon. Ingredient sourcing is meticulous, with dishes often showcasing a light touch and frequent use of lemon, olive oil, capers, and Parmesan. The stand-out dish is the renowned truffle-egg pasta with only a few skilled staff members trained to prepare it. The extensive wine list, with over 200 selections, predominantly features Italian wines, though a selection of local options is also included.

A firm favorite of Sydneysiders, this waterfront restaurant is a lively affair on weekends, especially in the outdoor eating area. It's renowned for its exquisite pan-Asian cuisine, with the menu crafted for sharing, featuring delectable dishes such as dumplings, Peking duck, crispy pork belly with chili caramel, and Asian greens. And there's a good chance you'll spot a celebrity while you're enjoying your meal.

Few restaurants have the magnetic pull of Otto, a place where radio shock jocks sit side by side with fashion-magazine editors and confirmed foodies. Yes, it's a scene, but fortunately one with good Italian food prepared by chef Richard Ptacnik. The homemade pastas are menu standouts; try the spaghetti, baby octopus with trapanese, a Sicilian pesto sauce. The selection of Italian wines is expensive but rarely matched this far from Milan.