9 Best Restaurants in The Rocks, Sydney

With windows overlooking the Opera House and Harbour Bridge, Aria could easily rest on the laurels of its location. Instead, celebrated chef Tom Gorringe creates a menu of extraordinary dishes that may be your best meal Down Under. There's inventive seafood dishes, premium meats, and beautifully presented desserts. The dining experience is focused on different four-course tasting menus, with matching wines. And this dining experience doesn't come cheap but fine fare rarely does, especially in Australia. 

One of Australia's most renowned chefs, Peter Gilmore, oversees the kitchen at possibly the most superbly situated dining room in town. Tucked into the side of the Opera House, the restaurant affords views of Sydney Harbour Bridge and the city lights. Gilmore's creations are as special as the view and showcase the best of Australia's produce with a focus on terroir, with dishes like aged Kurobuta pork or Tasmanian southern rock lobster. Whatever you do, leave room for dessert, with the cherry jam lamington, a clever interpretation of the Australian classic cake, which has been a constant on the menu for almost a decade. It's that good. Pretheater dining is available if you are going to a performance in the Opera House but booking is essential.

Quay has been Sydney’s top restaurant for 30 years and it's still going strong with chef Peter Gilmore's experimental Mod Oz cuisine created with seasonal, local produce. The menu has carefully created seafood dishes, like wild blacklip abalone or native freshwater marron or crayfish. But it’s the White Coral dessert, which is what Quay has become known. It's a white chocolate ganache shell filled with feijoa fruit ice cream and coconut cream. Add in the sweeping vista of the Opera House and the sparkling harbor, and it's perhaps no surprise that prebooking is essential.

The lure of this decadent restaurant, high above Sydney Harbour on the 36th floor of the luxurious Shangri-La Hotel, is the view through the floor-to-ceiling windows providing stunning panoramic views of the city. The menu offers refined modern Australian fare featuring fresh, local ingredients, with options like seared scallops, Wagyu beef, and indulgent desserts.

With wide verandas providing tranquil views over the gardens, the sound of birdsong filling the air, and a menu created by celebrated chef Luke Nguyen, Botanic House is a top choice for a long lunch or a sunset dinner. The menu is modern Asian, leaning more toward Vietnamese, with dumplings, bao, and grilled meats usually on the menu. The restaurant is within the Royal Botanic Gardens; it can be accessed from either the Palace Gate on Macquarie Street or from Lion Gate on Mrs. Macquarie's Road.

Pancakes on the Rocks was founded in the 1950s by two Australians who had returned from a road trip in the United States. Seven decades later and it's still an iconic eatery in Sydney. There's a huge array of pancakes available, and each are American-style, arriving with eggs, bacon, and syrup.

This is the top destination for contemporary Japanese cuisine in The Rocks. Each dish is crafted from fresh ingredients with a creative twist, offering a unique culinary experience as the team blends modern Japanese flavors with traditional elements. The menu features standout options like Hamachi kingfish with coriander-infused ponzu sauce. Enjoy every bite and explore an extensive beverage list that includes a wide selection of saké. Open every day for lunch and dinner, and no booking is required.

Most people come to this buzzy bar at the end of Pier 4 for a quick bite before a show at the adjacent Sydney Theatre Company, but the views of the Harbour Bridge are so spectacular that it's worth coming here any time. It gets busy before a show starts, but then the crowd vanishes, leaving it a pleasant place to linger over a quiet glass of wine or cocktail and soak in the amazing view. The menu is split into small tapas-style eats to share or large mains, and there's plenty of variety from hearty pastas, fish-and-chips and antipasto boards.

Found inside the Roslyn Packer Theatre, the Walsh Bay Kitchen offers light Asian fusion fare, with flavors of miso and wasabi-crumbed fish often found on the menu. It gets busy here before a show, due in part to the fact that the food here is so much cheaper than at neighboring restaurants. It's a pleasant spot to linger and enjoy a quiet wine from the extensive list when the crowds empty out.