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Sydney's dining scene is as sunny and cosmopolitan as the city itself, and there are diverse and exotic culinary adventures to suit every appetite. Mod Oz (modern-Australian) cooking flourishes, fueled by local produce and guided by Mediterranean and Asian techniques. Look for such innovations as tuna tartare with flying-fish roe and wasabi; emu prosciutto; five-spice duck; shiitake mushroom pie; and sweet turmeric barramundi curry. A meal at Tetsuya's or Rockpool constitutes a crash course in this dazzling culinary language. A visit to the city's fish markets at Pyrmont, five minutes from the city center, will also tell you much about Sydney's diet. Look for rudderfish, barramundi, blue-eye, kingfish, John Dory, ocean perch, and parrot fish, as well as Yamba prawns, Balmain and Moreton Bay bugs (shovel-nose lobsters), sweet Sydney rock oysters, mud crab, spanner crab, yabbies (small freshwater crayfish), and marrons (freshwater lobsters).
There are many expensive and indulgent restaurants in the city center, but the real dining scene is in the inner city, eastern suburbs, and inner-western suburbs of Leichhardt and Balmain. Neighborhoods like Surry Hills, Darlinghurst, Paddington, and beachside suburb Bondi are dining destinations in themselves. Plus, you're more likely to find a restaurant that will serve on a Sunday night in one of these places than in the central business district (the city center)—which can become a bit of a ghost town after offices close during the week. Circular Quay and The Rocks are always lively, and the Overseas Passenger Terminal (on the opposite side of the harbor from the Opera House) has several top-notch restaurants with stellar views.
In 2019, this café opened Sydney's first self-serve batch-brew bar, with craft beer--style taps where you can drink as much single-origin coffee as your heart desires or can handle. But this is more than just a trendy spot for coffee: the menu is filled with quirky dishes, with many vegan offerings. The eggplant katsu roll is very popular.
Darling Harbour and Barangaroo are undoubtedly two of the busiest areas of Sydney so for a quiet reprieve step into this tucked-away café. With an impressive wooden art installation snaking around the ceiling, outstanding coffee and freshly baked croissants and muffins, this is the perfect place to recharge before more adventuring.
The culinary focus of this chic basement eatery is regional China. There are dishes from far-flung Yunnan, Hunan, and Sichuan provinces, and as the names suggests, they all have a kick. The food is meant to be shared, and the menu features innovative dishes like tea-smoked duck and kung pao chicken, alongside a selection of dim sum and small plates. The elegant, contemporary interior provides a sophisticated yet relaxed dining atmosphere. Complementing the food, the extensive wine list and creative cocktails enhance the dining experience. It's a busy, trendy eatery (down a somewhat steep flight of stairs), so if you have to wait at the bar for a table, grab a cocktail and a spicy pork bun and take in the opium den ambience.
Housed in a beautiful sandstone building that served a number of military purposes for more than 130 years, the Tea Room Gunners Barracks has breathtaking views of the harbor and the surrounding gardens and bushland. Their traditional afternoon tea is a great way to relax after exploring the armaments of Middle Head.
Found within the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney, this is a popular choice from breakfast all the way up to a late dinner. The menus vary for breakfast, lunch, and dinner but each is Italian-inspired, with hearty risottos, wood-fire pizzas, and plenty of pasta dishes. On weekends, there's bottomless brunch, which is four courses and as many mimosas as your heart desires. And you can even pick up picnic boxes to take away and enjoy in the surrounding gardens.
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 a little farther up Bondi Road, away from the beach, this restaurant has been a bit of an unexpected hit since opening in 2018. Unexpected because it's housed above a run-down pub called The Royal, but once you're up the stairs it's an incredibly classy restaurant serving Italian-inspired wood-fired mains. The chef Khan Danis has worked at some of the best restaurants in Sydney and is hailed as the king of wood fire in the city. Each dish is impressive, with pizza-size flatbreads arriving with house-made charcuterie, pickled fish, and seasonal fruit. There's also alfresco dining available, and there's lunch and dinner served every day.
The first of its kind, the iconic fashion magazine now has a chic café found at the heart of Darling Harbour. A gourmet menu features refined breakfast, lunch, and afternoon tea options, along with specialty coffees and elegant cocktails. Its stylish interiors and fashionable atmosphere make it a popular spot for those looking to enjoy a luxurious café experience while looking out at the impressive yachts in Darling Harbour's marina.
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.
A vibrant, beachside atmosphere with stunning harbor views is the draw here, and the outdoor eating area is a popular spot at sunset. The menu features a variety of options including seafood platters, fish-and-chips, barbecue ribs, and vegetarian pasta, along with fresh salads and indulgent desserts like chocolate brownie and lemon tart. The drinks menu is focused on cocktails, local and international wines, craft beers, and nonalcoholic beverages. Often there's live music or a DJ playing as the sun goes down. And you can even stay in the on-site accommodation for A$250 a night, or simply grab a coffee to go from the kiosk.
Once just a standard pub in Surry Hills, this spot was completely gutted and renovated and recently opened as a high-end dining experience. Upstairs you can start with a cocktail or two, which gets very lively on weekend. Then downstairs, the dining space is expansive but feels intimate with low lighting. Each dish is carefully prepared and a taste explosion. Roasted chicken skin with liver mousse and sweet Davidson plum is a must to start, followed by the dry-aged Aylesbury duck with rhubarb. The wine list is extensive, the cocktails carefully mixed and for art lovers, there's a vast array of bold art throughout the restaurant.
