Sydneysiders eat out a lot, demanding high standards for a reasonable price and usually getting it. BYO (bring your own) helps, an Australian tradition adopted by many of the better restaurants, which brings the alcohol bill down considerably. Corkage usually applies and to wine only; most places won’t allow you to bring your own six-pack of beer. The national dish may be the meat pie, but waves of immigrants have collectively re-educated the city’s stomach. Every type of food is available in Sydney and generally suits every budget.

A unique blend of Asian and European cooking using fresh Australian produce has been dubbed Mod Oz, and when in doubt that’s what most restaurants without a special theme call their food. A good place to sample Mod Oz is Bistro Lulu (257 Oxford Street, Paddington, +61293806888) owned by top chef Luke Mangan. Doyles on the Beach (11 Marine Parade, Watsons Bay, +61293372007) is Sydney’s most famous seafood restaurant, but those foodies in the know head for a leisurely lunch of oysters or crab, flown in fresh from the Northern Territory, at Boathouse on Blackwattle Bay (Blackwattle Bay end of Ferry Road, Glebe, +61295189011).

Some of the city’s best – and priciest – restaurants can be found in the Rocks, while Newtown is great for budget Thai. Leichhardt is packed with authentic Italian cafes and the yum cha (dim sum) deals in Chinatown attract families.

The current buzz on the bar scene is boutique cocktail hangouts that quickly fill with the town’s pretty people. Try moogbar (413 Bourke Street, Surry Hills, +61283538201), an uber-trendy conversion of a Victorian terrace that serves interesting tapas to accompany their expansive cocktail list. Otherwise, the back bar of Will & Toby’s restaurant (Level 1, 294 Victoria Street, Darlinghurst +61293563255), just a stone’s throw from Sydney’s red light district, has a lot of zing if you can squeeze in.

Over in Bondi, the Icebergs Bar (1 Notts Avenue, Bondi Beach, +61263659000), in the revamped clubhouse of the historic Bondi Icebergs (winter swimming) Club, has an Italianate cocktail list and balconies overlooking famous Bondi Beach .

For something a little more traditional head for the very English Lord Dudley pub (236 Jersey Road, Woollahra, +61293275399), where the well-heeled local old boys go for a post-prandial pint, or the Oaks (118 Military Road, Neutral Bay, +61299535515) with its huge beer garden.

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