Emily Lloyd-Tait

The Emerald City is peppered with a whole host of stellar hotels that each individually carry their own little sparkly slice of je ne sais quoi. Whether you’re in town for one night, want a longer stay, are flitting through for business, or are travelling to Sydney for the very first time and want to make sure you’re in the best possible spot to properly explore the city, we have you covered. Having earned our stripes reviewing hotels across the country, our team of writers (including Lifestyle Writer Winnie Stubbs and our Travel and News Editor Melissa Woodley) have shared their top picks – along with top tips on how to make the most of your stay. From five-star luxury to boutique boltholes, this list is our edit of the best hotels in Sydney (in no particular order). Warning: it'll be hard for you to choose just one to stay at! Sorry, not sorry. Rather stay under canvas? Find the best glamping sites in NSW or the best camping near Sydney. This article includes affiliate links. These links have no influence on our editorial content. For more information, click here.

Sydney's CBD possesses one of the best bar scenes in the country, from underground hideaways to cool-as-hell speakeasies to lofty cocktail lounges with mixology maestros at the helm. You can drink life-changing wines, the freshest ales, and fruity elixirs made from seasonal harvests – and sometimes you can do it all in the same place. When you're out and about in the CBD and feeling thirsty, these are the very best places to take an elbow and indulge in a few drinks in the heart of Sydney, curated by Time Out Sydney's critics, including Food & Drink Editor Avril Treasure. So, who's getting the first round? Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out Sydney newsletter for more news, travel inspo and activity ideas, straight to your inbox.  RECOMMENDED READS: Want more? Check out the best rooftop bars here. Plus, these are Sydney's best beer gardens.

No one is pretending that cocktails are a cost-effective way to relax or party in Sydney. In a city where a $25 cocktail isn't an uncommon price tag, you really want to know that what's in your glass has been shaken and stirred by the best in the business. Here, Time Our Sydney critics, including Food & Drink Editor Avril Treasure, have put together a list of the best places for cocktails in Sydney that you can always trust to give you an outstanding drink in exchange for your hard-earned. You're welcome.  Want something a bit stiffer? Try one of the the best bars in Sydney. Or still hungry? Try one of Sydney's best cheap eats. Or head up to one of Sydney's best rooftop bars.

Look, it really isn’t a secret that we Aussies love a good pub. Whether you're tearing it up on the local dance floor on a Saturday night or downing pints with a hearty Sunday roast, pub culture has something for everyone, every day of the week. These venues see it all: post-work bevvies, celebration dinners, darts competitions and even Hollywood movie crews. Whether it’s a schooner or a glass of wine you’re after, in the city or the outback, we’ve got a list of the country’s grooviest pubs that are a welcome sight to tourists and locals alike. Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out Australia newsletter for more news, travel inspo and activity ideas, straight to your inbox.  Hungry? These are the best pies in Australia worth travelling for.

Is there a better way to start the day than a torrent of fluffy pork buns, sea-sweet prawn har gow, chewy siu mai, slippery cheong fun, silken tofu, hearty beef tendon, braised chicken feet, tropical mango pancakes and canary-yellow custard tarts? Absolutely not. Time Out Sydney's critics, including Food & Drink Editor Avril Treasure, have eaten their fair share of the city's yum cha (and then some). Below, you'll find our definitive list of the best spots in Sydney to relish this morning ritual. So, bring your strongest hangovers, a whole bunch of mates and an appetite for destruction and gallons of tea. Love Chinese food? Us too. These are the best Chinese restaurants in town. Still hungry? These are the best restaurants in Sydney

From specialty Sichuan spots to hot Cantonese kitchens, Sydney has some seriously great Chinese restaurants. Time Out Sydney's critics, including Food & Drink Editor Avril Treasure, have eaten their way around town to bring you this curated and up-to-date list. So whether you want to go all out and explore regional cuisines, sit down for yum cha, grab some takeaway barbecue duck or hand-thrown noodles, you'll find your spot here. These are the best Chinese restaurants Sydney has to offer – we're hungry just thinking about them.  Recommended: Here are the tastiest cheap eats in Sydney right now Check out the best Italian joints in Sydneytown

Autumn 2024 update: Hey autumn, so glad you’re here, with your still-pleasant weather, fresh air and gorgeous leaves. Sydney’s dining scene is as red-hot as ever, and this guide is the place to start. Here's our list of Time Out's best restaurants in Sydney right now, from hot newcomers to time-honoured institutions, curated by our expert local editors and critics who have tasted their way through Sydney, including Time Out's Food & Drink Editor Avril Treasure.  How did we narrow it down to the very best? When deciding, we considered fun, flavour, creativity, value for money – and 'wow' factor. So yes, of course, you’ll find a fine diner inside the Sydney Opera House here, but you’ll also find neighbourhood pasta, hole-in-the-wall Thai and venues right by the sea. Our picks right now include the hot new diner from the Bentley crew, King Clarence, seafood haven Saint Peter, NY-style steakhouse Clam Bar, fiery Thai joint Pork Fat, and gorgeous trattoria Palazzo Salato. (Be sure to check out our guide to Sydney's best new restaurants, too.) Happy dining, Sydney. RECOMMENDED READS: After a drink? Check out our favourite bars in Sydney. Or: Our list of the best cheap eats.

If you find yourself hungry and thirsty in Surry Hills, never fear – you're in one of the best places in all of Sydney to get your coffee and brekky fix. From silky scrambled eggs at Bills, to a killer breakfast plate at A.P. Bakery, on-point coffee at Single O and a picture-perfect blueberry tart at Lode, we've compiled a bumper list of all the excellent Surry Hills cafés. Lace up, grab a mate, and eat and drink your way around the tree-lined streets. RECOMMENDED READS: Want the best of the brunch? Check out our guide to the best breakfasts in Sydney. Keen for lunch of dinner? Here are the best restaurants in Surry Hills. After a dining hit list? Brush up on our guide to the best restaurants in Sydney. 

No two ways about it, Sydney's wine bar scene is flourishing. Full to the brim. Spilling over. A decade ago, there were only a handful of wine bars. Now? They're all over town. And we're here to happily drink them up. What's more, these slick haunts are also some of the best spots in Sydney to grab a nice dinner with friends.  It makes no difference whether you're a novice or an expert, fancy something natural or classic, old world or new, or whether you want to spend moderately or extravagantly, Time Out Sydney's critics, including Food & Drink Editor Avril Treasure, have curated this list for every palate, at every price point. Bottoms up. Can't get enough of that boozy stuff? Check out the absolute best bars in Sydney here.

There’s no doubt about it, Sydneysiders can’t get enough of Italian food. And who can blame us? There’s something about a bowl of perfectly al dente pasta paired with a luscious, rich ragu that just hits the spot. And white Italian cuisine differs throughout the 20 incredible regions – broadly speaking the northern regions eat more rice and polenta, and down south they feast more on seafood – Italians share a love of beautiful, seasonal produce, choosing simplicity rather than overcomplicating dishes, and cooking food with soul. No wonder we love it so much. Luckily, there are a wealth of excellent options to choose from when it comes to Italian dining in Sydney. Time Out’s editors and critics, including our Food & Drink Editor Avril Treasure, have picked our favourite eateries covering all bases – from casual red-sauce joints and classic pizzerias to fine dining restaurants – so no matter what mood you're in, there's something here for you. Not in the mood for pasta? Here are our picks of the best spots for Greek and French food in Sydney.

Contrary to contemporary yarns, there are still pubs and bars that host live music in Sydney. Many of them have successfully lashed back at the encroaching frontline of pokie machines.  We're all for it. So Time Out Sydney's writers – including pub-frother and Editor Alice Ellis, and resident booze-lover and Editor Avril Treasure, have rounded up a list of our fave bars and pubs that host live bands. Hate the ding-ding of pokie machines? Here's a list of Sydney pubs without pokies. More into dancing to a DJ? Check our guide to the best clubs in Sydney.

Ramen, more than any other soup, will divide people. Are you after an opaque tonkotsu or a brighter chicken shoyu broth? Firm hand-cut noodles or soft squiggly noodles? Do you add in some intense black garlic or keep it simple? Would you like your chasu extra fatty or thinly sliced and lean? Each ramen house will have its own distinctive broth, but toppings (mushrooms, eggs, seaweed, bamboo and corn) and seasonings (soy, miso, salt) let you cater to your own tastes. Need a winter challenge? Find your favourite ramen in Sydney the old fashioned way – try them all. We did, and regret nothing except that we now need to buy bigger jeans. Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out Sydney newsletter for more news, straight to your inbox. RECOMMENDED READS: Still hungry? These are the best restaurants in Sydney right now. Want more? Check out our guide to the best Japanese restaurants in town.

Seeing a movie at the Deckchair is like a right of passage for anyone visiting Darwin. As long as you’re visiting in the dry season you can expect to recline in striped lounge chairs on a balmy evening, and if you don’t have a cushion, they have a box of them on a first-come-first-served basis. They show blockbusters, indie releases and arthouse films. A different local business does the catering for each movie so you can get dinner and a drink beforehand while the sunsets. Just be careful the possums don’t steal your snacks.

Watersports are a way of life in Darwin, not just because you can’t swim in the water due to the apex predators. There are multiple sailing clubs, but the one in Fannie Bay has the kind of beer garden that tourism brochures live for. The huge green lawn is set with big white plastic tables that extend down to the point where the grass meets the sand of the beach. This is where you want to sit in the afternoon sun under the palm trees, with a local green ant gin and tonic in hand.

You will drive right past this simple establishment on the highway as you criss-cross Darwin, but the locals know to factor in a visit to Warung Ibu Amye, as it is also known, especially on a Friday when they are doing their famous charcoal chicken with an addictive chilli sauce. This is one of those local gems that Darwin residents are fiercely proud of.

Do you dare to enter the cage of death – where you will spend 15 minutes submerged with the ultimate apex predator lurking only metres away – or are you more a feeding a sweet baby crocodile type? You can do both at Crocosaurus Cove in central Darwin. There’s also a pool with glass panels into a crocodile enclosure, and you can attend reptile shows and feeding demonstrations daily.

We’re told that locals in Darwin wake up craving laksa on Saturday mornings, so entrenched is the ritual of heading to the Parap Village Markets and joining the queues for a spicy noodle soup. There are also stalls selling every fried snack you can think of from Southeast Asia, juice vendors, barbecue carts and banana stands. This is where you can see the full diversity of migrant populations that call Darwin home, and try some of the best regional cuisine in the city.

The sheer scale of fresh produce available at these local markets is staggering: you can smell the fresh herbs in the air and buy exciting ingredients like winter melon, Meyer lemons, whole turmeric, tempeh so fresh it’s still warm, and locally roasted coffee. Once your shopping bags are full, head out the back to where the food trucks are and get a tropical juice with lime and honey, a green papaya salad, tofu and fish skewers.

Historic pub refurbishments can be divisive, but the public houses of the Balmain Peninsula are so plentiful that they really do cater to every taste and budget. There are craft-beer castles, staunch lager safehouses, tropical beer gardens, bistros serving the best of British fare, unofficial footy fan clubs, and high fashion Italian dining destinations hiding behind a heritage-listed facade. And as surely as Balmain’s demographic has shifted over the decades from proudly working class to double income families who enjoy a water view, so too have many of its pubs adjusted to cater to a crowd who speak fluent wine list. Which brings us to the latest glow-up for the Dry Dock Hotel, a lesser-known watering hole right down near the shores of Mort Bay. The bones of the building still share some residual DNA with the pub frequented by dock workers way back in the mid 1800s. The ghosts of patrons past might recognise the stone fireplace, leather seats and inviting glow of backlit whisky, but everything else is designed with modern comforts in mind. Especially the dining room, cleverly concealed to ensure the public bar retains a sense of cosy intimacy. The whole space opens out into a light, bright bistro with a big open kitchen and an ice bar in pride of place stocked with oysters and caviar. This is not the venue you hit up the day before payday. But in the era of ‘cozzie livs’ there are a number of little hacks here that stretch your hard-earned further. If you’re a group of four

It’s imperative that you do not eat before you visit the Carriageworks Farmers Markets. You’ll want to save maximum belly space for your personal version of The Bachelorette where you decide who gets your dollars and what delicious produce gets to come home with you. Maybe you like something soupy and savoury first thing? In that case head to Bar Pho for a traditional Vietnamese start to the day. On the veggie train? Hit up Keppos St Kitchen for a falafel breakfast, or head to Food Farm for a classic bacon and egg roll.Once the hounds of your hunger have been quieted it’s time to prepare for your next meal, or seven. Stock up on artisan cheese from Leaning Oak, smoked salmon from Brilliant Foods and Sydney’s favourite sourdough from AP Bakery and brunch is sorted. You can spend a whole lot of money if you want to here, but equally you could just grab a kombucha on tap from Herbs of Life and find a chair for some of the best dog-watching in the city.   Hungry for more? Look at our list of the best markets in Sydney – produce or otherwise. 

January 2024 update: The first thing you need to know is that The Paddington’s golden rotisserie chicken is just as good as it was when Merivale reopened the jazzed-up pub back in 2015. The talented Ben Greeno (ex-Momofuku Seiobo) is still the executive chef here, keeping a close eye on the kitchen to make sure quality and taste is up to scratch. And a recent visit proves it very much is. Greeno’s signature Bannockburn hormone-free roast chook comes with bronzed and glistening skin, its meat seasoned and juicy, and served with cracking fries and a well-dressed bright butter salad. And for $38 – that includes half a chook, chips, gravy and salad – it’s also still a well-priced tasty feed. It’s not just about the chicken, of course (though, you could just come in for that alone and leave feeling plump and merry). Part-pub, part-restaurant and part-cocktail bar, the Oxford Street boozer is a three-in-one good time. If you’re looking for a casual beer with a mate, you can do that here. Or, if you’re wanting a place to catch up for a family lunch, you can kick things off with snacks like lobster spring rolls with spicy mayo; edamame dip with wonton skins; and crispy zucchini flowers with ricotta, aioli and grilled lemon. Larger plates span snapper with ratatouille and basil; a sirloin with a fried egg, snails and garlic butter; and chicken schnitzel with snap peas and parmesan. Dessert takes a step back in time including the sticky date pudding with hazelnut crumble, vanilla ice c

The thing about reputations is that they can be a double-edged butter knife. On the one hand, French food is widely understood as shorthand for romance, coming in second only to the city of love itself on the ‘high probability of engagement ring’ scale. This also means people tend to save the Champagne and roast duck for special occasions. But down in the genteel, leafy surrounds of McMahons Point there’s an elegant French bistro that’s making a compelling argument for adding a little Franco-flare to your more regular dining rotation. Don’t get us wrong, dining at Charlotte Bar & Bistro still very much feels like a special (and rather extravagant) treat. To start with, when you book there’s the option to add a centrepiece to your meal in the form of boeuf en croute. The burnished bronze pastry case that hits the table is sliced up to reveal perfectly pink roast beef inside, flavoured with a king’s ransom of foie gras, mushroom and madeira. It’s nearly $300, but undeniably adds some razzle dazzle to your group dining adventures. In fact, there’s not much on the menu here that isn’t designed to impress. They may have loosened the collar a little, opting for bare marble-top tables in place of starched white linens, but you’re very much in quiet luxury country here. The reminders are everywhere you look; in the rich timber panelling, the soft mid-century corners of the see-and-be-seen mirrors, the brass-lined archways and light fixtures set to a particularly flattering golden glo

November 2023 update: Manly Pavilion is under new ownership and management, and things are looking as good as the ocean does down below. The beautiful restaurant and bar now has a happy hour from 5-7pm weekdays, and DJs on the decks each Friday from 5-8pm. Come on down for "wow" views and some pretty great food and drinks, too. Read on for our review of Manly Pavilion from 2020. ***** Combine panoramic water views (bonus points for additional city skyline), seafood, fresh pasta, a sunny deck and a cheeky bevvy and the result is the Platonic ideal of a perfect Sydney day. And it’s an accessible reality at Manly Pavilion. The dining room housed in the 1930’s bathing pavilion facing Manly Cove and looking out to the heads and all the way back to the CBD skyscrapers, could not be better located if it tried. It’s also one of the first places you pass if you’re trekking from the Spit along the coastal walk – we can think of worse places to refuel. If you can swing it (and you’re sunscreened to the nines), aim for a seat out on the deck and draw in lungfuls of that sweet, salty sea air in between sips of vermentino while you peel fresh prawns and swipe them through a classic seafood sauce. Haven’t been able to refuse a scallop since ‘The Trip’? Us either, which is why a plate of five perfectly bronzed clams on a verdant green pea puree is a smart second order. Heading up the kitchen here is the Florentine-born Alessio Rago, so fresh pasta is the order of the day. He’s making the

October 2023 update: Dreamt of eating sushi at Nobu? You’re not alone. In choptastic news, the award-winning Japanese restaurant is now slinging all-you-can-eat sushi, available on Thursday and Friday lunch time. Our schedules are cleared. Take a seat at Nobu’s coveted ten-metre long sushi counter and get stuck into a feast featuring perfectly made sushi, fresh sashimi and Japanese riffs on tacos. The all you can eat offer will set you back $95 per person, and you can make a booking for it here. And yeah, we know it’s more exy than your usual grab-and-go lunch option, but this is Nobu we’re talking about. And it’s all-you-can-eat. I don’t think we need to say it, but we will anyway: come hungry. - Avril Treasure  Read on for our review of Nobu from October 2021 ***** If we pocketed a dollar for every person who says Sydney is expensive, we’d be drinking on our very own, private, harbourfront deck. But you don’t need to be paying land tax to dress up and drink fancy by the water, you just need a booking at Nobu, the antipodean offshoot of the globally famous restaurant chain owned by chef Nobu Matsuhisa and Robert De Niro.  Nobu has become part of the zeitgeist. If you know, you know, that black cod miso is one of the restaurant’s most enduring and famous dishes, and happily for those who want the full New York experience without the jet lag, that punchy, earthy fillet of fish features on the Sydney menu too.  To ensure that there’s consistency across the venues they’ve instal

We enjoy ludicrously good weather in Sydney the vast proportion of the time, but for those scant rainy days or weeks each year we become damp and grizzly and as devoid of manners as we are proper wet weather footwear. Here's a reminder about some of the etiquette for navigating rainy days...1. Accept that your food delivery will be lateYou know what every single other office worker is thinking when it starts bucketing down at 11am? “How do I get my lunch without getting wet?” If you genuinely can’t face the weather, remember that delivery services are getting slammed with orders from people just like you, and so you can either get your own food, or accept that it’ll be an hour later than you hope. Those are your options, and there’s no point getting snarky with the person who did brave the downpour to bring you ramen/pizza/Thai food.2. Do not steal from the umbrella bucketThis is an honour system. No one likes a drippy, slippery floor so we all agree to leave our rain barriers at the door and only leave with the crappy folding black one we arrived with, not that fetching one with the Museum of Modern Art masterpiece on it.3. You either have to go high or low with your umbrellaAll umbrellas can’t stay at head height on footpaths – they won’t fit. Someone needs to go high in a crowd, and someone needs to go low, and you should pick a height early so everyone can adapt smoothly around you. Also, the tallest person in a sharing situation holds the umbrella, them's the rules.4. Do

It’s not that we’re uptight, but us Sydneysiders can get a little flustered when we feel the pressure to get to our seat on time or find somewhere to eat after midnight. There are heaps of anxiety-inducing moments that are part of living in Sydney. Here are just a few of them. “Ding-dong, ding-dong, ding-dong” – the sound of the bell at the Opera House as you’re legging it up the steps. Hearing “last drinks” with no kick-on plans in place. That yellow 'Train Replacement Bus' sign. Being hailed by lifesavers over a megaphone to move back between the flags. Catching the 333 to Bondi in 35-degree heat. Rocking up to Iggy’s Bread at 7.10am and hoping there’s anything left in the bakery. Vivid crowds. Realising another summer has passed and you barely made it to the beach. Waiting to hear the first question in yet another Q&A session at another Writers’ Festival: “Hi, big fan. Mine question is in three parts….!” Visiting the Fish Markets during the 36-hour seafood marathon for a kilo of Christmas Day prawns. Trying to find somewhere to pee on New Year’s Eve. Seeing a sniffer dog looking at you. Realising you're seated in the front row of an intimate theatre performance. Trying to find a park in Potts Point. Trying to park in Bondi. Trying to park in Coogee. Trying to park in the CBD. Seeing the “cash only” sign after you’ve ordered. And eaten. Sprinting to the gates to catch the last ferry back from Manly. Hailing a regular taxi. Watching as your Uber driver accidentall

You guys remember Alfio's, right? The little pop-up Italian trattoria in Leichhardt that stole our hearts and filled our bellies with simple pasta dishes and low-key good times? Well, the Full Circle crew behind Alfio's are getting ready to open a new restaurant in Potts Point for the summer.  Dan Johnston, who has been in the kitchens at Hubert since Alfio's shut up shop, is reuniting with Harry Levy who has been at Bar Brosé and the pair are ready to ride the restaurant rollercoaster once again, taking over Wilbur's Place in Llankelly Place and renaming it Wilmer. The plan for Wilmer involves an a la carte menu with pasta mains around the $20 mark and smaller antipasti plates, and because this venue comes with a liquor license they've enlisted the help of Adelaide Hills winemaker Tim Webber to blend them a house red that they can put on tap. They've asked Marrickville locals Sparrow and Vine to supply a white so prepare for this to be the summer of the carafe. Johnston has only just received the keys to the venue and is waiting on their pasta extruder to arrive from Italy, but it's going to be all action Jackson from Thursday December 1, with dinner available from 5.30pm Monday through to Saturday, so you'd better book a table while the fun lasts. Wilmer, 36 Llankelly Place, Kings Cross 2011. Mon-Sat 5.30pm-late Photograph: Dan Boud  

In fact, now that you're thinking about it, the question is how has it taken someone this long to open a Champagne focussed-venue in the Queen Victoria Building, arguably one of the CBD's most attractive and recognisable structures (those green copper domes are objectively beautiful)? The Champagne parlour and bar is going to be called Reign at the QVB, naturally, so you can live out all your The Crown fantasies starting from Friday March 15. They've set up the offering in the space that used to house the ABC store, but now instead of Bananas in Pyjamas DVDs they're going to be serving over 150 Champagnes and sparkling wines in a room decked out in a royal amount of marble, brass and pale pink. The best part is that the bar will be open until 2am, Thursdays to Sundays, which means a post shopping bevvy or an elegant after theatre meet-up just got even easier in the city. If you're an early doors luxury kind of person, they're open for lunch and dinner daily, too. In addition to Reign, there will also be a new restaurant on level two called Esquire Drink + Dine, where they're going for a New York supper club vibe. Expect a dark oak bar, parquetry flooring, leather seating and low lighting to set the mood, and a whole roast chicken for two, or a high-end jaffle for dinner.  Reign at the QVB opens Fri Mar 15, and Esquire Drink and Dine opens Thu Mar 28 at Queen Victoria Building, 455 George Street, Sydney 2000. Find out more here. Here's our list of Sydney's best wine bars to ke

If idea of a NSW road trip is bringing back nostaglia-tinted memories of an '80s holiday in a caravan by the sea, perhaps it's time to relive your childhood with a vintage caravan. Camplify is kind of like Airbnb but for campervans, caravans and trailers. It allows the people who have invested in all the road-life kit to share their gear instead of it just being parked in the driveway when they're at home. One of the vans on the Camplify site is called Mazzy, and she's a navy and white vintage van that's been renovated and restored with mod retro stylings. There's a queen-sized bed with proper linen, bunks and games for kids, big windows so you don't feel cramped, and a timber-topped galley kitchen with espresso machine and fancy loose leaf teas. The van also comes with beach towels, umbrellas, deck chairs, a barbecue and a chilly bin. But the big selling point is that for the whole of summer is that you get a complete cocktail cart thrown in, kitted out with a full bottle of Botanist gin, cocktail shakers, glassware, mixers (Fever Tree tonic and Sunday Lab herbal tea) and garnishes so you can live that luxe life on a $140-a-night budget.   The van itself is based in Flinders, NSW, which is on the South Coast, and can be towed up to 100kms, which means you can inland past Berrima, up as far as central Sydney, and down further south about as far as Bendalong Beach. All you need to do is find a caravan-friendly spot and the holiday accom comes to you. Prefer to pitch a tent? T

Melbourne’s known for its crazy, unpredictable weather. But it seems whenever we’re hit with a major storm, Melburnians etiquette goes right out the window. It needs to stop. Here are some etiquette rules to follow when it rains in Melbourne. 1. Don’t shake your umbrella at people Get the excess water off by all means, but don’t spray someone in the face like you’re a dirty dog on bath day, and be careful where your umbrella is dripping. It could be on the ground, or it could be on someone else’s shoes. 2. Do not steal from the umbrella bucket This is an honour system. No one likes a drippy, slippery floor so we all agree to leave our rain barriers at the door and only leave with the crappy folding black one we arrived with, not that fetching one with the Museum of Modern Art masterpiece on it. 3. You either have to go high or low with your umbrella All umbrellas can’t stay at head height on footpaths – they won’t fit. Someone needs to go high in a crowd, and someone needs to go low, and you should pick a height early so everyone can adapt smoothly around you. Also, the tallest person in a sharing situation holds the umbrella, them's the rules. 4. Don’t hog the awnings If you have a brolly, walk on the rainy side and leave the awning protection for less well-prepared people. In particular, do not force anyone to walk along the drip zone – those chubby droplets right down your collar are unpleasant. 5. Move with purpose on public transport People want to get off fast but also

There is schoolyard joy in a packet of supermarket sponge cake fingers dipped in chocolate and covered in desiccated coconut like wet feet in sand. But Sydney’s pastry standards are very high, so when you want your sweet treat to feel special, these are the patissiers going the extra mile when it comes to the humble lamington. Buy a box, put the kettle on and bask in some vintage Australiana snacking this summer. Flour and StoneNadine Ingram’s lamingtons are famous. If you think that sponge cake is dry, you are about to eat your words along with this famous cake. The secret is that they dip the cake in panna cotta mix before rolling it in a thick layer of chocolate and a snowfall of coconut shards that are still tropical and chewy. In fact, the lamington is so popular you can get it year-round, and even order it in novelty sizes for birthday and wedding cakes.  Tokyo LamingtonThe newcomer to the Sydney scene is making a buzz with their elaborate flavoured cakes. Given the time of year, they have a menu leaning hard on Australian native flavours, like macadamia and honey, Davidson plum and chocolate, chai and pepperberry or lemon myrtle lime bitters. Plus, they deliver, so you can order a box for your public holiday shindig. Textbook PatisserieIn honour of this afternoon tea favourite, pastry chef and Textbook Patisserie owner John Ralley has dedicated his weekend croissant special to the lamington. Order by Friday Jan 22 for the jumbo version, or you can buy a regular sized s

Gut instinct tells us there is cross over between people who love Disney and those who love dessert, and the center of that particular Venn diagram has just been gifted a Frozen-themed high tea. These are not just your run of the mill scones and mini tarts, the cake tower is being filled by Koi, famous for their beautiful pastries with elaborate flavour combinations and glossy, perfect finishes. The multi-tiered cake-fest is themed to the the song 'In Summer', sung by the naive, weather optimist and anthropomorphised snowman, Olaf. As a result the cake line-up features a layered dessert of passionfruit, coconut and pineapple; the cherry jazz, made with fresh cherry, raspberry, jasmine, blood orange, and almond; a chocolate raspberry cake; a confection shaped like a piece of precious jade; a salted caramel macaron and a chamomile and honey scone. There are savouries too, including a tomato cream pastry with lump fish roe, a tiny chicken and leek pie, and tomato and fetta toast, plus free-flowing tea or coffee. The high tea costs $70 per person and runs on weekends from Saturday January 9 to Sunday January 31 at Koi Ryde and Koi Chippendale. Bookings are essential. Need more finger sandwiches and scones in your life? Here are more of Sydney's best high teas.

It's no NYC, but Sydney has a vocal, devoted pizza fanbase, and they possess very strong feelings on where to get a top pie in the city. Those with a vested interest in good pizza in Sydney should put the CBD's late-night, rock'n'roll, party pizza parlour back on top of their hit list because Frankie's Pizza by the Slice has a new and improved pizza menu, care of one of the city's most celebrated chefs. The wait times for a table at Hubert are as famous as the underground French bistro's chicken fricassee, but former Hubert head chef Dan Pepperell has put in a rockstar appearance, reworking the Frankie's menu after a research trip to New York early in 2020. The new bases at Frankie's are now made using stoneground flour and the dough is left to ferment for a full three days before being stretched out, placed on a pizza stone and cooked slowly until the crust is crisp and blistered. On top, your options now include a rosemary pizza, bolstered with two kinds of cheese (fior di latte and scamorza); a pepperoni pie that balances the spicy heat with a hint of honey; a classic Marg; a herby, zippy combo of zucchini, lemon, chilli, garlic and mint; or the Texas, which involves fior di latte, ricotta, roasted corn, red onion, pickled jalapeño, garlic, chilli powder, coriander, and lime. Yee hah!If it's been a while between music trivia nights or heavy metal gigs, a whole new pizza menu with fine dining credentials is as good a reason to carb-load in the new year as any. Prefer Italia

We are huge fans of the work of Two Good Co. at Time Out. Their lunch jars initiative allowed people to buy a healthy soup or salad designed by leading Australian chefs, and in return they would donate one to a domestic violence survivor in a women's shelter. The program extended to gifts like designer leisurewear, blankets, and beauty  products.  Now they're doubling down on the spirit of the giving season by partnering with Chiswick Woollahra. When you dine at the beautiful garden restaurant until Christmas Day you will be offered the option to purchase an 'empty plate' for $7.50. If you add it to your bill they will ensure a meal is donated to a woman in need. You buy one, they give one, and a little bit of goodness is spread in these trying times.So far, Two Good has delivered more than 157,000 meals to refuges and shelters since business began in late 2016. They also invest in future building by training and employing women in the hospitality industry. Got time to give? Here are some places you can volunteer in Sydney.  

There’s a strong argument to be made for salt and pepper squid being Australia’s national dish, what with its compelling combination of fresh seafood, Asian culinary influences and being widely available, be it at your local fish and chipper or a higher-end dining room. But no, we asked 38,000 people globally what they thought their city’s most defining dish was and the answer for Sydney was Sydney rock oysters (see, the clue was in the name). The dish is not just synonymous with Sydney, but eponymous too. Those famously creamy bivalves grown along the east coast are the opening act on pretty much any menu in the city, regardless of cuisine or status. In fact, they’re so endemic to Sydney dining that some places go so far as to have devoted oyster happy hours where you can double your shellfish for half the normal ticket price. In Melbourne, their answer was Italian-American import the parma, a pub staple made from crisp chicken schnitty coated in a layer of Napoli sauce, slices of smoky ham, and topped with a horde of melted cheese. If you’re in Austin, Texas the resounding answer to ‘what should I eat first’ was breakfast tacos; in Copenhagen it was smørrebrød; and in Kuala Lumpur is was nasi lemak. Given the state of our travel industry there’s not a lot of international sojourns in our immediate future, but happily for Sydneysiders, many of these dishes are available here. Why not engage in some dining chair travel and see how many of the 46 dishes you can knock off the l

They say if you want to get something done give it to a busy person, and Lee Tran Lam is very, very busy. If you have engaged with Sydney’s lifestyle media in any way over the last decade and a half you’ll have come across her byline, whether it’s on her long-serving food blog, her community radio show, or her freelance journalism for Good Food, Gourmet Traveller, SBS Food and Time Out.  Now Lam has added activist to her crowded CV. She’s the editor of a new collection of food writings designed to address the lack of diversity in food media. It stemmed from an Instagram account she started called Diversity in Food Media where she began profiling writers, chefs, photographers and other content makers from diverse backgrounds. Photograph: Supplied New Voices on Food is being published by new era custom publishing house, Somekind. They have developed a new publishing model, similar to crowdfunding. It’s a sustainable model that means everyone who works on the books works to profit share, so the books require no initial financial investment and if enough people pre-order they know they have an audience and the book gets made. So far Lankan Filling Station, PnV Liquor Merchants, Woy Woy Fisherman’s Wharf and Boon Luck Farm have all set their tales to print. “As a freelancer I don’t have heaps of power, but as an editor you have more power to change that [lack of diversity]. Media outlets also don’t have the budget right now so there wasn’t a chance for new voices to join the co