Restaurants & Cafés
Your guide to breakfast and brunch, fine dining and cheap eats in Sydney
The 50 best restaurants in Sydney
This is the definitive, ranked list of where to eat in Sydney right now. These are the top restaurants we send our friends and family to when they ask for recommendations. They’re the places that are more than just exciting food and exceptional drinks – they’re also a guaranteed good time. We’ve thrown in a mix of price points because sometimes you want to drop cash like a tourist and eat inside the Opera House, and sometimes you want a mini-treat, like some next level Bangladeshi food. If you want a better idea of how we price things there’s this helpful guide, and remember those dollar signs don’t include drinks. There’s some old faithfuls on this list that we keep coming back to, but we prioritised innovation, excitement and fun so that you can start at the top and work your way through the best restaurants Sydney has to offer. Bon appétit! If you're working on a budget try these cheap hacks for fancy places. Or maybe you just want a drink? Here's 50 of Sydney's best bars to help you along. RECOMMENDED: The 50 best cheap eats in Sydney.
The best cheap eats in Sydney
In a perfect world, we'd spend every night enjoying fine cuisine at Sydney's most indulgent restaurants. We'd be at Quay and Rockpool Bar & Grill... anywhere, really, that requires half (or all, or far more than) what's currently in your bank account for a shared plate. But we do not live in a perfect world – sometimes the stove is broken, the thought of checking your balance makes you break out in hives and skipping meals seems a viable option. But you don't have to do that! There's a host of cheap restaurants in Sydney all around our fair town serving up tasty food at prices that won't leave your wallet empty. In fact, there's plenty of fun to be had in Sydney on a shoestring budget, starting with these 25 things to do in in Sydney under $25. Or maybe you want to know where to get a cheap meal every night? RECOMMENDED: The 50 best restaurants in Sydney.
The best cafés in Surry Hills
It was once a forbidding slum, but now the scariest thing about this inner-city utopia is the waiting time to get your smashed avo on a Sunday morning. No visit to Sydney is complete without a coffee and a repast at the undisputed breakfast capital of Australia – here are the places you need to know about, and how long you can expect your satisfaction to be delayed. RECOMMENDED: Surry Hills area guide. Want the best of the brunch? Check out our guide to the 20 best breakfasts in Sydney. After a dining hit list? Brush up on our guide to the 50 best restaurants in Sydney.
Sydney's top restaurants
Time Out Sydney Food Awards: Winners
The Time Out Food Awards is the one night of the year when we recognise Sydney's champions of the restaurant scene – and throw a party to remember. On September 25, 250 of the city's culinary experts, professional eaters and Time Out readers gathered at Porteno for the 2017 Food Awards. Check out the full list of winners and nominees below, and be sure to read our full recap of the night. Disappointed you missed out? Sign up to our newsletter and you'll never miss another chance to party with Time Out!
Eight Sydney institutions for your dining bucket list
New restaurants are often in the spotlight, ready for their Instagram close-up. But Sydney is also home to a host of long-running venues that are still at the top of people’s dining hit lists – hell, Time Out has been writing about them from our very first issue, back in 2007. These establishments have stuck to their mission statement, offering great food with polish and personality. They’re safety zones that don’t give in to fast-breaking fads, but they can be progressive, too – Billy Kwong was one of the earliest adopters of native ingredients. Meanwhile, places like Sean’s Panaroma, Golden Century and Fratelli Paradiso show that it’s possible to stay timeless without coming across like a dusty museum display. These are the restaurants that have stayed vital over the last ten years and belong on the Sydney dining honour roll. Want more top chefs? Check out our guide to the 50 best restaurants in Sydney. Want something a little more casual? Check out our guide to the best burgers in Sydney.
Where to eat seafood in Sydney
Sydney is a seafood city – we love our fish and chips, we've got one of the biggest seafood markets in the country and everyone is going nuts for poke. So where are the best restaurants for eating the ocean's gifts? Whether you want to get around a whole mud crab at Mr Wong, try freshly shucked oysters overlooking Blackwattle Bay or be adventurous and try fish offal at Saint Peter, these are the best seafood restaurants in Sydney. RECOMMENDED: Our guide to the 50 best Sydney restaurants
The best Sydney cafés
The best cafés in Bondi
In a suburb where morning runs, dawn surfing and AM yoga are part of your daily routine, breakfast really is the most important meal of the day. We got up with the sun to find the best brekkies in this clean-living corner of Sydney. For more, check our guides to the best coffee in Sydney's CBD, Sydney's best cycling cafés and Sydney's best coffee cocktails. RECOMMENDED: Our guide to the best Bondi restaurants
The best bacon and egg rolls in Sydney
Whoever first put cured, fried pork and soft, melty eggs together deserves a seriously prestigious award, in our opinion. Stuff them between two layers of soft white bread, spread on a heap of butter and you’ve pretty much got food nirvana right there. So we took it upon ourselves to traipse the streets of Sydney to find you the best bacon and egg rolls to fix any hangover, heartbreak or hard-earned snack. Man, it’s a tough job.
The best coffee in the Sydney CBD
There is a lot of bad coffee in this town. Thankfully, there’s a hell of a lot of good stuff too. In fact there’s some bloody brilliant coffee in the CBD, just waiting for you to come on in and order up. When you're in need of a city caffeine-fix, one of these ace coffee houses will see you right. Here's our guide to the best coffee in the Sydney CBD, from Circular Quay up to Wynyard, to Town Hall, Barangaroo and everywhere in between. Not in the CBD? Here's where to find the best Sydney coffee elsewhere else, plus consult our guides to Sydney's best coffee experiences, cycling cafés and Bondi cafés for more inspiration. RECOMMENDED: Sydney's best coffee cocktails
Sydney's foodie hotspots
The best restaurants in Surry Hills
From the city fringes to deep Crown Street, Surry Hills really is a bit of a hub for dining in Sydney. While Porteno and Firedoor and may be the top notch options, you'll also find plenty of places that are big on fun like Bodega, Salaryman and Bar H. Add to it cheap eats at Xage; great pub dining at the Dolphin, BYO winners and old favoruites like Longrain and and it's not hard to see why you'll often find yourself out for dinner in Surry Hills on any given night of the week.
The best restaurants in Newtown
Newtown has been bringing its A-game on the restaurant front for as long as we can remember. You can enjoy five star dining at Continental Deli Bar Bistro and Oscillate Wildly or casual but tasty as fare at Hartsyard, Jack's and Bach Eatery. You'll also find lots of great vegan options and the Thai restaurants this area has long been famous for dotted throughout the boho 'burb. RECOMMENDED: The 50 Best Sydney Restaurants
The best restaurants in Bondi
While most trek to Bondi to lap up the sun and sand, it's worth noting there are plenty of ace restaurants to check out too. Whether it's a long lunch at Sean's Panorama or Bondi Icebergs Dining Room and Bar or a sandy-footed post-swim snack at Porch and Parlour or Pompei's you'll find somewhere great to eat in North and South Bondi and beyond.
The best restaurants in Manly
This popular pocket of the Northern Beaches is best known for its foamy shore breaks and ferries, but Manly also dishes up some good dining options for after the sun goes down and before the party vibes are cranked up to 11. Whether you want smoked meats and awesome burgers from Papi Chulo, a beautiful brunch spot or just a really good serve of fish and chips from Fishmonger, Manly has a venue for the job. Want a drink? Check out Manly's best bars while you're in the neighbourhood.
The best restaurants in Darling Harbour
Darling Harbour is definitely one of Sydney's most visitor-heavy areas, packed with hotels, attractions, exhibitions and ways to while away a day in the city. When you need to refuel for more adventures these are the restaurants Darling Harbour is known for, from the ribs at Hurricane's to fine dining at Sepia and casual waterfront bites at Beer DeLuxe.
The best restaurants in Parramatta
The Parramatta precinct has been growing fast in recent years – the CBD here is now one of the second biggest commercial hubs outside the Sydney CBD – and so the restaurant scene is on the rise. Inner city slickers like Gelato Messina and Chefs Gallery have Parra outposts, and longstanding local favourites like Temasek and Nonna Maria's still pull the crowds. RECOMMENDED: Our guide to the 50 Best Sydney Restaurants
For the sweet tooth
The best patisseries in Sydney
We’re pretty lucky that here in Sydney we have some of the best darn pastry chefs in the country. From the genius that is the strawberry watermelon cake at Black Star Pastry, to that ginger tart at Bourke Street Bakery, here’s where to get a lil’sweet stuff in Sydney.
The best desserts in Sydney
We don’t know about you, but dinner ain’t dinner for us without dessert. Sometimes it’s a bowl of silky, melting gelato, or it could be a maple syrup-drenched pudding or a good old fashioned passionfruit pav. Damn it, sometimes it’s an ornate plate of food made to look just like the brittle twigs on the forest floor (that’s when we’ve got the coin to get into Sepia). Regardless, it’s the traditional way to finish a meal, and we intend to keep up that tradition for as long as our waistbands can take it.
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Campari Red Nights
Invented by Gaspare Campari in Novara, Italy in 1860, Campari is the Italian red aperitivo that is the cornerstone of many of mixology’s favourite drinks. The timeless Campari Soda – Campari, soda water, ice and an orange wedge garnish – is the starting point on the journey of discovering the versatility of Campari, a journey that has inspired cocktails such as the Americano and the iconic Negroni. Campari Red Nights will launch on Monday, September 17 with a week-long takeover of the Ivy precinct. Campari and Merivale invite consumers to discover the intriguing world of Campari and enjoy an aperitivo from a range of signature drinks like Campari Soda, Pineapple Americano, Milano Sbagliato and the classic Negroni. Campari Red Nights will take consumers on a creative journey throughout the Ivy precinct via sensory experiences (through beverages, entertainment and displays) as well as artwork installations that recount the story of the brand through modern and contemporary expressions of artistic works created by some of the most innovative creators of advertising art. Photograph: Jiwon Kim The official Campari Red Nights launch party will be a journey of discovery throughout the precinct on Friday September 21, culminating in Ivy’s Pool Club. Each subsequent Friday will host parties in Pool Club and closing with a party on October 12. Enter the world of Campari and enjoy live art, music and unexpected performances. Choose from the suite of signature cocktails. Other parti
Visit the Rocks for a month-long celebration of native Australian ingredients
From bush botanicals to national dishes incorporating native flora and fauna, our country’s natural environment provides an abundance of flavours that inspire great culinary works. For the whole month of September, these ingredients will be showcased at restaurants and bars throughout the Rocks, while also featuring in special editions of the Rocks Markets and cooking demonstrations and masterclasses. You’ll want to start your tasting journey with a drink. Head to the Cut Bar and Grill, where they will be twisting pink peppercorn and finger lime into a classic Gin and Tonic that’ll put some zing into your botanical adventure. Or, visit Mode Kitchen and Bar at the Four Seasons who will be blending Sydney’s Archie Rose gin with native lemon myrtle, hibiscus tea and egg whites for a fresh gin sour. Secure a spot on the leafy terrace at Mrs Jones and order a variation on their classic Martini and Espresso Martini. Photograph: Anna Kucera. The Doss House You'll feel like Audrey Hepburn in Roman Holiday at Appetito, the classic Italian restaurant in the Rocks. They’re serving up an exciting white rum and rosella jam concoction during September, and their friendly neighbour the Rawson will use Australian finger lime and mango to create a golden Margarita. There’s more classic twists at the Push and Eric’s Bar, but if you’re after a beer, head to the Endeavour Tap Rooms for the newest edition to their line of local brews, incorporating lemon myrtle, finger lime and Davidson plum
Craft Beer and Cider Festival
The weather is warming up and the days are getting longer – beer and cider season is nearly upon us. Over in our Eastern Suburbs the Coogee Bay Hotel is taking advantage of the increasingly cheerful weather by hosting their third annual Craft Beer and Cider Festival. Over two days the hotel will welcome more than 80 craft beer and cider varieties to their venue to encourage you to get outside your comfort zone and try a new brew. Only the best booze make the cut so even if you select at random you’re going to get a winning tipple. The festival line-up currently includes Gage Road Brewing Co, Yak Ales, Pirate Life, 4 Pines Beer, Bentspoke Brewing Co, The Apple Thief, Hillbilly, Green Beacon Brewing Co, Young Henrys, Endeavour Brewing Co, Akasha Brewing Co, The Lord Nelson Brewery, Feral Brewing Company, Kona Brewing Company and Batch Brewing Company. As well as hosting dozens of delicious beers and cider varieties, Coogee Bay Hotel will also be bringing in jazz to keep you entertained and food pop-ups to keep you full. The beachfront venue combines relaxed, stylish drinking and dining with boutique seaside accommodation – so out-of-towners can even enjoy the festival without the hassle of travelling home. The festival is free to enter, with each variety of beer or cider available to sample and purchase using festival tokens – which you can buy at the festival or online at a discount. The Craft Beer and Cider Festival is taking place at Coogee Bay Hotel on Saturday, 6 Octobe
Central Park Mall Outdoor Cinema
For the month of September, Chippendale Green will have an outdoor silent cinema showing cult 1990s movies. First up it's Alicia Silverstone in high school classic Clueless; then Heath Ledger's Hollywood breakthrough comedy, 10 Things I Hate About You; Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock in high-octane action thriller Speed; and finally Julia Roberts and Richard Gere in the Los Angeles fairy tale Pretty Woman. Each Thursday-night screening will cost ten bucks, and you’ll be given blankets and headphones, so you can quote along “Big mistake. Big. Huge” without disturbing your neighbours. Not only is the ticket price cheaper than most cinema screenings, but you’ll get a $10 voucher to spend on dining at Central Park Mall, which includes Din Tai Fung, La La Malaysian, Mai Viet and Gami Chicken. They’re somehow making it a fundraiser too, with all proceeds from the event going to Rural Aid’s Buy a Bale to help local Australian farmers. We can't think of a better way to indulge our '90s nostalgia, get dinner and help out a good cause all at the same time. Photograph: Supplied
