Cheap eats in Neutral Bay

Barbecues are to Australia what yakiniku is to Japan. Experience yakiniku (ie grilled meat dishes) for yourself at Nikaido. Situated on level one in the Grove Arcade, this Japanese restaurant lets you grill your own slices of beef, pork, chicken, seafood and vegetables at your table. If you’d rather have someone else cook then you can also order dishes ready to eat. The restaurant also stocks a large number of Japanese beers, wines, sake, spirits and shochu making Nikaido a good place to start your night out.

Who doesn’t love a good falafel? Anybody? ... Bueller? That’s what we thought. Luckily, Falafel Zaman – meaning “old-time falafel” in Arabic – has arrived to answer all Neutral Bay’s Lebanese street food needs, from kafta to baklava and, of course, falafel. 

The restaurant is broken into two parts – a soba noodle house and ju ge mu, which specialises in okonomiyaki and teppanyaki. But you can also order things from either part of the restaurant. In the soba house, you'll find low tables with a little bridge running along dividing each table – you'll need to take off your shoes and then clamber in as gracefully as you can. The menu's huge and if you're not confident with Japanese food, the wait staff is there to help. 

Sven’s Viking Pizza makes thin and crisp woodfired pizza the Scandinavian way. Pizzas here are named after figures from Norse mythology and include some distinctly Swedish topping variations. Try the Frö: beef eye fillet, béarnaise sauce, mushrooms, onions and sea salt flakes. 

Bangkok Betty is notable for two reasons: excellent modern Thai food, and puns. 'You Quack Me Up', 'Once a-Prawn a Time', 'Betty’s Lamb-orghini' and 'New Squid on the Block' are some of the menu highlights at this fun and fresh Thai restaurant. 

At Maisy's, brekky is 24/7 (go for the mega breakfast with eggs, bacon, tomato, sausage, hash browns, mushroom, baked beans, tomato and toast) and though the space is small, it's always pumping. Like at any good 24/7 restaurant, comfort food is the theme at Maisy’s, making it easy to satisfy your 3am pasta cravings or grab something soothingly greasy after a night out.