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✍️ Time Out Sydney never writes starred restaurant and bar reviews from hosted experiences – Time Out covers restaurant and bar bills, and anonymously reviews, so that readers can trust our critique. Find out more, here.
When was the last time you visited the quieter end of Newtown’s King Street? If it’s been a while, here’s a great reason to stroll past the few remaining vegan spots, colourful vintage stores and dodgy tobacco shops: a glorious, peach-coloured, seasonal bistro called South End that I reckon you’re gonna love. I sure do.
The vibe
Opened in October 2025, South End comes from three long-term hospo pros and friends. In the kitchen, you'll find Hussein Sarhan, former head chef of Fred’s in Paddington who also worked at the late Skye Gyngell’s Spring Restaurant in London, and Alex Tong, ex-Ester sous chef who’s also cooked at Ho Lee Fook and Belon in Hong Kong.
Leading the floor and drinks is Paul Guiney – an award-winning legend whose CV spans Nahm in London, Embla, Town Mouse and Brooks in Melbourne, and A.P Bread & Wine and The Bentley Group in Sydney. If I could give six stars for Guiney’s service, I would.
Inside, it's simple and charming, with cream curtains, coffee-bean-coloured wooden furniture, sage-green accents and white tablecloths. The staff, dressed in Powerade-blue jackets for a pop of fun, are warm and switched-on, chatting to guests with ease. At the centre is a bar where you can pull up a chair for a wine and snack. And I think in a few weeks, that's exactly where you'll find me.
The food
European in spirit and guided by Australian seasons, the food at South End is joyous and confident – cooked by chefs who respect produce and know how to enhance it.
Case in point: a chilled yellow oxheart tomato gazpacho ($16 each) topped with soft white peach, a sprinkle of eschalots, drizzled with olive oil and perfumed with marjoram. It’s mind-blowingly good – vibrant, juicy and explosive – with elderflower vinegar making it sing. Crunchy golden rosti ($12 each) adorned with Goldstreet Dairy curds and tender snap peas, flecked with sunshiny lemon rind, is a bang-on textural hit.
A bowl of Port Lincoln mussels ($32) arrives bathed in a next-level, garlicky, saffron-tickled broth, with warmth from Aleppo pepper and an aniseed wink from fennel. Save some of the bread from A.P Bakery ($10), slather on house-made butter, and dip as you please. Then thank me later.
The hits continue. A rotolo ($42) filled with spinach and marjoram, served with a buttery sauce and topped with salty Reggiano, is cheesy, rich and decadent; the pasta is golden and caramelised on the edges, with seasoning taken right to the edge.
Tender White Pyrenees lamb rump ($54) rests on slow-cooked snow peas and jammy tomatoes, finished with bold tapenade – and transports me to a long garden lunch in the south of France. Finish with a light-as-air chocolate tart ($25) with a crisp, flaky crust, tempered with crème fraîche; it's a ripper end to an exceptional meal.
The drinks
Brief for the drinks list? “Always fun, always delicious,” says Guiney. That might look like a vibe-starting Yuzu Spritz ($20) with mango and bianco vermouth. Or a properly stiff, briny, freezer-cold Martini ($24) in a frosted glass with a fat olive. Or go for the Mandarin Americano, which gives the classic a citrus twist.
The wine list focuses on smaller European and Aussie producers creating exciting drops – like a glass of 2023 Domaine des Sonnettes Blanc Sablon Chardonnay ($26), a sublime low-intervention wine featuring yellow-fruit flavours with a gentle minerality. Plus, there are house-made blackberry sodas, Reschs Pilsener and Drivers non-alcoholic Euro-style lagers.
Time Out tip
There’s a separate beautiful private dining room available for birthdays, long lunches and celebrations.
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