September 2025 update: Forget the name – there’s nothing common about this casual-elegant restaurant tucked inside the Sheraton Grand Sydney Hyde Park. The wood-fired restaurant and bar punches far above its weight in terms of hotel dining, largely thanks to talented head chef Dylan Bennett, who’s worked at swish Sydney fine diners Bennelong and Shell House. The menu blends Aussie flavours and produce with Japanese influences. Enjoy dishes such as crisp sushi rice paired with buttery bluefin tuna and pops of smoked salmon roe; pink snapper crudo, vibrant with tarragon, nashi pear and ponzu; and sourdough crumpets with sweet spanner crab and yuzu kosho.
Feel like treating yourself? Go for Sydney Common’s pièce de résistance: a show-stopping whole roast duck imbued with plum-honey notes, served with fermented and pickled blueberry and blood orange.
Don’t have time for a whole meal? The bar area serves excellent Martinis, snacks and green views. And if you wanna stay the night, Time Out's Winnie Stubbs says you can: "Wake up to the sunrise over Hyde Park from this timelessly grand hotel in the heart of Sydney." Sounds good to me.
- Avril Treasure
Read on for our full review.
*****
On any given day you can see dog walkers, tourists, couriers, school groups and rollerbladers taking a north-south or east-west shortcut through Sydney’s Hyde Park. This rectangle of greenery has been a fixture on the fringes of contemporary Sydney since 1810 when Governor Macquarie proclaimed it to...
Advertising
✍️ 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.
The vibe
Angus feels very Marrickville: urban and unfussy. This café at the industrial end of Marrickville, on the way to Sydenham, and the only reason you might do a double-take going past might be the big bunch of people out front during the morning or lunchtime rush. Some are waiting for takeaway or a table, others are just having a chat. It’s a place that's loved by locals.
The food
Locals love it, but I know people travel to Marrickville just for the Angus fish sandwich, which went a bit viral after a range of food influencers – including Howard (@howac) posted about it. The thick chunk of golden-crumbed fish, oozy spread of dill-packed tartare, American cheese, pickles and onions, all between a serious-looking slab of bubbly, homemade focaccia – it’s made to be in front of the camera. So of course, when I went, I ordered the fish sandwich. Loved it like Howard did. Comfort food in the palm of your hand. I just wasn’t totally convinced about the choice of bread – it was neither crunchy nor pillowy soft, more spongy. That said, I’m still thinking about that sandwich, thanks to the delicious filling.
What else do they serve? They stay in their lane, serving mostly sandwiches: charred miso eggplant with slaw, pickled onion, mint and tahini yoghurt;...
Advertising
2025 update: Mitch Orr’s Jatz and anchovies may have gone, but there’s ace stuff coming out of Sydney rooftop restaurant Kiln. Beau Clugston, former Noma chef and owner of Iluka in Copenhagen, Denmark, is now the head chef of the sky-high diner found atop the Ace Hotel in Surry Hills. Clugston, who grew up in Sawtell on the New South Wales coast and worked at the world’s best restaurant for six years, is drawing on his fine-dining creds as well as his love of the ocean and native Australian produce for Kiln 2.0. (Though, TBH, we do miss the Jatz.)
Read on for our original review of Kiln
*****
✍️ 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 you arrive at 53 Foy Lane and find yourself double-checking directions under the glow of a neon-lit fire door, don’t worry: you’re in exactly the right spot. In a couple of minutes you’ll be whisked down a hallway, into an elevator, and up 18 floors to a spacious glass-walled dining room.
Kiln opened in October 2022, and the place feels young and bright-eyed – even though the building carries national historic significance. It’s located on the site of the Tyne House brick factory, home to Australia’s earliest ceramic kiln discovery, where convict Jonathan Leak (deported here for life from the UK for burglary) produced pottery way back in the 1820s.
Needless to...
✍️ 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.
In case you were wondering, the bros behind ‘Pizza Bros’ are actually real-life brothers, Joey Pepperoni and Marty McFly. And I’m not joking about their names, either – they got them legally changed to live and breathe the dream. The bros have worked at a bunch of top Sydney pizza joints – including Bella Brutta, Gigi’s and The Dolphin Hotel – before starting Pizza Bros as a pizza truck in 2019. Their first bricks-and-mortar venue opened on the rooftop of The Imperial Erskineville at the end of 2023 – and I say: long may the good times (and slices) continue.
The vibe
By 6pm on a Saturday, every table at Pizza Bros is pretty much full, plus there’s a bunch of people hanging by the bar knocking back Spritzes and ales and just basically having a whale of a time. Under the red-and-white striped awning at the back of the space is where the magic happens. You’ll see the chefs cooking the pizzas in that bedazzled gold wood-fired oven – a wink to their home in the fabulously queer safe space, The Imperial Erskineville. It’s a pretty casual, laid-back affair, and that includes the service, with ordering done by QR code, and you head up to the bar to get your table water. It feels like a pizza party at your friend-of-a-friend’s house where (mostly) anything goes....
Advertising
July 2025 update: Looking for something fun and yum to do this winter? Potts Point’s mighty fine izakaya, Cho Cho San, just turned 11 – and to celebrate, the team are offering a kickass deal at night for July. Enjoy a flavour-packed set menu with all of Cho’s hits alongside free-flowing bubbles for $95 per person.
Dishes on the line-up include fresh Petuna ocean trout kicked into gear with wasabi pepper; sticky-sweet, crunchy miso eggplant sticks; spicy sesame noodles twirled with furikake and cucumber; DIY steamed bao buns with ginger and soy chicken katsu, pickled ginger, chilli and cucumber; and black sesame mochi for a sweet treat.
Want to level it up? For an additional $35 per person, go for the cocktail package, which comes with bubbles plus seasonal cocktails, like a strawberry and rhubarb Spritz and honeydew Highball.
When is this on? The Bubbles and Buns package is available Monday to Thursday nights until July 31. Find out more here.
- Avril Treasure
Read on for our review
*****
✍️ 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.
Wear something nice and dark if you visit Cho Cho San. Not because there’s a dress code, but because that tiny stain on your shirt will pop out like a Yayoi Kusama installation against the restaurant’s spotlessly white, bright, eye-popping interiors. George Livissianis...
✍️ 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.
The poetry of Tagore. Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity. The roar of a cricket match at Eden Gardens. Kolkata – once the capital of British India and formerly called Calcutta – pulses with poetry, politics and passion. And now, you can have a taste of the ‘City of Joy’ on Newtown’s vibrant King Street.
After spearheading Colombo Social, Kabul Social and Kyiv Social, man on a (social justice) mission, Shaun Christie-David, founder of Plate It Forward, opened Kolkata Social in March. You might remember Ukrainian eatery Kyiv Social won Time Out Sydney’s Impact Award 2025, so we’re excited to see what’s on offer.
It’s a sunny Sunday when we are seated in a cobalt blue room with a view to the open red-tiled kitchen where the chef Ahana Dutt is in charge. Kolkata-born, Dutt earned her culinary cred at Firedoor and Raja before Christie-David roped her in. With every set menu ordered, Kolkata Social donates meals to those in need – one in Sydney and one in Kolkata via their charity partner, Calcutta Rescue.
This isn’t your typical Indian restaurant
There’s no chicken tikka from North India, or idli sambar from the South. Instead, Kolkata Social is a celebration of Bengali cuisine – and we’re here to savour it.
First up, our entrées. The dry chilli chicken...
Advertising
✍️ 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.
There are a lot of beautiful dining rooms in Sydney – the kind that, when you step inside, whisk you away to another world; where thoughts of to-do lists and Everest-like piles of laundry melt away like lemon granita under the Amalfi sun. Bennelong, tucked within the city’s white sails, is one of them. So too is the coastal kitsch of Sean’s in Bondi. Osteria Mucca, a charming trattoria from the Continental Deli crew that opened in April this year, is another such room.
Found on Newtown’s happening Australia Street, the 50-seat Italian restaurant had a past life as a butcher. Those 114-year-old forest-green-and-white tiles on the walls are the originals. Candles flicker on top of white tablecloths, Art Deco-style vintage lights hang from the ceiling – creating the perfect dinner-date glow – and vintage plates jazz up the walls. This is the work of Sarah Doyle, co-owner and creative director of Paisano & Daughters, who has a knack for creating venues with their own soul. (It just takes one peep into siblings and neighbours – eclectic fisherman’s den Mister Grotto, honey-hued plant celebration Flora, and Continental Deli with its big Euro energy – to fully appreciate her talent.)
The room feels like an occasion, so we bypass the Limoncello Spritz and Mucca...
Smash burgers get their name from how they’re cooked. Beef patties are smashed onto a blazing hot grill and sizzled until golden brown. The outside ends up with a crisp, caramelised lace-like crust – the best bit about a smash burger. Eat at ROBs, located in the front window of Darling Street Meats butchery in Rozelle, specialises in Oklahoma-style smash burgers. And you're gonna wanna try them.
Eat at ROBs (short for Rozelle’s Original Burger) was born when owner Michael Carter returned home from travelling and found a lack of good smash burger options. What began as a market stall has now grown into a burger shop with many loyal fans (including us).
The menu is short and simple. Choose from a grilled chicken or a smashed burger, featuring 100 per cent grass-fed beef, caramelised onion and melted cheese on a Martin’s Potato Roll that are soft, squishy and a little bit sweet. A single cheeseburger will set you back $10.50; make it a double for $12.50, or go all out and order the combo, which comes with chips and your choice of soft drink. There are also off-menu items, like the Aussie burger, the Big Rob and loaded fries – just ask.
Extra toppings, like lettuce, tomato, pickles, guac, beetroot, bacon and more, are available starting at just $1. And there’s a bunch of sauces to choose from, like ROBs mayo, tomato sauce, smoky barbecue, garlic aioli and spicy ROBs. But if it’s your first time, we reckon you should start with the classic and add pickles, lettuce and ROBs...
Advertising
✍️ 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.
I spent five weeks travelling around Mexico in 2019 – diving into blue-jewelled cenotes, lazily sipping smoky mezcal over card games, and gawking at ancient ruins. But mostly I was eating tacos (plus tamales, chilaquiles and tostadas) for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I fell in love with the warm corn tortillas loaded with charred beef or spice-rich chorizo, paired with crunchy white onion, fresh coriander, creamy avo and zingy lime. Or spit-roasted pork with hunks of juicy, sweet pineapple. And crisp, golden, sweet-tasting battered fish with pico de gallo. You get my gist.
The tacos I had at El Taco Grill – a food truck parked at Marrickville Metro, just outside the hustle and bustle, among grocery-shoppers and admin-doers – took me back to the streets of Mexico City quicker than I could say: muy bien!
The vibe
El Taco Grill is a new Mexican food truck by cousins Edson Dominguez Tapia and Miguel Seynos, who hail from Puebla — an incredibly vibrant city southeast of Mexico City, framed by views of Popocatépetl volcano and the birthplace of mole poblano. First firing up the grill this April, it’s located outside Marrickville Metro – a shopping and dining hub in the Inner West – under a big leafy tree, and there’s a handful of makeshift wooden crates to sit...
Café by day and charming bistro by night, Bitton has been offering Sydneysiders a taste of France for 25 years. Loved for its friendly community vibe, warm service and delicious food, must-orders include the tableside beef tartare; the Bitton croque monsieur with ham, Gruyère cheese, Mornay sauce and Bitton’s tarragon mustard; and the cheesy French onion soup – which Time Out’s Winne Stubbs calls “perfection”.
Chef-owner David Bitton also creates a bunch of beautiful products to take home – including chutneys, tapanedes, oils, spies and jam – that are perfect for the condiment fiends among us. You'll find the OG Bitton in Alexandria, with a second venue found in the heart of Rose Bay.
Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out Sydney newsletter for more news, food & drink inspo and activity ideas, straight to your inbox.
RECOMMENDED READS:
Check out our guide to the best cafés in Sydney right now.
Get around our guide to the top wine bars in Sydney
✍️ 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.
Unless you’re part of a run club, 5.30pm on a Tuesday isn’t the sexiest time for a dinner reservation. But it’s the only one that was available at Neptune’s Grotto, the new subterranean Italian restaurant from chefs Dan Pepperell, Mikey Clift and sommelier Andy Tyson. When I first dined at sibling venues – red-hued, Taylor Swift-approved Pellegrino 2000, and New York-style steak house and clam dunk, Clam Bar – I sat down around 5pm on a Tuesday, too. Italians are probably getting up from their riposo at that time. But the trio’s diners – including Potts Points’ pink-tableclothed Bistrot 916 (miss you) – are so damn good that Sydneysiders will take what they can get. And feel #grateful.
Neptune’s Grotto is located in the basement of Clam Bar, and you enter via Loftus Lane. We descend the stairs and are met by zebra carpet, a host in a smart-looking suit and a long room packed with other 5pmers. Couples are seated along the marble bar, while the other side is filled with barolo-coloured leather booths, crisp white tablecloths and flickering candles. A mural of a rambunctious dinner party runs along the wall, and in the centre, a statue of Neptune, the Roman god of the sea, towers over us. I'm a Believer plays overhead, but instead of The Monkees or Smash...
✍️ 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.
It’s just after 7pm on a Thursday and I can see about a hundred people standing up along Dudley Street in Marrickville. Maybe a hundred is a slight exaggeration, but there’s a lot. I’d think they’re waiting for a possible celeb sighting (is Charli still in town?), but I know why they’re here. And frankly, I don’t blame them.
Sydney's Olympic Meats has only been open for a few weeks, and already the casual Greek eatery is drawing more crowds than Putricia. This boils down to two simple reasons. For one, you can’t book – it’s walk-ins only, so the earlier you get down, the better. And the second?
It’s really bloody good
And affordable, too. Nothing on the menu costs more than $21. (Sorry, that’s three reasons.)
Chef Timothy Cassimatis is the owner of Olympic Meats, which is named after his grandmother, Olympia, as well as being a nod to the Mount Olympus-like journey it’s taken to get here. His CV is impressive – he's worked at Vic’s Meats, Kosta’s Takeaway and Whole Beast Butchery (that’s where the ‘Meats’ come in), and as head chef of Marrickville’s Barzaari. Most recently, he’s been manning his events and catering company, Tim Fresh, from his parents’ house.
Greek food has been having a moment in Sydney. See: the similarly named Olympus in Redfern by The...
Advertising
✍️ Time Out Sydney never writes starred reviews from hosted experiences – Time Out covers restaurant and bar bills for reviews so that readers can trust our critique.
There’s a certain joy surfers experience when they're gliding on the perfect wave. It begins with anticipation laced with the excitement of what’s to come, followed by a hit of adrenaline. Then, whoosh: blissful, simple, joy. It doesn’t come around often – I’ve done enough nose dives in my time to attest to that – but when it does, the feeling is magic. That’s why you’ll see the ocean studded with so many black beads in the mornings and early evenings, even in the dead of winter. Dining at Sean’s, the sea-salt-sprayed restaurant located across from Bondi’s golden sand, is like catching the perfect wave. Sure, there’s a little less water and a bit more wine, but the feeling of being in harmony with your environment, and of the joy it sparks, reminds me of my years spent in the sea.
And, of course, there’s the dining room. But more on that soon.
It is not a grid-perfect Bondi day on my most recent visit to Sean’s. In fact, it’s bloody miserable. The kind of day where the rain seems to be coming at you sideways. As such, the main entrance is closed and guests are asked to enter through a different door, so I find myself huddled into a closet-like room with a bunch of smiling strangers, waiting until it’s our turn. The excitement in the air is palpable, like we’re off to a Bridgerton ball.
When it’s time, a host...
✍️ 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.
Olympus is the sort of restaurant where you are invited to idle. The pleasures of dining at the contemporary village-style taverna in Sydney’s Redfern are many – from its location in the buzzy new Wunderlich Lane precinct to the menu devoted to everything from classic Greek mezedes to a trove of dishes anchored to time-worn traditions.
Olympus is the latest restaurant led by the team behind The Apollo and Cho Cho San in Sydney; Yoko Dining and Greca in Bris Vegas. Co-owners Jonathan Barthelmess and Sam Christie have lured Ozge Kalvo (who won acclaim as part of the Baba's Place and Ester teams) to take the lead on the menu the pair have designed around good, honest Greek cooking.
The sun-splashed courtyard is arrayed around a 50-year-old bougainvillea tree with pops of comic-book pink.
It takes me back to Mykonos
Olympus is clearly a place where Greek hospitality blossoms. It’s a scorcher of a day in the light-filled dining room so the retractable oculus ceiling – a cheeky wink back to the Greek amphitheatres of old – has closed automatically so the space under the gliding glass canopy can be air conditioned.
There’s no sign of the #cozzielivs crisis during our Sunday lunch booking as the restaurant appears to be a magnet for the ‘it’ crowd. It’s filled...
Advertising
✍️ 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.
“Bar Copains on steroids” is how one friend described Bessie’s to me, some weeks ago. I’m already a big fan of the Surry Hills wine bar and its cult-level snacks (hello, pig’s head fritti with sauce gribiche) – it won Time Out Sydney’s Best Wine Bar Award in 2023. So when news broke about a bigger – and better! – Bar Copains, you bet my ears pricked up.
Found on Albion Street, just 70 metres up the road from Bar Copains, Bessie’s is a Mediterranean restaurant with wood-fired flair. It’s by chefs Morgan McGlone (founder of Belles Hot Chicken) and Nathan Sasi (the founding chef of Nomad), as well as Sasi’s partner Sali (co-founder of Wrapd). The team brought in serious talent to helm the kitchen, with Sydney-born Remy Davis – from the Michelin-starred Elkano restaurant – relocating from San Sebastián for the gig.
Tonight, he’s in the open-plan kitchen, flames flickering behind him
The cavernous space – with its Scandinavian-leaning wooden furniture, exposed brick walls, pops of colourful art and more wine bottles than one can count – holds a special piece of culinary history. It used to be a Chefs' Warehouse, where cooks came to stock up on kitchen supplies. Now, those tools are being brought to life under the same roof.
At the front is Alma’s, a go-to for...
✍️ 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.
We know it’s a big call, but we think Pellegrino 2000’s truffle butter should be one of your desert island belongings (along with a cooler bag, a good book and a baguette, of course). Soft and creamy with a whack of umami truffle and a hefty dose of salt, the butter is heavenly when slathered over thick and fluffy housemade focaccia. Though beware: it’s very moreish, so dive in for seconds at your own risk (a discreet but necessary unzipping of one’s pants may be the repercussion).
It’s true that us Sydneysiders love our bread and butter as much as the folks who dined at the Last Supper, so naturally there’s a lot of excellent bread around town. But Pellegrino’s takes our coveted Top Spot. Yet it’s not just the bread and butter that’s delicious. Every single dish that comes out of the kitchen at this Surry Hills’ trattoria is on point, cooked beautifully and seasoned well. Which is why it’s about as difficult to get a booking on a Saturday evening as it is to get rid of mozzies in summer.
Take the prawn ravioli, for example. Plump and juicy crustaceans are cased in silky, slippery wrappers and finished with brown butter and sage, resulting in a dish that tastes equal parts elegant and comforting. Whole artichokes come on a plate looking pretty and dressed...
Advertising
✍️ 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.
Have you eaten the bones of coral trout before? Neither had I, until a few weeks ago when I dined at the new Saint Peter, which has moved down the road from its original Oxford Street location (where it stood for eight years) to Paddington’s Grand National Hotel. The tasting menu kicks off with an exquisite coral trout noodle soup, featuring a bright, umami and savoury consommé enhanced by roasted coral trout bones. At the bottom are soft, bamboo skewer-like noodles also made from the trout’s bones. When Niland says he and the team use 90 per cent of each fish to create their dishes, he’s not joking. Also: the result is absolutely delicious; my eyes as wide as those googly-eyed fish while eating it. Chicken noodle soup, watch out.
Josh Niland is a genius, but you probably already know that. For years, he has been practising scale-to-tail magic, showing the world the limitless possibilities with creatures of the sea, whether that’s transforming fish eyes into velvety ice-cream, or giving beef and pork a run for their money with his legendary yellowfin tuna and swordfish bacon cheeseburger. He proves it yet again at Saint Peter 2.0, a project five-and-a-half-years in the making by Niland and his wife, Julie.
Across nine exquisite courses, Niland celebrates...
✍️ 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.
Being at Eleven Barrack feels like Christmas. Every dish or drink that lands on our table is like a gift – a perfectly presented package that, when unwrapped, contains a delightful treasure that’s a little unexpected. A very good surprise.
Take the spanner crab and fish pie. It’s a picture-perfect golden-crusted pot pie in a little cast-iron pot, with a pastry crab on top and a shellfish bisque served on the side in a classic silver gravy boat. The pie pastry is almost too flawless-looking to crack open, but when we do, we’re rewarded with a well-seasoned, creamy filling with finely chopped pieces of spanner crab, fish and spinach. It’s divine just as it is, but then you pour in the bisque, and the dish goes from delicious to unforgettable. The buttery pastry, tender seafood, creamy white sauce and that punchy, sea-flavoured sauce (the colour of crab shell) is like a pot of comfort food with a luxury upgrade.
It’s arguable Sydney didn’t need another steak and seafood grill, but it did need this one. Just like Santa Claus, the Bentley Group’s co-owners Brent Savage (chef) and Nick Hildebrandt (sommelier) – who’ve also recently gifted us treats like King Clarence, Brasserie 1930 and a newly flavoured Monopole – have delivered yet again (in collaboration...
Advertising
✍️ 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.
As a teenager, my mum would take me out for dinner somewhere special in Sydney a couple of times a year as a treat. One of those restaurants was Spice Temple, the CBD’s subterranean diner that specialises in regional Chinese cuisine, from Sichuan to Yunnan, Hunan and Guangxi. Neil Perry, one of Australia’s most esteemed chefs and, now, unofficial mayor of Double Bay, opened Spice Temple in January 2009, with Andy Evans as head chef. I remember the interiors were dark and moody. I also remember thinking it was one of the most delicious meals I’d ever had.
More than a decade later, a few things have changed at 10 Bligh Street. A recent renovation has seen the moving display on the heavy black door disappear. The carpet is plush, the bathrooms are decked out in pretty floral wallpaper, and there’s a lobster tank near the host’s desk.
A few things are still the same. For one, Evans is still here, leading the kitchen (Perry has since moved on to open Margaret and Song Bird). As are those long, black curved lights. Service is as professional, warm and intuitive as ever. The upbeat, ‘90s pop hits remain. It’s still dark. I’m here with my mum, but this time I’m taking her out.
And, happily, Spice Temple is as delicious as ever
It’s time for a drink. Here,...
✍️ 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.
Update: Swinging open its doors in 2022, Porkfat is one of Sydney’s best Thai restaurants. Chef-owner Narin 'Jack' Kulasai and Tanya Boon are as kind and warm as they come – in fact, the whole team is – and the food here is so damn delicious, even Nigella Lawson is a fan. There are always new specials to try, but we always have to order Porkfat’s larb. Featuring ground pork coated in pork fat, smoked chilli and roasted rice powder, with snake beans, cucumber, iceberg and fragrant herbs for freshness and crunch, it’s a flavour and texture bomb.
*****
We’re about three mouthfuls into a brilliant dish of deep-fried barramundi with a mango salad – a tumble of sweet fruit matchsticks intertwined with fresh mint and coriander, lemongrass and crunchy cashews licked with nahm jim dressing sitting on top of crisp, succulent fillets of barramundi. I look up and see my dining companion with his eyes closed, hands at his temples, tiny droplets of sweat forming on his forehead. The truth is my nose has started to run like someone on a Codral commercial and the room is beginning to look hazy. It’s abundantly clear the chefs at Porkfat mean serious business, and I, unlike perhaps my date (who at this point are now onto their fourth glass of water) am absolutely here for...
✍️ 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 Google Maps recently revealed their list of Aussie restaurants with the most customer reviews, one name rose above the rest: Dosa Hut in Harris Park. That was all the convincing we needed – off we went, with empty stomachs and high expectations.
We’re in Harris Park, AKA ‘Little India’, on a Sunday and Wigram Street is where the action unfolds. Think chaat vendors, sari-clad women drinking cups of chai, men chatting in Hindi or Urdu as they chew paan, kids eating kulfi, families browsing mithai counters, and the unmistakable scent of spice lingering in the air.
We arrive at Dosa Hut in time for the lunchtime rush. It’s in a white weatherboard cottage-turned-restaurant like many of its neighbours in the area. We’re met with a “there’s a 25-minute wait”, so we plop down on the plastic chairs in the courtyard and watch an endless stream of Uber Eats drivers pick up their spicy parcels.
Just under the restaurant’s name we read the phrase ‘Indian multi-cuisine’ – and that’s exactly what they offer. Unlike Chatkazz just around the corner that serves vegetarian-only street food, Dosa Hut claims to do it all: vegetarian and non-vegetarian, North Indian, South Indian and even Indo-Chinese.
Soon enough, we’re shown to our table and handed the menu. Grabbing our...
✍️ 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.
I'd be surprised if many Sydney restaurants have survived as long as Bar Italia. It's been serving locals and visitors in Leichhardt for more than 70 years – since 1952. I'm not surprised it's still going strong all these decades later, though. It still serves up classic Italian hits in what has gradually become a retro setting – we're sure it looked fairly modern back in the '50s! You can get a delicious, filling feed for under $25, so it's without doubt one of Sydney's best cheap eats.
The vibe
Sitting here, you can imagine you're in a trattoria in Rome. It's always busy, the service is relaxed (you line up to order), and there are classic Italian features and finishes – including an old-school crazy-pave tiled marble floor, gelato counter near the front, and red-white-and-green neon signage. Although it's popular, you should always be able to find a table, either in one of the indoor dining areas, in the covered area out on the footpath, or – my fave spot – in the sunny terrace at the back, which is covered in vines, bougainvilleas and fairy lights. It's definitely not the most refined Italian food you'll find in Sydney, but it's good grub, and such excellent value. Another bonus: they serve up food all day, every day, from breakfast at 8am to 10.30 or...
Advertising
✍️ 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.
The vibe
Summery and fun, as the name suggests! The team behind some of Sydney’s best cafés, Soulmate in Newtown and Superfreak in Marrickville, are behind this kiosk-like café at the Fanny Durack Aquatic Centre, which is in the glorious Petersham Park. If you’re going for a swim, you can order from the Fanny Durack side and eat on the grass or at one of the poolside tables (that’s what I do!); otherwise, there’s also indoor café seating on the park side, or they’ll lend you a picnic blanket. I’m an Inner Westie, so in my ’hood there’s nothing else quite like ordering up a fish sambo and eating it under an umbrella to a soundtrack of happy kids splashing around in bright aquamarine water.
The food
Drawing inspo from Aussie kiosks and milk bars from “the good old days”, Splash’s menu is absolutely jam-packed with picks that will satisfy your hunger for nostalgia (as well as a good feed). Our favourite thing we’ve had is the fish sandwich – it’s a huge fillet of golden-crumbed fish with slices of tomato and beetroot, onion, iceberg lettuce, American cheese and a creamy, dill-forward “Splash sauce” on thick-cut, spongy white bread (the type of bread you loved as a kid). The fish fillet is so big, the bread slices can’t contain it, so panko-crumbed perfection...
Update: Surry Hills' you-can-make-friends-with-salad-here stalwart, Yulli's, is now completely vegan – and they even have vegan wines. They also offer a separate gluten-free menu, making it a solid choice if you're dining with a big group of friends. The menu draws inspiration from South East Asia and the Mediterranean – we're fans of the fresh and crunchy san choy bow, and the steamed leek and ginger dumplings with plum sauce.
– Avril Teasure
*****
There seems to be two approaches in Sydney’s vegan dining scene. The first tries to replace and replicate the meat, dairy and egg with faithful recreations. The other school of thought seems to go along the lines of ‘vegetables are fucking awesome’ and lets plants take all the lead roles in the dish. Yulli’s approach is the latter. This long-standing vegetarian eatery on Crown Street also has a dedicated, and expansive, vegan menu, including vegan wines. Order the coconut and edamame moneybags: $14.50 for three golf-ball sized crunchy parcels densely packed with shredded coconut and mashed soy beans means they’re not the cheapest snack in town, but they are so damn delicious we do it every time. Follow it up with a clutch of flash-fried asparagus with a black sesame dressing, fresh tomato slices, pine nuts and tempura saltbush; or a big horseshoe of roasted pumpkin with cashew cream, charred cauliflower florets, crisp, fried capers and a mild, funky cabbage kimchi.
– Reviewed in November 2016
Stay in the loop: sign up for...
Advertising
✍️ 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.
It’s just after 7pm on a Thursday and I can see about a hundred people standing up along Dudley Street in Marrickville. Maybe a hundred is a slight exaggeration, but there’s a lot. I’d think they’re waiting for a possible celeb sighting (is Charli still in town?), but I know why they’re here. And frankly, I don’t blame them.
Sydney's Olympic Meats has only been open for a few weeks, and already the casual Greek eatery is drawing more crowds than Putricia. This boils down to two simple reasons. For one, you can’t book – it’s walk-ins only, so the earlier you get down, the better. And the second?
It’s really bloody good
And affordable, too. Nothing on the menu costs more than $21. (Sorry, that’s three reasons.)
Chef Timothy Cassimatis is the owner of Olympic Meats, which is named after his grandmother, Olympia, as well as being a nod to the Mount Olympus-like journey it’s taken to get here. His CV is impressive – he's worked at Vic’s Meats, Kosta’s Takeaway and Whole Beast Butchery (that’s where the ‘Meats’ come in), and as head chef of Marrickville’s Barzaari. Most recently, he’s been manning his events and catering company, Tim Fresh, from his parents’ house.
Greek food has been having a moment in Sydney. See: the similarly named Olympus in Redfern by The...
✍️ 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.
As I step from the heat and bustle of Lakemba’s Haldon Street into the colourful interior of Island Dreams Cafe, the first thing to catch my eye is a giant, very old-style Italian espresso machine. It has clearly been lovingly cared for over the decades, but it looks so ancient that it might have hissed and puffed out an authentic Italian espresso for Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck in Roman Holiday. This vintage glamour is characteristic of the décor and atmosphere of this cool and welcoming café restaurant. The aquatic-green walls are decorated with faded island maps, coconut fronds and photos of perfect island beaches.
The décor is unique and (while I don't like to overuse the word), the food at Island Dreams is extremely unique – it’s the only restaurant in Sydney serving the cuisine of the Cocos (Keeling) Islands. This isn’t surprising, given that the islands have a population of just 600 people. They are situated off the northwest coast of Australia and, although the islands have been part of Australia since 1955, they are geographically closer to Sumatra. Despite this proximity, this ‘Aussie’ fare has a distinctly Malay character, but it is mostly served Sumatran-style from the huge bain-marie that dominates the room.
Island Dreams opened in 1996,...
Advertising
Update: Mexican joint Bad Hombres has moved from its OG Surry Hills location to Darlinghurst, so you can still enjoy the same tasty plant-based eats – now on Oxford Street. (And you can check out our guide to the Mexican restaurants in Sydney here.)
- Avril Treasure
Read on for our original write-up of Bad Hombres from 2017 by Emily Lloyd-Tait.
*****
Anyone who thinks vegan can’t be fun needs to both update their opinions from 1998 and also get to Bad Hombres, stat. What started as a Mexican Chinese mash-up from Toby Wilson (Ghostboy Cantina), Sean McManus (Neighbourhood Surry Hills) and Jon Kennedy (the Sandwich Shop) with a 60 per cent veg-powered menu has now gone the full vegan and we’re into it.
Snacks, tunes and booze are the key elements to a good time and these guys are rocking one of the best house-party playlists in town. We clock an ’80s glory run of Culture Club’s ‘I’ll Tumble 4 Ya’, Farnsie’s ‘The Voice’, Fine Young Cannibals’ ‘She Drives Me Crazy’, Dexys Midnight Runners ‘Come on Eileen’ and the Outfield’s classic ‘Your Love’. Seriously, this is an A-grade ’80s playlist and it can be yours – just look up Zangers on Spotify.
On the booze front, they’re rocking a fruity, funky, smash-tastic line-up of local natural wines that changes all the time – small batch production means they can only get it by the case from the vineyards – so maybe the tropical-fruits-in-the-sun pet nat from Pyren Vineyard’s Little Ra Ra is all poured out. There’ll be something else...
✍️ 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.
People milling around carts on busy street corners for their chaat fix of pani puri and bhel; teens cutting class from college for their fill of samosas and pakoras; office-goers woofing down vada pav with a cutting chai before they catch their train; crowds at popular beaches snacking on pav bhaji and dosas.
Mumbai, the commercial and cultural capital of India, is where street food comes into its own. It takes the best street eats from different regions of India and adds its own masala to the mix. Mumbai street food is cheap, quick and oh-so tasty. It’s also the ultimate equaliser, available to everyone from your daily wage labourers to your penthouse-living super rich. So, when the Indian diaspora in Sydney craves their street-food fix, they make their way to Sydney’s Little India: Harris Park.
It’s lunch o’clock on a Sunday and we’re outside Chatkazz, a Mumbai street-food joint that’s held its own for more than a decade. You need to know three things before you go: Chatkazz doesn’t take reservations; it is vegetarian; it’s not licensed to serve alcohol. Trust us when we say that you won't be kept waiting for long despite how busy it seems; you won’t miss the meat; and there are plenty of interesting non-alcoholic drinks to try.
We join the queue outside...
Advertising
✍️ 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.
Our city has cluckloads of excellent charcoal chicken shops all over the place (you could say Sydneysiders are obsessed with them) so it’s hard to stand out in a cramped market – but Hariri Chickens in Kogarah does. I’d have to say it’s the best chicken shop in all of Sydney. I’ve eaten my way across a lot of them because my son does love a barbecue chook.
I am particularly clucky for Lebanese style-charcoal chicken – not only because of the toum, tabouli and pickles served alongside it, but because the chicken meat is always so flavour-packed and juicy. Hariri takes it up another notch – they finish the cooking of their whole barbecue chicken (after the skin is golden and crisp) by wrapping it in a village-style Lebanese bread (you know like those really thin Mountain Bread wraps you get from the supermarket?). As well as keeping the chicken insulated so it stays nice and succulent, the bread soaks up all the tasty chickeny goodness – the flavours from the skin and the juices from the chicken, so it’s this partly-crisp, partly-oozy thing that you rip into alongside the chicken. It’s an absolute masterstroke. Even just thinking about it right now, my tastebuds are keen.
As well as that, Hariri serves up all the other chicken-shop staples (chicken...
Update: Indonesian restaurant Medan Ciak has moved from its Surry Hills location – you’ll now find the bright-orange eatery on Sussex Street in the CBD, as well as in Mascot. If you’re only going to get one dish, make it their nasi Padang, which comes with a mountain of rice, rich beef rendang, golden fried chicken, vegetable curry, crisp anchovies, a boiled egg topped with sambal and chilli chips. If you think that sounds delicious, you’d be right. Plus, it will set you back $18.90.
– Avril Treasure
Read on for our original review of Medan Ciak from 2021 by Helen Yee
*****
Want cheap and homestyle Indonesian food? Head to Medan Ciak. It’s a favourite with Indonesian students and ex-pats - queues out the door are not uncommon, especially on weekends. There’s a reason for the frisson of excitement. Unlike most Indonesian restaurants across Sydney that focus on Javanese cuisine, here you’ll find the food of Medan, the North Sumatran capital known for its distinct mix of indigenous Batak, Malay and Chinese flavours.
Expect lots of pork - Batak people are predominantly Christian rather than Muslim faith - including regular cameos by Chinese lap cheong sausage. You’ll find it scattered in the nasi goreng fried rice and the cah kwe tiau – fried flat rice noodles with barbecue pork, prawns, fish cake and egg that mirrors Malaysian char kway teow.
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Medan Ciak (@medanciak)
Whatever you do, make sure you order the...
✍️ 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.
The vibe
Angus feels very Marrickville: urban and unfussy. This café at the industrial end of Marrickville, on the way to Sydenham, and the only reason you might do a double-take going past might be the big bunch of people out front during the morning or lunchtime rush. Some are waiting for takeaway or a table, others are just having a chat. It’s a place that's loved by locals.
The food
Locals love it, but I know people travel to Marrickville just for the Angus fish sandwich, which went a bit viral after a range of food influencers – including Howard (@howac) posted about it. The thick chunk of golden-crumbed fish, oozy spread of dill-packed tartare, American cheese, pickles and onions, all between a serious-looking slab of bubbly, homemade focaccia – it’s made to be in front of the camera. So of course, when I went, I ordered the fish sandwich. Loved it like Howard did. Comfort food in the palm of your hand. I just wasn’t totally convinced about the choice of bread – it was neither crunchy nor pillowy soft, more spongy. That said, I’m still thinking about that sandwich, thanks to the delicious filling.
What else do they serve? They stay in their lane, serving mostly sandwiches: charred miso eggplant with slaw, pickled onion, mint and tahini yoghurt;...
Café by day and charming bistro by night, Bitton has been offering Sydneysiders a taste of France for 25 years. Loved for its friendly community vibe, warm service and delicious food, must-orders include the tableside beef tartare; the Bitton croque monsieur with ham, Gruyère cheese, Mornay sauce and Bitton’s tarragon mustard; and the cheesy French onion soup – which Time Out’s Winne Stubbs calls “perfection”.
Chef-owner David Bitton also creates a bunch of beautiful products to take home – including chutneys, tapanedes, oils, spies and jam – that are perfect for the condiment fiends among us. You'll find the OG Bitton in Alexandria, with a second venue found in the heart of Rose Bay.
Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out Sydney newsletter for more news, food & drink inspo and activity ideas, straight to your inbox.
RECOMMENDED READS:
Check out our guide to the best cafés in Sydney right now.
Get around our guide to the top wine bars in Sydney
Advertising
✍️ 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.
The vibe
Summery and fun, as the name suggests! The team behind some of Sydney’s best cafés, Soulmate in Newtown and Superfreak in Marrickville, are behind this kiosk-like café at the Fanny Durack Aquatic Centre, which is in the glorious Petersham Park. If you’re going for a swim, you can order from the Fanny Durack side and eat on the grass or at one of the poolside tables (that’s what I do!); otherwise, there’s also indoor café seating on the park side, or they’ll lend you a picnic blanket. I’m an Inner Westie, so in my ’hood there’s nothing else quite like ordering up a fish sambo and eating it under an umbrella to a soundtrack of happy kids splashing around in bright aquamarine water.
The food
Drawing inspo from Aussie kiosks and milk bars from “the good old days”, Splash’s menu is absolutely jam-packed with picks that will satisfy your hunger for nostalgia (as well as a good feed). Our favourite thing we’ve had is the fish sandwich – it’s a huge fillet of golden-crumbed fish with slices of tomato and beetroot, onion, iceberg lettuce, American cheese and a creamy, dill-forward “Splash sauce” on thick-cut, spongy white bread (the type of bread you loved as a kid). The fish fillet is so big, the bread slices can’t contain it, so panko-crumbed perfection...
✍️ 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.
The vibe
Purveyors of excellent specialty coffee and good times, Single O has been a pioneer of Sydney’s café scene since it opened with a bang in 2003. Found on a cool, industrial-style corner space on Reservoir Street in Surry Hills, this place pumps with both Sydneysiders and tourists from morning until it closes at 3pm. Sustainability has been at the heart of Single O since its inception, with the team committed to sourcing ethically and environmentally responsible beans. They also have a solar-powered roastery in Botany, co-created an innovative milk-on-tap system that swapped plastic milk bottles with 10L bladders – creating an 80 per cent reduction in plastic wares – and their current mission is to halve carbon emissions by 2026 and achieve Net Zero by 2030. How good’s that?
The food
Single O has an all-day menu, which is great news if you’ve had a big one and still feel like eggs and bacon at noon – just a note that the kitchen closes at 2.15pm. Expect jazzed-up café fare featuring Aussie ingredients and Asian flavours, like their take on eggs Benedict with smoked pork, yuzu hollandaise, cucumber, mint, coriander, pickled apple and chilli oil. Or try the crisp corn fritters, which come topped with romesco sauce, avo, guindilla and a coriander...
Advertising
The vibeYou’ll find this friendly neighbourhood café on a sun-soaked suburban street in Sydney’s east. Huge bifold windows open up onto the pavement, where wooden tables fill with mums and bubs with oat babyccinos, and runners fresh from the park (it’s just minutes from Centennial) fueling up with smoothies and loaded toasties. On the shelf by the door, you’ll find a colourful, mismatched selection of mugs donated to the café by the local community – if you ask for your coffee to take-away, you’ll be given one of these instead of a disposable cup. This zero-waste philosophy guides the ethos here, with reusable Huskee cups available to buy, and take-away food packaged in biodegradable paper and cardboard packaging.The food
The planet-loving philosophy is also reflected in the all-day menu, which is fresh, seasonal and plant-forward (with the option to add halloumi, goats cheese, bacon or eggs if you need a hit of animal protein).The drinks
As you’d expect from such a sustainability-focused operation, the coffee served here comes from a local roastery (Black Market Roasters) and there’s a good selection of specialty drinks, with turmeric and matcha lattes served in Huskee cups and smoothies and milkshakes served in glass jars (an extra $2 if you want to take away). Fresh juices come from Darlinghurst based juice king Simon Says Juice, and there’s a spicy turmeric shot that will make you feel like a paragon of health.Time Out tipOrder the gluten free bread – they source from...
The phrase ‘your phone eats first’ takes on a whole new meaning at The Grounds of Alexandria. In 2024 and 2023, this viral all-day café in Sydney – famous for its sprawling alfresco area, enchanting installations and, yes, huge weekend crowds – was named the world’s most Instagrammed café.
It’s been more than a decade since I last visited The Grounds. Back then, I had to convince my mum to drive me all the way across the Harbour Bridge for a pastry and, much to my shame, a photo op. Now, ten years later, I decided it was time for me to return and see if the café still lives up to the hype. Judging by its almost 400,000 Instagram followers, 123,000 posts tagged #TheGroundsOfAlexandria, and 5,600 Google Maps reviews averaging four stars, I got the gist that it was still going strong.
One clear takeaway from my research was to avoid visiting The Grounds on the weekend, when crowds swarm in from all across Sydney – and the world, for that matter. Hoping for a quieter experience, I visited on a Monday morning, only to find the car park completely full by 10am.
Those who enter through Bourke Road will first encounter The Grounds’ charming, rustic alfresco area, complete with a miniature animal farm. While I was disappointed to find that ‘Kevin Bacon’ (the café's infamous resident pig) was no longer there, his old pen is now home to two cheerful goats.
Keep strolling past the animal farm, and you’ll eventually find yourself in the gorgeous Garden Bar and BBQ. Here, chandeliers...
Advertising
✍️ Time Out Sydney never writes starred restaurant and bar reviews from hosted experiences. We always review anonymously and cover our own restaurant and bar bills, so that readers can trust our critique. Find out more here.
It’s brunch time, and in front of me is a delicious looking bitta-this, bitta-that breakfast plate. I’m obsessed with them – the whole of Sydney is, really – and this one looks particularly good.
There’s baked-fresh-that-day sourdough toast with a smear of salted butter, an open soft-boiled egg with a bright and jammy centre, slices of leg ham, a triangle of crumbly cheddar, a tumble of thinly sliced onion, wedges of pickled green tomatoes, and a fig. On a separate plate sits a bronzed croissant with butter and jam, and in front of me is a glass of wine.
Look, I know it’s not best practice to drink before noon (sorry, mum), but I’m in carb heaven – also known as A.P Bread & Wine. It's the first-ever all-day offering from A.P Bakery, and it also pours vino. How could I say no?
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by avriltreasure (@avriltreasure)
Located on Burton Street in Darlinghurst, a few streets back from Oxford Street, A.P Bread & Wine joins an already-strong family line-up: the OG A.P Bakery, found on Paramount House Hotel’s sunny rooftop; A.P Supply, both in Surry Hills; Newtown’s A.P Town; the CBD’s A.P Place; and a weekly stall at Carriageworks Farmers Market (get down early for that one).
Two...
✍️ 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.
As I step from the heat and bustle of Lakemba’s Haldon Street into the colourful interior of Island Dreams Cafe, the first thing to catch my eye is a giant, very old-style Italian espresso machine. It has clearly been lovingly cared for over the decades, but it looks so ancient that it might have hissed and puffed out an authentic Italian espresso for Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck in Roman Holiday. This vintage glamour is characteristic of the décor and atmosphere of this cool and welcoming café restaurant. The aquatic-green walls are decorated with faded island maps, coconut fronds and photos of perfect island beaches.
The décor is unique and (while I don't like to overuse the word), the food at Island Dreams is extremely unique – it’s the only restaurant in Sydney serving the cuisine of the Cocos (Keeling) Islands. This isn’t surprising, given that the islands have a population of just 600 people. They are situated off the northwest coast of Australia and, although the islands have been part of Australia since 1955, they are geographically closer to Sumatra. Despite this proximity, this ‘Aussie’ fare has a distinctly Malay character, but it is mostly served Sumatran-style from the huge bain-marie that dominates the room.
Island Dreams opened in 1996,...
Advertising
Look, it’s probably been said 100 times before, but we’ll say it again: Rocker, Bondi’s breezy and cool restaurant and bar, rocks.
Found 200 metres from Bondi's golden stretch of sand, the relaxed eatery by Darren Robertson (also Three Blue Ducks) and Cameron Northway (also Melbourne's Loti) has been keeping Bondi locals well fed and hydrated since 2017, and the good times have just kept on coming.
The menu by head chefs Stuart Toon and Ethan Smart (who are also part owners) is packed with tasty hits, like white bean hummus with pickled onion, flat bread and za’atar; fried chicken with almond buttermilk, fermented chilli honey and orange vinegar; pappardelle with beef cheek ragu, tomatoes, parmesan and pangrattato; and grilled broccoli with curry butter, yoghurt and pistachios. Can’t decide? There’s a stellar feed-me menu for $75 per person.
As well as tasty dishes and fun vibes, Rocker slings some banging deals too. First up is Rocker’s bottomless brunch, which changes with the seasons. The current rendition comes with house-made roast onion and thyme focaccia; local burrata; glazed free-range chicken; harissa-spiced roast pumpkin and almond cream and more. All paired with two hours of free-flowing Mimosas, sparkling, red, white and rosé, for $99 per person. The bottomless brunch is available every Thursday to Sunday, noon and 3pm sittings. Rally your gang.
There’s also a House of Friends event on Friday nights with $16 Margaritas – Casamigos tequila-based Tommy’s,...
If there’s one thing us Sydneysiders love, it’s a ripper sandwich. And now there’s another joint we reckon you should check out, and that’s at sunny hole-in-the-wall café June’s Shoppe, which has just launched an epic all-day sandwich menu.
Part of the Applejack Hospitality group (also Rafi, Bopp and Tone), the vibrant café is based in the Wynyard Precinct in Sydney's CBD. Applejack culinary director Patrick Friesen (formerly Queen Chow) has created the new bad boys, which were inspired by the giant rainbow sandwiches from King George Deli in Tokyo.
Made with fresh, super fluffy and thick-cut Texas-style bread, June’s sambos are packed to the rafters with fresh salads, delicious fillings and house-made sauces. There are eight colourful creations to choose from, including the salad sandwich with cucumber, tomato, beetroot, carrots, alfalfa, mayo and vintage cheddar; the spicy fried chicken with comeback sauce, cheddar and gem lettuce; curried free-range egg salad with nori, Kewpie mayo and gem lettuce; and the roast free-range fennel pork with pesto, pickled chillies, provolone and rapini (a green veggie, similar to broccoli).
Pat says you should “come give it a try when you’re done hurting your mouth eating sourdough or ciabatta sandwiches".
And if you were wondering what Pat's favourite sambo is, the answer may surprise you. “I think my favourite is the salad sandwich and the broccoli salad.” See, even chefs make friends with salad. Come down to June’s and have a bite for...
Looking for the best of the best?
Advertising
Advertising
Advertising
You may also like
You may also like
Discover Time Out original video
Advertising