Sydney restaurant and café reviews

For a lot of Sydneysiders, the Sofitel Sydney Wentworth building – the Art Deco tower that cuts its distinctive curve into the heart of the CBD – is part of the furniture: an historic red-brick stalwart that’s stood 20-storeys tall in the city’s beating heart since 1966. If you’ve passed it in recent months though, you’ll have noticed something different – a warmly-lit, distinctly modern energy pouring onto Philip Street. In October 2024, Sydney’s oldest five-star hotel reopened its doors after a $77-million makeover. After staying the night, I can confirm that the site-wide reimagining involved so much more than a surface-level polish. With A-grade dining options, a sexy-as-hell (and surprisingly affordable) bar and 436 beautifully redesigned bedrooms, Sofitel Sydney Wentworth is reclaiming its place among the best high-end stays in the city. Why stay at Sofitel Sydney Wentworth? When it opened its doors back in 1966, Sofitel Sydney Wentworth was Sydney’s very first five-star hotel – welcoming a glittering guest list that ranged from royals to movie stars. As time ticked by, the historic hotel began to lose a little of its sparkle – with age taking its toll. After the mega site-wide refurbishment, Sofitel Sydney Wentworth is back in a big way – firmly securing its position as one of the city’s best hotels. And while the hotel’s historic standing and famous alumni would be reason enough to add this one to your staycation hit list, there are so many other factors that make...

Update: Sáng by Mabasa is one of Sydney’s best Korean restaurants. Found on Fitzroy Street in Surry Hills, this small, family-run eatery specialises in modern Korean dishes. The lunch menu is affordable and delicious – the crisp kimchi pancake, bulgogi and fried chicken wings are our picks. At night, there’s an ace set menu for $85 per person, too. - Avril Treasure Read on for our previous review by Emily Lloyd-Tait. ***** A cabbage pancake sounds like a weighty, Northern Hemisphere winter buster, but in the hands of the chef Seung Kee Son at a modern Korean diner in Surry Hills it’s so light it borders on whimsical. A single, perfect leaf of wombok is dipped in batter and fried, sprinkled with red and green chilli, and presented without further comment to be dipped in a sauce of soy, sesame and vinegar. There’re chubby dumplings packed with tofu, potato glass noodles, bean sprouts, shallots and garlic chives, or pork for a meaty version, and for a Korean snack broken down to the cuisine’s component parts: a block of steamed tofu and kimchi tousling between mild and intense. Banchan takes on a different life here. Gu jeol pan is traditionally a dish served on royal tables because it’s so pretty, but any average Josephine can order it here. Eight perfect little vegetable barrows of seasoned carrot, zucchini, shiitake, cucumber, and beetroot join beef and egg, surrounding a pile of fresh steamed pancakes dyed pink with beetroot juice. It’s the painter’s palette you can eat....

Update: Neil Perry’s flagship Double Bay restaurant, Margaret – named after the esteemed chef’s late mother – has been ranked the second-best steak restaurant in the world by The World's 101 Best Steak Restaurants. The elegant, cream-accented restaurant in the heart of the upmarket harbourside suburb is renowned for celebrating the best of the land and the sea. Perry is committed to sourcing top-tier Aussie produce, working with producers like Blackmore Wagyu and CopperTree Farms, before dry-aging and cooking it bang on. Margaret isn’t a cheap eat – and given this recent news, we reckon it may be even harder to score a booking – but when a celebratory meal is on the cards and you feel like splashing out, we think it’s a cracking option. Our tip? After your meal, head to nearby Bobbie’s, Perry’s swish, New York-style Martini den, for one more. – Avril Treasure Read on for our previous review by Matty Hirsch. ***** In July of 2020, at the age of 63, Neil Perry announced he was retiring, after roughly 40 years in the game. For many, the news that one of Modern Australian cuisine’s founding fathers was stepping back from his role as culinary director of Rockpool Dining Group – a restaurant empire that encompassed 80-odd establishments across the country – came as something of a shock. But some people, it seems, just can’t stay away for too long. One year and a bit later, after a gruelling stretch that saw the celebrity chef feeding thousands of disadvantaged people, hosting...

The best beef soup I ever had was in Insadong. I was visiting South Korea’s capital for five high-octane days, and, like most people, became intoxicated with its sky-high beauty, its K-beauty cool, tea house-dotted laneways, sizzling barbecue and, yes, admittedly, soju. I remember this beef soup’s incredible depth of flavour – the sweetness from onions, the tender meat, and how it warmed me from the inside on a crisp day. The spicy beef soup I’m eating at Hansang in Haymarket is not quite heading to pole position, but it sure is tasty. It arrives with enough steam to give you a free facial, the broth flecked with lava-red oil droplets. Gochujang adds a delicious earthy and savoury taste, and there’s a subtle, lingering heat. Slippery handmade noodles, thin slices of beef and spring onion round out a cracking bowl. It’s not yet freezing outside in Sydney, but I kinda wish it was. The vibe Hansang opened on Haymarket’s Goulburn Street in mid-2023. The family-run Korean restaurant has a well-loved outpost in Strathfield. People flock to both venues for home-style Korean food and its signature oxtail soup. The pièce de résistance is the deeply flavoured, cream-coloured broth that’s been simmering for hours in the bubbling, witch-like cauldrons at the front of the venue. People say it’s one of the best soups in Sydney – so if it’s your first time, go for that. The space is clean, modern and no-frills, with grey tiles, bright lighting (read: not great for first dates) and wooden...

✍️ 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. Update: Potts Point’s sunflower-yellow plant-based restaurant – and one of Sydney’s best – is under new ownership. The fine diner, which the Bentley Boys (Eleven Barrack, King Clarence, Monopole) opened in 2014, is now being run by long-time head chef Sander Nooij and his business partner Mark Hanover. But fans of the Macleay Street restaurant can rest assured that the creative, elevated, seasonal and truly beautiful dishes will remain, with the team committed to ‘botanical gastronomy’. Nooij said: “Botanical gastronomy is a culinary approach that celebrates the vibrant world of plants, herbs, and flowers. Free from animal products yet rich in flavour, we emphasise seasonality, sustainability and the extraordinary. Our goal is to create a dining experience that is not just for vegans, but for anyone who values creativity, refinement, and the beauty of nature on their plates. "Free from the controversy and politics that can be part of the vegan narrative, botanical gastronomy merges elements of contemporary cuisine with a strong emphasis on botanical ingredients, showcasing their flavours, textures, and nutritional advantages,” he added. Yellow is renowned for its six-course seasonal menu celebrating heirloom vegetables from local suppliers. While what you...

✍️ 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...

✍️ 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. 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...

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...