Sydney restaurant and café reviews

✍️ 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...

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...

✍️ 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...

We've all heard the lowing from our UK expatriate friends about the state of Sydney’s pubs. They're never old enough, cosy enough, or British enough for their liking (the Lord Dudley and the Lord Nelson get close). So what's a former Liverpool boy to do? Open a venue, that’s what, which is why Mikey Enright, gin maestro and owner of the Barber Shop, has extended his booze empire about 10 metres to the right with a proper British establishment named the Duke of Clarence. Yes, it is the door directly opposite the one that leads you down to the whisky-powered Baxter Inn – things are getting very olde worlde in this neck of the woods. The Duke of Clarence feels like it was designed to bring George Orwell’s famous fantasy pub, the Moon under Water, to life. It boasts all the trappings of a 19th Century tavern, right down to the potted red geraniums above the door. They can pull you a perfect pint of Guinness, but really, this is a bar in pub’s clothing: a slender, licensed slice of the city designed to transport you to a different time and place. The sincerity (and decorating budget) elevates it above a themed bar – everything looks, feels and smells expensive, from the floorboards imported from the UK to the bubbled glass dividers, framed lithographs and the gin-scented handwash in the bathrooms. In happy news for anyone who manages to squeeze in and find a seat, they do table service so that you don’t have to shoehorn yourself in and out every time you need a fresh, burnt...

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...

✍️ 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. Italian restaurants in Sydney are as popular as a CoolCabana on a 30-something degree day in Bondi. You only need to look at how many excellent – and busy – Italian diners there are across the city to see how long-lasting our love affair is with pasta, tomatoes and olive oil. In a world of climate disaster and Mark Zuckerberg’s new haircut, there’s something deeply comforting and grounding about the food from the land of red, white and green. Sure, nonnas are known to load up your plate. But Italian food does more than fill the belly – it feeds the soul. Now there’s another osteria you need to add to your list. That is Postino Osteria, Summer Hill’s newcomer from Alessandro and Anna Pavoni (plus co-owner Bill Drakopoulos). They’re the star duo behind seafood haven Ormeggio, bright-and-breezy Chiosco, theatrical fine diner A’Mare and Manly’s new go-to, Cibaria. Postino Osteria is located in a beautiful two-storey brick building, the heritage-listed former post office, once home to One Penny Red. (The name is a play on words: "Postino" means both ‘postman’ and ‘small but cosy place’ in Italian.) It’s a wet and windy Sydney evening when we visit, and walking in feels like being enveloped in the warm Mediterranean Sea. The décor, which has been designed by...

✍️ 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...

✍️ 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...

✍️ 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...

✍️ 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...

✍️ 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...

✍️ 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,...

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...

✍️ 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...

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. 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...

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...

✍️ 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,...

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...

ED'S NOTE: This review was written following the café's opening back in 2018, but it's still a top spot for breakfast and coffee. When it comes to café breakfasts, Sydney is a hard town to impress. But when Edition Coffee Roasters opened their light, bright Japano-Nordic café in Darlinghurst, it rocketed to the top of everyone’s brunch bucket list with fine-dining inflected dishes like the mushroom pond, inspired by a dish at Noma and featuring consommé, udon noodles, mushrooms and crème fraîche. Fast forward a few years and we’ve been gifted a second bite at the fusion cherry, but Edition’s Haymarket outpost is no carbon copy. In fact, it’s almost a complete contrast, and we’re not just talking about the fact that the CBD Edition is painted black. The pared-back layout is inspired by Japanese farmhouses, and it feels almost like you’re inside a piece of activated charcoal – like Valhalla for minimalists. It’s also leaning more heavily on the Japanese half of the concept. Sure, you can get open sandwiches (smorrebrod) on a malty, chewy rye that they bake in-house. As far as smugly beautiful lunches go, your plate of three slices topped with sweet chunks of butter-poached prawn meat just fastened to the bread with a yuzu kosho buttermilk dressing is the one to beat. Dill and fresh apple keep it light, and an extra allotment of seafaring credentials in an amber sprinkle of briny flying fish roe. From here, the menu steers into more recognisably Japanese territory. Students...