Sydney restaurants with a view

It's Sydney's finest diner and a huge part of that price tag goes to the location, a glassed-in dining room overlooking Campbell Cove, the Opera House and the Sydney Harbour Bridge

This little Bondi beachfront restaurant looks like a coastal café, but has the heart of a fine diner – and for nearly 25 years it has been setting the standard for thoughtful modern Australian cooking.

It’s been 16 years since Giovanni Pilu and his wife Marilyn opened their eponymous fine diner in a weatherboard house overlooking Freshwater Beach and in that time he has never wavered from his staunchly regional focus on the food of his native Sardinia

LuMi is situated on the wharf opposite the casino, in the old Ripples site. Because of its positioning and extensive glass walls, it feels as if you’re almost floating on the harbour, surrounded as you are by water.

Dining fashions may come and go, but drinking Spritzes with ocean views and a corps of Sydney’s most beautiful people at neighbouring tables will never go out of style. 

Mimi’s, like it’s northern sibling, Bert's, is a thing of beauty. It takes up the majority of the second floor in the new era Coogee Pavilion and as a result commands uninterupted coastal views out of the lofty, arched windows.

It's iconic for a reason. At Aria, you can revel in the gentle glow of the Sydney Opera House while knocking back six flawless courses from the chef Joel Bickford.

A boujie French brunch, complete with bubbles is best eaten in the leafy surrouds of Blackwattle Bay with views out to the water betweenthe gum trees.

It's easy to forget about the vegan yum cha restaurant hiding beneath St Mary's Cathedral, but it's a serene place to come and look out of the mighty fig trees of Cook and Philip Park over dumplings.

The water isn't as close as it appears from the cushioned comfort of the Bert's dining room, perched atop the Newport and gazing down to the esturine shores of Pittwater.

This glitzy Woolloomooloo institution is a go-to for long lunches, and also has an excellent plant-based menu.

There’s not many “best of” lists that Ormeggio at the Spit hasn’t graced during its 11 years at the D’Alboro Marina in Middle Harbour. The Italian fine diner is one of the city’s top long lunch spots with the kind of waterfront views residents pay tens of millions to enjoy.

This Woollahra restaurant's long, white dining room looks out to a beautifully manicured garden, where the herbs and veggies you’ll be eating are sourced.

The second edition of Cantonese diner Queen Chow ups the stake with a wharfside location. 

This long standig stalwart is still dishing up European finery on the shores of Balmoral so that we can all feel like a prince for a day.

The beach gets all the attention but the panoramic vista from the balcony of the Manly Pavilion is one of Sydney's finest views to accompany seared scallops, fresh pasta or a simple bucket of fresh prawns.

This giant restaurant has been a staple of North Bondi's beachfront dining scene since opening in 2012 – it's perfect for sunset Margaritas, platters of calamari fritti and people-watching.

The best thing about having your restaurant at the heart of an urban farm is that you grow your own view. Look out of creeping bean shoots, furry tomato plants and leafy vines over your lunch in Camperdown.

Head to this greenery-filled, vintage-themed bar and restaurant with a beautiful open deck for top-notch city views and Ibero-American morsels. 

For the most arresting beer garden in easy striking distance from Sydney, jump a train down Wollongong way in search of seafood, cold beers and possible whale watching from the clifftop yard.

If you want to see Sydney from above, try heading to this 47th floor bar and restaurant in Australia Square. There’s a focus on clean flavours and sustainably sourced produce, with cooking techniques like flash searing, torching and poaching to draw out taste and texture rather than rich sauces and seasonings.

The huge balcony here juts straight over Circular Quay with a bird's-eye view of the Harbour Bridge, Opera House and Sydney ferries choofing their way across the sparkling blue water.