The 23 most sustainable restaurants, bars and cafés in Sydney

The world's first permanent no-waste bar easily claims the top spot when it comes to waste minimisation. Nearly everything you come into contact with – from the ‘leather’ banquettes made with pineapple-fibre leaf and ‘terrazzo’ bar top made of recycled plastic milk bottles, to the imperfect Maison Balzac glassware and salvaged Mud ceramics – aims to minimise environmental impact in some way. As for drinks, expect cocktails made from some of the world's biggest food waste items (think bread, chicken, seafood shells, root vegetables and eggs) and Latta Vino wine poured from ten-litre casks.

When it comes to sustainable seafood, you can’t go past chef Josh Niland. The pioneer of ‘nose-to-tail’ cooking is changing the world, one fish at a time, at his award-winning restaurant Saint Peter, Australia’s first fishmonger Fish Butchery, and the newly opened Petermen. Niland proves that fish is more than just a fillet by using at least 90 per cent of the animal. You may be served octopus heads and offal, alongside rare, seasonal catches that are dry-aged, blended and pickled in transformative ways.

Chippendale’s newest seafood hotspot and wine bar brings a fresh breeze to Sydney’s sustainability scene. Ex-Harstyard owners Jarrod Walsh and Dorothy Lee (Dot) keep things exciting and experimental with three ‘fish of the day’, core meats and vegetarian share plates that change according to the seasons. Sustainability also leaks into Longshore’s drinks menu, such as a Strawberry Old-Fashioned with zero-waste, house-infused strawberry whisky and dried strawberry pulp powder.

Chiswick is the birthplace of planted-to-plate dining in Sydney. At the heart of this leafy restaurant is an abundant garden where fresh, seasonal produce is harvested each morning and delivered straight to the kitchen. Their signature ocean trout is sustainably sourced, the lamb is ethically raised on owner Matt Moran’s family farm, and they work with sustainable Australian wine and coffee suppliers. Plus, all of Chiswick’s food waste comes full cycle and is composted back in the garden.

Sustainability is engrained in the DNA of the revered roaster's Surry Hills café. Since 2003, Single O has built a solar-powered roastery in Botany; co-created a milk tap system that’s saved more than 60 million milk bottles from plastic waste in cafés across the country; brought us Rinsey: the world’s first DIY reusable cup washer; and unveiled a self-service batch brew bar. The conscious coffee brand chalked up yet another world-first this year, becoming the first coffee wholesaler in Australia to partner with Reground to pay for the collection of their customer’s spent grounds. Single O scores bonus sustainability points for its 1% For The Planet membership, which sees the brand donate more than one per cent of its annual turnover to environmental non-profits.

This beachside institution, affectionately known as the ‘salty jewel' of Bondi, has been championing local produce long before it was cool. Award-winning chef Sean Moran’s creativity is showcased on the restaurant’s daily-changing blackboard menu, offering two fresh choices for each dish of their three-course line-up. The menu takes a cue from what’s in season from the restaurant’s farm harvests in Bilpin, while embracing the freshest seafood, poultry and livestock from their ethical farmers. In fact, Sean’s menu is so closely tied to the seasons that it could quite literally change mid-service. 

A zero-waste ‘science lab’ is the last thing you’d expect to find within Barangaroo House’s rooftop cocktail bar. Here, head bartender Jai Lyons upcycles the kitchen’s leftover produce into quirky cocktail ingredients such as mandarin-skin syrup, pineapple liquor, and feta-washed rum. 

Farm to table, farm to fork or paddock to plate – call it what you want, but Three Blue Ducks ticks all the boxes. Here, whole lambs and large cuts of beef are ethically sourced, fired over an Argentinian grill, and paired with seasonal produce from the markets. The Ducks also incorporate fresh fruit and vegetables into their housemade sodas and cocktails, which are served alongside kombucha and wine on tap. 

When it comes to sustainable dining, Refettorio OzHarvest is in a league of its own. The not-for-profit café serves nourishing three-course meals, which are completely vegetarian and zero-waste, made using up to 95 per cent rescued produce. Not a scrap goes to waste with any leftover food being fermented, pickled, preserved or composted.

You should be so lucky to dine at this casual, lunchtime-only eatery by Chinese chef and restaurateur Kylie Kwong. Daily specials showcase local producers and incorporate native ingredients where possible. Think Australian-Cantonese coleslaw with beef brisket, native greens and Asian herbs; steamed dumplings with Sichuan chilli dressing and native bush mint; and a stir-fry of South Eveleigh and Alexandria Park Community School’s vegetables. Native plants are plucked from the nearby Jiwah First Nations garden and honey is harvested from Kwong's beehive at the Wayside Chapel garden, adding to the eco-conscious ethos so vital to Kwong's vision.

Barangaroo has scored itself a new, all-day Italian eatery and patisserie that’s big on sustainability. Bottega Coco has taken over Bel and Brio’s former digs – and in good news for landfill, the team repurposed 80 per cent of the former luxe venue, even fitting the dining room with a new micro herb garden. The team’s commitment to sustainability flows into the kitchen too, where they partner with sustainability consultancy Clima to ensure all ingredients are ethically sourced, seafood is Marine Stewardship Council certified, and fresh produce is sourced from with growers who have vertical farming practices. Basically, this is a place you can feel good about eating at.

Newtown’s OG neighbourhood brewery is working towards a greener future, one beer at a time. The pioneering brewery has embraced sustainability wholeheartedly, becoming 100 per cent solar-powered, donating all spent grain to local farms where it’s eaten by very happy cattle, and using algae to produce beer, which greatly reduces its carbon emissions. Young Henry’s is leading the pack when it comes to water usage too, clocking just 1.4 litres to make each litre of beer (which is less than half the average four litres). 

If you like your seafood with a side of sustainability then swim over to this bright and breezy North Bondi eatery. NBF keeps things light and fresh with an ever-changing menu featuring the most sustainable seafood from ethical fisheries and farms across Australia. It comes barbecued, raw, ceviche, shucked, steamed, curried, baked, battered and fried – whatever it takes to use the whole fish. 

This aesthetic garden café may be one of Sydney’s most Instagrammable spots, but it also happens to be one of the most environmentally conscious. Built into a heritage-listed industrial warehouse, the Grounds boasts a sprawling organic garden where a cornucopia of heirloom vegetables and herbs are harvested daily. These appear on the seasonally driven menu alongside eggs from their hens, house-baked pastries, locally-roasted coffee and floral cocktails.

This new micro-bar uses native ingredients to remake classic cocktails, which are decorated with fresh herbs and leaves grown on-site. As part of its mission to support Australia’s largest rainforest, Daintree Sydney donates 50 per cent of their profits to environmental non-for-profit HalfCut.

Pack your Tupperware and reusable cutlery for a pick’n’mix lunch at this unpretentious and affordable city diner. At the pass, you’ll find platters filled to the brim with vibrant, seasonal food. Kitchen by Mike changes its proteins and salads daily, but you’re guaranteed to find wood-roasted and slow-cooked meats, quiches, wraps, tartines and focaccia. Plus, the team gets extra sustainability points for having a 100 per cent Australian wine list and growing all its micro herbs in their new vertical farm. 

Nomad is hands-on from the ground up when it comes to achieving a net zero carbon footprint. Among their sustainable credentials includes powering the entire restaurant with renewable energy, composting all organic waste and contributing only 15 per cent of waste to landfill. Nomad embraces a whole beast approach and you’ll be impressed with ethically sourced wagyu tongue, pork neck and bone marrow, alongside seasonal woodfired vegetables and wines from smaller growers.

From the get-go, Czech migrants Jacob and Lenka Kriz set out to create a community-minded café that was fully waste-free in the front-of-house operations. Fast forward nearly five years and these eco-warriors are setting new standards for sustainability with their mug swap system, takeaway jar deposit scheme, and ever-evolving seasonal menu.

True to its name, the team behind Love Fish are passionate about seafood, especially when it’s sustainably sourced and local. They've earned a reputation as 'the fish bar with the green heart' among locals, and here's why: they transform shells and bones into a bisque, ferment vegetable offcuts into chutney, and even up-cycle gherkin juice in their Martinis. Ethical eating goes beyond Love Fish’s food too – they serve all takeaway in plant-based plastic containers, use Barangaroo’s wastewater recycling system, and convert organic waste into green energy and fertilisers. 

One of Sydney’s finest hotel dining experiences awaits at Alibi Bar and Dining – and it just happens to be vegan. Ovolo hotel group made history when it announced Alibi would ditch meat and switch to a 100 per cent vegan menu curated by renowned plant-based chef Shannon Martinez. This bold move was a win-win for the planet and humanity, proving that vegetarian food can be as cutting-edge as its meat-based counterparts.

Fred’s rustic country aesthetic serves as the perfect backdrop for their signature farm-to-table cooking. The daily changing menu may feature greens pulled from the garden hours before being served; house-made bread with freshly churned butter; sustainably farmed seafood; and semolina pasta with crème fraiche. Fred’s wine list complements its farm-to-table philosophy, highlighting organic or biodynamic small growers.

This light, bright and pared-back café wows with a seasonal vegetarian menu featuring locally sourced produce from small-scale growers and makers. Fans of the original Marrickville venue will be familiar with the concept of Cornersmith’s daily ‘plate’, which is a colourful medley of what’s in season, plus a whole lot of pickles. Top tip: Cornersmith trades pickles for produce so bring your excess backyard fruits and veg by. Their food waste warrior chefs also host cooking classes where you can learn how to pickle, ferment, make dumplings or be less wasteful at home.

This ambitious and innovative 24-seat restaurant places sustainability on the same rung as deliciousness. From the heritage wheat sourced from a tiny 400-person town to sourcing fish from Australia’s only regenerative wild Murray cod population in the Riverina, these guys talk the talk and walk the walk. The Blue Door’s seven-course tasting menu is constantly changing, sometimes daily, in order to utilise every element of the animals that are broken down and to highlight Australia’s best ethical producers.