The best restaurants in Potts Point

You've probably had at least one 'a-ha' moment with Dan Pepperell’s cooking. The pretzel with whipped bottarga that may never leave 10 William Street’s menu, perhaps? Or was it the triumphant chicken fricassée or gutsy kimchi gratin at Restaurant Hubert? Odds are, you're likely to have another one at his other venture, Bistrot 916. Especially if you order the duck frites. It’s not the most elaborate dish you’ll ever see, but it doesn’t have to be – not when the fat underneath the dry-aged bird’s rugged skin is so carefully rendered; the breast meat itself both rosy and preposterously juicy; the just-crisp shoestring chips seasoned to a tee. Then there’s the sauce: a mustardy, herb-heavy butter emulsion with walnuts, Worcestershire and anchovies that puts the red wine jus you might have expected to shame.

This simple dining room with a giant chalkboard on one wall stands staunch in its consistency in the face of a dining scene fixated on the hot new trend. This is the kind of Italian fare that makes a 24-hour flight seem worth it, but you can get it for an Opal fare to Kings Cross Station. The menu rarely changes and walks a righteous path of carbs, cheese and meat. There’s usually a ragu delivered under a fresh snowfall of cheese. There’s probably a one-serve lasagnetta on the menu, the curly-edged pasta sheets barely holding in a bursting core of bolognaise, but it’s a toss-up whether it wins a place over a crumbed veal cutlet.

The walls at Parlar are adorned with three striking tapestries by artist Alexander Calder, but in our opinion the real art here is executive chef Jose Saulog’s faultless cooking. A feather-like snack of churros topped with creme fraiche and an anchovy dusted with lemon myrtle are the perfect ways to start the night. Next, a dish of kingfish crudo with caviar, sweet orange and smoked tomato oil; as well as an asparagus tart, topped with delicate scale-like slices of zucchini and paired salty chorizo are both almost too pretty to eat. Even if a trip to the Mediterranean isn’t on the cards, at least you can travel there for the night at Parlar.  

We expect vegetables to be part of a great tasting menu in Sydney, but it’s rare to see them demand the spotlight like a diva hitting the high notes and refuse to relinquish their starring role. This is what makes Yellow such an extraordinary restaurant. The team have seismically shifted how we frame fine dining in Sydney, and we love them for it.

The Apollo has been serving some of Sydney's tastiest Greek food for more than a decade now, with nearly as many hits as Dua. Take for example, the saganaki: a dish of golden and piping hot cheese, drizzled with honey and fragrant oregano. Or, Apollo's crowning glory: an oven-baked lamb shoulder, with perfectly tender, fall-off-the-bone-meat. Order with a side of garlicky roast potatoes and a fresh village salad and you’ve got yourself one heck of a brilliant Greek feast.

There are some restaurants you walk into and instantly feel good. Glittering Potts Point restaurant Bar Grazie, with its white tablecloths, wood-panelled walls, dimmed lighting and soulful sounds, is one of those places. Come for old-world charm, cracking Italian classics – think vitello tonnato with thin sliced veal, tuna sauce and pops of capers; and a rich and hearty rigatoni alla bolognese with Wagyu and tomato sauce – and on-point service.

At Franca, dressed-up French brasserie mainstays and modern Mediterranean cooking come together in a dazzling Potts Point dining room that's spared absolutely no expense. Move over Paris – it’s midnight on Macleay Street.

Salt, spice and everything nice has come to Potts Point, as Raja – an Indian restaurant and ode to the colourful, bustling Mumbai – is now open. Expect traditional Indian cuisine with a modern spin, with talented chef Ahana Dutt (ex Firedoor and Taj Lands End/the Westin in Mumbai) overseeing the kitchen. Dutt has drawn on her heritage in her menu, with highlights including flavour-packed snacks, like the ‘khatta meetha oysters’ with chilli, coriander, lime water and plum spiced sweet chutney; kochuri (a sweet and savoury fried snack) with native citrus achaar (an Indian pickle) and stracciatella; and albacore with lemon jam and gunpowder (a South Indian condiment). Plus, masala clams; crab with butter, garlic and pepper; and spatchcock makhni (a sauce made from tomatoes, cashews and cream).

If you’re not into offal there’s still plenty to occupy you at Chaco Bar. Skewers of chicken thigh, each piece interspersed with a slice of onion, slow-grilled over charcoal. Exceptionally tender Wagyu tri-tip given extra impact with anchovy butter. Or chicken wings cleverly stuffed with minced chicken and pork, fried crisp to mimic gyoza. All are varying degrees of excellent, but if you’re not eating the parts at Chaco you’re missing out.  

A luridly pink neon sign tells you that the little corner terrace house is not a share house or hostel, but rather a 90-seat restaurant importing Tel Aviv's street food culture – heavily influenced by Palestinian and other Middle Eastern countries' cuisine – to a city sorely in need of faraway adventures. The swish Potts Point eatery does a modern riff on Middle Eastern cuisine, and the result is tops.

To dine at Cho Cho San is just as much about feasting the eyes as the taste buds. Order it all to share, try something you’ve never tried before from the drinks menu and brush shoulders with the breezy and beautiful clientele, any day of the week.

We’ve all been there – so hungry that you’ll offer your shoes, your bank balance or even your first born for a little snack and something to drink. And Dear Sainte Eloise gets it. Hell, the Love Tilly Group named the Potts Point wine bar for that moment of blood sugar crisis when George Orwell, while Down and Out in Paris and London, prayed to what he thought was a saint for a little supper. Luckily for you and your progeny, all you need is cash, and the makings of a perfect evening will wend their way to your wooden table top over the course of a very enjoyable few hours in this classically styled perch. 

Ms G’s has been keeping the good people of Potts Point well fed with delicious and playful food, and hydrated with fruity and fun drinks, since it opened with a bang in 2011. And while the venue is in need of a freshen up, Dan Hong’s menu still slaps with big flavours and all the fun that made you fall in love with the joint all those years ago. Cheeseburger spring rolls, we’re talking about you. 

The Butler in Potts Point has pretty great views of Sydney's city skyline. And its open deck, dotted with lush greenery and cane furniture, is the perfect vantage point. Come for a long lunch and dine on slow-braised pork empanadas with citrus, achiote (orange spice) and habanero, and tasty tacos. 

Owner Michael Mu Sung, alongside head chef Jacob Riwaka (Rising Sun Workshop) have kept things simple at this 20-seat hole in the wall diner. The Bones Ramen menu features lacto-fermented nuka pickles; smoked chilli and egg yolk potato salad; and the crowd pleasing fried Bannockburn chicken thighs with yuzu mayonnaise for starters. There are four ramen bowls of pork broth with chashu, soy egg, watercress and menma; chicken paitan with whole chicken chashu, soy egg, shallots and menma; scallop silks, ebi shinjo, shallots and nori; or the vego friendly bowl of Jerusalem artichoke, celeriac chashu, shiitake and oyster mushrooms with roast tomato. It may just be eight dishes, but there's a whole lot going on in this kitchen and attention to detail is incredibly high.