The best restaurants in Surry Hills

If the sign of an excellent restaurant is that you can’t stop thinking about it after you’ve left, then Pellegrino 2000 is the cream of the crop, offering banging food, attentive and warm service, and a dining room that you won’t want to say arrivederci to. It may take an attempt or two to finally secure a reservation, and it may be at 5.30pm, but it’s absolutely worth it. This is one of our favourite restaurants in Sydney, and it's Taylor Swift's too – this is where she dined at when she was in town. 

Time Out tip: Love Pellegrino 2000? Try its sibling restaurant, Neptune's Grotto – winner of Time Out Sydney's Restaurant of the Year Award 2025.

Found on Albion Street, just 70 metres up the road from sibling Bar Copains, Bessie’s is a Mediterranean restaurant with wood-fired flair. It’s by chefs Morgan McGlone (founder of Belles Hot Chicken) and Nathan Sasi (the founding chef of Nomad), as well as Sasi’s partner Sali (co-founder of Wrapd). The team brought in serious talent to helm the kitchen, with Sydney-born Remy Davis – from the Michelin-starred Elkano restaurant – relocating from San Sebastián for the gig. Go for the garlic and herb sourdough flatbread alongside a smooth, umami-rich cod roe dip; devilled eggs straight outta your nan’s dinner parties; and the Moreton Bay bug sambo.

Time Out tip: Don't have a booking? Head to Alma's – the cocktail bar at the front of the room, with the same excellent snack and booze menu.

There are certain dishes that stick in your head, like a catchy pop tune that you find yourself humming for days after hearing a snippet on the radio. These dishes can be few and far between, but when you find one, it’s almost impossible to stop thinking about it. Jane, the little sister to chef Tristan Rosier's Arthur, provides more than one of these catchy dishes, in a homey and retro dining room.

Time Out tip: Jane's happy hour is one of our faves – hop down early to make the most of it.

Growing up, sisters Rowena and Kate Chansiri used to eat a beef noodle soup made by their mum using their grandmother’s recipe. It’s a traditional street-food dish that’s slurped in Chinatowns all over Thailand, and now, they are serving it at their unassuming eatery on 47 Cooper Street in Surry Hills. As well as the tender beef and chewy noodles, we're big fans of the dark broth – it has great depth thanks to stock made from the beef bones and caramelised palm sugar, it's fragrant with earthy Chinese five spice, and balanced with vinegar. And a bowl will set you back 20 bucks.

We first fell in love with Elvis Abrahanowicz and Ben Milgate back at Bodega, where they married Spanish tapas and rockabilly sensibility, forever changing Sydney’s dining scene. They one-upped themselves with Porteño, an Argentinian grill that threw down the gauntlet for carnivorous thrills in this city. Now in its second life, down on Holt Street, the restaurant remains a knockout – as much for malbec, rib-eye, sirloin and Wagyu skirt as for wood-fired vegetables and desserts drenched in dulce de leche.

40Res is the blink-and-you’ll-miss-it small bar and diner of our dreams. You'll find the darling little wine bar tucked away down a side street (40 Reservoir Street, for those playing along at home) in Surry Hills just a short stroll from Central Station, away from the hubbub of Crown Street and the wow factor of the new Wunderlich Lane. And it’s all the better for it. Low‑key. Lo‑fi. Laid‑back. Lacking pretension. Luverly. It's a proper little neighbourhood wine bar with top drops. And don’t skip the snacks, either. 40Res is owned and operated by the former executive chef of Tetsuya’s, Josh Raine. So you’re in for a good time.

Time Out tip: Walk‑ins are welcome, and there’s no timed seating for your reservation, making 40Res a fab option for your next after‑work drink and bar bite.

For the team at the Blue Door, it’s all about giving back more than what they’ve taken. Chef Dylan Cashman’s entire ethos is about grass-roots operations, literally. The ambitious and innovative 24-seat restaurant on Waterloo Street places sustainability on the same rung as deliciousness, and Cashman is as exacting in his ethics as he is in his execution. The local flair doesn't stop at the food though. The Blue Door's wine list is curated by general manager (and ray-of-sunshine incarnate) Angelica Nohra, and is almost entirely Australian, heavily focusing on the diversity of wine from all over NSW. The Blue Door is one to not miss (and you sure as heck won't, with the aforementioned blue door).

You won’t be able to find a website for Kood. That’s because the Korean tea café and kitchen doesn’t have one. Or a phone number, for that matter. Instagram? Forget about it. What you will find, though, if you happen to stroll past 414 Elizabeth Street around lunchtime, is a line snaking out the door. Hungry workers waiting to be served by a smiling Korean lady working out of a teapot-sized kitchen. They come for authentic Korean food that's a flavour bomb. Think Seoul food at its best. And, this bowl costs just $16.50.

What Nomad may lack in intimacy, with its cavernous spaces and industrial-chic-cum-Nordic fitout, it certainly makes up for in warmth: by way of food from the heart, friendly service and enough garlicky aromas to take any first date to a next-level relationship. Nomad has been flourishing for ten years, and we're excited for the next decade.

Ito is a Japanese izakaya from the team who brought us elegant Middle Eastern restaurant Aalia and pastel-hued Nour, with a former Nobu and Cho Cho San chef leading the charge. Found on Surry Hills's leafy Crown Street, the 85-seater two-storey venue has taken over Cuckoo Callay’s former digs. Top Aussie architect Matt Darwon has transformed the space with Tasmanian blackwood furniture, clean lines and pops of bold colours. And while the restaurant is inspired by the izakayas found all over Japan, expect to see Italian touches throughout the food, a nod to head chef Erik Ortolani’s background.

Time Out tip: If there's eggplant on the menu, go for that.

It's all about the details at this tiny, family-owned Korean gem, like the beautiful handcrafted chopsticks. Sure, you'll find fried chicken and bibimbap here, but it pays to branch out and venture bravely into the territory occupied by clam soup or the so-called platter of nine delicacies: a neat little pile of pancakes surrounded by colourful condiments, each one more delicious than the last.

Since 2018, chef Tristan Rosier has been quietly trying to define what Australian cuisine actually is. He’s been doing this at his restaurant Arthur, which he co-owns with his partner Rebecca Fanning. His finesse and skills, some of which were honed working alongside Peter Doyle at the award-winning Est, as well as his passion for beautiful, seasonal Australian produce, come to fruition at the Burgundy-coloured Victorian-era terrace – with sublime results. The set-menu-only restaurant works with local ingredients, and you can opt to pair your meal with Aussie drops curated by the in-house sommelier Henry Quinn. Dining at Arthur seems less like a pursuit of answers and more like a celebration of what we have in our very own backyard. And that feels good – and tastes even better.

What can be said about Spice I Am that hasn’t been said already? For two decades, this literal hole-in-the-wall has been putting the ‘A’ in authenticity when it comes to Thai cooking, serving up ferociously fiery som tum, tom kha and a host of other signatures that will have you wiping your eyebrows and reaching for that milky iced tea, or whatever bottle you BYO'd.

'Copains' means 'friends' in French, which is an apt name for this gem by longtime mates and chefs Morgan McGlone (culinary director of Potts Point’s Sunday, and founder of Belles Hot Chicken) and Nathan Sasi (the founding chef of Nomad). Sasi’s partner, Sali, is also co-owner. Friends since their paths crossed in 2010, the duo long dreamed about opening a little wine bar where they could catch up and enjoy good bottles of natural wine. In late 2022, that’s exactly what they did. And while Copains is a wine bar first, restaurant second, McGlone and Sasi’s menu is no afterthought, serving the kind of seriously tasty food that one dreams of (speaking from experience). Whether you've got a date night, or catch-up with a mate, Bar Copains will impress. 

The Jatz and anchovies may have gone, but there’s ace news coming out of Sydney rooftop restaurant and Time Out favourite Kiln. Beau Clugston, former Noma chef and owner of Iluka in Copenhagen, Denmark, is now the head chef of the sky-high diner found atop the Ace Hotel in Surry Hills. Clugston, who grew up in Sawtell on the New South Wales coast and worked at the world’s best restaurant for six years, is drawing on his fine-dining creds as well as his love of the ocean and native Australian produce for Kiln 2.0. The rooftop restaurant’s funky fit-out, cracking drinks menu, weekend DJ residencies, and are-we-in-New-York vibes remain, now paired with a fresh and menu and team.

There may not be electricity in the Firedoor kitchen, but that doesn’t mean there’s a shortage of power. Helmed by Lennox Hastie – the visionary chef who spent years honing his signature style of cooking with fire in the Basque country at Asador Extebarri – Firedoor celebrates how ingredients at their peak transform thanks to billows of smoke, burning wood and a lick from the open flame. This is real culinary wizardry, and a coveted spot at the chef’s counter is the best place to watch the magic happen.

The capacious Crown Street site formerly known as Toko is now the home of Andrew Becher’s latest grand venture, Armorica –a grand, glittering jewel in Sydney’s crown (street). No stranger to dropping a casual few mill on a resplendent refit, this grandiose renewal is as tastefully opulent as one has come to expect from the self-confessed Francophile behind Potts Point’s fine-dining duo Franca and Parlar. Executive chef Jose Saulog's food is spectacular. And you must order the chocolate bar.

Walking into most restaurants you’re either greeted by a smiling host or waitstaff, or maybe no one at all. At Kurumba, Surry Hills' Sri Lankan eatery, we are first met with a wave of spices – cumin, cloves and cardamom – being cooked down gently in coconut oil so it’s fragrant and hunger-inducing. We imagine it smells like dinner along the palm-fringed Unawatuna Beach and street food stalls in bustling Colombo. And after a year of new openings in Sydney filled with opulent brasseries and lavish steakhouses, it smells exactly like the kinds of things we want to eat right now. Come for seriously delicious curries, hoppers of course, and clever desserts.

With its hypercolour walls in earthy vermillion hues, green amaro bottles and an open kitchen that dominates the space, Bastardo’s dining room is a step back in time. Either to a coastal Italian villa in the 1960s or, perhaps, to Commonwealth Street in the early noughties, when Milgate, Abrahanowicz and Valore first swung open the doors to Bodega. This Sicilian, Argentinian and Italian love letter is all heart, and all Surry Hills.

Like Egypt’s soaring pyramids and Miley Cyrus’s ‘Flowers’, the Gilda is a masterpiece. Consisting of a vinegary guindilla pepper, a plump briny olive and salty anchovy all held together on a tiny stick, the best-known of all Spain’s pintxos is a flavour knock-out. At Gildas, Lennox Hastie’s second Sydney restaurant after can’t-get-a-booking Firedoor, the chefs add a sliver of cheek-sucking preserved lemon. The result, like we said, is a masterpiece. Couple that with a handsome dining room, on-point service and other stellar plates, and we reckon Gildas is a triumph. If you've got a hot date coming up, make a booking here.

There are many things to love about this bunker-like fine diner. That the food is beautiful to look at (and even better to eat) is one thing. And there’s that feeling you get when you’re scaling the stairs to below street level, chic Nordic wooden furnishings all around, Ella Fitzgerald on the stereo, staff only too keen to make you comfortable. It’s just a lovely place to be.

The jury is still out as to whether Poly is a wine bar or a restaurant, but the fact that it’s close to impossible to come here without succumbing to the temptations of the menu and ordering half of it pretty much confirms you can (and should) use it as the latter. Start small, with unforgettable anchovy toast or the signature fried potato sauced in salted egg, but don’t hesitate to splurge on a magnum of something funky and a barbecue snapper with native spices and brown butter.

Surry Hills’ handsome bar and bistro The Rover is by the Liquid & Larder group, the team who brought us the steak-slinging likes of Bistecca and The Gidley – so you can count on the drink and food offerings to be all class. We love that it's open on Mondays, has a permanent happy hour, and night owls will be happy to know food is served until 10pm. But that’s not all – you can also order The Gidley’s famous burger – and one of the best burgers in Sydney – at The Rover. Think: double beef patties with sharp cheddar, zippy sauce and house pickles on a soft bun.

The Dolphin now has a dedicated in-house pizza kitchen. It boasts a handmade Neapolitan Mesiano wood oven, a dough recipe made of three types of Italy-imported flours, and the masterful hands of head pizzaiola Sasha Smiljanic, who previously led the kitchen at popular Newtown pizzeria Bella Brutta. In a raised corner of the main dining room, like an all-night on-stage performance, pizza bases are scattered with toppings, flashed in the oven and swept to your table in about ten minutes. The crust is wide, puffy and charred with cracked black bubbles, the type you feel could be torn off, stacked up, and served as a sumptuous stand-alone dish.

Whether it's charred and juicy cabbage skewers dressed in a harissa emulsion or a riff on lamb tartare livened by fermented mushrooms, roasted chilli and preserved lime – Nour paints an incredibly detail-oriented picture of modern Middle Eastern cuisine that's about as refined as it gets. The adventure begins the moment you step off Crown Street and into this pastel-hued sensory wonderland and gets a a whole heck of a lot wilder after an arak cocktail or two. 

Some might argue that izakayas are places where great food plays second fiddle to bending the elbow, but that’s not the case at Fujiyama. Yes, the stockpile of sake and other fine things to drink is very good, but the eats – be they expertly sliced pieces of sashimi, favourites like chicken gyoza and miso eggplant, or something from the list of specials – are outstanding. It’s stood the test of time in this competitive ’hood, and if the crowds are any indication, it’s not going anywhere. 

Chin Chin is sprawled out over two levels of the historic Griffiths Teas building. It’s a noisy, neon-flooded affair with room for 160 and a giant menu that fuses Thailand’s greatest hits with Australian and Southeast Asian flourishes. Add killer cocktails, well-priced wines and bountiful banquet menus to the equation and you’ve got yourself a big night ahead.

Gogyo's kogashi (read: burnt AF) ramen is one of Sydney's must-try dishes, full stop. Yet to focus on the merits of this trademark charred miso and chicken stock number alone would be a crime, because the classic tonkotsu, shoyu and shio broths are all standouts as well. Throw in a handful of inspired snacks like guacamole with gyoza skin and seared salmon sushi, and it becomes clear this ain't just another ramen shop.

They're firm believers in the less-is-more mantra at this Bourke Street pizzeria, which earned rave reviews in Bronte before opening this second outlet in 2012. The crisp, thin bases are very legit and they fly the buffalo mozzarella in fresh from Naples, which is a pretty good indication that sourcing ingredients here is serious business. A seat out on the sidewalk makes for primo people-watching, and there's the added bonus of it being BYO.

Before plant-based eateries of all shapes and sizes began popping up on every corner, there was Yulli's. They paint with broad strokes, incorporating influences from here, there and everywhere: kale and saltbush gyoza, edamame and coconut moneybags; and Korean fried broccolini are just some of the things you'll find. And being that this is where was Yulli's Brews was born, make sure you order a beer.

Emilia is a refuge for Italian pasta purists – enter, and you’ll feel like you’ve stumbled upon a rustic local treasure in the backstreets of Parma or Bologna. All the pastas are made in-house with the use of local, certified organic and/or biodynamic ingredients, and whether it's a simple spag with aglio, olio e peperoncino, or duck and truffle tortelli coated in butter and herbs, the quality of those ingredients is what really shines. When you’re through, buy some to make at home.   

Melburnian pizza lovers worth their salt will be well acquainted with top-flight pizzeria and mozzarella bar chain DOC. With three outlets currently operating in Melbourne, including its flagship store and deli nestled in the heart of the city's Italian food district on Lygon Street in Cartlon, DOC has become a go-to for authentic Italian cuisine, heroing high-quality produce, superb antipasti, and a fast, no-fuss vibe. Now, Sydney’s pizza seekers can also join the DOC fan club, as its first store in NSW has opened for business in Surry Hills.

Spaghetti and Spritzes: are there any two things more possibly in tune with eating and drinking in this day and age? Well yes, yes there are: vegetarian and vegan cooking, menu puns, restaurant interiors and bright blue noodles perfectly suited to social media, and alcohol-free drinks that might just be better than the hard stuff. Mark and Vinny’s offers them all, under one roof, but know that if you’re just after antipasti, lasagne and tiramisù, Mark and and Vinny’s has them, too.