Must-see restaurants in Sydney

  • Top Choice
    Quay

    What many consider to be Sydney's best restaurant matches a peerless bridge view with brilliant food. Chef Peter Gilmore never rests on his laurels,…

  • Top Choice
    Grounds of Alexandria

    A quite extraordinary Alexandria spot, the Grounds goes well beyond converted industrial chic. This former pie factory sports futuristic coffee technology…

  • Top Choice
    Saint Peter

    Fish has sometimes been left behind in the race for nose-to-tailery, pulled meat and burgerisation of any land-based beast. It reclaims its deserved pre…

  • Top Choice
    Boathouse on Blackwattle Bay

    The best restaurant in Glebe, and one of the best seafood restaurants in Sydney. Oysters are sourced from from mid-north NSW to southeast Tassie, but…

  • Top Choice
    Cow & the Moon

    Forget the diet and slink into this cool corner cafe, where an array of sinful truffles and tasty tarts beckons seductively. Ignore them and head straight…

  • Top Choice
    Dead Ringer

    This charcoal-fronted terrace is a laid-back haven of quality eating and drinking. Graze on the short, brilliant menu that changes slightly daily and runs…

  • Top Choice
    Marta

    Set back from a showroom on its own sunny square – or should that be piazza? – this seductive spot focuses on traditional recipes from Rome and its region…

  • Top Choice
    Porteño

    This upbeat and deservedly acclaimed Argentine restaurant is a great place to eat. The 'animal of the day' is slow-roasted for eight hours before the…

  • Top Choice
    Jonah's

    Perched above Whale Beach, luxurious Jonah's has fabulous perspectives over the ocean. The food is easy on the eye too, with immaculate presentation and…

  • Top Choice
    Azuma

    Tucked away upstairs in Chifley Plaza, this is one of Sydney's finest Japanese restaurants. Sushi and sashimi are of stellar quality and too pretty to eat…

  • Top Choice
    Mr Wong

    Classy but comfortable in an attractive, low-lit space on a CBD laneway, this place has exposed-brick colonial warehouse chic and a huge team of staff and…

  • Top Choice
    Efendy

    Occupying the house and courtyard of a venerable Balmain mansion, this immersive Turkish restaurant is a buzzy place designed for sociable dining on…

  • Top Choice
    Blanca

    The crisp white minimalism of the decor here belies the food, where there's plenty going on. Marrying Japanese and European ideas along with quality…

  • Top Choice
    LuMi

    This wharf spot sits alongside bobbing boats, though views aren't quite knock-me-down. Hidden just steps from the Star Casino, it offers strikingly…

  • Top Choice
    Pilu at Freshwater

    Housed within a heritage-listed beach house overlooking the ocean, this brilliant Sardinian restaurant serves specialities such as oven-roasted suckling…

  • Top Choice
    Yellow

    This sunflower-yellow former artists’ residence is now a top-notch contemporary vegetarian restaurant. Dishes are prepared with real panache; the tasting…

  • Top Choice
    Fine Food Store

    The Rocks sometimes seems like it's all pubs, so it's a delight to find this contemporary cafe that works for a sightseeing stopover or a better, cheaper…

  • Top Choice
    Tetsuya’s

    Concealed in a villa behind a historic cottage amid the high-rises, this extraordinary restaurant is for those seeking a culinary journey rather than a…

  • Top Choice
    Aria

    Aria is a star in Sydney’s fine-dining firmament, an award-winning combination of chef Joel Bickford’s stellar dishes, floor-to-ceiling windows staring…

  • Top Choice
    Ester

    Ester exemplifies Sydney's contemporary dining scene: informal but not sloppy; innovative without being overly gimmicky; hip, but never try-hard. The menu…