From Enmore to Ashfield, the restaurants in Sydney where people queue for food
It’s the ultimate accolade: food so good the locals queue for it. From Enmore to Ashfield, these are the restaurants, bars, cafes, bakeries and eateries that are worth lining up for.
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They say good things come to those who wait!
When it comes to food, a line of excited, hungry customers outside of a restaurant or bakery often points to something special; whether it’s a mortadella and cheese-stuffed breakfast croissant, a loaded lunchtime banh mi or an Instagrammable evening tipple.
From charcoal chicken to martinis, cannoli to dumplings, these are the restaurants, bars, cafes, bakeries and eateries from across Sydney that keeps us glued to the footpath in anticipation.
BAR PLANET in ENMORE
What do you get when you already own number 23 on the ‘World’s Best Bars’ list (Cantina OK) and follow it up with a dim, sparkly, intergalactically themed bar serving ‘filthy’ martinis from a carafe? You get a queue. Proudly local and proudly “weird”, time spent in the line is best spent deciding on your martini order, which Bar Planet’s crack bar team mark on a tick-able coaster system to ensure you get it exactly the way you want it.
CHACO RAMEN in DARLINGHURST
Sydney loves a bowl of noodles, and bowls of noodles don’t get more life affirming, more artfully crafted or more queue-attracting than at Chaco Ramen. Chef Keita Abe avoids the well-trodden tonkotsu (pork broth) path, creating his own signature styles that showcase flavours like yuzu scallop, chilli coriander and the beloved fish salt special. Work up an appetite in the queue with a few crunches or burpees so you can guiltlessly order an extra serve of gyoza with your noods.
HONG HA in MASCOT
Sydney’s banh mi wars have split the city into two passionate but divided factions: Team Marrickville Pork Roll and Team Hong Ha. Both attract sizeable queues at lunchtime, but with fewer locations and, fans say, more exacting preparation of the signature pork roll, it’s Hong Ha on Mascot’s main drag that has more people waiting more often for their daily dose of pork. Superlative as the rolls are, slathered in the traditional pate and mayonnaise and loaded with pork, vegetables and optional minced chilli, fans are just as eager to spend up to 20 minutes in the fast-moving queue for the veggie and lemongrass chicken rolls, and the selection of homemade dim sims and spring rolls.
FRANGOS & EL JANNAH (various locations)
Like the great banh mi battle of the inner suburbs, Sydney’s west has been divided by chicken. Frangos and El Jannah each sling a different style of bird – the former a chilli and lemon-doused Portuguese chook and the latter a Lebanese-inspired charcoal number – but both have battalions of enthusiasts prepared to queue either in person or in the drive-thru line for a chicken burger or a whole flame-kissed chicken.
A.P. TOWN in NEWTOWN
First came a series of pop-ups across Sydney, slinging pastries, pies and an assortment of other doughy delights crafted by the team behind Ester and Poly’s beloved bread. A more fixed installation followed on the roof of the Paramount House Hotel – ‘A.P. House’ – attracting lines of people eager to sample the signature focaccia-like ‘pizzas’ topped with LP’s mortadella, Stracciatella and a host of other delicious toppings in Cali-inspired surrounds. With the addition of Newtown’s ‘A.P. Town’, their first stand-alone establishment, one thing has become obvious: wherever the All Purpose Bakery crew go, a queue follows.
VINH PHAT in CABRAMATTA
This yum cha house in Cabramatta has had diners queuing for 36 years (thankfully, not in one sitting though). Wait times can easily stretch to 40 minutes, which gives you plenty of time to plan out what you’re going to order. All the classics are there, from prawn rice noodle to fluffy BBQ pork buns, pork sui mai and scallop fritters, with mango pancakes and custard tarts for dessert. It’s easy to see why it’s so busy, especially when you get the bill. Once you’re done, head to the back of the line for dinner later.
NEW SHANGHAI in ASHFIELD
Ashfield might have no shortage of eateries with the word ‘Shanghai’ in the name (Taste of Shanghai, Flavour Shanghai, Shanghai Night, New Shanghai Night…), but you won’t have any trouble finding New Shanghai; it’s the one with the queue stretching down Liverpool Street. Watching the hypnotic dumpling-making process through the window while you wait for a table only builds the anticipation for wantons, pot stickers and the signature xiao long bao, all jostling for space on the table among the inevitable over-ordering of noodles, stir fries and other Shanghai-inspired marvels.
MARTA in RUSHCUTTERS BAY
Originally opened in the wake of Covid lockdowns, Marta’s ‘Roman Bakery’ takeaway window proved so popular that it’s become a permanent, queue-attracting part of chef Flavio Carnevale’s Rushcutters Bay trattoria. Familiar Italian treats like focaccia and ricotta-stuffed cannoli share counter space with the difficult to pronounce but very easy to eat sfogliatelle: a stunningly layered pastry stuffed with pistachio custard, herby ricotta, or any one of a host of other sweet or savoury fillings. Listen long enough to the people waiting alongside you in the line and you’ll inevitably hear them mention the must-order maritozzi – a brioche bun filled with whipped cream and dusted with powdered sugar.
MAMAK in CHINATOWN
So keen are the Mamak team to authentically recreate the street food culture of Malaysia, they’ve even imported the queues. Fried chicken, curries and satay are star attractions, but it’s the roti – impressively flung, slapped and stretched in the front window – that has kept a line forming for well over a decade.
MARY’S NEWTOWN in NEWTOWN
Sydney’s original dive bar burger joint, Mary’s in Newtown has attracted a perpetual line since its opening in 2013. As known for its scribble-covered walls, deafening tunes and slick selection of new-age wines as it is its signature Mary’s burger (potato bun, beef, cheese, tomato, lettuce, pickles and burger sauce), this friendly side-street haunt doesn’t have a sign: just look for the red light over the door and the queue stretching down the street.
The delicious.100 is back for 2022! We will name NSW’s best restaurant for 2022 and the Top 100 list online on Friday afternoon. Or pick up a copy of The Daily Telegraph this Saturday to see the Top 50. Then it’s over to you to vote in our People’s Choice award.
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Originally published as From Enmore to Ashfield, the restaurants in Sydney where people queue for food
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