Sydney’s best places to eat and drink

Luke Buchholz Wild Kingfish at North Shore newcomer Petermen.Credit: Josh Niland

How to define Sydney dining? It sparkles. You can taste the sunshine in the harbour city’s fresh, spicy, smoky, sunny food, at every level, from a special celebration overlooking the water, to a laneway coffee with perfect scrambled eggs. Along the way are steak and chips with live jazz, Greek mezedes to take to the beach, and immaculate cocktails from Australia’s best cocktail bar (officially). Come hungry.

Bar Copains

Wagyu flank with condiments and salad.Credit: Edwina Pickles

A small neighbourhood wine bar run by chefs
Copains means ‘friends’ in French, and the two friends in question here are top chefs Nathan Sasi and Morgan McGlone. They’ve done the hard yards, and now want to run the sort of place they’d like to go on their day off. Well, so do we. The windows are open to the street, the mood is casual, and the focus is on natural wine, share plates (pig’s head croquettes! King George Whiting sandwich!), handmade pottery and good times.
67 Albion Street, Surry Hills. No phone. barcopains.com

Mr Wong

Merivale’s vast Cantonese restaurant has been luring foodies and A-listers for a decade.Credit: Merivale

Rollicking good-time Cantonese palace
For over 10 years, Merivale’s vast upstairs/downstairs party-time Chinese restaurant has been pulling in the crowds, the celebrities and the foodies. Executive chef, Dan Hong, oversees the high-energy, Cantonese-inspired food, and a dedicated team of dim sum chefs have turned the luxurious scallop and prawn shu mai into a Sydney must-eat. Glazed roast duck is hard to avoid – visually and gastronomically – and even the fried rice is elevated to something special.
3 Bridge Lane, Sydney. Phone: [phone]. merivale.com/mrwong

Porkfat

Baked tiger prawns with vermicelli.Credit: Jennifer Soo

Thai street food for now
Every decade, a new Thai diner comes along that defines its time and place. Porkfat is ours for here and now, with chefs Narin (Jack) Kulasai and Tanya Boonprakong bringing grace, flavour and pork fat (their cooking fat of choice) to the fringes of Chinatown. The modest two-level diner runs a tiny wine list and a short but compelling menu of Central Thai street food, from green curry of pork jowl and lychee to tamarind chicken wings.
33 Ultimo Road, Haymarket. Phone: [phone]. porkfat.com.au

Next Door

The Margaret’s snackier, more casual cousin is a perfect post-shop pit-stop.

Sophisticated walk-in bar and diner from chef Neil Perry
Whether it’s the textbook cheeseburger and a beer, a spanner crab tagliolini and a glass of bubbles, or just the way you can surround yourself with great bread, prosciutto, tinned sardines and tomato salad, Next Door has you covered. Next door to both the Neil Perry flagship restaurant Margaret, and cult bakery Baker Bleu, it’s the perfect post-shopping perch – inside or out on the street – in Double Bay. No bookings.
30-36 Bay Street, Double Bay. Phone: [phone]. margaretdoublebay.com.au

Restaurant Hubert

Elevated French fare and live jazz will transport you to France in this subterranean bistro.Credit: Destination NSW

Candle-lit bistro with live jazz that will transport you to France
Life is a cabaret, old chum, when you descend the spiralling stairs to this romantic, wood-lined subterranean restaurant, with its three snug bars and dining room lit by tall white candles. Head chef Alexis Bessau adds razzle-dazzle to classic French bistro dishes (roasted escargots, duck a l’orange, gateau de chocolat), accompanied by live jazz from the stage. It’s irresistible, so just surrender to the raucous, high-energy vibe and the profoundly French menu and wine list, delivered by bustling staff.
15 Bligh Street, Sydney. Phone: [phone]. restauranthubert.com

Bennelong

Backdrops don’t get more iconic than the view from Bennelong in the famous Opera House.Credit: Destination NSW

A night at the opera (house)
Dining at Bennelong is quite a performance, given that it’s the culinary heart of the Sydney Opera House. A cleverly staged three-course meal (with choices) is master-minded by Rob Cockerill and Quay’s Peter Gilmore, and the soaring, theatrical dining room comes with postcard harbour views framed by the city skyline. Oh, and the dessert menu takes Aussie favourites such as pavlova and lamington and turns them into stars. Lively service and a harbour-deep wine list make this the show to catch.
Sydney Opera House, Bennelong Point, Sydney. Phone: [phone]. bennelong.com.au

Icebergs Dining Room & Bar

This iconic dining spot is fresh from a stylish makeover.Credit: Jason Loucas

With that view and those interiors, you couldn’t be anywhere else but Sydney
If Sydney was a restaurant, it would look like Icebergs, clad in turquoise tiles that reflect the mesmerising blue waters of Australia’s most famous beach. After 20 years, most restaurateurs would rest on those laurels, but Maurice Terzini constantly refreshes the Italian dining experience, from tableside lemon sorbetto cocktails to an art installation of shellfish on ice. Chef Alex Prichard keeps the good times coming with spanner crab fusilli, Stone Axe wagyu bavette, and a born-again tiramisu.
1 Notts Avenue, Bondi Beach. Phone: [phone]. idrb.com

Baba’s Place

An ode to grandmas, Baba’s Place is pure nostalgia.Credit: Edwina Pickles

Slightly bonkers ode to Australian multi-culti backyard cooking
In an inner-west warehouse, three first-gen Australian mates pay homage to their babas (grandmothers) and the Aussie immigrant experience. Family photos hang on the walls, and tables are adorned with embroidered lace tablecloths under clear plastic protection. The food is an elevated but nostalgic mix of everything – Lebanese, Macedonian, Asian – the proprietors grew up with, from tarama on toast to barbecue chicken with toum and chips. They don’t want to transport you to the old country, however. They just want to transport you.
20 Sloane Street, Marrickville. Phone: [phone]. babasplace.com.au

Pina

If you spot a crowd gathered in Llankelly Lane, there’s a good chance they’re gathered for this beloved breakfast spot.Credit: Dominic Lorrimer

Textbook coffee, sandwiches, eggs and more
“What’s going on?” is the usual reaction when people first turn into Llankelly Lane in Potts Point and see the crowds hanging out for a table at this buzzy cafe. The answer lies in the smooth, rich Mecca coffee; a happy mix of indoor and outside seating; and a well-crafted menu that turns out benchmark after benchmark, from scrambled eggs to chicken sandwiches and tuna Nicoise. So yes, there’s a lot going on, but it’s all good.
Shop 4, 29 Orwell Street, Potts Point (enter via Llankelly Lane). Phone: [phone]. order.pinapottspoint.com.au

Norma’s Deli

Come for comforting Greek dishes, made with a grandma’s love.Credit: Norma's Deli

A Greek taverna, take-away, kafeneon, deli and food hall
If you’ve ever yearned to be fed by a Greek grandmother, you’ve come to the right place. Norma’s Deli is a nostalgic yet contemporary homage to everyone’s favourite Greek food by Rollers Bakehouse founder James Sideris, who named it for his own Greek grandmother. Eat in, and cover the table with dips and pita bread, charcoal chicken and moussaka, or fill the fabulous electric-blue takeaway boxes for a good-value family feast on the beach.
74-78 The Corso, Manly. No phone. See normasdeli.com

Maybe Sammy

This award-winning bar transports you to the days of the Rat Pack, with a heady dose of 1950s glam.Credit: Maybe Sammy

Cocktails with Rat Pack stardust
Inspired by the cocktail bars of 1950s Hollywood, Maybe Sammy’s Vince Lombardo, Stefano Catino and Martin Hudak have created a playful, sexy space on the fringe of The Rocks. A cocktail here is not just a drink, but an immersive experience in which every detail is considered. It’s this sprinkle of stardust that has seen Maybe Sammy voted Best Bar in Australia by the World’s 50 Best Bars every year for the last four years. Cheers to that.
115 Harrington Street, The Rocks. Phone: [phone]. maybesammy.com

Petermen

Australia’s fish maestro Josh Niland expands to Sydney’s North Shore.Credit: Josh Niland

Next-level fish diner on the north shore
Josh and Julie Niland of Paddington’s renowned fish restaurant Saint Peter are netting new fans on the north shore. The seafood is immaculate and the ideas are innovative, yet Petermen is just a nice, bustly place for dinner. Push the boat out with grilled split marron with curry butter or line-caught coral trout, or just snack on saltbush empanadas or salt and vinegar garfish in olive brine. What a catch.
66 Chandos Street, St Leonards. Phone: [phone]. petermen.com.au