Parramatta’s top 20 restaurants and cafes
From cheap eats to refined indulgences, we help conquer your cravings with these delicious recommendations on Parramatta’s top 20 best cafes and restaurants. Dig in.
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From Parramatta to Pendle Hill, Guildford to Granville, the dining scene of this western Sydney community has long been a more-ish melting pot reflecting the cultures of its inhabitants.
Some have started as fledgling family businesses that have morphed into institutions while others are newcomers that are transforming Parramatta’s evolving dining scene.
Ruse
The European bistro strikes the right chord when it comes to an inviting setting; spacious but not painfully minimalist and inviting with fresh fish on an ice-mound display and open grill to showcase its philosophy that open-flame cooking is a kiss of flavour.
Even diners sharing with just one other companion are treated to spacious, marble tables — a fitting layout on which to perch your share plates.
The meat, seafood and poultry dishes can be ordered a la carte while larger groups can share plates such as the Tajima wagyu double hanger steak and the Rangers Valley tomahawk.
It is not head chef Jay Rao’s first rodeo when it comes to sophisticated dining.
Before the North Rocks resident was invited to establish Ruse (named after one of Parramatta’s first wheat and maize farmers, James Ruse), Rao was the sous chef at hatted Newport restaurant Bert’s Bar and Brasserie.
He now works closer to home and after a slow start, diners have embraced the cuisine.
His Fiji-Indian heritage has seen him deploying wood, charcoal and spices to produce more-ish dishes, which have a “nice charred flavour, smoky without being over the top”.
“At the beginning it was a little bit tough because we’re a bit different than the normal restaurants in Parramatta so it took a little bit of time and a little bit of trust to get people on our side and I feel we’ve achieved that now,’’ Rao said.
Below Tower 4, 1 Parramatta Square, 12 Darcy St, Parramatta Square
Temasek
Temasek is a Parramatta institution, the quiet achiever of the CBD that has managed to survive lockdowns, food trends and major developments (light rail, carpark demolitions) with its signature laksas and Singaporean and Malay fare.
Tucked away in George St, in the Roxy Arcade, Temasek first opened in 1992, when the landmark building was still a cinema and has thrived thanks to its authentic cuisine from the homeland of owner and sisters Susan and Gladys Wong, their brother Marc and mother Ow-Yeo.
Temasek is a place for the corporate set as much as it is for students and families that devour dishes including chicken laksa, beef rendang and nasi goreng.
Perhaps the key to its longevity and success is the love that comes with family cooking. Despite Singaporean-Malay food being a little-known cuisine, word of mouth spread about the dishes gracing the tables of Temasek, and former Premier Bob Carr was among its loyal regulars.
After Susan lost her battle with cancer in 2014, her son Jeremy and sister Gladys continue the 30-year-old tradition.
30 George St, Parramatta
LilyMu
He was supposed to be helming the kitchen at his new Manhattan restaurant but when the pandemic struck, accomplished chef Brendan Fong ended up in Parramatta Square and joined the fledgling dining precinct in the development’s public domain.
Ibby Moubadder from Nour established LilyMu, and enlisted Fong’s expertise garnered after multiple years working in the UK and Mr Wong in Sydney CBD where he was the head chef.
Diners feast on imaginative dishes that fuse Thai, Asian and Pacific Islander flavours.
It didn’t take long for LilyMu to earn signature dish status. The Tom yum prawn dumplings are a hit and the lamb curry should not be overlooked.
If you want classic dishes with a twist, sample the mie goreng with black garlic saturating the noodles, bean sprouts and leek.
Below Tower 3/153 Macquarie St, Parramatta Square
Mikazuki
There’s often a line outside this Japanese sushi bar and ramen eatery and it’s not just uni students queuing to get the shuttle bus to their next class.
Mikazuki’s vibrant dishes are a hit, all served under the Western Sydney University building on the edge of Parramatta Square.
You will find 158 options on the a la carte menu, ranging from spicy edamame beans for $6 to a chef’s sashimi platter for $98.
If one desires carbs, pair some rice with dishes including the teriyaki Wagyu beef done and chicken nanban done (crispy chicken, Japanese tartar sauce, onsen egg, crispy onion, pickles and shallots).
Ramen is a drawcard here and it satisfies spicy-loving palates as much as milder offerings. The signature Mikazuki ramen has shallot bean sprouts, fungus, nori, boiled egg, bamboo shoot, pork chasu, fried garlic, spicy umami miso and black garlic oil swimming in a tonkotsu shoyu base.
Shop 5/169 Macquarie St, Parramatta
Willo
Salami and meringue. Burrata. Ceviche. Willo is more than a bar, albeit a classy establishment injecting night-life to Parramatta’s CBD beyond the square and Church St.
Since it opened in May, cocktails might be drawing punters to the venue below the new QBE Insurance tower on Smith St but many are returning for the cuisine which owner Steve Jreij and head chef Justin Le have teamed up to deliver sophisticated dishes while keeping the service casual and unpretentious.
“I think we’re sort of known for the style of food more than the bar,’’ Jreij said.
“We’re pretty much on the fine dining scale. Our food quality’s definitely something different for Parramatta.’’
That means along with the steaks for meat-loving Parramatta, patrons also warmed to the kingfish ceviche.
“We didn’t think that would take off in Parramatta but it’s one of our most popular dishes,’’ Jreij said.
The tiny bird’s nest with meringue is adventurous and spicy, a two-bite appetiser that also has a sour flavour that “shocks” the tastebuds.
“It’s just little touches that we’re trying to incorporate into Parramatta,’’ Jreij said.
For dessert, diners are also surprised that the rice espuma is fermented rice and not a sorbet, so soft is its texture.
When the weather starts to warm up and Parramatta becomes less of “a wind tunnel”, there are plans to open up the front of the venue, meaning its capacity will increase to 160 patrons and more musicians will perform in the alfresco area.
32 Smith St, Parramatta
Bayti
Bayti, which translates into “my home” in Arabic has become a drawcard for functions venue as much as a restaurant since opening four years ago.
Lavish centrepieces adorn tables that are large enough for Middle Eastern families celebrating life’s milestones or more casual gatherings.
Filling somewhat of a void since the much-adored El Phoenician stopped serving Middle Eastern meals in June last year, Bayti excels when it comes to sophistication.
“It’s a little more high end than other Middle Eastern restaurants. We don’t serve things like skewered chicken and meats. Our mains would be a whole lamb shoulder or a barramundi or a cod fish so it’s a bit more premium than chicken and lamb.
“I would say it’s modern Middle Eastern, it’s a place you want people to feel warm and welcome.’’
“It’s a family-run business so you always see myself and my brother.
45 Macquarie St, Parramatta
Kouzina Greco
It isn’t sitting on a stunning Greek island overlooking the glittering Mediterranean Sea but the dishes produced from this Phillip St kitchen are authentic enough to match a taverna.
Just ask Eels great Peter Wynn, who has been one of Peter and Alana Laliotitis’ regular customers since Kouzina Greco opened in 2020.
“It’s been in Parramatta a long time and the Greek cuisine is very, very special,’’ he said.
“I’ve been to Greece many times and … the way they do food is just such good food. I always start with a Greek salad, which is so good, and the lamb.’’
Many interstate visitors ask Wynn for restaurant recommendations and Kouzina is top of his list. They’re always impressed and return for seconds.
Hospitality is second nature to the Laliotitis pair, who helped run Aphrodite’s at Merrylands, Adones Seafood Restaurant in Epping and Lugarno Seafood Restaurant helmed by Alana’s father, whose Cypriot heritage is deployed into Kouzina dishes including halloumi, pork rissoles and pork sausages.
“It has evolved,’’ Alana said. “We have our staple dishes that never change. But the way we plate up has changed but the authentic dishes and flavours have stayed the same.’’
The plating up is “a little more refined and now we’ve got some beautiful plates. Back in the day it was the white plates and white bowls’’.
Loyalties run deep at Kouzina. Chef Sotiri Georgas has wowed diners for a decade, adding twists to items such as moussaka with lentils instead of lamb mince, to cater for the growing vegetarian clientele.
“He’s been with us for 10 years and he took the restaurant to the next level,’’ Alana said.
Greek cheese croquettes and grilled asparagus spears are some specialties.
16 Phillip St, Parramatta
Kanzo
Debuting in a pint-sized shop near Parramall in the 1990s, Kanzo has won over even more fans since it relocated further east on George St last year when its original home was demolished for the under-construction Metro station.
The modest facade in the original restaurant turned out five-star dishes and that has continued in it’s spacious new venue, where impressive dishes can be savoured while sitting.
Sample elegant sashimi and sushi platters, tempura and bento boxes from the extensive menu featuring hot and cold meals.
Shop 3/109-113 George St, Parramatta
Pho Pasteur
This Vietnamese eatery is a successful immigrant story.
Rita Pham’s parents Van Thanh and Thui opened the business, which is celebrating 30 years in 2022. The Southern Vietnamese refugees from the Tay Ninh province fulfilled a dream to run their own business and restaurant and Parramatta for its multicultural mix and central location.
Since 1992, the options on the menu have multiplied and the choices can be mind boggling, from traditional pho to laksa and crispy skin chicken resting on a fluffy tangle of vermicelli noodles.
“Before we didn’t have stir fry,’’ Van Thanh said.
He loves feeding the throng that files through the eatery on Church St’s south side, from Westfield-bound shoppers to office workers and all food lovers in between.
Van Thanh says traditional beef noodle soup is the most loved of dishes and the restaurant’s longevity can be attributed to sustaining the tradition and recreating his grandfather’s traditional pho from Vietnam.
137 Church St, Parramatta
El Jannah
Before it became a cult chain across Sydney and now Melbourne, El Jannah started charring those fabled chooks in Granville and Punchbowl in 1998.
Andre and Carole Estephan founded the eatery in Granville’s main drag of South St and it has evolved from a takeaway shop to a more expansive dine-in venue fitted out with its signature green decor.
Twenty four years ago, aioli was still foreign to many palates but now the garlic dip is as favoured as much as tomato sauce. Fresh Lebanese bread, plates of exquisitely marinated chicken, colourful fattoush salad, tabouli and pink pickles are now synonymous with Granville.
Now El Jannah has 14 branches in Sydney and in May, debuted in the Melbourne suburb of Preston. The chain is ready to burn the charcoal at its second Victorian eatery in Campbellfield.
While the same marinades and sauce ingredients are deployed across the chain, many El Jannah diehards consider Granville to be the benchmark, spinning out the adage “the original and the best”.
4/8 South St, Granville
El Sweetie
This sweets emporium is the Willy Wonka of Middle Eastern pastries and desserts, boasting rich classics such as baklava and ladyfingers, showstopping birthday cakes and even biscuits that allow diabetics to indulge.
The 100-seat restaurant has been part of Granville’s main street for 20 years and Jean and Jeanette Abi-Daher have helmed it for the past 16, producing an array of 30 sweets that customers love to accompany with a tea or coffee in a comfy booth or table.
Not just a place for dessert, El Sweetie is a one-stop shop for families on weekends who feast on the savoury menu ahead of a sugar fix.
Among the favourite dishes is the barbecue mixed plate including lamb and chicken skewers with dips and tabouli. Znoud el sit (ladyfingers) tops the list for the most popular sweet.
Family employee Rebecca Pec’s description of the treat – deep fried pastry, soaked in sugar syrup and clotted cream and garnished with pistachios – explains why it’s a magnet, though maybe not for the faint hearted.
Desserts are made in-house every day. “Basically everything runs out by the end of the day,’’ Pec said.
She loves meeting new customers who come from across Sydney for authentic Middle Eastern desserts.
“A lot of people come from the north shore, from Ryde, there’s Asian and Indian customers, it’s all diverse.’’
The restaurant also makes for a pleasant setting for a business meeting (sure beats a boardroom) and for discerning palettes who know the difference in knafeh across the Middle East.
For novices, Pec and her well-versed relatives will gladly explain the ingredients.
“You get your Italian pastries but the Lebanese, we’ve got 20 different varieties and they’re all mixed and made with different ingredients,’’ she said.
73/75 South St Granville
La Shish
It might be in the shadow of its neighbour at Granville, but Guildford is an unassuming performer when it comes to delicious food on its main strip, bursting with Lebanese, Afghan and Asian eateries.
One of the standouts is La Shish, with its sprightly Middle Eastern platters piled with dips, skewers and salads that have had customers returning for almost 20 years.
Co-owner Hussain Zaineddine honed his cooking skills as an apprentice at La Shish 13 years ago and in 2019, he took over the ownership along with Mostapha Awick, who can also be seen greeting guests and fielding their orders.
Zaineddine still dons his apron and flexes his skills in the kitchen, where he has been happy to stay after more than a decade. Just like his customers, who love the “quality of food we have here and the customer service”.
“I’m here day in and day out,’’ he said, adding his “passion for food” makes him happy to continue working at La Shish.
Most diners opt for the mixed plate with hummus, tabouli and assorted meat skewers.
Like all good food, La Shish brings the community together.
“We get a lot of Australian people, Lebanese people, we even get Chinese people,’’ Zaineddine said.
Non Middle Eastern dishes are also part of the menu, including the well-loved chicken and mushroom — a very enticing dish of two fillets with mash potato and a creamy mushroom sauce.
265 Guildford Rd, Guildford
Circa Espresso
Since seasoned hospitality worker Aykut Sayan made his foray in Parramatta in 2010, Circa Espresso’s popularity has not waned and those signature Ottoman eggs are still winning over diners.
While the cafe prides itself on a dynamic, seasonal menu, Sayan was onto something special when he introduced Ottomon eggs (with crumbed eggplant, garlic labneh, sage butter, fried leeks and burnt chilli) after founding Circa Espresso and it is a permanent fixture on the menu.
The Turkish dish also inspired other cafes to inject a little Middle Eastern flare into their offerings and it seems to be a staple across multiple Sydney nosheries as much as the almost-obsolete caesar salad was 20 years ago.
While Parramatta wasn’t bereft of cafes when Circa opened in a converted terrace at Wentworth St in 2010, Sayan credits himself for elevating it to a destination serious about coffee and serving more than toasties for brunch.
All coffee is brewed on site, a charming terrace with a courtyard that Sayan modelled on the restaurants branching off Melbourne’s laneways.
21 Wentworth St, Parramatta
Lil Miss Collins
The cafe with the pretty pink phone booth makes it very photogenic but the food holds its own when it comes to presentation and tantalising tastebuds.
Superbly plated dishes include the iridescent New York pancakes and Mediterranean breakfast plate that brunchers savour in a courtyard setting with park benches.
Circa Espresso’s neighbour is an oasis and retreat despite its prolixity to a commuter carpark and gritty streetscape.
When it’s not raining, perch yourself on a table near the phone booth or seek shelter a few metres away near the counter and order from an eclectic, imaginative menu that isn’t afraid of introducing unpredictable flavour combinations. Wagyu beef burger with mixed leaves, American cheese, kimchi, lemon and honey aioli anyone? Or perhaps breadcrumb-coated jalapeño peppers with cheese and mayo?
The cafe fills extra quickly on weekends.
13 Wentworth St, Parramatta
Yum Yum Bakery
Few locals can recall when Yum Yum Bakery wasn’t gracing Guildford Rd and that’s probably because it has been a landmark for 32 years.
Najib Haddad father, Toufic, opened the Lebanese eatery in 1990 and his hardworking family has faithfully served its delicious manoosh (breakfast pizza) since then.
Not only has the number of manoosh developed from making six ingredients to 30 toppings but Yum Yum is more than a pizza place.
Customers file in and out for takeaway or get comfy in the recently-renovated dine-in area where they are lavished with platters such as chicken and lamb sharwama, dips and wraps, or indulge in manoosh traditional toppings such as labneh, sujuk (sausage) and minced lamb.
The Haddads have an army of loyal customers but never rest on their laurels.
You will find Italian, Mexican and Asian influences in dishes.
Labneh bruschetta, shawarma tacos and peri peri chicken manoosh are creative inventions produced from the Yum Yum kitchen.
There’s even haloumi spring rolls made with filo pastry, mozzarella and feta cheese.
“Mannosh is only a fraction of what we do,’’ Najib said.
He and nephew Jeremy Agha – who plan to expand Yum Yum in Sydney’s west or northwest next year – claimed the Eggsellence Awards (judged by TV chef and host Manu Feildel) for their awarma and egg pizza in 2019 when it proved a “game changer” for their business after the exposure it generated.
It is an Aussie and Lebanese combination of flavours – lamb confit, zaatar and two sunny-side-up eggs that are crisped up in the wood-fired oven for five minutes.
“For us, obviously the classics are the most important because you don’t want to forget where you came from but you have to move with the times as well … and keeping the new generation interested because it’s all about Instagram these days.’’
273 Guildford Rd, Guildford
Touka Japanese Yakiniku Restaurant and Bar
CBD workers and visitors love Touka, nestled in Horwood Place and slightly concealed from the construction zones and noise that engulf Parramatta.
On the late winter night we visit, the heat from the barbecue adds even more warmth to the cosy venue, which is invitingly decked out with booths and a bar on the lower level for those opting for beverages and a lighter meal.
The serene slice of Tokyo has authentic decor and is known for serving its yakiniku, a popular barbecue meat dish arranged with a generous number of slices and sprinkled with sesame.
Meat lovers will find premium Wagyu oyster blade while those who prefer poultry can opt for karaage (fried chicken). Touka does opulence well, including its seafood options such as barbecue scallop and scampi.
The Touka salad even has ample iceberg lettuce and given there is a good serving of sashimi, its price tag just over $16 is good value.
Its most popular dish is the chicken/pork katsu curry, which was available for takeaway during lockdown, much to the delight of regulars.
Shop 2/2 Horwood Place, Parramatta
Chatkazz
Maybe this Indian chain will soon explode into cult status just like El Jannah did for Lebanese food lovers.
Apart from the Harris Park Chatkazz there is just another at Bella Vista but both enjoy strong doses of popularity among fans of South Indian cuisine.
Despite the scores of restaurants that have earned Harris Park the nickname Little India, diners familiar with food from the subcontinent and “a very good spice tolerance” rate Chatkazz for its lively atmosphere complementing its enticing fare.
It cannot be accused of lacking variety either, with more than 200 dishes whipped up in the kitchen. Ask for the misal pav (beans, peas, chana, served with onion, lemon and pav bread) or onion rava (a dosa made with semolina and rice flour).
Its sweet shop is conveniently next door, with an array of traditional sweets ready to devour.
Shop 4-6/14/20 Station St East, Harris Park
CicciaBella
You won’t find fettuccine carbonara at this restaurant, which became one of the first to christen Parramatta Square in 2020 when Maurice Terzini ventured to the west following an invitation from Lang Walker.
The chairman of Walker Corporation, which is developing Parramatta Square, knew Terzini from Otto at Woolloomooloo and the inaugural CicciaBella at Bondi and wanted him to offer western Sydney a slice of the southern Italian fare for which he was known.
Terzini’s approach is a refined, simple one that still executes traditional southern Italian cooking with dashes of luxury (for example, black truffle with cacio e pepe).
Flavours influencing the toe of the Italian boot have emerged in the industrial setting of CicciaBella where one can find pastas with prawns, tomato and Calabrian chilli and pizzas topped with the very Sicilian ingredients of artichoke, capsicum, olive and tomato.
Seasonal dishes include fresh burrata and vine-ripened tomatoes. Drool.
The wood-fired bread is amazing.
Desserts include tiramisu, cannoli and gorgonzola with honey and carta di musica (crackers).
Below Tower 3,1/153 Macquarie St, Parramatta Square
Sariwon Korean Bulgoki
Korean barbecue is hearty and comforting, and it doesn’t hurt that the barbecue element is a bit of a novelty when the sizzling dishes are presented on the table.
This humble restaurant near the wharf is a quiet achiever that lets its bibimbap do the talking. Our go-to is the succulent, marinated beef version with rice and sauteed vegetables topped with a fried egg (such a great addition).
Sariwon also succeeds with dumplings and seafood pancakes.
While a sit-down meal is preferred, fortunately the efficient staff Sariwon also do take away for customers, including members of Parramatta’s workforce who are slowly returning to the CBD after lockdown.
Shop 5/169 Macquarie St, Parramatta
Calypso Bakery Cafe
Just as you enter Pendle Hill Meat Market, one of Australia’s largest butcheries, the Calypso bakery provides a welcome diversion courtesy of its more-ish pies (if you didn’t come here for them in the first place).
The aroma of smoked meat that permeates the block around the meat market turns to the fragrance of pies that the Portelli family cooks daily.
Chicken and leek, steak and mushroom, lamb and vegetarian are some of the 200 pies that are baked from 6am. But the standout could just be the potato pie with its generous heap of mash spuds atop the succulent filling.
Cooks make 10kg worth of herb and wine-laden fillings for an hour before slotting the pies (short crust pastry is used for cases and puff pastry for the lids) into the oven for 11 minutes during the handmade process.
Before shopping, visitors enjoy Calypso’s fine coffee with its pies and popular sausage rolls (200 are sold each day).
This is no doubt a place filled with Aussie rituals. On Saturday mornings, sports clubs collect snags by the bulk for their sausage sizzles and families stuff trolleys with steaks, mince or whatever the most economical cut is on the day.
Between 100 and 150 pigs are raised each week on the Southern Highlands farm supplying the goods while 50 cows are delivered to Pendle Hill from the same region.
Calypso Bakery Cafe (inside Pendle Hill Meat Market), 142 Bungaree Rd
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