Restaurants, bars and cafes opening in Parramatta in 2023
The Nour hospitality group is broadening its reach in Parramatta with a plan to deliver an outpost of a Middle Eastern restaurant that has been a success in Surry Hills.
Parramatta
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Parramatta’s bounty of bars, restaurants and cafes keeps expanding, much to the delight of local foodies keen to make the most of cuisine in their backyard and those discovering what the area has to offer.
Check out our evolving feature of new venues to visit.
Henrietta
You can almost inhale the aroma of charcoal chicken already.
Upmarket charcoal chicken restaurant Henrietta is winging it from Surry Hills to Parramatta, where Nour executive director Ibby Moubadder is poised to deliver a twist on Middle Eastern fare.
Moubadder, who already helms contemporary Asian restaurant LilyMu and The Lobbyist cafe at Parramatta Square, is planning to establish Henrietta where CicciaBella once stood.
With charcoal cooking, “it’s going to be a huge fit-out” and he hopes to open the 100-seat restaurant in April or May.
“Henrietta is not your typical charcoal chicken joint,’’ Moubadder said.
“It’s Middle Eastern. It’s kind of a hybrid restaurant – it’s a beautiful Middle Eastern dining experience with the charcoal chicken being the hero item.’’
Of course, there is more to Henrietta’s than wings and drumsticks. It will be licensed so diners can expect a tipple with their mezze, lamb shoulder and fish imbued with smoky flavours.
“It’s kind of a Middle Eastern restaurant that focuses on charcoal cooking,’’ Moubadder said.
“The beautiful thing about Henrietta is it’s not super traditional so there will be takes on the meals that are famous.’’
Take Henrietta’s Windsor restaurant in Melbourne: there’s octopus with potatoes cooked over charcoal, and ingredients that echo Turkish flavours.
“It’s more of a fresh, young take on Middle Eastern food that still pays respect to the tradition but gives it a new take,’’ Moubadder said.
He says “Henrietta kills it’’ at Surry Hills and is confident that success can be mirrored in Parramatta.
“We know Henrietta in this space would do really well,’’ he said.
“There’s a lot of Middle Eastern people. I’m Middle Eastern myself and I can connect with the demographic really well, and Parramatta is the second biggest city after Sydney.
“I think people of the western suburbs have been very loyal to us and we believe the site in Parramatta Square will give back to the community.’’
CBD workers or those in a rush can also look forward to takeaway options, including chicken and falafel wraps, at Henrietta.
Moubadder was initially eyeing a spot on the opposite side of Parramatta Square but had to look elsewhere after learning the ABC would occupy the site from next year.
A development application must still be lodged for Henrietta, which Moubadder plans to open every day from 11.30am to 10pm (and midnight on weekends).
Maurice Terzini’s much-lauded CicciaBella failed to have the same success in Parramatta as it did in Bondi and closed in March after an agreement could not be met with the landlord.
Publique
Library cafes are to turn a new page when the long-anticipated eatery Publique opens under the crimson roof of Phive at Parramatta Square – with staples and cocktails on the menu.
Jay Rao, who helms sophisticated bistro Ruse opposite the square, will also take the reins as executive chef at the cafe.
The 50-seat cafe is expected to debut in November with cafe classics while bain maries are ready to serve hot options for convenient takeaway choices including roasts.
Rao says the bolts are done and final details are still being finalised.
He says it will be “very simple, fresh’’ food in “a lovely cafe setting’’ with similar fare to Ruse but in a low-key cafe.
The bar is slated to open next year after licence is secured.
European bistro Ruse was one of the first to debut in Parramatta Square in 2020 and has thrived as one of the CBD’s best restaurants serving meat, seafood and poultry a la carte, or share plates to sample dishes given signature smoky flavours using wood, charcoal and spices.
5 Parramatta Square
Bad Boy Bakehouse, Pendle Hill
The industrial hub at Pendle Hill is a bit of a dark horse when it comes to edible delights. There’s well-stuffed pies and top coffee at the Calypso Bakery in Pendle Hill Meat Market, which is also home to a full-line delicatessen near the vast meat counter.
A block deeper into the industrial area at Ballandella Rd (and a left turn) a sensational surprise awaits at the Bad Boy Bakehouse where freshly-baked cakes and pastries sing from the display case.
The public has wasted no time taking advantage of these expertly-baked goods, which they might have already devoured at restaurants or cafes thanks to Bad Boy being a well-established wholesaler that supplies goods to some major supermarkets too.
The retail shop opened in the unassuming industrial estate in winter.
Walk into the small shop (there are just a couple of tables and seats) and you will find sourdough rolls, pies and sausage rolls, but the showstopper is the array of sweets including its signature fat doughnuts – take your pick from traditional flavours or the cream and custard-stuffed morsels of delight. We can recommend hazelnut but aim to road test them all, eventually.
Newbies include Snickers and Boston choc custard.
Despite a short life as a retail, we notice customers are already asking for “the usual”. Along with the craving-conquering doughnuts, you can get a sugar hit with cannoli and golden, flaky croissants. The white or milk chocolate mud slices add a kaleidoscopic kick with M & M’s, butter and Oreos and Reese’s peanut butter coatings. The lamingtons are also very plump.
Coffee and milkshakes add to the temptations.
2/102 Ballandella Rd, Pendle Hill
Hungry Avocado
Just reading “smashed avocado” on a menu is enough to break the budget but a Parramatta cafe owner is proving the brunch staple doesn’t have to be overpriced.
Since opening the Hungry Avocado in the CBD in June, Gerond Kambolli has served his zingy smashed avocado on charcoal sourdough toast with chilli flakes, feta and a lime wedge for $6.50.
“I go to the market myself and I pick up all the fruit and veggies and it’s quite cheap at the market,’’ he said.
By comparison, some customers fork out $6 just for a side of avocado, $13 for avo on toast or, on the other side of Sydney, $18 for a similar dish at a Bondi cafe.
Customers can dine on Aussie favourites with a Mexican twist at the Hungry Avocado, which has a small seating area for those with a little time to relax and sit down.
There’s classics including the bacon and egg roll, along with a brekky burrito with chorizo, cheese, mayo and scrambled egg.
The lunch menu includes pulled pork torta and lime pepper chicken.
Most visitors are workers who are taking advantage of the fresh fare and affordable coffee (a piccolo will set you back $3.50 or $4 for a small cup) so prices are comparatively cheaper that other cafes.
“It’s one of the busiest places in Parramatta so everyone accepted us quite well and we’ve been pumping 400 coffees a day which is good,’’ Kambolli said.
Kambolli roasts his own coffee beans from Ethiopia and Papua New Guinea.
101 George St, Parramatta
Oribu
An uber-cool Japanese restaurant has graced Parramatta’s CBD where lavish platters of seafood, dumplings and even tacos are waiting to be feasted on while relaxing at the rooftop venue.
Louis Arida owns the chic 100-seat restaurant in the Heritage building and has taken on veteran chef Harry Cho, who has more than 20 years’ experience in Japanese cuisine and a passion for wine making, to bring his flair to Parramatta.
“There’s not many Japanese restaurants in Parramatta and there’s nothing of this calibre so it was easy to break the mould,’’ Arida said.
Oribu opened in June with a bougie menu that showcases Japanese cuisine’s delicate flavours and stunning presentation, while Cho’s Western-style methods and ingredients elevates traditional dishes.
Think signature sushi rolls, whiskey-marinated snapper and the Omakase platter – a decadent 60-piece seafood platter laden with salmon, tuna, scallop, kingfish, scampi, oysters, surf clams, tiger prawns and ceviche.
Offerings such as the fried oysters with aioli, panko crumbs and caviar, and bao burgers have us salivating.
If you’re inclined to combine your cuisines, go fusion and try the tacos including the mushroom Wagyu beef and beetroot chimichurri with truffle oil, or the salmon jalapeno tartare taco.
Round out the meal with desserts, including the basil and lime tart, and the apple crumble cheesecake.
Oribu is named after the olive and its roots which symbolise peace and prosperity. It is housed in the Heritage precinct and sits alongside the whisky and cocktail Heritage Lounge and Le Cheval cigar lounge.
Heating keeps diners warm on the rooftop.
215-217 Church St, Parramatta
Parradisiac
It’s been a favourite Oatlands haunt for the past six years and the flourishing Bells Road Social cafe has expanded by becoming a licensed restaurant to serve Italian dishes alongside its breakfast and lunch offerings.
From June 30, the cafe began its next life with a new moniker, Parradisiac – a play on owner Michael Barillaro’s passion for the Eels and where he wants to take his diners when they eat – “a paradise state”.
The plans to become licensed have been lodged with a development application before Parramatta Council.
Barillaro, who has owned the cafe since 2021, wants to give Oatlands residents and non-locals a slice of night life without having to travel into the Parramatta CBD or Bella Vista.
“Oatlands has nothing else going for it at night,’’ he said.
“It’s a completely dead suburb.’’
After customers “have been on to me since the day we opened” to expand, he has opted to make the venue licensed.
“From my experience, alcohol rather than BYO is a lot more attractive,’’ he said.
“I know when I go to a place at night I want to go to a place that is licensed, and there’s nothing else in the area.’’
Barillaro, who was already the head pizza chef at the age of 13 when he worked at his parents’ Hornsby pizzeria, has introduced pizzas and “authentic” pastas such as carbonara without the cream, to complement the existing cafe dishes.
“My background is pizza and pasta through my family, so when I bought the cafe I was heading towards a plan to incorporate these two elements, and now it’s coming to fruition,’’ he said.
Outside the traditional spaghetti bolognese, he said chef Louis Ah Mann was “going to get very creative with the pasta menu”.
A 10m high mural featuring the three Abdallah children and their cousin who died in Oatlands, celebrities and Eels players, is also part of the cafe’s revamp.
I Bells Rd, Oatlands
Bagel Box
When stepbrothers Klarity and Kay Younan paid a trip to Melbourne, they decided to bring a piece of Victoria’s capital – and a slice of New York flavour – back to Sydney and open a bagel shop.
“The whole inspiration for the bagels was a trip to Melbourne and we realised how good they were, and better than an ordinary sandwich, and we wanted to bring that culture to Parramatta because it’s pretty much non-existent,’’ Klarity, 21, said.
He and 20-year-old Kay also run a web development business in the Civic Arcade, a stone’s throw from the pocket-sized bagel shop, which also sells croissants, sandwiches on sourdough, wholemeal and white loafs, and soon smoothies with “really cool mixes like strawberry and chunky, fresh smoothies”.
One of the shop’s bestsellers is Klarity’s favourite, “the butcher”, which is stuffed with pastrami, ham, prosciutto, salami, cream cheese and provolone.
For lovers of traditional lox, try “the pinky” with smoked salmon, cream cheese, red onion, capers and dill.
Sweet flavours include the Nutella, strawberries and icing sugar on a warm bagel.
Klarity says 100 bagels, which Marrickville’s Brooklyn Boy Bagels supplies, are sold each day.
Bagel Box is open Monday to Saturday from 9am to 4pm.
48 George St, Parramatta
Seniora’s Lebanese Bakery
It’s harder to know what to get more excited about: a manoosh pizzeria’s debut on a strip of shops at South Wentworthville or the fact it will be the first business there to serve coffee.
Fortunately for the caffeine and Lebanese pizza lovers out there, the Issa family has seen the market for both at Old Prospect Rd and has start belting out the treats from April 23.
The former television repairs shop has been converted into an eatery named after family matriarch Seniora and will serve traditional manoosh – oil, za’atar (oregano) and labneh – along with traditional Italian toppings and wraps stuffed with falafel and chicken.
Seniora is a seasoned maker of manoosh having worked and run multiple businesses in Sydney – including Hilltop Oven at Merrylands and Sid’s Oven at Prospect.
“When you say my name everyone knows it’s connected to manoosh,’’ she said.
“I had a chance to come back to the area because we live in the area and everyone knows me by my name, and they know my name is connected to manoosh shop.’’
Her daughters Anny, 30, Melissa, 26, and Mary, 23, are carrying on the family tradition that Seniora first learned when she was growing up in her rural village in northern Lebanon.
“We used to do it when we were at home,’’ she said.
“We’re from the village so everyone does it at home. It’s different equipment.
“We have the dough roller, the dough mixer and the oven. It’s all by hand.’’
Tradies and early birds should also be thankful the South Wentworthville family opens the six-table shop at 5.30am, so they can get some tasty fuel besides a bacon and egg roll.
“It’s very light, it’s easy to eat in the morning,’’ Seniora said.
“You can have it for lunch because it’s not a thick base. You can have it in the afternoon, you can have it any time. Any time you eat manoosh, you don’t get sick of it.’’
41B Old Prospect Rd, South Wentworthville
Havenstone
Parramatta’s historic treasures might be dwindling but the quaint sandstone building Havenstone has been lovingly restored on the Female Factory site and is now producing imaginative dishes thanks to head chef Anthony Doueihi putting his own twist on cafe classics.
“We’ve been getting lots of good feedback on our French toast and our salmon poke bowl,’’ he said.
“We don’t do our eggs Benedict with bread, we do it with house-made rosti and that whole dish ended up being gluten free.’’
If you’re easily seduced by a tipple and dessert, the pina colada panna cotta is surely an enticing option, while others will dig into the hearty southern fried chicken burger.
The cafe is housed in the former Boiler House, which was constructed from the late 1800s. In 1889, the building housed the main kitchen’s scullery, a bathroom and a dormitory for incontinent patients.
A boiler room eventually replaced the scullery and the dorm became a dining room. The building was used until the mid 1970s.
Today, Havenstone sits in the grounds of the state government’s Western Sydney Startup Hub, with entrepreneurs and innovators sure to keep the latte requests coming.
5 Fleet St, North Parramatta
Wine bar
Yet to be christened with an official name, Aykut Sayan wants his wine bar to be a casual and welcoming bolthole.
Sayan, who is best known for establishing Circa Espresso at Parramatta, was inspired by small bars in Europe and New York where a dress code doesn’t exist (feel free to “come in your shorts”).
He also wants to present patrons with a wide selection of wines and beers from France, Eastern Europe and Georgia, along with some drops from Sydney’s inner west.
The “wine room” is slated to open in autumn in the CBD, not far from Circa Espresso.
La Voute
Parramatta’s bar scene is thriving, with locals keen to enjoy a tipple close to home thanks to more venues which have chosen to operate in Sydney’s “second city”.
The venue’s capacity would be 120 people and operate from noon to 2am daily.
Plans state the venue would meet demand for new hospitality services driven by rapid population growth in Parramatta.
“The development will assist with activating the CBD and provide an exciting venue in an iconic building to cater for the rapidly growing younger population of Parramatta in proximity to the vibrant ‘eat street’ precinct.’’
215 Church St, Parramatta
Kickin’ Inn
It’s not often diners can say they went to Parra to tuck into some Cajun food but, since late last year, adventurous palates have been feasting on plates of seafood – crayfish, cut squid and mud crab – with a riot of herbs and spices at Kickin’ Inn’s Church St outpost.
Parramatta staff are proud of the 55-herb sauce and the Sha Bang dressing laden with garlic butter, cajun, lemon pepper and cajun.
Not purely a Cajun restaurant, Kickin Inn drifts from the Caribbean to the Mediterranean with spaghetti tossed with seafood, if that’s more your jam.
Despite not possessing experience as chefs, co-founders Ravi Singh and Sami Karras hatched the idea for the business in 2017 when, after months of toil, they cracked a secret recipe – a “Louisiana-inspired mix of flavours”.
They used their business acumen (Karras as a Sydney fast food franchisee and Singh as a Dubai-based management consultancy practice owner) to debut the chain in 2018.
Stores are peppered throughout Sydney including Petersham and Penrith.
308 Church St, Parramatta
Pappa Flock
Sometimes only a hunk of fried chicken and chips will do.
Sitting on Eat St, Pappa Flock is neighbours with several burger joints but has made poultry its specialty since its debut in Parramatta in February.
There’s no flat chicken patty here – the fillet wedged between the crispy chicken burger delivers on the crunch and is complemented by standout herb-sprinkled fries (the seasoning is a secret of course).
Chicken is also stuffed into wraps and salads and is grilled if you have the willpower to resist the fried choice.
There is plenty of room to sit in the neon-drenched space, with ample power points that come in handy if you can’t afford a digital-free lunch break.
310 Church St, Parramatta
Italian Street Kitchen
Adjust your belts because the wait is over – Italian Street Kitchen brings the taste and carbs to Parramatta when it opens alongside Hunter & Barrel on Thursday, June 8.
ISK’s Parramatta 150-seat Parramatta restaurant faces the under-construction wharf and is its eighth branch with restaurants in Sydney, Perth, Brisbane and expansions planned in Dubai.
Its lunch and dinner fare includes freshly-made and generously-plated pasta and an extensive bar that features Italian classics such as Negroni, or a range of twists on Spritz, aperitivo and mocktails, to cater for Parramatta’s after-work drinks crowd.
Wood-fired pizzas with house-made dough crisp up in a custom-built oven to capture authentic Italian flavours. Pizzas are topped with tomatoes sourced from Parma, Italy.
If you’re there to graze, there are antipasto share plates with chicken, meat and fish.
The debut menu will showcase the “fatto in casa” (made in house) range that celebrates the
artisan craft of handmade fresh pasta every day.
It’s easy to see why these are the favourites: slow-cooked lamb ragu casarecce pasta with horseradish and pecorino cheese and crab ravioli served in a seafood bisque with roasted cherry tomato, basil and chilli are waiting to be ordered.
ISK head chef Giulio Marchese, who grew up in an Italian village called Ronchis, took inspiration from his family and his home region for the menu.
“We hope these restaurants will become the perfect location for family outings, post work gatherings, or a catch up with friends,’’ he said.
ISK’s restaurant sits under Parramatta’s tallest residential tower, 180 George.
180 George St, Parramatta
Hunter & Barrel
For the lucky dwellers in the Meriton tower, this steakhouse will debut alongside Italian Street Kitchen on June 8.
Seagrass Boutique Hospitality Group, which runs The Meat & Wine Co, is expanding its swanky steakhouse portfolio with Hunter & Barrel, where there are signature dry-aged meats.
Diners can also expect plenty of vegan options with herb-packed dishes to balance out all those steaks.
Hunter & Barrel culinary manager Ran Kimelfeld said the restaurant was heavily influenced by fire cooking and seasonal produce.
“We try to bring in as many local Australian influences whether it’s native plants or trying to work with more native products,’’ he said.
“The flavours are very earthy, very smoky.’’
Celebrated for premium coal-roasted meats and barrel-aged craft beverages, Hunter & Barrel has become known for its charcoal grilled skewered dishes, which features tahini chicken, dry aged striploin and honey-glazed pork belly, using diverse cooking processes.
The cuisine pays homage to ancestral hunter-gatherer techniques centred around communal dining and feasting.
Complementing the food are barrel-aged craft spirits and cocktails “inspired by age-old beverage craftsmanship”.
The drinks selection will feature cocktails matured in oak barrels for over four weeks, which impart complex flavour dimensions.
Hunter & Barrel brand manager Joey Ibrhaim said the Parramatta restaurant would serve up to 170 guests indoors and outdoors.
“We look forward to welcoming locals and providing them with a taste of our welcoming and inclusive service,’’ he said.
“We want guests to feel at home.”
180 George St, Parramatta
Mr Stonebowl
Parramatta has a real appetite for Asian comfort food, so Mr Stonebowl is bound to be warmly received when it makes its debut at Westfield near the bus interchange.
The business has served diners at Burwood since 2015 and has since flourished in Hurstville, Chatswood and Eastwood. It considers itself Sydney’s first restaurant to specialise in Chinese stone pot cuisine.
Over the past eight years, Mr Stonepot has diversified its style to include Shanghai-style dim sum, pan-fried pork dumplings and Xiaolongbao (steamed buns) while it fuses flavours from north and south China.
“Mr Stonebowl is born out of a passion for Chinese cuisine – a longstanding love for, and devotion to, the wealth of flavours, textures and possibilities that this cuisine offers,’’ Mr Stonebowl owner Vincent Lei said.
Some stonepot specials include fish fillet in a spicy sauce, black truffle sauce, fried rice with abalone, and diced chicken fillets with aromatic sauce and mushroom.
The restaurant is expected to open in autumn.
Shop 2184, Westfield Parramatta, 159-175 Church St, Parramatta
Mikazuki
It’s no secret Mikazuki, aka the “noodle place near Western Sydney Uni”, has gone gangbusters in Parramatta where it’s wise to line up half an hour early to get a spot for lunch or dinner.
The modern Japanese restaurant at Macquarie St has thrived so much it is opening its second eatery in Parramatta where, unlike the original 50-seater eatery, bookings will be taken to avoid those long queues.
“We want to make sure when people come to eat they don’t have to wait long,’’ Mikazuki supervisor Ghofa Anam said.
“For the past five years it’s been great, as in we have a steady stream of regulars, and we also have new customers who are coming for the first time.
“This second location is to disperse our market.’’
The new location and opening date are under negotiations but the ballpark debut will be before June, in time for winter when diners can dig into executive chef Billy Jung’s rich and hearty Mikazuki signature ramen fused with umami paste, soy and garlic oil.
Grilled salmon rolls win over the sushi lovers and chicken teriyaki is also one of the most popular dishes.
Volcano’s
Lovers of ribs and steaks can still chomp down their dinner at Volcano’s existing Church St venue when it gets a spruce-up.
Under plans before Parramatta Council, the restaurant will be fitted out with new seating and some minor changes to the facade.
“The development has been designed in a way and style that complements the area,’’ the council’s statement of environmental effects said.
“The proposed changes to the building facade are primarily cosmetic and will have a positive impact on the area.’’
The changes will reduce the number of seats from 90 to 84.
311-313 Church St, Parramatta
LilyMu
Brunch is a weekend ritual and the hatted LilyMu is notching it up with a boozy bottomless brunch at its Parramatta Square restaurant.
The $99 feast includes a selection of executive chef Brendan Fong’s delicious signature sharing plates and a choice of cocktails, wine and beer over a 90-minute sitting at the contemporary Asian venue.
Think espresso martinis, Prosecco, rose, Asahi beer or LilyMu’s signature sake spritz while enjoying a banquet that features crispy fried quail, red curry crunchy rice bites, more-ish ricotta dumplings and the flavoursome banana leaf roasted barramundi.
Optional extras include oysters, chicken larb sando and roasted duck.
LilyMu, which opened in 2020, was recently awarded one hat and is the only venue in Sydney’s west to claim that.
“As the LilyMu brand continues to grow and reach new heights, we wanted to give back to our guests by offering the best value bottomless lunch not only in the west but in Sydney,’’ LilyMu executive director Ibby Moubadder said.
The bottomless brunch is available from noon to 2pm each Saturday and Sunday.
For corporate types or those who want to celebrate a hump day, LilyMu has also started a
weekday happy hour(s) from 3.30pm to 5.30pm when $12 cocktails such as a Paloma and Yuzu Collins, will flow.
Selected beers and wines will also be available for $7 and if you are feeling peckish, tuck into some Pacific oysters with green nam jim (dipping sauce) and a selection of skewers.
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