Whether you’re looking to impress that special someone or reignite an old flame, these Sydney restaurants will ensure date night is done right. For some, that means a cosy, dimly lit restaurant with share plates and live music. But for others, it means an exciting culinary experience to share, bound to keep the conversation flowing.

Annata

With arched windows overlooking a bustling Crows Nest dining strip, hatted restaurant Annata combines a sense of fine dining with the convivial mood of a neighbourhood wine bar. It’s an intimate canvas for date nights to split a beef tartare with toasted nori and a bottle of Adelaide Hills fiano. End the night with a delicate millefeuille crowned with a brown-butter ice-cream, a perfect partnership of sweet and savoury.

69 Willoughby Road, Crows Nest, annatasydney.com

Arthur

For a special night out, try the intimate, one-hatted Surry Hills diner Arthur. Each dish on the five-course degustation menu ($160 per person) serves as a conversation starter, as you and your date try akoya oysters for the first time, or experience the strong-smelling (and delicious) Bruny Island cheese tart. If you can, order the wine pairing as well ($85-135). Head sommelier Kyle Reno Lenci is an engaging storyteller who will make each glass memorable, often throwing in some more unusual Australian labels that become new favourites.

544 Bourke Street, Surry Hills, arthurrestaurant.com

Besuto

Some people would say sharing a table with 10 strangers doesn’t sound like a great idea for a date. I’d say those people might be wrong. At the 12-seat Japanese restaurant Besuto, the ice is immediately broken by the shared omakase experience and a good, strong martini. Awkward silences dissipate in the face of friendly staff explaining your next wine pairing, or the chef whipping out his blowtorch to gently sear premium sashimi. The $195 experience includes 15 courses, with a strong emphasis on seafood (some you may not have seen on a Sydney menu before).

6 Loftus Lane, Sydney, besutosydney.com

Burwood Chinatown (Various)

Make sure you’re both hungry before heading over to the neon playground that is Burwood Chinatown. This is a DIY food adventure, with everything from crispy Chinese pancakes baked fresh in giant stone ovens at Gan Guo Kui, to soy milk mochi balls with googly eyes at Lemochi. After you’ve eaten your fill, there are plenty of other activities to keep you occupied, like the arcade games at Million-life.

121-133 Burwood Road, Burwood, burwoodchinatown.com.au

Cafe Paci

Ask a Sydney chef what their favourite restaurant is, and often they’ll say Cafe Paci. It’s also a noted favourite of Nigella Lawson. In other words, there’s a pretty good chance your date will enjoy it. The petite, two-hatted restaurant has a buzzy wine-bar feel, and, with a kitchen led by chef Pasi Petanen, there’s layers of thought and flavour behind even the most seemingly simple preparations. From the molasses-glazed potato bread to the potato ‘dumplings’ (gnocchi) with trout XO, every dish is a winner.

131 King Street, Newtown, cafepaci.com.au

Ester

Two-hatted Chippendale restaurant Ester is romantic, dimly lit and renowned for its extensive selection of wood-fired snacks, ideal for sharing between two. There’s the famous fermented potato bread, served with trout roe and dashi and kefir cream; the roasted Pacific oysters with pepperberry and sake; and potato dauphines with beef fat butter … And with a delicious line-up like that, the experience is sure to be memorable, even if the date isn’t.

46-52 Meagher Street, Chippendale, ester-restaurant.com.au

The Gidley

Enter through an unmarked door, hand over your mobile phones and surrender to the opulent fun that is The Gidley. The hatted restaurant wraps up all the sexy sizzle of a steakhouse in a softly lit basement dining room lined with velvet booths and cushions. Diners here love to split a bottled negroni and a picture perfect Gidley burger between them, before moving onto prawn cocktails. If you feel like splashing out, you’ll have your chance with the black pearl beluga caviar or the prized portion of Riverine beef spinalis.

Basement, 161 King Street, Sydney, thegidley.com.au

Gigi Pizzeria

If you’re unsure of your date’s dietary requirements, Gigi is a great choice. It’s one of the only plant-based pizzerias to have received certification from the AVPN (Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana). That means its pizzas retain that classic Neapolitan character despite using innovative toppings such as ‘cheese’ made from tree nuts. Make sure to order the crocchette di patate (almond coated potato croquettes) as an entree and forget about booking ahead: this one is walk-in only.

379 King Street, Newtown, gigipizzeria.com.au

Restaurant Hubert

Candlelit tables, live jazz and French food set the mood at hatted Restaurant Hubert. With three bars, an arthouse cinema and a deeply romantic dining room, Hubert is a subterranean world unto itself, fuelled by French classics from chef Alexis Bessau’s personal playlist, right down to an elegant chocolate gateau. Try the celebratory ‘crabe et espelette’ (freshly picked spanner crab with crunchy pickles), served old-school in its shell on a bed of cracked ice; or share the restaurant’s famous XO escargot.

15 Bligh Street, Sydney, swillhouse.com

Hansang

Hot pots are meant for sharing, and Hansang serves one of the best in Sydney. Located in Sydney’s Little Korea in Strathfield, it’s the only Korean restaurant in the country that cooks its beef broth for at least three days, according to head chef Sungjun Kim. The larger hot pots come with two bowls of black rice designed to be shared. They are the perfect accompaniment to the stock – spoon the rich broth onto the rice, or vice versa.

Shop 2, 8-14 Lyons Street, Strathfield, hansangsydney.com.au

Osteria di Russo & Russo

Candles flicker as massive slabs of tiramisu are served at this local favourite. Couples love it because it’s dark and romantic, and the old fishing village prints remind them of that little trattoria near Palermo – or Leichhardt Vinnies. Young-gun chef Jowoon Oh’s menu is ever-changing but the grilled duck breast is a constant. Our tip? Make it − perhaps served with pomegranate arils and a marsala sauce of rib-sticking depth − your go-to dish and build the rest of the meal around it.

158 Enmore Road, Enmore, russoandrusso.net.au

Porcine

Skilled chef Nicholas Hill seems to have great fun creating dishes based around his love of cookbooks from a time when aspic (savoury meat jelly) ruled the world. From smoked eel and apple pate to canard a la presse, the menu at this hatted Paddington bistro will certainly give you and your date something to talk about. Grab a bottle of natty wine from P&V Merchants, then head upstairs for a culinary adventure. The romance of the Parisian-style dining room is amplified in winter, when a crackling brick fireplace warms the intimate space.

268 Oxford Street, Paddington, porcine.com.au

The courtyard at P&V Wine + Liquor Merchants

This casual, brick-walled spot out the back of P&V’s Paddington retail shop (grab a bottle to drink-in for $25 corkage) has always been a reliable, back-pocket option for natural wine and charcuterie near the top end of Oxford Street, but now it’s a smart destination for lunch or dinner in its own right. The wildflower-lined courtyard spruiks a brief, snacky, seasonal menu from chef Zac Goddard (ex-Summertown Aristologist, Adelaide). His stuffed zucchini flowers, perhaps filled with scallop and ’nduja mousse, are a regular fixture. You’ll probably want at least two.

268 Oxford Street, Paddington, pnvmerchants.com

Sean’s

Two-hatted restaurant Sean’s is an obvious inclusion for its charming dining room (full of seashells, fresh flowers and ocean views), reliably excellent food, and the option to BYO ($40 per bottle). The ordering process is made easy with just three options for each of the three courses ($100 per person). The brined-and-roasted “good chook”, with its crunchy roast potato and parsnip in a tangle of wilted greens and gravy, has taken on the mantle of a genuine legend in the Sydney dining scene.

270 Campbell Parade, North Bondi, seansbondi.com

Where’s Nick

After some olives and a quick exit in case of first-date emergency? Head to a wine bar! And this one is a particularly friendly bolthole, with a hotchpotch of furniture influenced more by local thrift stores than current trends, and cosy corners for canoodling. Sure, there are wine bars in Sydney, such as Monopole in the CBD, with deeper cellars and more composed food, but none are more convivial than Where’s Nick.

236 Marrickville Road, Marrickville, wheresnick.com.au