Parramatta CBD was recently announced as the second New South Wales district to earn a Purple Flag, an internationally recognised accreditation awarded to areas with vibrant, diverse and safe nightlife scenes. (The “YCK” corridor in Sydney’s CBD, which takes in York, Clarence and Kent streets, was the first to get the flag.) To celebrate Parramatta’s new status, we thought we’d round up some of the best spots to eat in Sydney’s second CBD.

Temasek

Temasek’s take on Malaysian and Singaporean classics has made it one of the most popular restaurants in Parramatta. It opened in 1992 and even though they’ve added extra room over the years, you can still expect long lines if you visit for dinner at the weekend. Top-notch laksas and Hainanese chicken (both $16) make Temasek an inexpensive lunch spot, but the special-order menu items − including a fish-head curry; barbecued banana leaf-wrapped fish; and a showstopping Singapore chilli crab (complete with white bread to mop up all the extra sauce) − make it a great restaurant for a special occasion, too. The only catch is they have to be ordered two days in advance.

Shop 2-4, 71 George Street, temasekrestaurant.com

Swanky Noodle

If this was a list of “best-named restaurants in Parramatta”, this place would take out line honours, no competition. It’s a bonus the food is fantastic, too. A huge variety of hand-pulled noodles, dumplings and addictive spicy cold entrees make this the best Chinese restaurant in the area.

Shop 1, 115 Church Street, swankynoodle.com.au

Misc.

This Parramatta Park brunch and lunch spot is not just one of western Sydney’s best restaurants – it’s one of the best in the whole of Sydney. The beautifully located 300-seater has two enormous menus, breakfast and lunch, each focusing on share plates that take inspiration from the Mediterranean and the Middle East. Go with a group and try to fill every bit of your table with plates of wood-fired bread, smoked labne, sujuk (spicy sausage), hot-smoked trout and saganaki cheese.

Parramatta Park, miscparramatta.com.au

Circa

Things have changed slightly since Circa opened in 2010. It’s gone from “the only good cafe in Parramatta” to “one of the many good cafes in Parramatta”. In our opinion, though, it’s still the best of them. The fun and varied menu changes seasonally, but the favourites remain, such as the legendary Ottoman eggs (poached free-range eggs with crumbed eggplant and labne). Circa is good for a quick coffee and sweet treat, or for a long lunch of crispy skin barramundi and crab fettuccine.

21 Wentworth Street, circaespresso.com.au

Ria Ayam Penyet

Indonesian staples such as nasi goreng and fried chicken are worth ordering on your first visit, but on your return, you should try something from the extensive soup list, in particular the bakso. It’s a combo of meatballs, noodles and crispy fried wonton wrappers. Or seek out the simple yet satisfying tamarind soup, sayur asem. If you dine in, your food is brought to you by a robot, so you should obviously dine in.

312 Church Street, parramatta.ria98.com.au

Lilymu

Lilymu’s modern take on Chinese and South-East Asian cuisine is fun and crowd-pleasing. Head chef Brendan Fong’s menu changes enough that return visits are a must, and pastry chef Emi Echizenya’s excellent desserts (especially the beautiful coconut sorbet with apple granita, pineapple and sago) are the perfect end to a great meal. Find it in Parramatta Square, also home to the terrific Ruse Bar and Brasserie and the only Mamak in Sydney you don’t have to line up for.

Parramatta Square, 153 Macquarie Street, lilymu.com

Homage

Come for the coffee (an impressive selection of beans roasted by Five Senses and Proud Mary), stay for the sandwiches. It’s hard to go past the meatball sub with crisps on the side, and the open mushroom toastie is also crazy good. Friendly service and a great selection of sweets make this a local favourite.

Shop 1, 71-73 George Street, instagram.com/homagespecialtycoffee

Icy Spicy

This place has a winning combination of Indian-style momo dumplings and Indian-flavoured ice-cream. There are about 10 momos, all vegetarian and gelatin-free − our pick is the fried beetroot − and more than 32 ice-cream flavours. There are ones you’ve heard of, like vanilla and butterscotch, but also ones you might not have, such as paan and gulab jamun (rosewater). If you want something that lives up to the Icy Spicy name, get a scoop of green mango generously sprinkled with bright red chilli powder.

146 James Ruse Drive, icyspicy.com.au

Pho Pasteur

This Vietnamese institution has served what can only be thousands of bowls of pho to hungry Parramattans since it opened in 1992. Pasteur is a family-run restaurant, a beacon of culinary light that sits near the towering Westfield Shopping Centre. Not only does it offer the best bowl of pho in the area, but the massive menu also includes excellent vermicelli noodle salads, roll-your-own rice-paper rolls (the sugar cane prawns are a standout), and a surprisingly large amount of good vegetarian options.

137 Church Street, phopasteursydney.com

Fratelli Pulcinella

For many years, the Parramatta LGA was without a decent wood-fired pizza shop (COVID lockdowns were very difficult). That changed in 2022, when former Naples pizza scholar Alessio Zullo opened Parramatta’s first proper wood-fire setup in, wait for it, his backyard. While Fratelli Pulcinella is technically a takeaway joint, Zullo added outdoor dining so up to 30 people can enjoy his pizzas on his property. The classics (margherita, funghi, Napoletana) are some of the best in Sydney, but the star of the menu is the Vesuvio. It’s a giant “double layer’“pizza with home-made Italian sausage, ham, mushrooms and cheese on the inside, then a layer of tomato and cheese on top. It’s a truly decadent pizza. It feels insane to go from years of no good pizza in Parramatta to something this wonderful.

44 O’Connell Street, instagram.com/fratellipulcinella