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My approach to food is “You only live once” so I am absolutely unable to be on diet ever in my life. On the other hand, I am very capable to make research before going out to find some great restaurants, pubs and/or cafes with delicious food. As Carrie Bradshaw once said “I like my money right where I can see it… Hanging in my closet”, I like seeing my money right in front of me on my plate! So here is my guide to the best places where to eat in Sydney. Enjoy! best eateries and bars in sydney
Brunch
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The Grounds is one of my favorite places in Sydney. Once you enter, you will find yourself in this beautiful little farm with few animals, cafe, restaurant, doughnut shop, soda bar, florist, garden and more. I just love it there! If you don’t want to go anywhere else for brunch, come at least here.
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Because The Grounds of Alexandria was such a success, new Grounds was open in the Galleries in the city (close to Town Hall and QVB). Recently they’ve started to be open late for dinner as well, not just brunch and I can tell you, their pasta was the best I’ve had in a long time!
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Circular Quay – Not your typical brunch spot, but more of an “afternoon tea place” with the best scones and cutest tea pots.
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Chinatown – My first yum cha experience and it was awesome! Coming here with my friend for Chinese brunch is one of my best experiences in Sydney.
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Super stylish place open all day for lunch and dinner. I was here for brunch with work colleagues and I couldn’t stop looking around how beautiful this place was. If you want to give it a go, you may be confused with google maps that will direct you to the fancy QT Hotel, but just ask the host and they will direct you inside.
Burgers
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Burger is my “deserted island food”, the one meal that I can eat till the end of my life. And if I should choose one particular burger, it would be Mary’s burger! I can never get sick of their secret sauce. When it comes to food, I miss Mary’s the most.
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Bar Luca ranks very closely right behind Mary’s. Their Blame Canada burger made me realize that bacon and maple syrup was a match made in heaven!
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I love that they are really generous with cheese.
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Josh Arthur’s burgers cannot be found in one particular location. He works with pop-ups, bars, pubs and kitchen take-overs so you have to search in advance where he is right now. Is it worth the research? It surely is!
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Butcher shop and a Bistro in one.
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Massive burgers and some really crazy and unique flavors! Plus they have really cool interior.
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We found this place more or less by accident and I’m oh so happy that we did! Small joint with great food.
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Great burgers with Japanese flavors and their chips with umami seasoning are so crispy and golden and yum!
Bars and Pubs
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For me, this is the coolest hidden bar in Sydney. I love taking people here for the experience. We found it with my friend by accident when we were in desperate search for happy hour and since then it has been my number one “to go” spot! I would tell you how to get there, but don’t want to spoil the surprise
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Sydney’s oldest pub and brewery, continually operating since 1841! They also make their own beer bread.
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Apart from cool drinks, they also serve great selection of pizza, some of them vegan friendly.
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Cowboy themed hot spot! When you think that you got lost and that in this dark alley cannot possibly be a bar, you are at the right place, just open that unmarked door.
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One of the best rooftops in Sydney with stunning views of The Opera House.
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Caribbean themed bar with amazing rum cocktails. However, if you want to visit, you’ll have to look for it. One of the things I love about Sydney are its hidden bars and pubs.
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Another hidden bar but this one also serves the best dumplings!
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Restaurant upstairs and bar downstairs. We came for the food and it was delicious.
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An 18th century inspired English bar with great selection of cocktails, but once again, you’ll have to go for a little hunt to find it…
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Super stylish with super delicious drinks, but not an easy one to find.
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Have you ever walked into a bar through a fridge?
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Apart from being really cool hidden bar, you can also order Mary’s Burgers from their CBD takeaway here, and they will be delivered to your table.
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This is not just your regular beach bar. Coogee Pavilion is spread over three floors and you can find here Mediterranean restaurant, bar, games corner and a rooftop!
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Bar at the Opera House. Touristy? Yes… But I still love coming back and just chill outside with Lemon-lime-bitters in my hand and enjoy the view.
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Not many cocktails stick in my mind, but I will forever remember their signature Apple Crumble Martini.
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Shangri La Hotel – The best views and cocktails!
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The best places to host a party for bigger group. All around popular place for fairly cheap drinking.
Date Night
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Nothing as a walk to the north side of Harbor Bridge and then coming here for a nice dinner (plus live concerts on Sunday evenings).
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Perfect for a date night with great views over the city. Book an outside seating in advance and thank me later.
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Modern Israeli food
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Viking themed restaurant where they’ll serve you beer in a horn. I mean, how cool is that?
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Anything on their yummy menu can be also made for vegetarians.
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Cool building that reminds of bowls stuck one on the other, with a pub at the bottom level, high dining restaurant Bea in the middle, and fancy bar on the rooftop.
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Modern Australian cuisine
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Modern Middle-Eastern food
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Modern Asian Cuisine
"Fast Food"
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Number one place to go for all the seafood lovers! You won’t get anything fresher than the food here. Plus the authentic vibe is just a cherry on top. The fish market was actually one of our first stops when we arrived to Sydney for the first time back in 2014! I read about it in a book by a Slovak travel author, where he was describing the great atmosphere and delicious food and I was hooked! I even worked there for a short time (it was an office job, I wasn’t selling fish, but it was still different than other jobs I’ve ever had).
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Visiting Spice Alley is like coming into little piece of South-East Asia in the middle of Sydney. You will find here outdoor seating, glowing lanterns, multiple hawker style eateries and happy people enjoying great food.
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Great Colombian joint with the best plantain chips.
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Be prepared to wait in line for the best dumplings in Sydney!
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Multiple locations around CBD, they are famous for their delicious crispy fried chicken.
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Markets are probably not your typical place to go to eat, but honestly Glebe markets have the best selection of food stalls and the best gozleme I’ve ever tried was here. So if you have free time on Saturday morning and you’re lazy to cook, Glebe market is the place to go.
For Groups
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One of the best South American restaurants in Sydney
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Nepalese cuisine
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Greek Cuisine
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Spanish tapas, similarly to Thai Pothong, this is very popular place for birthday celebrations.
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$3 tacos and $10 margaritas on Tuesdays!
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California food truck restaurant
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Korean BBQ (not vegetarian friendly)
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I just discovered this place yesterday, on our last week in Sydney! Absolutely amazing pizza! Their menu is small, but their wood fire pizza is so delicious.
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Frozen Margaritas big as your head !
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The best Thai in Sydney! This restaurant is really fun and if you spend over certain amount, you’ll get vouchers to spend in their gift shop. It is also a very popular place to celebrate birthdays. Any time, any day of the week, you will hear at least one table singing “Happy Birthday”.
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All you can eat Brazilian BBQ
For the Sweet Tooth
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Strawberry watermelon cake from Black Star Pastry is a social media star and customers line up in front of this tiny shop to get a slice of this fresh goodness! Yes, it is worth to wait. 🙂 Apart from the cake, they serve amazing coffee, selection of deserts and sandwiches so everyone finds something they love.
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Beautiful setting and amazing desserts. All of them are so pretty you’ll feel sorry to eat them, but they are also super yummy.
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A chocoholic’s heaven!
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“Life is uncertain, eat dessert first” is their motto and really, you’ll here find probably the widest selection of the largest desserts in Sydney. It’s basically a restaurant that serves only sweets.
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Their Japanese cheesecake is their signature, but their little cheese tarts are my favorite. If I could eat only one dessert till the end of my life, it would be Uncle Tetsu cheese tart!
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If you love French cuisine, this place will take you somewhere to France with their thin and crispy crepes. You don’t have to go just for sweet, their savory crepes are just as good and they have some good selection of French wine as well.
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You would be hardly looking for a bigger fan of Masterchef Australia than me! Pastry chef Anna Polyviou is their repeated guest every season and Blu Bar in Sydney is her home. Her creations are pure perfection – funky, colorful and yum!
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Open 24/7
Ice Cream and Gelato
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The best gelato I’ve ever eaten! Their Affogato flavor won multiple awards and it’s always my number one choice.
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New artisan gelato shop that I discovered only recently and it was an immediate love! Their menu is not big, but full of interesting flavors and their gelato is so creamy.
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Apart from their regular gelato selection, they are also offering weekly specials and interesting cakes and you can often find their stall on Sydney food markets.
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Technically not an ice cream but rather a Popsicle. You can find their carts around Sydney and create your own ice cream with different toppings. They also have a great variety of dairy free ice creams and sorbets.
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Little ice cream shop with the craziest looking ice cream! But honestly, one visit was enough and the ice cream was so big, that we shared one with a friend…
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Beautiful artisan gelato in shape of flowers.
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Chewy Turkish ice cream.
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Soft serve that you order to take pic on Instagram. I didn’t like the flavor very much, but how dreamy does it look?
Sydney’s food scene is amazing and it’s constantly evolving. There are many places that have been on my list but unfortunately I haven’t got the time to try them all. There are also plenty of food markets taking place in the city throughout the year, for example Lunar Markets for the Lunar New Year, Sydney Night Noodle Markets or Sydney Festival with other activities not just food.
I hope this list will give you an idea and some inspiration where to go to eat next and to treat yourself with a beautiful meal!
Let me know if I mentioned any of your Sydney favorites.
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