Discover the city’s best kept food secrets with a food lover’s guide to Sydney. The city has one of the most exciting food scenes in the world. It’s difficult to think of another international city that matches Sydney for the excellence and energy of its restaurants. The Insider’s Guide shows the most interesting and inspiring places to eat and gastro-explore.
In our ongoing quest to present an insider’s view of great destinations around the world, we asked Jennifer Lam, founder and managing director of I Ate My Way Through, a culinary tours company based in Sydney, to share her favourites.
Best kept secret
Wendy’s Secret Garden
Full of secluded chairs and benches, quiet spots, tucked away paths and a myriad of both exotic and native ferns, trees and gorgeous plants, this scenic garden in Lavender Bay is the perfect setting for a home-packed picnic. Plus with the stunning views of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Sydney Opera House, you won’t ever want to leave this magical spot.
Access from Clark Park, Lavender Street, Lavender Bay
Best for breakfast
Bills
You haven’t visited Sydney if you haven’t had breakfast at Bills. Try the fluffy ricotta hotcakes with fresh banana and honeycomb butter or the sweet corn fritters with roast tomato, spinach and bacon. There’ll be a queue but it’s oh, so worth the wait!
433 Liverpool Street, Darlinghurst
118 Queens Street, Woollahra
359 Crown Street, Surry Hills
Brassiere Bread
A café/bakery, set up in an enchanting classic industrial warehouse. There is a glass viewing gallery so you can catch all the action of the artisan bakers at work, while you munch on the toasted quinoa and soya bread with orange marmalade, or the sour-dough pancakes.
1737 Botany Road, Banksmeadow
www.brasseriebread.com.au/bakery-cafe
Café Giulia
Located in a renovated 100 year old corner butcher shop, this café blends a certain chic vibe with a European charm. The menu, which is on a large blackboard hanging over the open kitchen, features irresistible items like Tuscan toast with tomato, feta, olive and basil, breakfast muffins with grilled haloumi, tomato and egg, and Belgian waffles. After breakfast, you’ll want to linger around for lunch too.
92 Abercrombie Street, Chippendale
Kazbah
Get a group of 6 or more and start the morning with a breakfast banquet! Experience the exotic flavours of Middle Eastern cuisine with dishes like warm rice pudding with saffron poached pear or a breakfast tagine with lamb mince, sucuk, spinach, roast capsicum, roast tomato, caramelised onion, feta and eggs.
379 Darling Street, Balmian
Best for coffee
Campos Coffee
Campos’ award winning blend can be found in many cafés across Sydney and beyond. So for the ultimate cup of coffee, do what everybody else does, and head to its home in Newtown. There are consistent queues outside this cosy café for good reason.
193 Missenden Road, Newtown
Best wine bar
Mille Vini
The name means ‘1000 wines’ and the carefully selected wine list definitely lives up to expectations. You will also find plenty of spuntini (Italian snacks) with delights such as beef carpaccio with truffle oil and prosciutto wrapped asparagus. Enjoy the simple pleasures of food and wine in true Italian style.
397 Crown Street, Surry Hills
Best for cocktails
Tokonoma Shochu Lounge
Tokonoma offers house-infused shochu (a Japanese distilled spirit) with varietals ranging from seasonal fruits and vegetables like figs and kumquats to herbs and spice combinations. If a shochu tonic isn’t your thing, then check out the cocktails which include wicked drinks such as the Shojo Mary, Tokonoma’s twist on the Bloody Mary, featuring pungent kimchi and shichimi pepper! There is also a great selection of bite-sized dishes straight from the kitchen of the neighbouring popular sister restaurant, Toko.
490 Crown Street, Surry Hills
www.toko.com.au/index_tokonoma.cfm
Best for meat pie
Bourke St Bakery
If legendary gourmet pies aren’t enough to convince you to visit, then how about a pork and fennel sausage roll or a strawberry vanilla brulee tart? But seriously, back to the pie… How can you beat a flaky crusted pie filled with beef brisket, red wine and mushrooms?
633 Bourke Street, Surry Hills
Black Star Pastry
The lamb shank, red wine and vegetable pie is what Black Star Pastry is famous for. Imagine soft flakes of buttery pastry, tender pieces of gently braised lamb shank and the homely aromas of red wine and rosemary.
277 Australia Street, Newtown
Harry’s Café de Wheels
Harry’s has been serving pies since 1945 and has been visited by the likes of Frank Sinatra, Colonel Sanders, Elton John, Sir Richard Branson, Adrian Greiner and more; it is a Sydney icon for late night dining. Order the Tiger – a classic beef pie topped with mushy peas, mashed potato and gravy.
Corner of Cowper Wharf Roadway and Brougham Road, Woolloomooloo
Best for steak
MuMu Grill
The ‘jamon bar’ may keep you from moving onto main course, but I promise you’ll thank me for it if you do it. MuMu Grill specialises in grass-fed beef sourced from around the country and dishes such as the 1kg Tagliata which is seared, sliced and finished with rosemary and garlic or the coffee and Szechwan pepper crusted sirloin are the real deal. MuMu Grill also hosts producer tasting nights, slow food events and beef and beer classes!
70 Alexander Street, Crows Nest
Chophouse
With the interior of this New York style steakhouse framed within a magnificent wooden carcass structure, you will definitely feel like you’re eating inside some sort of beast! Because of its location, there’s mainly a corporate clientele but if you don’t mind that and love a good feed, then the finely executed contemporary dishes at Chophouse are just for you. Expect to find some of Australia’s best produce, some killer salads and sides.
25 Bligh Street, Sydney
Best for food market shopping
Eveleigh Markets
Every Saturday, 8am – 1pm, some serious shopping goes on at this former railway workshop site. This market is home to over 80 stall holders and features a vast array of seasonal fruits and vegetables, organic pasta, farm fresh produce, artisan cheese, baked goods and local wines. Only open since early 2009, it has already become one of the most popular grocery shopping destinations for people wanting to sample local produce and meet NSW growers and producers.
243 Wilson Street, Darlington
Orange Grove Markets
Also known as Leichhardt Farmers Markets, local Inner-West regulars flock to this cosmopolitan market every Saturday to buy their organic fruit and vegetables, breads and flowers. Open , 8am – 1pm, you’ll find plenty of gourmet delights at affordable prices to take home.
Orange Grove Public School, 2 – 8 Perry Street, Lilyfield
Best tastes of multicultural Sydney
Chinese Noodle Restaurant
Popular with students as well as office workers who come from all across the Sydney CBD, this cheap and cheerful restaurant has service quicker than most fast food joints. If you come at the right time, you may get a sight of the kneading, whacking and stretching of handmade noodles, otherwise just squeeze in and savour the eggplant special or the lamb and celery dumplings.
Shop 7, 8 Quay Street, Chinatown
Ryo’s Noodles
Duck out of Sydney and into Japan. Ramen devotees, even visiting Japanese celebrities, all rate Ryo’s as one of the best. Try the Tokyo style soy-based chicken stock ramen which comes with roast pork, nori, egg and bamboo shoots or the miso flavoured tonkotsu ramen with roast pork, bamboo shoots, naruto and egg. It’s a tiny establishment so either eat early or expect to wait in line.
125 Falcon Street, Crows Nest
Perama Greek Restaurant
Perama’s offering of traditional and contemporary Greek flavours have fans raving on about their pork belly baklava (layers of flaky filo pastry, pork belly meat, dates and pistachios topped with crispy crackling), lamb skaras (slowly braised shoulder of lamb with oregano, olive oil, wine and garlic which is then char grilled with a lemon and olive oil baste) and their char grilled haloumi served with honey peppered figs. It only takes one visit to understand why.
88 Audley Street, Petersham
Best for seafood
Christie’s Seafoods
Get some of Sydney’s freshest seafood cooked on site at the Sydney Fish Markets. There are plenty of ready-to-eat options including oysters that are shucked right before your eyes, and my favourite, lobster mornay with salad and chips. Or why not select a live mud crab and have it cooked just the way you like?
Sydney Fish Markets, Pyrmont
Doyles on the Beach
A family operated restaurant that has been serving up great fish and chips since 1885! For the complete experience, catch a ferry from Circular Quay, get a takeaway and enjoy the gorgeous views and the scrumptious feed right on the beach!
11 Marine Parade, Watsons Bay
Best for those with a sweet tooth
Adriano Zumbo
Come here for macarons, gorgeous pastries and inventive cakes. Having trained and worked with the likes of Pierre Herme, Adriano Zumbo’s creations are unlike anything you’ve seen before. Ready for a sugar high?
296 Darling Street, Balmain
Best places to dine with a view
Café Sydney
Located at the rooftop of Customs House, Café Sydney’s gorgeous harbour views are matched with a casual and elegant atmosphere; perfect for corporate meetings, unforgettable dinners and lazy Sunday afternoons. The open air terrace maximises the dining experience.
Fifth floor, Customs House, 31 Alfred Street, Circular Quay
Quay
Quay’s breathtaking Sydney Harbour views are as good as it gets and makes the restaurant a destination worthy of special occasions. Award winning chef Peter Gilmore says the menus are design “from the soil up” and each dish is not only beautiful on the plate but features spectacular ingredients, textures, tastes and flavours. Quay is currently the highest ranked Australian restaurant in S.Pellegrino World’s 50 Best Restaurants list.
Overseas Passenger Terminal, The Rocks, Sydney
Jennifer Lam
Jennifer Lam is the founder and managing director of I Ate My Way Through, a culinary tours company based in Sydney. I Ate My Way Through’s tours are infused with an abundance of local knowledge and incredible eating (and sometimes cooking) experiences.
Jennifer is also the editor of a popular food blog called JENIUS: The Spectacular Culinary Adventures of a Sydney Gen Y, where her readers drool, crave, discover, eat, appreciate and share.
Thanks so much for this – was just in Syd for my and my boyfs 30ths and we enjoyed a fabbo breaky at Bills and a great nite out at Tokonoma Shochu Lounge – keep up the brilliant work!
I thought Chinese Noodle Restaurant was a weird choice but I think you really did a great job. For a real juxtaposition, I would put Ash St Cellar next to a trip into Cabramatta. I think that would really show someone Sydney
Meanwhile, whenever I have friends and family visiting, I never go past Chat Thai, Haymarket.