BEST OF 2025
Best Sydney Dishes of 2025, According to Top Chefs
Find Dan Pepperell’s Newtown pick and Mimi Wong’s in the CBD. Plus, the pasta Andy Cooks adores, Lauren Eldridge’s top dessert and the Haberfield skewer Oscar Solomon’s into.
BEST OF 2025
Words by Grace Mackenzie · Published on 02 Dec 2025
We all love a recommendation from in-the-know people in our circle. Arguably, though, the most trusted what-to-eat recs come straight from the kitchen. We’re always asking our kitchen talents where they eat, but this time we just had one question: what’s the best thing you ate this year?
There are salads you’ll make friends with, Korean feasts in Concord and chocolate tarts on King Street. Picked by Josh Niland, Carley Scheidegger, Dan Pepperell, Lauren Eldridge, Ahana Dutt, Mimi Wong and more. Plus, a pasta picked by three separate people.
Here are the best Sydney dishes of 2025, according to 26 of our top chefs.
Photo: courtesy of Corner 75
As someone who’s eaten his fair share of creamed legumes, Corner 75’s Hungarian-inspired ode to hummus gave me a specific experience. One of those where you look at a dish without thinking too much of it, to having your face light up and go “mmmmm”. This dish offered sweet and roasty nutty flavours, with a balanced savouriness that paired perfect with cold, raw, crisp and bitter endive leaves. The boiled potato and dusting of paprika on top offer the perfect sidekicks in making this a stellar dish. I love this dish because of its simplicity, quirkiness, the flavour profiles of it and that it resembles a flower. – Timothy Cassimatis, Olympic Meats
Photo: courtesy of South End / Parker Blain
The bouillabaisse of wild-caught fish, pippies and rouille at South End in Newtown. The soup had an intense depth and complexity, was nourishing and deeply satisfying. And as a bonus, after we finished all of the delicious seafood, chef Hussein Sarhan cleared our plates, set down a fresh hot bowl and ladled in even more of that incredible broth. – Dan Pepperell, Clam Bar, Neptune’s Grotto, Pellegrino 2000 and Grandfathers
Photo: courtesy of Clarence and V
My fave snack this year has been the fava bean dip with copious amounts of freshly baked bread at Clarence and V. It’s served just-warm, making the whole thing sing. Total delight. – Carley Scheidegger, Corner 75
Photo: courtesy of Vin-Cenzo's
No surprises, my favourite dish of the year is pasta. This is a wonderful ode to rigatoni con pajata finta, a Roman classic traditionally made with calves’ intestines still containing the mother’s milk that makes a ricotta-like sauce when cooked. Probably for the better, it is pretty hard to get your hands on baby calves’ intestines in Sydney, so Nathan, Morgy and co at Vin-Cenzo‘s make their version with a ragu of tripe, ricotta and sweetbreads paired with properly cooked rigatoni. It’s absolutely delicious and great to see something a little different on a Sydney menu. – Scott McComas-Williams, Ragazzi, Fabbrica, Letra House, Dear Sainte Eloise and Love, Tilly Devine
One of the many great dishes I ate this year is Vin-Cenzo’s ragu of veal sweetbreads, tripe, ricotta and mint. I will be heading back there very soon for another serving. – Andy Hearden, Andy Cooks
As an avid meat-eater, my preferred eating is offal. So when I saw this pasta, it had my name written all over it. A rich and sweet ragu, with tender chunks of tripe, matched with little marshmallow-y pillows of sweetbreads, makes this such an incredible eating experience. The mint and ricotta are the unsung heroes, offering a summertime accent. It’s such a well-rounded and deeply savoury dish, being rich but not overly heavy at the same time. The bowl of Parmigiano-Reggiano on the table was a naughty feature too. – Timothy Cassimatis, Olympic Meats
Photo: Yusuke Oba
A salad of roasted crispy school prawns with pieces of lime, coconut and chilli, which you wrap in betel leaves at Caysorn. It’s such a fresh, crunchy, spicy, tangy dish and, when paired with an ice-cold Thai tea, is a delight. – Janina Allende, Osteria Mucca
Best thing I have eaten this year – and have returned to the most – is from Pajuok in Concord West. Prawn and chive pancake, kimchi mandu, boiled pork and ox bone soup. – Trisha Greentree, Fratelli Paradiso
Photo: courtesy of Grandfathers
The crispy tripe at Grandfathers is life-changing. It reminds me of my time living in Florence. It’s not chewy at all, and it’s so tasty. Perfect balance in a salad with great texture. The mala vinaigrette is so well made and it’s not overpowering. Tender tongue. Just a perfect sensational starter! – Big Sam Young, S’more and Young’s Palace
Photo: Yusuke Oba
No surprise to any other Mexican in Sydney, I consider Maiz one of the most exciting places to eat Mexican food in Sydney at the moment. Championing corn since his first location, Juan Carlos Negrete has been cooking some great antojitos – and his latest iteration of flautas de papa is something that I often think of throughout the week (that, and occasionally the Roman Empire). Flautas are rolled up tortillas, fried until crisp and filled with whatever your heart desires. In this case, potato. Yeah, potato. Potato cooked with a paste with several Mexican chillies, drenched with guacachile (a vibrant jalapeno salsa that delivers a joyous creaminess often mistaken for avocado), a smooth and fiery salsa taquera with arbol chillies, all topped up with a crunchy mix of seeds, grains and hibiscus that just hits all the right tastebuds. Potato, a sip of mezcal, and life just feels so good. – Joe Valero, Lottie
Photo: courtesy of South End / Parker Blain
The best sweet thing I ate this year was the chocolate tart at South End. It looks rich, but it was unbelievably light and packed with deep chocolate flavour. I love that the chefs have taken a classic recipe and not tried to rework it, but just refine and execute it perfectly. Doesn’t matter how full you might be, definitely make room! – Lauren Eldridge, Osteria Mucca, Mister Grotto, Continental Deli and Joe’s Tavern
My pick for 2025 is simple: tagliatelle verde bolognese. Cibaria chef Gianmarco Pardini brings his Emilia-Romagna roots to this ragu and you can taste it in every spoonful. Slow-cooked veal, beef and pork ragu, fresh spinach pasta – it’s nothing fancy, just really good food done properly. – Giovanni Pilu, Pilu and Flaminia
Agnolotti is one of my preferred pastas – it reminds me of home. Federico Zanellato takes it to the next level at Lumi, with agnolotti del plin filled with liquid porcini. It’s a dish that plays with depth and freshness: the intensity of liquid porcini, the perfume of Victorian morels, the bite of broad beans, all lifted by pepper oil and balsamic. Every mouthful is warm, green, and alive. – Alessandro Pavoni, Ormeggio, Chiosco, Cibaria, Postino Osteria, A’mare and Vineria Luisa
Photo: courtesy of Vin-Cenzo's
I ate a couple of weeks ago at Vin-Cenzo’s – a knockout menu; the standout dish was the melanzana norma. Fried eggplant, tomato jam and salted ricotta – a modern take on an Italian classic. Clever, flavour-forward and full of textural contrast, a total winner. – Christine Manfield
Photo: courtesy of Eleven Barrack
I’m a huge sucker for whipped cod roe and Eleven Barrack’s is a banger – but the fluffy pillowy deliciousness that is the ricotta dumpling is the real star of the show. Brent Savage and the team really knock it out of the park with this new fantastic venue, and this dish is just one of the many heroes coming out of the kitchen. Can’t wait to get back there soon! – Nathan Sasi, Bar Copains, Bessie’s and Vin-Cenzo’s
Anything off the grill, but particularly the ox tongue and the lao sausages, from Green Peppercorn Express in Marrickville. Me and the Bones team, Ivan Pok and Mike Mu Sung, love this little spot. It’s tucked away at the back of the pub, unassuming but big epic flavours. Very friendly service, great atmosphere, food comes out fresh and delicious, and it’s also very reasonably priced. A great addition to Marrickville Road. – Jake Riwaka, Bones
Photo: courtesy of Lee Ho Fook
Jasmine rice ice-cream with red bean, chestnut and cocoa caramel at Lee Ho Fook. I love a hot-and-cold dessert, but it also reminds me so much of the classic red bean ice beverage served in Hong Kong cafes. Such a great balance of textures and flavours to finish your meal with. – Mimi Wong
Maroulosalata is an iceberg salad with whey and salted cucumber juice. Its excellence has to be appreciated in the context of a table full of smoky, salty grilled meats and probably a bowl of the chippies. It’s a clean, fresh and crisp salad that refreshes the palate, allowing for the continued consumption of the aforementioned meats. Simple salads are often the best salads. – Toby Wilson, Ricos Tacos
Photo: courtesy of Felons Seafood
[My wife] Sam and I went over and had a lovely lunch at Felons Seafood on the most beautiful day about eight weeks ago – I think it was my last day off. We caught the ferry from Watsons Bay to Manly Wharf. We sat on the terrace outside, had a wonderful bottle of chablis, some oysters and a lovely crisp pizza. However, the star of the show was a large mud crab, cooked in pepper sauce with curry leaves and a roti on the side. Quite a few of my boys from Rockpool are there. It was a magical day. – Neil Perry, Margaret, Cafe Margaret, Gran Torino
My number one is squid and herb salad from Fontana. But it may be gone already, it’s pretty spring-y – fresh and unsuspecting and perfectly balanced like everything on the menu there (aka Sydney’s best restaurant). Otherwise, defo the langos at Corner 75! Or head chef Carley Scheidegger’s apple strudel. No better spot for a Sunday lunch. – Michaela Johansson, Aplenty
Photo: courtesy of Mister Grotto
Not to be biased, but the first thing that came to mind was a dish from Mister Grotto and it really was the most delicious thing I’ve eaten this year. It’s smoky from the barbeque and the sauce is rich and full of umami flavour. It’s on and off the menu depending on availability, but Måns [Egberg, head chef] often does versions of the liver sauce with other seafood. If you see it on the menu, order it! – Lauren Eldridge, Osteria Mucca, Mister Grotto, Continental Deli and Joe’s Tavern
Photo: courtesy of Neptune's Grotto
I recently had dinner at Neptune’s Grotto and the tuna caponata (yellowfin tuna crudo wrapped around tomato, eggplant and pine nuts) was a standout starter. It was amazing, especially paired with a couple of glasses of Italian white wine. We followed up with a couple of pastas – the pork sausage and agnolotti were worth their weight in gold. – Cam Votano, The Bat & Ball
The best dish I had in Sydney this year was the tortellini in brodo at Bar Vincent. It was absolutely sublime: the seasoning of the chicken stock, the composure – it was an emotional experience. But since Vincent is no more, my second-best dish of the year is the quail egg kushiyaki at Yakitori Jin in Haberfield. Generous portion of perfectly cooked, skewered quail eggs, charred over coals with ginger and light soy ponzu. Unreal. A true hidden gem. – Oscar Solomon, The Apollo, Olympus and Cho Cho San
It’s something that seems so simple but it’s so clever and unique. It’s def one of a kind in Sydney. Texture, flavour, umami, fun – what a fucking snack. – Mitch Orr, The Palomar
My favourite thing I ate this year was a custom pizza from Lil Franky Pizzeria in Tempe. Their bufala is already one of my all-time favourites: a San Marzano base, basil, parmesan and buffalo mozzarella. Simple, clean, perfect – but I always tweak it a little. I ask for thinly sliced porchetta and a sprinkle of crushed pistachios. That combo hits every note I love in a pizza: a lightly crisp base, a bright tomato sauce, the richness of the cheese, that savoury hit of pork and the extra texture from the pistachios. I’ve eaten a lot of good food this year, but this is the one I kept going back for. Even with my own pizza oven at home, I still find myself craving Lil Franky’s. That probably says it all. – Khanh Nguyen, King Clarence
Photo: courtesy of 20 Chapel
Best thing this year was 20 Chapel’s honey cake. – Josh Niland, Saint Peter
A dish I’ve gone back for twice already because it genuinely stays with me. The pasta is handmade, striped with basil and wrapped around the sweetest blue swimmer crab. Served in a perfectly seasoned clear tomato consommé lifted with lemon myrtle, a combination that feels both delicate and grounded. James Scott is one of my favourite chefs in Sydney at the moment. His attention to detail, his quiet mastery and his respect for indigenous ingredients puts Canvas as one of my favourite places for a late lunch, and this cappelletti is the dish I always return to. Honest, clever and cooked with heart. – Annita Potter, Viand
Photo: courtesy of Baba's Place
The best meal I had this year was at the Anchovy at Baba’s Place dinner for the launch of Thi Le’s book Viet Kieu. Every dish was exceptional, but the one that has stayed with me is “duck masquerading as dog”. It’s a dish from the Mekong Delta, where Thi’s mum is from. The duck was cooked beautifully, but the sauce … the sauce! Savoury, aromatic, complex with a touch of spice. It was next-level delicious. Heaps of galangal and lemongrass singing through a sauce that gets its depth and nuance from salted soybeans, shrimp paste and fermented rice. It was extraordinary. – Ahana Dutt, Kolkata Social
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