An Restaurant

Restaurant · Vietnamese · $$$$$ · bankstown

The recipes at this Saigon-style eatery, which is now one of Sydney’s oldest and most popular pho joints, haven’t changed since it opened back in 1987. We wouldn’t have it any other way.

27 Greenfield Parade

Ho Jiak Haymarket

Restaurant · Malaysian · $$$$$ · haymarket

Char kway teow noodles with jumbo prawns, Hainan chicken rice and a signature wok-fried crab are the highlights at Junda Khoo’s nostalgic Malaysian diner. Ho Jiak in Strathfield or at Town Hall are also very worthwhile.

92 Hay Street

Kiddo Coffee

Cafe · $$$$$ · surry hills

Kiddo’s puffy, sweet, crunchy-topped buns are the signature here. Popular choices are a polo bao (pineapple bun) and coconut-filled pandan number. The pastel yellow facade is usually crowded with people drinking coffee from darling cups carrying traditional Chinese designs.

84-86 Mary Street

Olympus

Restaurant · Greek · $$$$$ · redfern

Olympus is a Greek restaurant fit for the Gods. Come for mountains of meze, plus drinks including Ouzo Coladas and watermelon slushies. The dining room – with its glass oculus ceiling and 50-year-old tree – is an instant classic.

2 Baptist Street

Porkfat

Restaurant · Thai · $$$$$ · haymarket

A 30-seat Chinatown restaurant, where you’ll find punchy takes on classic Thai street food and home-style cooking. Think deep-fried barramundi with mango salad, and Phuket-style curry with tiger prawn and betel leaves.

61-79 Quay Street

Temasek

Restaurant · Malaysian · $$$$$ · parramatta

A homey Singaporean-Malay restaurant famous for its Hainanese chicken, Singapore chilli crab (order ahead for that) and laksa. That laksa is arguably one of the best – and most faithful – laksas in town.

71 George

Vin-Cenzo’s

Restaurant · Italian · $$$$$ · darlinghurst

This friendly neighbourhood Italian restaurant occupies the space that once housed the beloved Bar Vincent. But if anyone can fill those impossibly large shoes, it’s the owners of Bessie’s and Bar Copains.

174 Liverpool Street

El Primo Sanchez

Bar · Mexican · $$$$$ · surry hills

El Primo has moved from Paddo to Crown Street, and it's never looked – and tasted – better. There's five kinds of Margs, bookable karaoke inside a vault, cheeseburger tacos, tequila "passports" and piñatas to smash with pals.

410 Crown Street

Neptune’s Grotto

Restaurant · Italian · $$$$$ · sydney

The Pellegrino 2000 team’s underground pasta cave is a love letter to northern Italy. It’s where you can lose track of time over a bottle of Barolo and a plate of handmade pasta, in one of Sydney’s vibiest dining rooms.

Cnr Young And Bridge Streets

Khanom House

Shop · $$$$$ · chippendale

After two years of market stalls, The Baking Lists has a real home. Hit the cute corner site (formerly Ricos Tacos) for Asian-influenced bakes (like doughnuts filled with pandan custard) where the sugar is purposely dialled back.

15 Meagher Street

Sit

Cafe · $$$$$ · marrickville

Grab a coffee and sit on small sunny tables sit beside ceiling-height windows. Church pews underneath a loud, large-scale art piece. All for a good cause.

387 Illawarra Road

Happy Shop

Shop · $$$$$ · haberfield

Old-school American diner vibes, packaged neatly in a takeaway-focused shop. Grab a beignet and a coffee then follow it up with a burger.

68 Dalhousie Street

Royal Palace Seafood Restaurant

Restaurant · Cantonese · $$$$$ · haymarket

In the old Golden Century site, this 400-seat Cantonese diner is ushering in a new era for Chinatown. The seafood tanks are full, the yum cha trolleys are back in action and late-night dining runs until 3am.

393-399 Sussex Street

Chatkazz

Restaurant · Indian · $$$$$ · harris park

Chatkazz is one of the most unique eating experiences in Sydney: it's constantly busy, full of families, everything is affordable, and no one seems to stay for longer than 40 minutes.

14-20 Station Street East

Silver’s Motel

Bar · $$$$$ · enmore

Silver's is a team-up between PS40's owner and a veteran bartender with a 350-bottle collection of rare whiskies that needed to be displayed (and drunk). It's already an Enmore essential – even if you're not a whisky person.

187 Enmore Road

Chaco Bar

Restaurant · Japanese · $$$$$ · potts point

A homage to the grungy izakayas of Fukuoka, Japan. It’s a little more refined than that, but the yakitori is on-point, the beer is ice-cold, and the light is low enough to obscure the fact that you’re dining in Potts Point.

186-188 Victoria Street

Pina

Cafe · $$$$$ · potts point

Pina is, in theory, a space to cater for older sibling Room Ten’s overflow. In reality, it’s a beast all its own and one of Sydney's best cafes.

4/29 Orwell Street

Ester Restaurant & Bar

Restaurant · $$$$$ · chippendale

The pitch for one of Sydney’s most influential restaurants is a simple one: a neighbourhood place using local and sustainable ingredients, serving natural wine, all of it ever-changing, all of it centred around a woodfired oven.

46-52 Meagher Street