Ama

Restaurant · Chinese · $$$$$ · surry hills

From pop-up to permanent, this homey restaurant celebrates Thai-Chinese dishes. Come for the family-recipe beef noodle soup, steam pork buns and huge wontons swimming in a spicy, sweet sauce.

47 Cooper Street

Noon

Cafe · $$$$$ · manly

The Chica Bonita team takes on brekkie at community-minded Noon. Find the usual breakfast darlings, plus creative morning plays showcasing suppliers you don’t usually see on the northern beaches.

18 Raglan Street

Superfreak

Cafe · $$$$$ · marrickville

Superfreak’s head-turning fit-out makes it a contender for Sydney’s best-looking cafe. But there’s plenty more to love – including a fresh, homely menu and a vinyl soundtrack.

333A Enmore Road

Ard Bakery

Cafe · $$$$$ · stanmore

Pull up on a weekday for a coffee in the sun on a streetside stool. Wander through on the weekend for buns, cakes, tarts, cookies and more. They’re all recipes from Christiana Daaboul, who has amassed an online following for her baking.

2A Stafford 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

Jinius

Cafe · Korean · $$$$$ · dawes point

The industrial interior is a stark contrast to what Yeongjin Park (of Tenacious Portuguese tart fame) is baking here: pillowy pastries and chewy baked goods.

Shop 8/16 Hickson Road

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

Olotl

Restaurant · Mexican · $$$$$ · newtown

Blanca Perera grew up in her family's restaurant in Mexico City, and now she's taking generations of recipes – including a birria and a 31-ingredient mole verde – to this teeny taqueria. If it's there, be sure to get the tamale.

12 King Street

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

Heaps Normal Health Club

Bar · $$$$$ · marrickville

A vibing bar, live music venue and dance hall from the Heaps Normal crew, where excellent local drinks are served underneath an enormous disco ball.

2/10 Brompton Street

The Grifter Brewing Co

Bar · Pizza · $$$$$ · marrickville

This big, relaxed warehouse site (formerly an industrial dry-cleaners) is home to one of Sydney's favourite brewers. It has a laid-back pub feel, along with a pool table and a range of sessionable beers anyone can enjoy.

/391 Enmore Road

Bella Brutta

Restaurant · Italian · $$$$$ · newtown

Not quite Neapolitan, not quite New Yorker – the pizza at Bella Brutta is a style all of its own. Expect a puffy, blistered crust, a sag-proof base and a raft of creative toppings (ordering the clam pie is non-negotiable).

135 King 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

Firepop

Restaurant · $$$$$ · enmore

The duo behind a cult Sydney food truck have opened a full-service restaurant for their flame-grilled lamb and Wagyu skewers. What else is new? Try an eight-seat chef’s table, and a curated list of wines and high-end French cider.

137 Enmore Road

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

Kosta's Takeaway

Cafe · Deli · $$$$$ · rockdale

A “no bullshit” sandwich deli doing cold-cut layered paninis, cracking chicken-schnitty rolls and spectacular salad sangas. Served from a canteen-style window next to a smash-repairs workshop in Rockdale.

412 West Botany Street

Pilu at Freshwater

Restaurant · $$$$$ · curl curl

Masquerading as a beach house, Pilu does Sardinian-inspired fare including pasta shapes unique to the Italian region. It’s a place of long lunches and refined dinners, with sea views that can’t be beaten on a cracking Sydney day.

Moore Road

A.P House

Cafe · $$$$$ · surry hills

A Cali-inspired rooftop bakery from the teams behind Ester, Reuben Hills and Paramount House Hotel. Ascend for sourdough bread made with old-world wheat, hefty pies and pastries we can’t stop thinking about.

80 Commonwealth Street