Where Stars Eat: Margot Robbie and 10 Others Share Their Fave Australian Restaurants

On February 22, some of Australia’s biggest stars, and international talent, descended upon Centennial Park in Sydney for Tropfest. The world’s largest film festival returned to Sydney for the first time since 2019.

Margot Robbie led the judging jury, made up of Succession and The Picture of Dorian Gray star Sarah Snook, Kingsman star Taron Egerton, director Danny Philippou (Talk to Me), producer Bruna Papandrea (Addition, Big Little Lies), First Nations director Dylan River, and Shameless Media’s Charlotte White as the audience representative.

Broadsheet was there to chat with the jury and, of course, nab some restaurant recs from the stars.

Margot Robbie

“I’m a Gold Coast girl, so I’m biased and I always say the Gold Coast, but if you’re in Sydney, having a Martini at Icebergs overlooking the water is kind of elite. They’ve got an amazing Papa Salt Martini on the menu. Oh they’re so good.” [Robbie co-owns Papa Salt.]

Sarah Snook

“There’s a restaurant called Etta in Melbourne that I love. It’s really good Australian fusion.”

Danny Philippou

“Oh my gosh, you know what? I’m gonna shout out Seafire on the Marina. You have to save up for it, though, but it’s really awesome. It’s in Adelaide. And then, apart from that, I would say, any sushi store ever. I literally eat sushi four times a day. It’s probably really unhealthy. There’s this thing called the volcano roll. I don’t know what’s in it, but I love that – the volcano roll.” 

Taron Egerton

“I love Margaret in Double Bay. Then I was at Totti’s in Bondi last night. I swerved the bread last night, because when I eat bread late at night I end up looking like Quasimodo and I knew I’d be doing [the Tropfest black carpet] today, but I did have more of the Margs than I should have.”

Danielle Macdonald & Claude Scott-Mitchell

“I get her rarely but when she’s here we try and find good food,” says Scott-Mitchell. The pair who starred together in The Last Anniversary checked out a new ramen joint. 

“Towzen. We’ve already been twice this week,” says Macdonald. “It’s a vegan, Japanese ramen place. It’s incredible and it’s very popular.”

Thomas Weatherall

The Heartbreak High star and Blue playwright would rather eat at home (“I gotta save money”) but goes out “sparingly”. “I went to a concert at the Opera House the other night and we went to Le Foote in The Rocks. That’s a pretty lovely place. You have a Negroni there and you’re probably set for the rest of the night.” 

Then in Brisbane: “I feel I haven’t been home in a while so I’m sort of thinking, what’s still there? But there was a little place that we used to love going to called The Junk Bar in [Ashgrove]. It doesn’t look like it should be a bar, but it’s really lovely. It kind of looks like it’s a laundry when you walk in, it’s sort of hidden away. That’s a beautiful spot.” Last year the bar moved to New Farm, but it’s kept the same eclectic feel that Weatherall loved. 

Alycia Debnam-Carey

“The other night I was at Chester White. It’s a really great place to eat, really amazing food. I was at Saint Peter recently. My brother took me there. Incredible, my gosh. I mean, we really do have some of the best food restaurant culture in Australia. It’s unbelievable.”

Hamish Blake

“Well, I’m originally a Melbourne boy, so I would say Capitano in Carlton. We always have to go back there whenever we’re in Melbourne. Sydney-wise? I’m loving Club Rose Bay at the moment but I think the secret’s out, other people have found it. Neptune’s Grotto – that’s a biggie.”

Maddison Brown

“AP Bread & Wine in Darlinghurst. They do a really good chicken liver pâté and a good chilled red. Also a good steak frites.”

Matty J

“I don’t know if this is really cliché, but  Icebergs. Icebergs up top is my go-to for something special. But every Thursday – we’ve just started doing a bit of a tradition with the kids – we go to the North Bondi RSL. The steak is amazing. The parmi is good, the view is unbeatable, and they now have a playground in the venue as well, so for three kids it’s the dream.”