• First look: at the too-cute Mogu Mogu, a married team joins in on Sydney’s major onigiri (Japanese rice balls) moment. Choose from 12 ready-to-go options – like nanko-ume plum with shiso or marinated onsen egg – plus a few flash made-to-order options.

• First look: one inner west brewery’s welcomed Fortune, an in-house pizzeria. The “neo-Neapolitan” pies are ideal alongside a schooner of Serpent’s Kiss – and for a limited time, there’s a free lager with a margherita on Fridays.

• First look: Tokyo Lamington’s new Marrickville digs pay tribute to their surrounds. There’s a smoky Vietnamese coffee number and lamingtons made with fresh ricotta from a new neighbour.

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• First look: A meal at Mesa, by Sydney Cebu Lechon’s Will Mahusay, must include a shatteringly crunchy serve of suckling pig. The Rooty Hill spot’s getting creative to tackle rising costs: with a produce-saving menu and rent partnership.

• Mensho Tokyo is the ramen chain recommended by the Michelin guide. And it’s just arrived in Sydney with a store more Melbourne than Melbourne’s. Plus, a bright, Sydney-only bowl of lobster bisque ramen.

• Summer Hill’s newcomer Solstice sits tight on Smith Street. The ceramics are locally made, there are ready-to-pour batch taps and there’s a niche pour-over menu. On Saturdays, find a sweet line-up from Instagram-based bakery Bloods.

• First look: Filipino barbeque haven Smoky Cravings opens another outpost for juicy pork and chicken skewers glazed with banana ketchup, sweet spaghetti and kare-kare.

• First look: Tacos Tacos Tacos is the new neon-lit spot for … tacos. The tiny taqueria is from the Caravin crew, and the tacos are strong contenders for the best in the city.

• In the industrial area off Unwins Bridge Road, One Shot Specialty is dosing espresso shots (with their own roast) in a lofty white-washed space.

• First look: Rooty Hill’s Mix Mix serves halo-halo and desserts from the “streets of Manila”. There’s also a taho silken tofu pudding served warm with tapioca pearls.

• First look: 170 Grammi is the new spot for Roman-style carbonara pizzas fired by a top pizzaiolo. The new corner joint is from the Via Napoli team, and it’s the spot for scrocchiarella-packed slices.

• In the days before Tinder, Cargo Bar is where you went to hook up. When Broadsheet writer Callum McDermott paid a visit to the new and improved Cargo Bar, it was even more Cargo Bar than before.

• A Fish Butchery alum is in the kitchen at Poppy Lane. The new cafe in the Hills has a salad stacked with locally grown veggies, jazzed-up brekkie classics and a standout serve of tempura eggplant.

Worth the trip
• At Lilium Lair, in Brunswick Heads, a fourth-gen Italian chef (with Michelin cred) made a “heart choice”. The kitchen’s a family affair, it flits from day to night, and the wine’s from the team at Bar Heather.

• Scoot down the coast to Bar Yuki for prawn sandos and jazz arvos. At the wine bar, the style (and shokupan) come direct from downtown Tokyo.

Additional reporting by Dan Cunningham, Lucy Brewer, Monique Foy, Tim Grey, Callum McDermott, Pilar Mitchell and Angela Saurine.