All the New Sydney Restaurant, Bar and Cafe Openings We Got Excited About in November and December

• First look: the $16 egg sandos – stuffed with a steamed, silky egg mattress, cheese, and chive mayo – at Pun Pun are yum yum.

• The Vanguard, a live performance institution, has a new owner – and a new talent in the kitchen. Redfern’s Bush is behind the menu, plating up food powered by native ingredients (think red pepper kangaroo and saltbush “spliffs”).

• First look: has hell froyo’d over? Sydney just got a flashy 165-seat Yo-Chi in Barangaroo.

• Slice Shoppe, an inner west pizzeria by the Self Raised team, has closed our New York-style pizza gap with pies that put them “up there with the big guys”.

• First look: Love Tilly’s new wine bar, Letra House, keeps the spirit of La Salut alive with Spanish snacks and a dedicated late-night menu. (And you can drink the whole wine list by the glass.)

• Island Radio brings big-time party time to Wunderlich Lane, the precinct that’s just burst onto a Redfern corner. The menu spans Southeast Asia, with smoky satay skewers, Balinese suckling pig and a spin on steak tartare.

• Kate Reid arrives in Sydney (finally) with her world-famous croissants and a spectacular fit-out. Lune Rosebery is here and heaving, and there’s a spot in the CBD for the pastries too.

• First look: Olympus, The Apollo team’s bold new restaurant in Redfern, is fit for the gods. And its head chef, Ozge Kalvo, is doing big things already.

• Head to Neptune’s Grotto (from the Clam Bar crew) for pasta and Piedmont wines in a moody subterranean den.

• Lasagne pies? Croissant brekkie rolls? Head to Knead in Rockdale to get into it.

• First look: Little Cooler is the pop-up rock’n’roll dive bar from Maybe Sammy and a cocktail star – but how long will it be in town?

• This eight-seat omakase counter is led by two of the best sushi chefs in town right now – and it’s one of Sydney’s most thrilling new dining experiences.

• In a sunshine-coloured joint on Crown Street, the kitchen team at Pan Divino brings together Brazilian flair and Italian classics.

• Respected chef Peter Conistis returns with Ammos, a beachside Greek restaurant with fire-roasted lobster, lamb tomahawks and an ouzo trolley rolling between tables.

• First look: Mountain Culture Redfern, a beer world darling, debuts in the inner city. The fresh taproom has all the faves, limited edition pours, hops Negronis and… meatloaf.

• After taking time off following his Sokyo exit, Chase Kojima jumps aboard Tokyo Samba, his dream steakhouse, with Nikkei-inspired sushi and ceviche. And it’s completely halal.

• The Shell House team dazzled with the opening of The International, a multi-level venue sitting between Harry Seidler’s “modernist mushroom” and the MLC Centre. There’s a wine bar (aptly named The Wine Bar), The Grill and The Panorama Bar inside.

• First look: a pair of Apollo alumni are behind Avia, an Italian diner in a refreshed little spot in Darlo.

Additional reporting by Dan Cunningham, Lucy Bell Bird, Monique Foy, Jasmine Crittenden, Callum McDermott, Aimee Chanthadavong, Pilar Mitchell.