All the New Sydney Restaurant, Cafe and Bar Openings We Got Excited About in June 2023

• First Look: Makaveli, a small but mighty Bondi spot serving standout cocktails and bright bites at night – and coffee from 6am. A few blocks back from the beach, this buzzy new eatery brings a refined edge to a laid-back day-to-night offering. Swing by for your morning cuppa, park up and WFC (that’s work from cafe) or secure an evening spot for punchy plates and a fresh drinks list.

• First Look: Padre Coffee hits Paddington’s Five Ways – with self-serve taps, Portuguese tarts and a limited-edition brew that smacks of cherry cola. Inside a former dress shop, the Melbourne-born roaster has made its NSW debut with a multi-purpose concept store packing everything you need to lift your coffee game at home. Enhance your daily ritual with creamy pastel de nata by Tuga, flaky pastries by Staple Bread and cult-status cookies by a top Sydney pastry chef.

• The abalone party pie will lure you to Longshore, a sustainable Chippendale diner from the duo behind Hartsyard. Jarrod Walsh and Dot Lee’s new coastal-inspired spot inside the old Automata space is all about the repeat visit. Your encounter might involve grilled octopus skewers lashed with smoky soy, sand whiting bathed in XO pipi butter, or a freewheeling 10-course snack flight.

• Now Open: Ken’s Continental, a European-style deli and cafe in Rushcutters Bay by the Farmhouse and Bones Ramen crew. Linger at a table below leafy trees over a continental plate loaded with cold-cuts, house-made pickles, olives and baguette, or a serving of fried eggs with black pudding and mortadella.

• Dine on prawn and scallop toast (with wow factor) and standout Wagyu at Lulu, a pan-Asian Bondi restaurant. By the Raw Bar team, you can expect Japanese-style favourites like seared salmon nigiri and tuna sashimi, new Asian-influenced takes on classic cocktails, and a miso-caramel ice-cream sandwich.

• Instagram bakery Home Croissanterie has taken its meticulously handcrafted pastries offline and into its first real-life shop. Take a seat in the sunshine, and graze away at a scroll layered with streaky bacon and glazed in maple and red gum-smoked salt, a potato and sea salt scroll that looks like a rose but tastes like hot chips, or a crème brûlée-topped croissant – all made by a self-taught baker who’s done practice stints at Noma and Quay.

• Now Open: Hanasuki, a Chatswood restaurant dedicated to shabu-shabu – Japanese hotpot – and omotenashi (Japanese hospitality). Gather around a simmering hotpot cooking thinly sliced Wagyu in a delicate broth – and leave leftovers to be transformed into an umami-rich Japanese congee to finish.

• Lox in a Box arrives in Marrickville, serving its spectacular bagels and deli goods from an old-school trailer. Its menu is more compact than at its other shopfronts – but you can still grab its signature bagels, including house-cured Ora King New Zealand lox with schmear, a classic Reuben and haloumi schnitzel. And soon, crispy, salty latkes.

• Now open in Eastwood: Kowloon Cafe, a colourful eatery inspired by Hong Kong’s East-meets-West diners. Under neon signs, sink into super-thick French toast filled with peanut butter and lathered with condensed milk, while sipping on teas based on secret recipes from Hong Kong’s best brewers. Plus, crispy “pineapple” buns loaded with giant wedges of butter.

• Bsp’eria brings Brooklyn vibes and Neapolitan pizzas to a retro hole in the wall in Penshurst. Claim a milk crate and tuck into an Uncle Charlie – a 48-hour fermented sourdough base topped with spicy ’nduja, mozzarella, ricotta and honey – while watching the chefs in action. Every base is dusted with semolina for extra crunch.

• The Devon Group wants to “push the boundaries” at its new Japanese-French Sydney CBD restaurant, Bistro Nido. The Japanese influences of its other venues, Devon Cafe and Dopa, meet the French techniques its chefs are well versed in. Linger over roasted duck breast (which takes two weeks to make) with Kyoho grapes, or casarecce pasta with egg yolk, parmesan and Asian mushrooms, before watching crepes Suzette set on fire and lathered in Grand Marnier-orange sauce.

• Brooklyn Boy Bagels opens a sleek Surry Hills cafe, where bagels are piled with roast beef and served French dip-style. It’s collaborating with ace chefs to transform its famous bagels into gourmet feasts. Lenny Briskets’ winter-friendly bagel is packed with roast beef and horseradish cream, and served with a bowl of steamy beef consommé, while on the regular menu you’ll find a hot soppressata- and fiore di latte-filled bagel inspired by a legendary New Jersey sandwich shop.

• Lode Pies opens a tiny new Circular Quay spot for its fancy sausage rolls, Wagyu-mushroom pies and passionfruit custard tarts. Fine-dining nuance comes in baked form via Portuguese tarts infused with passionfruit puree and topped with salted vanilla-caramel glaze, and sausage rolls filled with “the best pork in NSW” slathered in house-made spicy tomato sauce.

• Now Open: Bar Soul, the cosy new all-day Korean wine and tapas bar from Soul Dining, has a lot of heart. The team has moved its other venue, Soul Deli, down the road and reimagined the space as a moody bar. Head in for a morning coffee, a boozy lunch or an evening tasting experience, with dishes like scallop crudo with Korean-style ajo blanco and slow-cooked pork jowl, paired with old- and new-world wines. And soon, it’ll have its own house-made rice wines.

• Korean cafe Soul Deli has moved into fun and funky new Surry Hills digs channelling K-pop. Slip into a cushy mustard-coloured booth with pink-tile-topped tables for Soul favourites like Maxim instant coffee and Korean fried chicken hotcakes. Or try something new, like the Korean street toast (with omelette, ham, cheese, jam and mayo) and bibimbap.

• Dine on “fun and dynamic” Italian dishes and slumber under chandeliers in ritzy art deco surrounds at Haymarket’s newly revamped Hotel Morris. It’s been restored to its former glory, and is a fine contender for your next city staycation. Dine on shell-shaped sponge cakes with parmesan and guanciale, or a creamy risotto with prawns piled on top. Plus, art-filled hotel rooms and a chef with experience at Michelin-starred restaurants.

• A Bennelong alum is behind the bar at Bartega, a luxe new cocktail bar in south-west Sydney. This Belmore spot features expertly crafted cocktails behind a dark marble bar, plus a menu of share plates that ranges from Euro-leaning salty snacks to pairs of bao buns and wakame-dusted lotus chips.

• Lola’s Level 1 in Bondi changes gears to become easygoing pasta parlour Lola’s Italian & Bar. Co-owner Marco Ambrosino (ex-co-owner of Fratelli Paradiso and 10 William St) returns to his roots, switching the beachfront restaurant’s focus from Mediterranean to purely Italian. Order simple dishes based on the best produce, including semolina spaghetti with vongole and ’nduja, tuna crudo, and cotoletta alla Milanese, crafted by Fabbrica and the Old Fitz’s former head chef.