The Best Thing I’ve Eaten Lately: Our Favourite Dishes in Sydney Right Now

Good eating is what life’s all about, right? It’s something we take very seriously at Broadsheet, morning, noon and night. These are the best dishes we’ve eaten in 2025 (so far).

Oil spill noodles at China Bowl, Waterloo

The enormous slurpy tangle of hand-pulled biang biang noodles at this family-run eatery – in that zone between Randwick and Redfern that’s sadly very easy to zoom past – first landed on my radar when Kevin Cheng wrote they were “ some of the bounciest in the city ”. The spring, the bite, that zippy vinegar-chilli-soy-garlic combo: I needed it. After a failed attempt (closed on Tuesdays!) I finally got my bowl, and I was properly primed by a wedding in Gundagai and the 380-kilometre trip home. The noodles, which you watch being stretched as you walk in, are everything you want, arriving extra saucy and topped with steamed greens. $12.90 is a steal – make sure you tip. – Grace MacKenzie, Sydney food and drink editor

Grilled mushrooms at Amuro, Surry Hills

It’s the smell that gets you when you walk into the little Crown Street bar, hibachi crackling and sake pouring. My go-to dish is the grilled king oyster mushrooms. They’re dressed simply in dashi butter – and they’re darn delicious. – Camille Repellin, group sales and partnerships manager

Pad prik khing at Ran Proad, Rosebery

I’ve been obsessed with this tiny shop after discovering it earlier this year. It’s the spiritual successor to Long Chim, with former senior chefs Sorun Tujinda and Yanto running the show. The pad prik khing with crispy pork belly is a potpourri of texture, with sweet, savoury and spicy flavours enveloping your mouth, peppered with hints of finely julienned makrut lime. With snake beans and three types of chilli, the house-made dry curry perfectly complements the pork belly – which has an irresistibly gratifying crunch, from being twice fried, before its velvety soft meat vanishes on your tongue. – Howard Chen, contributor

Lamb brains tiganita at Olympus Dining, Redfern

It worked in my favour that my Olympus dining date, not an offal fan, was more focused on dolmades than these lightly fried golden parcels. House-made muscatel hot sauce and a generous squeeze of lemon juice were perfect bedfellows for the rich, creamy interiors of these bite-size gems. An immaculate snack. Probably even better with a glass of assyrtiko alongside it. – Katya Wachtel, editorial director

Hot chips at Olympic Meats, Marrickville

Just because everyone can make them doesn’t mean they do them well. This is true for the chips at Olympic Meats in Marrickville. They’re cut in-house, cooked in beef tallow, and generously dusted with the Greek spice mix nostimini. I never thought I’d love a chip that wasn’t glowing fluorescent with chicken salt, but here we are. They’re golden, crisp, a little craggy on the edges, soft inside, and always on my mind. – Gemma Plunkett, contributor

Double yellowfin tuna cheeseburger at Fish Butchery, Waterloo

After sneaking into the old Saint Peter weeks before the restaurant moved, I realised, with regret, that I’d slept on Josh Niland’s genius for way too long. But what else had I been sleeping on? I knew there were flowers for our guy’s double yellowfin tuna cheeseburger, lauded for its uncanny “beefiness” while still being a masterful expression of the sea. As with everything Niland does, eating is believing. But truly, in Waterloo, on that grey Saturday in March, I didn’t know I was having WTF for lunch. Decadent, juicy, unbelievable, gah! – Dan Cunningham, national food and drink editor

Frozen yoghurt with Greek spoon fruits at Olympus, Redfern

No need to line up for a chain version of the humble, long-neglected frozen yoghurt, with oversized mountains of toppings. No, your perfect frozen treat is found at the altar of Greek dining: Olympus. It’s where spools of iced peaks are topped with preserved fruits, bathed in syrup, then finished with olive oil and salt. But an even more perfect partner for the yoghurt lies in the same menu section – loukoumades. The pebble-sized doughnuts are syrupy little droplets of crispy dough, perfect to swipe through the marble-white swirls of yoghurt for that warm-meets-cold combination we all love. – Ashley Scott, contributor

Dirty Martini and popcorn at Bar Planet, Newtown

Damn, how good is salt? I’m constantly hankering for even just a hint of salinity. The Martini at Bar Planet is one of my absolute favourites. It tastes like the crash of an ocean wave, and is the best thing I’ve “eaten” this year – even though I’ve been eating it for years. The bag of popcorn served alongside it is both complementary and complimentary. I try to be dainty about it, but it’s no use. I find myself shovelling the kernels into my mouth, seasoned with a mix of curry powder, salt, sugar and MSG. This duo is the perfect start or end to the night. I’ll never get bored of either of them. – Lucy Bell Bird, national assistant editor

Crisp flathead goujons with tartare sauce at Eleven Barrack, CBD

These little guys. I could have eaten 50. Airy, crispy, pepper-specked batter is a perfect vessel for segments of sweet, delicate flathead. The Eleven Barrack goujons are served with a classic tartare, but they were just as delicious without adornment. Extra points for the glam silver flatware. – Katya Wachtel, editorial director

Schnitzel at Corner 75, Randwick

I’ve been eating Corner 75 schnitzels since before my baby teeth would let me pronounce the word schnitzel. So when the Sixpenny and Baba’s team took over, I was worried. Would it live up to my childhood nostalgia? Would there even be one on the menu? Yes and yes. Better yet, it arrived alongside a free bowl of creamed spinach (which you usually have to order separately). “We wanted to make sure you tried it with the spinach,” my waiter said as she put it down. Boy, am I glad they did. I’ve taken the Popeye pill. You can keep your lemon wedges – spinach all the way. Sometimes good service is being saved from yourself. – Callum McDermott, Hot List editor

Tuna caponata at Neptune’s Grotto, CBD

I don’t know what it is about the tuna caponata at Neptune’s Grotto. It’s just really good. When I say I sat back in my chair to think about what I had just eaten, I really sat back. It was hard to pinpoint the exact flavours – I was expecting something lighter. Who would’ve thought that a rich, nutty tomato and eggplant filling would be a match made in heaven for crudo? If you haven’t tried it, I suggest you book asap. And if you have, you know exactly what I mean. – Gabriella Dolfo, sales and partnerships manager

Drowned eggs at AP Bread & Wine, Surry Hills

Forgive me, I couldn’t choose just one favourite. Our office is equidistant between several AP outposts, which is a dangerous thing. While usually I’m a sucker for the Aleppo pepper scroll, in this wintry weather I’ve found myself turning to the drowned eggs at AP’s day-to-night newbie. The fluffy scramble is served in a rich, spiced chicken broth. Alongside waits a toasted baguette, slathered in garlicky butter. One spoonful is enough to ward off a cold – and it’s already a staple in my chilly lunchtime rotation. – Lucy Bell Bird, national assistant editor

Prawn bisque risotto at 40 Res, Surry Hills

If joy had a flavour for 2025, it would taste exactly like this: creamy, sweet, briny, buttery – the kind of richness that coats your tongue without overwhelming it. That is exactly the greatness being served at 40 Res, in the shape of a prawn bisque risotto with kombu crème fraîche. Bonus points, of course, for being served in such a stunning little haven, in the soft glow of candles, with glasses of chilled red clinking across terrazzo tables. – Tilly Christie, contributor

Curry rice special with bone marrow butter at Knird, Crows Nest

Knird ’s off-menu curry rice special had me at “bone marrow butter”. The risotto-like dish comes delicately garnished with fresh coriander and speckles of herb-infused oil. It’d look dainty if not for the giant bone sticking out from the middle of the plate, with an upright spoon cradling thick, curried bone marrow butter – the pièce de résistance.

It tastes best when everything’s mixed. Make sure to dollop spoonfuls of that luxurious bone marrow all over the rice, letting it melt before stirring together. This’ll ensure that every mouthful is rich, fragrant, and creamy – with just a hint of spice. – Monique Foy, contributor