The Best Long Lunch Spots in Sydney, According to 29 Top Chefs

Sydney’s stacked with dining rooms begging you to luxuriate over lunch. With a large group or an intimate duo, by the water or in one specific French bistro upstairs – which got the vote of six chefs on this list.

So, here’s all the info you need for your next long lunch in Sydney.

Giovanni Pilu, Pilu at Freshwater and Flaminia

Catalina in Rose Bay. It’s one of those places that’s stood the test of time: family-run, consistent and always welcoming. They really know how to make guests feel special. I usually go for the snapper with mash – a classic that’s been on their menu forever – and a glass of champagne. You can’t beat the view, the service is seamless and it always feels like a bit of an occasion.

Nik Hill, Porcine

Bathers’ Pavilion. It’s nostalgic for me – I did four years there as an apprentice, that’s where I started. I could sit in that building all day just reminiscing on old times. Aaron [Ward]’s a phenomenal cook – fucking amazing. Last time we did it, we just sat there till four o’clock, rolled out the door, got a beer from the bottle-o down the road, then jumped in the water.

Mimi Wong

My first and only experience of long lunch in the conventional sense is Porcine. That meal was so silly. We went in wanting to get a couple snacks, sat down, looked at the menu, and were like, “Nah – we must have it all.”

It was an I’m-going-to-remember-it-for-the-rest-of-my-life kind of experience. They had the tarte aux pâté, with the smoked eel, the chicken liver, apple, the aspic on top. Like, the construction of everything at that restaurant makes me want to, like, pull my hair out.

Jesse Orleans, Happyfield and Happy Shop

Another easy one, Ester. I usually start with some yuzu saké to warm me up, followed by oysters, their famous fermented potato bread with kefir and roe, then a bottle wine. I let the rest of the menu speak to me as it’s always changing.

Trisha Greentree, Fratelli Paradiso

Sean’s. It’s a set menu and my order will always follow the same format: farm plate into roast chicken into whichever dessert has ice-cream.

Josh Niland, Saint Peter, Fish Butchery and Catseye Pool Club

Porcine – whatever Nic tells me I'm eating! Last time I had an extraordinary roasted pigeon and some phenomenal vegetables all cooked and arranged perfectly.

Ozge Kalvo, Olympus

We love to go to the Royal Palace in Haymarket for yum cha. Definitely get the bright red prawn spring rolls. We usually try whatever is going, but we always need to track down that dish and make sure it’s close by.

Oscar Solomon, Olympus, The Apollo, Cho Cho San

Casa do Benfica in the Marrickville Tennis Club. The absolute fucking best Portuguese restaurant. Every year, we book at table for 25 to 30 of our nearest and dearest. Set menus are incredibly affordable and abundant. The food is amazing, flavour-forward and done without any influence of the contemporary. To top it all off, a club-style bar with Resch’s on tap. It’s the best place.

Peter Gilmore

Sometimes when I want a well-cooked brunch or lunch on the weekend, I go to Boronia Kitchen in Hunters Hill. No matter what you order it’s always good.

Khanh Nguyen, King Clarence

Ester in Chippendale. Order broadly, add the salt-baked mud crab, maybe a lobster. Everything is seasoned beautifully and it’s always a good time.

Junda Khoo, Ho Jiak and Tam Jiak

I rarely get a chance to do long lunch; I only get one day off a week, usually with my kids. But the last one I did was so enjoyable at Margaret in Double Bay. The favourite for me there is the King George whiting, but everything is great produce, simple cooking, really showcasing the ingredients.

Danielle Alvarez, Sydney Opera House

Sean’s in Bondi. It’s just always on my list. I adore Sean [Moran]’s cooking. I adore the restaurant. There’s nowhere I’d rather be for a lunch in Sydney. And even if they’re busy – and because they’re always busy – they seat you out front once your booking is finished. I just love that, so nice of them to do.

Toby Wilson, Ricos Tacos

Porcine is perfect for a long lunch, particularly with a bunch of mates out on the balcony. People overlook how excellent the seafood and veggies are, so I’m loading up on those after I’ve eaten a kilo of pork creton and lentils. Bonus points if they’ve got one of their choc or custard tarts on the menu.

Carley Scheidegger, Corner 75

Porcine in Paddington. It’s the kind of food that feels so luxurious, perfect for a long Sunday lunch. The dining room on a sunny day is very special.

Stefano Marano, Avia

Porcine! The terrine and pâté selection definitely, always the seasonal vegetables, and possibly the whole duck.

Brendan Pang

Yum cha is my idea of a long lunch. Royal Palace or Emperor’s Garden in Haymarket, Pearl Eating House in Kogarah, or Vin Phat in Cabramatta. I’m always ordering chicken feet, har gow, siu mai, cheung fun and black-bean pork ribs.

Annita Potter, Viand

I make my way to Newtown and see the guys at Continental Deli. I always sit at the bar and start with a glass of Epuipo Navazos La Bota 75 and a few gildas. From there, I slowly move through the deli menu – their bread is to die for with all the cheeses, charcuterie and tinned fish.

Paul Farag, ex-Aalia

Sixpenny. Tasting menu. A perfect relaxed dining room with exceptional food by some of the best chefs in the country. The wine list is excellent too, which helps for long lunching.

Sam Rozsnyoi

Initially, I’d go Olympus, but I want to go Apollo. Apollo, as an institution, has been around for so long, and it’s just as good every time you go back as it was previously. It’s really consistent, it’s really hearty: lots of bread, dip, meat. That’s what I want to eat on a long lunch. And then the upside of that is you’re in Potts Point, and I love to be in Potts Point when I’m drunk during the day. It’s probably the only place with at least three places to go that are decent. You can either go rooftop Kings Cross or The Roosevelt or DSE after. I’m always so full after The Apollo – so it’s either that or go home and go to sleep.

Andy Hearnden, aka Andy Cooks

I had a great one at Margaret – we ordered the King George whiting and a steak.

Andy Wirya, Island Radio

It’s always Lumi Dining. You can easily sit there for hours without realising it. Their service is fantastic, always warm and welcoming, and it’s a beautiful spot on the water. The chef Federico [Zanellato] creates an excellent set menu; always flavourful and technical. I don’t have a dish that I look forward to having each time but I love what they do with their snacks – they’re very innovative and I try and dissect the influence behind them and how they’re prepared.

Cam Votano, The Bat & Ball

For a while there the go-to for a long lunch was Ragazzi, whether it was for an early lunch or a late-afternoon bite. The pastas are always on point, service impeccable and the wine selection always kept us longer than our intended booking. With a group, we order one of everything – but two of the cacio e pepe.

Neil Perry, Margaret, Cafe Margaret, Gran Torino and Pizzeria Sotto

Sunday lunch at Ester, and like Peter at Quay, I’m having whatever Mat [Lindsay] is telling me to have. I like it this way as the food is so good, it’s too hard to choose.

Lizzie Hewson, Saturday Night Pasta

Otto at Woolloomooloo Wharf. It truly defines the experience of a long lunch, especially on a sunny Sydney day. Yes, it’s a bit of a splurge, but with kids, a long lunch out is a rare treat we all definitely deserve from time to time. I usually start with a plate of oysters – half natural, half with the signature cucumber dressing. Then I typically get a bowl of the house-made pasta, usually with seafood. I always finish with a cocktail, which makes the task of putting the kids to bed after a long lunch a bit more colourful.

O Tama Carey, of now-closed Lankan Filling Station

I know I am biased, as Mat Lindsay is my partner, but even if he wasn’t: Ester for a long Sunday lunch. I love being it that room during the day, as it has such beautiful light. They make excellent Martinis, which I think is the perfect start to a long lunch, and the food is reliably delicious, interesting and clever. It doesn’t really matter what you order! But, if it’s on, the crepe brûlée with a sneaky calvados on the side is an excellent way to finish.

Ahana Dutt, Kolkata Social

Hands-down Porcine, especially on a Sunday. The food is always delicious, service is super friendly and everyone just knows their stuff. What better way to spend a leisurely lunch than chatting with friends over en croutes, seasonal vegetables and bottles of wine?

Alessandro Pavoni, Ormeggio at The Spit, A’Mare, Pizza’Mare, Postino Osteria, Cibaria and Vineria Luisa

Pilu at Freshwater for a late Sunday lunch and to watch the day turn into evening.

Michaela Johansson, Aplenty

I think my favourite restaurant in the whole of Sydney is Hai Au Lang Nuong in Canley Vale. It’s a Vietnamese barbeque restaurant with rotisseries on the street front. They used to have giant buckets of cockles and pippies on the street, but think they had to stop doing that. I saw it on Food Safari – the best show ever – and remember being like “What is that place?!” So, for the last eight to 10 years I’ve been going here for big group lunches. You can BYO, so we each bring a great bottle and sit there for the afternoon until they start to play a mix of Vietnamese music and Western cover songs.

Christine Manfield

On the weekends, I love going to Cho Cho San.