Coming Soon: 15 New Sydney Restaurants, Bars and Bakeries To Look Forward to in Spring 2026

This year’s already been a big one, with plenty of excellent new restaurants, bars and cafes and casual spots already on our favourites list. But, there’s still plenty more to go before 2026 is over – here are all the details.

Pig Mary, Chippendale

After more than 13 years on the Chippendale block, Ester’s chef-owner Mat Lindsay is opening a “sidebar” for his celebrated Chippendale restaurant. Pig Mary is less than 20 metres away from Ester, and it’s teeny: 12 seats, most wrapped around the bar, with a few at the window and around one small table. Details on the menu are loose, but there’ll be plenty of pork and Ester classics returning in “more snacky, chilled out” forms. Plus, a very cold Martini and, potentially, a Sgroppino using Ester’s young coconut sorbet.

Pig Mary is set to open at 42–46 Meagher Street, Chippendale, in spring 2026.
@pigmary.au

Volta, Cronulla

Last year was a big one for Greek food, but the Homer team is backing it up in 2026 with a new spot for ouzo and wine – and snacky plates that go big on pickling. Volta will offer a large by-the-glass offering, a “super casual” vibe and a menu that does its own thing as well as lean on the kitchen next door, overseen by the boys and Homer head chef Kirri Moua. The team thinks its 60-seater will be the first ouzeria in Sydney, referencing the “old-school Greek wine bars people go have a glass of ouzo, play cards, talk”, says co-owner Harry Kapoulas. But don’t expect the traditional Greek flourishes – we’re in for the kind of bar you’d find in Athens today.

Volta is slated to open at 4/3 Surf Lane, Cronulla, in spring 2026.
@volta.cronulla

Yum Club, Surry Hills

Ama’s follow-up will hit Crown Street with the spicy sour flavours of Thailand’s Isan region – with a lengthy menu highlighting the subtleties between the north-eastern area’s provinces. Dedicated fried and fire-grilled sections will be supported by a dedicated som tum list that will feature at least seven varieties. The yum section is where you’ll find the spicy, fermented, sour salad dishes, and you can expect a whole-animal approach to the meat. 

Yum Club is expected to open at 265 Crown Street, Surry Hills, in spring 2026.
@yumclub.sydney

Indie’s Deli, Narrabeen

More sandwiches are on their way to the beaches – this time, hefty New York-style Reubens, Cubanos and Philly cheesesteaks. Plus, fries, cold brew and an excellent-looking tuna melt.

Indie’s Deli is set to open at 2/54 Garden Street, North Narrabeen, in spring 2026.
@indies.deli

The Heritage Room by Rovollo, CBD

Rovollo, from the team behind Mille Vini and Rosie Campbell’s in Surry Hills, opened in Martin Place with flaming serves of pici carbonara. Now the crew is adding to its CBD footprint with a wine bar and private dining room (with room for 25 in each) adjacent to Rovollo.

There’ll be distinct similarities between The Heritage Room and Rovollo, but differences in the details. In the wine bar, find snacks and Italian bottles – and a CBD-ready express lunch option.

The Heritage Room by Rovollo will open at the MLC Centre, 25 Martin Place Sydney, on September 17, 2026.
@heritageroom.sydney

Spezia, CBD

When Florence Guild’s open-air Italian dining room opens in spring, The Lands by Capella precinct will gain two chefs with starry CVs. Executive chef Jae Bang and head chef Aaron Caccia bring experience in Michelin-starred kitchens like Noma and Re-Naa, along with shared time at the group’s Nordic Melbourne restaurant Freyja. In Sydney the brief is Italian, spiced with the “forgotten” flavours of the Silk Road.

Spezia will open at 5 Gresham Street, Sydney, on September 22.
@speziasydney

Amé, Darlinghurst

Ito chef Erik Ortolani’s next big restaurant is hitting the corner of Oxford and Foley streets in October. Amé is a Peruvian Japanese dining room inside a heritage-listed site, with a menu leaning into ceviche, sushi and anticuchos. The chef is best known in Sydney for his own brand of Italy-meets-Japan cooking (like yellowfin tuna with bonito bread), yet here he’s taking on Peru’s distinct Nikkei cuisine. Menu details have been kept quiet, but one guarantee is a finer sashimi offering (led by head chef Kihoon Kim), beef tataki with salsa criolla and the guava kakigori that popped up at Ito last year.

Amé is expected to open at 84 Oxford Street, Darlinghurst, in late October 2026.
@ame.sydney

Another Whisk, Marrickville

The Great Australian Bake Off alum Anirban Chanda is opening his first permanent bakery. It comes after a dream run of sold-out market appearances in Summer Hill, Ryde and Kirribilli, and a pop-up at this year’s Biennale of Sydney. He’s got the keys to the new spot, and has started renovating. Soon, there’ll be his distinct bakes referencing both the South Asian flavours of his heritage and those native to Australia – like jaggery cheesecake, spicy masala chai and macadamia caramel cake.

Another Whisk is set to open on Illawarra Road, Marrickville, in November 2026.
@anotherwhisk

Bar Lira, Stanmore

It’s shaping up to be a year of restaurants welcoming bar offshoots. As well as Pig Mary and Volta, there’s this inner west newcomer from the Sixpenny team. The finer details are yet to be announced, but the team’s calling it your new “neighbourhood hangout” – just 140 metres up the road from the celebrated fine diner.

Bar Lira is set to open at 124 Percival Road, Stanmore, in late 2026.
@barlira_au

Ho Liao, CBD

Following the success of his Malaysian beer hall’s Melbourne debut, Ho Jiak’s Junda Khoo is bringing Ho Liao to Sydney. Tapped and bottled Southeast Asian beers will support a food menu made up of the bestsellers from each of Khoo’s Sydney venues: Ho Jiak in Town Hall, Haymarket and Strathfield; Amah in Chatswood; and Tam Jiak. When the venue opens in the previous Soul Dining space, near Wynyard, expect a “more complete, more extensive” menu than Melbourne. The chef’s laksa bombs will be there, obviously, along with the satay skewers, loh biak and signature chilli mudcrab with mantou. There’ll be Khoo’s Wagyu rendang pot pie and his much-loved char kway teow – and plenty more.

Ho Liao is expected to open at 2/50 Carrington Street, Sydney, in late 2026.
@holiao.wynyard

Village Days’ Lager Hall, Marrickville

It was a sad day when, after 10 years on its inner west block, Wildflower Brewery announced it was closing. But it’s not all bad news: the team is looking for somewhere rural to set up the next Wildflower, and Gladesville brewery Village Days is moving into Wildflower’s old Marrickville brewery. After a light-on refit, expect a taproom dedicated to lagers.

Village Days’ Lager Hall is expected to open at 11–13 Brompton Street, Marrickville, in late 2026.
@lager_hall

Monsieur Paul, Double Bay

The French team behind Bouillon L’Entrecote, Deux Freres and Brasserie L’Entrecote is opening its fourth French restaurant soon: Monsieur Paul. Once it opens within the Ruby House development, the Lyonnaise brasserie will have bar seats aplenty, live jazz, burlesque and more.

Monsieur Paul is set to open at 2/10 Bay Street, Double Bay, in late 2026.
@monsieurpauldoublebay

Two new venues from The Apollo Group, Redfern

It was a shock when, just 18 months after opening, Liquid & Larder called final service for both Lottie and Bar Julius. The Wunderlich Lane venues were following the lead of the precinct’s Baptist Street Rec Club, which was replaced by Vitelli’s Upstairs earlier in the year. The precinct is also home to The Apollo Group’s Olympus, with the team taking over both the rooftop dining room that was Lottie, and the street-facing Bar Julius spot. Concepts are yet to be confirmed, but are expected to open before the end of the year.

AP Bakery

Despite AP’s baked goods now being found in destinations across Sydney, fanfare is expected whenever the team does anything new. Piped-to-order cream buns in Surry Hills, rotisserie chook near the harbour, king-sized slices in Darlinghurst. Word is, the ninth AP Bakery is loading now, readying to open before the year’s out. More details soon.

@a.p.bread

In 2027

• Surry Hills mainstay Chin Chin is heading north of the bridge, with a second Sydney outpost destined for a beachy suburb.

• Newcastle’s Merewether Surfhouse is set to become Merewether Pavilion. The team behind Burleigh Pavilion, Terrigal Pavilion and The Tropic have got the keys, and will be trading as is until the new year – before a “significant” renovation.

• Michelin-credentialled chef Pichaya Soontornyanakij – aka Chef Pam – is opening two Australian venues in mid-2027. Sek in Sydney, and Khao San Sek in Perth.

• Curtis Stone’s first Australian restaurant will be a 100-seater in Circular Quay, 24 storeys up.

• Björn Frantzén is one of the world’s most awarded chefs, currently holding nine Michelin stars across his three restaurants. Next, the Swedish chef is opening Én by Björn Frantzén in Sydney, with his signature blend of Nordic, Japanese and French flavours and techniques meeting a dining room with vistas across our harbour.