What to Eat and Drink at Sydney Solstice

Winter solstice marks the shortest day of the year – and the longest night. And while we might be tempted to crawl under the blankets and watch (more) Netflix, Sydney’s hospitality and cultural scenes are throwing off the shackles of lockdown to celebrate the city’s re-opening.

Sydney Solstice is a new winter event reimagining after-dark culture with a tide of creative and culinary events unfolding across four precincts as Sydney counts down to solstice.

“Sydney nightlife, for me, is all about those wonderful, quirky, small wine bars, and I’m really loving seeing the CBD restaurants opening up,” says chef and restaurateur Kylie Kwong. “I think it’s really important that we keep driving Sydney’s recovery and to celebrate all of the beautiful things we love about this city.”

Kwong has a lot to celebrate right now. She’s just opened Lucky Kwong, a casual lunch-only eatery serving daily iterations of her renowned savoury pancakes and, as always, integrating Australian native edible plants with Cantonese-style food. And she’s ambassador for food, culture and community at South Eveleigh, where Lucky Kwong has set up camp.

The new precinct is throwing its first street festival for Sydney Solstice, melding food, music, art and First Nations culture. Alongside Lucky Kwong will be tsukemen-focused neighbour Rara Chan, pho masters Eat Fuh, and no-waste bar Re–, among others.

For other food-focused outings that centre on First Nations ingredients and culture, visit the pop-up bar at Badu Gili Winter Nights. Or join one of the trips to Me-Mel Island where you’ll learn about its significance to First Nations peoples through song, dance, artefacts and learning about its flora – and enjoy a barbeque bush-tucker lunch.

Across the harbour, Aria will tempt those with a weakness for local produce and glittering views with Aria After Dark. The fine diner has invited winemakers from Gilbert Family Wines, Brokenwood, Vinden Wines and Nick Spencer Wines to each lead a tasting session paired with snacks by executive chef Joel Bickford.

Award-winning cheesemaker Kristen Allan is running two cheese-making workshops. One unpacks how to make stretched curd cheeses (mozzarella, burrata, stracciatella). In the other, you’ll transform creme fraiche into cultured butter, butter into ghee, and leftover whey into ricotta. Expect lots of snacking between pressing and churning.

Flavours of Opera Kitchen is another festival within a festival, this time by Matt Moran and Solotel Group’s Opera Kitchen, which opened in March. Both the food and entertainment will lean into the market hall’s Italy-meets-Japan tempo, with the surrounding stalls peddling a mix of katsu sandos, karaage chicken, charcuterie, buffalo mozzarella and ramen. Sip an Aperol spritz or Asahi beer while having a manga-style caricature portrait made, or steal a quiet moment among the bustle to polish off a Messina gelato while soaking up harbour views.

Sumptuous long table The Queens Feast will take over Sydney Town Hall on June 13. It’s the handiwork of Anna Polyviou (who last year made 1000 kilograms of cookie dough), Claire Van Vuuren (Bloodwood), George Woodyard (Bart Jr), Sarah Tiong (MasterChef), and winemaker Lisa McGuigan. Devour four courses amid lush soundscapes and performance designed by Heaps Gay’s Kat Dopper. Heads up: this one requires some outfit prep so check the dress code.

If you’re feeling a little chilly, the Sydney Solstice program has two events involving toasty mulled wine. You can get among the European tradition of spiced hot wine at Fall Moon Party at Sydney Brewery’s Surry Hills outpost on June 17, or Fiddle + Feast at Silly Tart Kitchen on June 20.

Those more partial to beer should make a beeline for The Terminus for Brew, Beats and Burgers over the June long weekend. Brewers from around Sydney and regional NSW will be on-site pouring all manner of hazy, hoppy and sour brews. Alternatively, Oxford Street’s Bitter Phew is pairing its extensive neck oil know-how with local, native and wild ingredients as part of Phew-Ture. Gabriel Gutnik of Ziggy’s Wild Foods will be co-hosting workshops, and Caitlin Koether of Wild Provisions (ex-Tartine in San Francisco) is leading lunch and dinner.

This article is produced by Broadsheet in partnership with the NSW Government via Destination NSW.