Best Restaurants in Darlinghurst
Darlinghurst is a weirdly shaped pocket wedged between Kings Cross and Surry Hills. Buzzing with galleries, an art school, boutiques and an eclectic mix of restaurants and bars, it's got an energy unlike anywhere else in the city. Visit the area for a rare taste of modern Filipino food; one of Sydney's oldest restaurants; another inspired by Notorious B.I.G, and a tiny izakaya joint where you'll be enticed by the smells long before you sit down.
Restaurant
Joe’s Table
Visit this flavour-punching Thai-ish diner and see why Joe Kitsana might be the hardest-working man in Sydney hospitality. The Hanoi-style spring rolls and dumplings swimming in chilli, ginger and soy sauce are both must-orders.
Restaurant
Gaku Robata Grill
The chefs behind this exacting neighbourhood diner serve what they call “Australian kaiseki”, where local ingredients are transformed into artful Japanese dishes with French touches. On the menu? Sashimi, plates of Wagyu and sushi, a signature duck yuzu ramen, and more.
Restaurant
Fabbrica Pasta Bar Darlinghurst
This 80-seat spot serves all the Fabbrica favourites, from spaghetti cacio e pepe to cotoletta alla Milanese served with the bone. As ever, the wine list goes big on Italian and Australian drops from the minimal-intervention realm.
Bar
Love, Tilly Devine
Sydney’s OG wine bar still hits after all these years. Come for a hefty list of mainly lo-fi wines, excellent snacks and sly laneway seating unlike anything else in the city.
Restaurant
Dimitri's Pizzeria
Dimitri’s first started as a lo-fi little pizzeria on Crown street; in 2019, it moved up to Oxford Street. The new digs feature an Italian-made woodfire oven, a bigger dining room, plus a dedicated small bar upstairs. The toppings here are a riff on Dimitri’s flavour-over-tradition approach.
Restaurant
Buffalo Dining Club
The club’s signature cacio e pepe is served hot inside a hollowed-out wheel of Pecorino Romano, imported once a month from Sardinia, Italy. That’s how serious this slick diner is about cheese. Score a seat at the communal table with some quality European booze and get down to business.
Restaurant
Chaco Ramen
These huge, tasty soups sold here are unlike anything else in Sydney. And they’re guided by a sustainable ethos.
Restaurant
Moon
An innovative European-Thai restaurant marrying molecular gastronomy with traditional Thai cooking.
Restaurant
Wings and Tins
Are you game to take on T-Bone's Doom Juice, made with Carolina Reaper chillies?
Restaurant
Paski Vineria Popolare
A bar and bottle shop styled after the enotecas of Italy. And a colourful upstairs restaurant with pasta and panache. Paski is a three-part stunner by wine importers Giorgio de Maria and Mattia Dicati, and chef Enrico Tomelleri.
Restaurant
The Chairman
The elegant sequel to Sydney's legendary Hunanese restaurant. The signature smoked pork – a dish that counts Neil Perry and Matt Moran among its fans – is on the menu here.
Restaurant
Lankan Filling Station
Hoppers, curry, sambol, wine and a slick design.
Restaurant
169 Darlinghurst
A handsome cafe and wine bar from the owner of Tatler, right downstairs.
Restaurant
Beppi’s
This is the godfather of Italian dining in Sydney. Beppi’s has been ticking-over with the same consistency, fit-out and leather-bound menus – hand-carved by the late Beppi Polese himself – since 1956. Immortal dishes include clams and mussels with garlic, olive oil, white vino and tomato; and zucchini flowers stuffed with ricotta, basil and mushrooms.
Cafe
Bills Darlinghurst
At one time, the breakfasts at Bill Granger’s sun-drenched cafe were the yardstick by which all the city’s cafes were measured. This blonde-wood institution still hits with avo on Iggy’s bread, poached eggs with elevated sides and ricotta hotcakes.
Restaurant
Sagra
Sagra is one of Darlo's quiet achievers. It's laidback, it's wallet-friendly, and there's something on the menu for just about everyone. The pastas, most of which come in at under $25 a bowl, are particularly worth your time.
Bar
Amuro
This polished sake room is inspired by a popular Japanese manga – hear the story behind each sake as you sip, and don’t hold back on the nostalgic snacks. We can't get over the Kewpie mayo-shaped chopstick rests.
Bar
The Waratah
On a sunny Darlo corner, this double-decker pub is all about Australiana, weekly-changing cocktails and reimagined pub classics. The highlight? A showstopping burger by Iceberg's executive chef.
Restaurant
Moku
This tiny two-storey diner punches above its weight with a former Sokyo chef in the kitchen and a top mixologist behind the bar. Expect Japanese dishes reimagined with native Australian ingredients, fruity highballs and a warm neighbourhood vibe.
Bar
Nomidokoro Indigo
A compact izakaya like you’d find down a Tokyo alleyway, with hot towels and all. Inside there are more than 20 sakes, plus sake-friendly snacks including yakitori, miso-marinated cream cheese, and scallops in the half shell.
Restaurant
Tommy’s
Tequila, tacos and shareable woodfired dishes make for a seriously good time at this Mexican- and South American-inspired spot. Sip one of 10 different Margaritas in the breezy courtyard out back, or go for the lively interior for plenty of bar action.
Bar
AP Bread & Wine
Every location of this innovative bakery is different, but this is the most different of them all – it serves dinner. Grab your usual morning pastries, then return for wines by the glass, creative snacks and house-made pastas.
