The Best New Restaurants in Sydney

Updated 1 day ago

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“What good new restaurants should I try?”

Broadsheet’s editors field this question, or a variation on it, almost every day. While we’d just as soon recommend one of Sydney’s straight-up best restaurants or a long-standing institution, the pull of a hot new place is hard to deny. So here it is: our edit of the best new restaurants in Sydney, updated monthly. Some of these places are redefining the way we eat and will go on to become classics. Others will be shorter lived. Either way, these are the spots we’re enjoying eating and drinking at right now.

  • A pioneering “fin-to-scale” eatery by Josh and Julie Niland. In the large open kitchen, the chefs utilise all parts of the fish to create a menu of wildly inventive dishes. A meal here is thrilling, educational, and enhanced by an impressive selection of Australian wine and Japanese sake.

  • Olympus is a Greek restaurant fit for the Gods. Come for mountains of meze, plus drinks including Ouzo Coladas and watermelon slushies. The dining room – with its glass oculus ceiling and 50-year-old tree – is an instant classic.

  • After an extensive research trip to New York, the team behind My Mother’s Cousin have opened a nostalgic pizzeria firing out round pies and squares by the slice like they do in the Big Apple.

  • The Pellegrino 2000 team’s underground pasta cave is a love letter to northern Italy. It’s where you can lose track of time over a bottle of Barolo and a plate of handmade pasta, in one of Sydney’s vibiest dining rooms.

  • Island Radio brings the party to Redfern’s Wunderlich Lane precinct with culinary hits from Southeast Asia, resort-style cocktails and a killer soundtrack.

  • This slick French bistro, in Odd Culture’s loft space, isn’t all that serious. Expect classic French fare – like savoury French tarts with Cantabrian anchovies and a hibachi-grilled bavette steak. Plus, rare vintage drops.

  • Neil Perry pays tribute to Cantonese cuisine at this elegant, multi-level restaurant. Come with a group and tackle as many dishes from the menu as possible, from classic dim sum to live seafood from the tank.

  • The headline act at The International in Martin Place brings white-tablecloth elegance to an iconic CBD site. Push the boat out with the finest steak and seafood cooked over woodfire, and an impressive list of wines from around the world.

  • A heritage former post office is now home to a casual neighbourhood Italian joint by the Ormeggio team. Come for a spritz and a plate of Milanese meatballs, stay for handmade pastas up there with the best in the inner west.

  • The former Raja space has been reimagined as a “come as you are” diner pumping out retro plates and disco tunes to a brief that prioritises value over haute cuisine aesthetics.

  • From pop-up to permanent, this homey restaurant celebrates Thai-Chinese dishes. Come for the family-recipe beef noodle soup, steam pork buns and huge wontons swimming in a spicy, sweet sauce.

  • This refined diner blends classic European dishes with Japanese flavours. Choose three, four or six courses and let the chefs do the rest.

  • A head-turning wine bar and diner by a team of friends who’ve done stints together at Ragazzi, Fabbrica, Yellow and more. Expect small plates, thick pastas and a big focus on nebbiolo.