Mary's Circular Quay opened last month and its refined downstairs counterpart, Mary's Underground, opened last week just in time for Vivid. For eating you won't find a better burger this close to Circular Quay (and the whole menu can be done vegan). For drinking, you can barely find anywhere in the city with $10 glasses of natural wine, let alone this deep into the CBD.

When you get off the train at Wynyard you'll be moments away from this steak-and-cocktail-focused restaurant. It's the best way to make a running start to the evening.

Get a group together and head over to this Cantonese comfort-food diner. Barbeque duck and dim sum are the perfect protein and carb fuel for heading out to battle the Vivid crowds.

It's starting to get really cold (well, for Sydney). This whisky bar in The Rocks is the right place to head to if you need a few warming nips of the brown stuff mid-walk.

A bar with an emphasis on having fun, serving no-fuss Mexican food and great cocktails right across the road from the Royal Botanic Gardens and Sydney Opera House.

Kid Kyoto is right in the thick of things. There's easy access to Circular Quay or Barangaroo and Darling Harbour. So start your night here with some Japanese seafood and cocktails named after '90s grunge hits.

This late-night Chinese restaurant is the place to head if you're a dinner-and-a-show, then-a-second-dinner kind of person.

An Argentinian-style grill in The Rocks using local and sustainable produce.

A Mexican basement bar with tacos, burgers and DJs. This one's a great option for late-night dining: on Fridays and Saturdays Barrio closes at 3am, which means you can eat and drink long after the (Vivid) lights have gone out.

This pizza saloon in the middle of the city is open until three in the morning, making it the perfect place to end your night.

World-class cocktails in the shadow of the Harbour Bridge.

A rooftop bar close to three of the festival's biggest attractions in Kings Cross.

Just across the road from the Harbour Bridge, this Edwardian-style pub is known for its Australian-themed "heritage" pizzas such as the half-kangaroo, half-emu Coat of Arms, and the Saltwater Crocodile.

This restaurant virtually underneath the Harbour Bridge serves both modern and traditional Japanese food and has more than 40 varieties of sake.

A refurbished traditional pub with an amazing view of Circular Quay.

Conveniently located on George Street with a fun cocktail list.

A Thai restaurant with a view of the harbour. Not to mention it only uses local Australian ingredients.

A fine-dining restaurant inside Barangaroo House, where you can watch the promenade light up as the sun sets.

It sits right on the harbour and serves food that uses indigenous Australian ingredients in Chinese recipes. A great option if you've just come from the Darling Harbour section and are making your way towards Circular Quay.

On Wulugul Walk, serving Nashville-style spicy chicken, craft beers and natural wines from local producers.

A classic bar and restaurant with a menu full of premium Australian produce and wine – right in the thick of the action.

Our pick for dining if you're heading to the attractions at Taronga Zoo.

Bangkok-inspired plates matched with 90s hip-hop.