Kakigori Kaiji is Sydney’s first shop dedicated to the iconic dessert – but it’s also the first to use Kuramoto Ice, a tasteless, slow-melting ice from Kanazawa in Japan.

In the old Golden Century site, this 400-seat Cantonese diner is ushering in a new era for Chinatown. The seafood tanks are full, the yum cha trolleys are back in action and late-night dining runs until 3am.

Two gun pizzaiolos have teamed up with inner-west distillery Poor Toms to create the ultimate inner-city hangout – with not-quite-New York pizzas, chunky square pies, plates of gabagool and a riff on a legendary Perth sandwich. But it’s here for a good time, not a long time.

For fans of the legendary, now-closed Golden Century restaurant, this Cantonese barbeque joint is a sight for sore eyes. But the sequel is not like the original – get some of its most famous dishes in a fast-casual format.

A Long Chim alumnus is behind this 30-seat Chinatown restaurant, where you’ll find punchy takes on classic Thai street food and home-style cooking. Think deep-fried barramundi with mango salad, Phuket-style curry with tiger prawns and betel leaves, and a refreshing coconut ice-cream with roasted peanuts and candied pumpkin.

Fluffy scrambled eggs, Wagyu beef, grilled prawns and taro wedged between butter-infused bread – these are toasties like you haven’t seen before. Grab them from one of five neon-lit locations around Sydney.

One of Sydney’s yum cha kings. This slamming Cantonese favourite can be a tad expensive if you're dining with a smaller group – but the premium is warranted. The quality of food, speed of service and deep history is undeniable.

A swish and enormous restaurant with an exceptional yum cha service. It’s a contender for best yum cha in the CBD, but it's also one of the newest in the pack.

A wildly popular Chinese chain in the middle of the CBD, repping the spicy flavours of Sichuan. The tome of a menu here is telling of the huge portions you get here.

One of the few places in the centre of town where you can try Nanjing specialties. If you’re into duck, this is the spot for you.

A hoemy diner that offers a rare chance to try genuine Uyghur cuisine. The menu blends traditions from both Central Asia to the west and Chinese cuisines from the east.

Spanish wine, chorizo burgers and ringside seating at this pretty burgundy-coloured eatery.

The chicken here is twice baked, not fried. Get it spicy or served with powdered cheese.

The second location for the Marrickville favourite.

The upmarket sequel to legendary Sydney Cantonese restaurant Golden Century. It’s named after its now-closed sibling’s most famous dish, the XO pippies, which you can absolutely order here. Plus, Cantonese-style roasted meats, live seafood and outstanding wines from the tome-like list. There’s also a daily yum cha service from midday.

A Chinese-Macanese hotpot restaurant aiming to elevate the steamboat experience. You can find this opulent eatery in Haymarket’s 1909 dining precinct.

A high-end restaurant chain serving Peking duck and north-eastern Chinese specialties you can’t find elsewhere. The lavish dining room alone is the worth the visit.

A CBD northern-Thai diner channelling the late-night tapas dishes of a famous Chiang Mai market stall.

Korean barbeque that’s all about premium meats, side dishes and soju.

A restaurant by the host of the world’s biggest TV dating show serves spicy Sichuan noodle soup and dumplings.

The brand’s first Australian outlet is a gigantic-hotpot joint. With robots.

Char kway teow noodles with jumbo prawns, Hainan chicken rice and a signature wok-fried crab are the highlights at Junda Khoo’s nostalgic Malaysian diner.

For fast-paced, real-deal Thai.

Thai food that pulls no punches.

Red Pepper and Sparrow Mill serves Korean-style chicken.

A no-frills Chinese restaurant serving the favourites and then some.

A restaurant in Haymarket specialising in southern Thai cuisine.

Authentic, late-night Thai.

A trailblazer in Sydney’s Thai restaurant scene. When the late, great Amy Chanta opened it in Darlinghurst in 1989, it brought Bankgok flavours that were then-unknown to Sydney diners. The Thai street food here is fine-dining quality, served at very reasonable price points. Today, it’s a super-popular chain with stores all over Sydney.

The home of the richest, most unctuous tonkotsu ramen in town. Owner Mori Higashida rips through 300 kilograms of fresh pork bones every day to make his soup, which has been hailed by Dan Hong as the “most hectic” in Australia.

Affordable Malaysian food with a range of flavoured roti. If you don't get in before the lunchtime rush you can expect to queue for a while.

A former Zumbo pastry chef is behind the elaborate desserts at this Japanese cafe and milk bar by the Devon team. It’s one of the few places in Sydney you’ll find popular Japanese date-night dessert, Kakigori, along with cheeseburger-inspired rice bowls, curries and more.

Subtly sweet French pastry with an Asian flair.

A Japanese matcha house with curries, sundaes, lattes and more, made with powder from the mountains of Shizuoka.

Traditional Japanese mountain houses were the inspiration behind Edition’s flagship cafe. Enter this astounding space for fine-dining level breakfasts fusing Scandi and Japanese flavours, and some of the best coffee in Sydney.

A cafe with a dual identity: Western cafe staples plus Indonesian mee goreng and coffee.

Find this cavernous Thai grocer and cafe in the heart of Sydney’s Thai Town. Despite serving burgers, bowls and pasta, Boon doesn’t mix elements of Thai and western cuisine – it reimagines them like they always belonged together.

A flash cocktail bar in a dingy Chinatown alley that comes with fried things on sticks, including … spaghetti.