Emily Lloyd-Tait

Autumn 2025 update: Not sure where the start of the year went? Same. Embrace the change in season with brekkie and a hot coffee at one of our fave Sydney cafés. My current picks include a delightful new spot from the Ursula’s Paddington team called Cafe Cressida, Manly’s go-to Noon, and the Euro-style Ken's Continental in Potts Point. Sydneysiders are café people. We're constantly on the hunt for the city's best coffee and we love nothing more than donning our finest sport-luxe activewear and catching up with mates on a weekend morning over eggs, fritters and crusty artisan sourdough. So, whether it's a reward for tackling one of Sydney's most beautiful walks, an indulgent hangover fix after a night at one of the city's best bars, or a workday coffee stop, these are the best Sydney cafés, according to our in-the-know Time Out Sydney writers, including Food & Drink Editor Avril Treasure. We'll have one B&E roll, please.  Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out Sydney newsletter for more news, food & drink inspo and activity ideas, straight to your inbox. Is it lunch time? Check out our guide to Sydney's best restaurants right now.

In Sydney, there’s good Thai and there’s great Thai, and we’re all about the latter. From the best deep-fried snapper to the finest pad Thai outside of Chiang Mai, Time Out Sydney's local food writers, including Food & Drink Editor Avril Treasure (who has spent weeks happily eating her way around Bangkok, Krabi and Phuket), have rounded up our list of the best places to get your Sydney-Samui on in town. Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out Sydney newsletter for more news, food & drink inspo and activity ideas, straight to your inbox. Want more? Check out the Secrets of Thaitown Food Tour here. Craving carbs? Try one of Sydney's best Italian restaurants. RECOMMENDED: The absolute best restaurants in Sydney

We all know sh*t’s expensive right now. But the good news? You can still head out in Sydney and have a cracking time without it costing you an arm and a leg, thanks to our top-notch cheap eats, ripper steaks for $25 and under, and quality feeds for $20 and under. Plus, with most bars and restaurants offering happy hours, there’s still plenty of affordable boozing to be had. I’m out and about most nights for work, and I’m always on the lookout for great happy hours – ones that save your hard-earned cash, include a variety of options, and get bonus points if there are cheaper snacks available too. The catch? You might need to knock off work a little early, but I reckon you deserve it (sorry, bosses). Below, you’ll find the very best happy hour deals in Sydney, where you can snag a schooner from $6, tasty bites from $5 and cocktails from $10. It’s fun you can feel good about. I hope you have a happy time during these happy hours – I certainly have. Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out Sydney newsletter for more news, food & drink inspo and activity ideas, straight to your inbox. After more fun for less? Here's our guide to the best free things to do in Sydney, the best op shops, and (of course) Sydney's best cheap eats. Thirsty for more? Here are the best bars in Sydney right now.

Crustless cucumber sandwiches, fluffy scones with jam and cream, and tiered plates of petit fours. Sydney loves a pinky-lifting high tea, and with good reason. With bite-sized treats, tea selections for every palate and picturesque surrounds – maybe the stunning harbour views at Mosman Barracks or the tranquil gardens of historic Vaucluse House – you've got all the elements of an aspirational afternoon of ever-so-fancy leisure. Time Out Sydney's local food writers and tea-lovers have tried the top ones in town to bring you this guide to Sydney's best high teas. Bring your mum, your nan, your girlfriend or your mate – and head to tea town. Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out Sydney newsletter for more news, travel inspo and activity ideas, straight to your inbox. In search of more food and tea? Get around Sydney's best cafés here. What about more booze? These are Sydney's best bars.

Long gone are the days when mushroom risotto was the only option on Sydney menus for vegetarians. Okay, so a few places are still championing that veggo staple, but if you know where to go you don't need to set eyes on it again. Not all of these restaurants are exclusively vegetarian, but every place on this list is serving the kind of exciting, delicious vegetable-based fare that will make you reconsider meat in favour of a whole head of roasted cauliflower, a perfect puffy pizza or a totally plant-based degustation. Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out Sydney newsletter for more news, food & drink inspo and activity ideas, straight to your inbox. If you're a dedicated herbivore, you can find Sydney's best vegan restaurants. Want more? Check out our guide to Sydney's best restaurants here.

For decades Newtown has been an evolving creature, where creativity abounds and self-expression is paramount. And yes, while we still want to #keepnewtownweird and vegans are still well catered for, there's plenty on the dining scene to keep even the most straight-laced pearl clutchers happy, too.  There's high-end dining to be had in this rainbow neck of the woods, but also a bunch of hyper-focussed regional diners dishing up everything from Egyptian street food to killer pizza and fiery Chinese hot pots. Time Out Sydney's local food writers, including Food & Drink Editor Avril Treasure, have eaten their way around King Street and beyond to bring you this guide to Newtown's best restaurants. And if you're thirsty, check out our guide to Newtown's best bars here. Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out Sydney newsletter for more news, food & drink inspo and activity ideas, straight to your inbox. RECOMMENDED: The best Sydney restaurants for your dining hit list

April 2025: Since our last update, we've added up-to-date opening hours, addresses and how much you should expect to pay at each spot, along with our top tip for each restaurant to ensure you have the best dining experience. What’s the secret recipe for crafting an exceptional dining experience? In coming up with Time Out’s list of the best restaurants in Australia, we considered a mix of ingredients. Talented chefs? Stylish decor? Lively ambience? Top-notch drinks? And of course, food that you can’t stop thinking about for days, months, or even years. Luckily, Australia’s restaurant scene is sizzling with spots that check all these boxes, plus so much more. Our nation’s top restaurants are a celebration of Australia’s native ingredients too. From an intimate 34-seat dining room cut into the rolling hills of South Australia's countryside to a 30-year-old institution overlooking Sydney’s sparkling Bondi Beach, these are the restaurants Time Out Australia’s team, including resident foodie Melissa Woodley, recommends for your next culinary adventure. 🍹 The best bars in Australia⭐️ Australia's most luxurious hotels🥐 The best bakeries Down Under For more about how we curate our reviews and guides, see our editorial guidelines.

Home to Victorian terraces, leafy trees, a random roundabout with five streets and high-end boutiques, Paddington is both a picturesque and lively place to live and a fun spot to explore for the day and night. Add in excellent pubs (hey there, Paddo Inn, The London Hotel and The Village Inn) and restaurants (that's you, 10 William St, Ursula's and Saint Peter) and it’s easy to see why Paddo is one of Sydney’s most sought-after ’burbs – even if a home will cost you your left arm. And probably a foot. Time Out Sydney’s local food writers, including Food & Drink Editor Avril Treasure (who once called Paddo home) have rounded up the best restaurants in the 2021 postcode. Dress up, hit the streets, and armed with this guide, we promise you’ll eat and drink well. Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out Sydney newsletter for more news, food & drink inspo and activity ideas, straight to your inbox.

There’s no doubt about it, Sydneysiders can’t get enough of Italian food. And who can blame us? There’s something about a bowl of perfectly al dente pasta paired with a luscious, rich ragu that just hits the spot. And while Italian cuisine differs throughout the 20 incredible regions – broadly speaking, the northern regions eat more rice and polenta, while down south they feast more on seafood – Italians share a love of beautiful, seasonal produce; they choose simplicity rather than overcomplicating dishes and cook with soul. No wonder we love it so much. Luckily, there are plenty of excellent options for Italian dining in Sydney. Time Out’s food writers and editors – including Food & Drink Editor Avril Treasure, who has eaten her way through Sicily, Sorrento, Rome and Florence – have picked our favourite eateries, covering all bases. The only catch? They just need to provide a feel-good environment and dishes you’ll want to come back for. From casual red-sauce joints and classic pizzerias to fine-dining restaurants, you’ll find them all here. Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out Sydney newsletter for more news, food & drink inspo and activity ideas, straight to your inbox. Not in the mood for pasta? Here are our picks of the best spots for Greek and French food in Sydney.

Autumn 2025 update: Life in Sydney is fun and fabulous, but it can also be expensive. The good news is you can dine out affordably if you know where to look. Keep this guide handy next time your friends suggest a catch-up. As for me, I’ll be hitting up old-school Italian spot Bill & Toni's, Emma’s Snack Bar (found in my new ’hood, Enmore), and for banging tacos, I’m heading to Mami’s in Bondi. Going out for a meal is sometimes a big occasion, worth the splurge. But it doesn't have to be that way. From banh mi to tonkotsu ramen, biang biang noodles to vegan burgers, and pretty much everything else in between, some of Sydney's greatest culinary hits are the cheapest. Time Out Sydney's local food writers, including Food & Drink Editor Avril Treasure, have eaten their way around town to bring you this list, and while cheap isn't what it used to be, there are still lots of excellent affordable venues to check out. These are the ones well worth their salt. Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out Sydney newsletter for more news, food & drink inspo and activity ideas, straight to your inbox. Want to spend less at the big-ticket players? Check out our cheap fine-dining hacks.

Autumn 2025 update: Thirst-quenching beers, sunny beer gardens and hearty feeds – how good are pubs? Whether you’re after a midweek meal, a trivia night or live music, Sydney’s best watering holes are sure to set the stage for good times. There's a lot that goes into making a great pub. They need to furnish you with an excellent meal and friendly service, and a game of pool or darts doesn't go astray. On a sunny day, it's all about having a welcoming beer garden, and on a Sunday, it's all about a cracking roast. There are a lot of rock-solid pubs in this city, and these are our picks of the bunch, pulled together by Time Out Sydney's local writers, including Food & Drink Editor Avril Treasure. Cheers! Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out Sydney newsletter for more news, food & drink inspo and activity ideas, straight to your inbox. For something a bit less pubby, a bit higher end, see our picks of the best bars in Sydney. Hungry? Check out our ultimate guide to Sydney's best restaurants. 

Autumn 2025 update: Summer may be over, but we say – let the good times roll. A good place to start is our handy guide to the city’s finest drinking establishments. Whether it’s a date or a catch-up with a mate on the cards, these spots are sure to deliver on fun. My current picks? The eternally sexy Double Deuce Lounge, dreamy wine bar Famellia, and the home of excellent Margs, Stowaway Bar. This list represents our picks of the best bars in Sydney right now, from fresh faces to tried-and-tested temples of great drinks, curated by our local editors, drink writers and fellow booze hounds, including Time Out Sydney's Food & Drink Editor Avril Treasure. We’re looking for quality above all, with fun, flavour, atmosphere, creativity and options at every price point. Cheers to you, Sydney. Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out Sydney newsletter for more news, food & drink inspo and activity ideas, straight to your inbox. After a watering hole that's a bit more casual? See our list of the best pubs in Sydney, here. After a meal? Check out our best restaurants here.

Update: Surry Hills' you-can-make-friends-with-salad-here stalwart, Yulli's, is now completely vegan – and they even have vegan wines. They also offer a separate gluten-free menu, making it a solid choice if you're dining with a big group of friends. The menu draws inspiration from South East Asia and the Mediterranean – we're fans of the fresh and crunchy san choy bow, and the steamed leek and ginger dumplings with plum sauce. – Avril Teasure  ***** There seems to be two approaches in Sydney’s vegan dining scene. The first tries to replace and replicate the meat, dairy and egg with faithful recreations. The other school of thought seems to go along the lines of ‘vegetables are fucking awesome’ and lets plants take all the lead roles in the dish. Yulli’s approach is the latter. This long-standing vegetarian eatery on Crown Street also has a dedicated, and expansive, vegan menu, including vegan wines. Order the coconut and edamame moneybags: $14.50 for three golf-ball sized crunchy parcels densely packed with shredded coconut and mashed soy beans means they’re not the cheapest snack in town, but they are so damn delicious we do it every time. Follow it up with a clutch of flash-fried asparagus with a black sesame dressing, fresh tomato slices, pine nuts and tempura saltbush; or a big horseshoe of roasted pumpkin with cashew cream, charred cauliflower florets, crisp, fried capers and a mild, funky cabbage kimchi.  – Reviewed in November 2016 Stay in the loop: sign up for our

Update: In 2025, there have been some fun updates at Brasserie 1930. The Bentley Group has appointed a new head chef, Troy Spencer, who was selected because of his extensive experience in brasserie kitchens throughout Melbourne and France, London and Edinburgh. One of the things that attracted Spencer back home to Australia was this country's beautiful produce; and now it's Australian produce (including native ingredients) that Spencer – along with the Bentley Group's Brent Savage – is leaning heavily into with Brasserie 1930's new menu. While Brasserie 1930 has often been interpreted as a French-style brasserie since opening back in 2023, they've evolved it into "a restaurant that redefines what an Australian brasserie is" – and they say that's all about "blending world-class culinary craftsmanship with the finest local produce". Basically, modern Australian dining at its best. We went and tried some of the new menu, and loved the elegant integration of native Australian ingredients into sophisticated and delicious dishes made using classic techniques (think spanner crab tart with finger lime; and Aquna Murray cod with paperbark oil, smoked clam and roasted onion butter).  The other cool thing we checked out while we were there: diners at Brasserie 1930 can now take part in an exclusive 'Monthly Art Discovery Series' at the Capella, with renowned art advisor Fiona McIntosh. The Capella is serious about its art, and McIntosh will take you through the hotel's lobby, bar spaces

✍️ Time Out Sydney never writes starred restaurant and bar reviews from hosted experiences – Time Out covers restaurant and bar bills, and anonymously reviews, so that readers can trust our critique. Find out more, here. It’s a fun thought experiment to imagine what you think an $80 pie tastes like. Do this before taking a bite out of the quail, duck and foie gras stuffed pastry pocket that arrives at your table accompanied by silky mash and a sweet-and-sour cherry glaze. That way you can determine if you in fact can taste all the quiet luxury between that bronzed suet crust. This is a dish full of subtle grandstanding in both technique and ingredients, and is one of the more obvious nods to the extensive fine dining credentials of the group’s culinary director Joel Bickford, last seen behind the pans at Aria a few years back. Is it rich, velvety and gamey? Absolutely. Comparable to an everyday pie? Not at all. This finicky dish shares only a distant DNA with its footy-loving cousin. Is $80 still a lot to pay for a pie? Yes. But to be fair, you haven’t come to The Grill because you’re after an affordable treat Now, it would be remiss of us to come to any venue with “grill” in the title and not sample from the steak menu, and while you can absolutely bust the bank with a $310, 1.2kg MS5+ Fiorentina, the delights are just as primal at the shallower end of the dream pool with an equally marbled Wagyu rump cap for $68. It’s like a solitaire diamond, requiring very little adornme

Update: Mexican joint Bad Hombres has moved from its OG Surry Hills location to Darlinghurst, so you can still enjoy the same tasty plant-based eats – now on Oxford Street. (And you can check out our guide to the Mexican restaurants in Sydney here.) - Avril Treasure Read on for our original write-up of Bad Hombres from 2017 by Emily Lloyd-Tait. ***** Anyone who thinks vegan can’t be fun needs to both update their opinions from 1998 and also get to Bad Hombres, stat. What started as a Mexican Chinese mash-up from Toby Wilson (Ghostboy Cantina), Sean McManus (Neighbourhood Surry Hills) and Jon Kennedy (the Sandwich Shop) with a 60 per cent veg-powered menu has now gone the full vegan and we’re into it. Snacks, tunes and booze are the key elements to a good time and these guys are rocking one of the best house-party playlists in town. We clock an ’80s glory run of Culture Club’s ‘I’ll Tumble 4 Ya’, Farnsie’s ‘The Voice’, Fine Young Cannibals’ ‘She Drives Me Crazy’, Dexys Midnight Runners ‘Come on Eileen’ and the Outfield’s classic ‘Your Love’. Seriously, this is an A-grade ’80s playlist and it can be yours – just look up Zangers on Spotify.  On the booze front, they’re rocking a fruity, funky, smash-tastic line-up of local natural wines that changes all the time – small batch production means they can only get it by the case from the vineyards ­– so maybe the tropical-fruits-in-the-sun pet nat from Pyren Vineyard’s Little Ra Ra is all poured out. There’ll be something else equal

Is the Oxford Art Factory Australia’s best live music venue? Well, it’s certainly at the top of the crop. Since 2007, some of the most respected musicians and up-and-comers in the world have graced the stage of this legendary venue, which sits proudly amongst the gay bars on Sydney’s Oxford Street. Inspired by Andy Warhol’s Factory in New York during the 60’s, the venue creates a cultural focal point for international and local artists. The main action goes down in the 500-person Main Room, but don’t write off the smaller 120-capacity Gallery Bar either. Did you know that Lady Gaga played her first Australian show here in 2008? Or that Dave Grohl still wears his Oxford Art Factory shirt that he got playing a gig here in his covers band, Chevy Metal? It's also where G Flip played their first ever solo gig in 2018. The OAF even hosted a Bret Easton Ellis book launch – Ellis came on stage after The Models performed, and he spoke for two and a half hours to a standing crowd and as OAF boss Mark Gerber recalls, “You could have heard a pin drop.” Countless great bands have started their musical journey on the small stage in the narrow gallery bar next to the bandroom, too. “We saw the rise of The Jezebels, Chet Faker, The Rubens, and King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard in that small room,” says Gerber. And although Tame Impala played for about 25 people at one early show, you could “almost smell it in the air, when someone’s got greatness written all over them”. The OAF has survived

✍️ Time Out Sydney never writes starred restaurant and bar reviews from hosted experiences – Time Out covers restaurant and bar bills, and anonymously reviews, so that readers can trust our critique. Find out more, here. Update: Yellow is an apt name for this seasonal, produce-focused restaurant from the Bentley boys, given that you’ll feel like sunshine after you leave. The Potts Point diner opened in 2014, and in 2016 made the switch to be completely plant-based. Trust us – you won’t miss a thing. – Avril Treasure Read on for our review of Yellow from 2018 by Emily Lloyd-Tait. ***** It takes a kind of vision bordering on the mad to see a burnt onion as a dessert, but that is the creative genius we’re dealing with from the team at Yellow. Not just a staunchly savoury veg, but a burned one at that, is ground down into a charcoal-black powder to contrast brutishly with the pretty-in-pink Frenchness of a tartine made from more leaves of sticky apple than your average Penguin Classic. This is so much more than meat-free cooking, it’s abstract expressionism with fruit and veg. Brent Savage and Nick Hildebrandt’s restaurant empire (Bentley, Monopole, Cirrus) had always catered to vegetarians without making a fuss, but when they devoted their Potts Point dining room to the best of the plant world, people really started to take notice. And importantly, they kept coming back for more. More of the stracciatella, a fresh cheese that’s so creamy and relaxed it’s basically a liquid, sp

✍️ Time Out Sydney never writes starred restaurant and bar reviews from hosted experiences – Time Out covers restaurant and bar bills, and anonymously reviews, so that readers can trust our critique. Find out more, here. Update: There have been a few changes since our review of Lankan Filling Station, but one thing has stayed the same, and that’s chef/owner O Tama Carey’s soul-warming food. Come for the delicious hoppers paired with make-you-sweat sambals, and stay for the fragrant curries and warm service. – Avril Treasure Read on for our review of Lankan Filling Station from 2019 by Emily Lloyd-Tait. ***** Have you been to the casual Sri Lankan diner tucked in Darlinghurst for hoppers yet? You have? Have you tried their brunch menu, where you can get some spicy AM kicks with an egg roll dressed in fermented chilli and sambol? Yes? Well there’s always the monthly crab curries: a Sunday set menu where your tiny table is so laden with flavours, spices and colours that it’s like dining inside a kaleidoscope. Those crab lunches book out well in advance, and with good reason. You pay $60 and in return they Tetris onto your table little fried lentil cakes, sunset coloured sweet’n’sour pickles, shredded beetroot relish, snake beans with Maldive fish and tamarind, lime pickle (so pucker-powerful you might turn inside out), coconutty pol sambol, spicy katta sambol, soft red lentil dahl, and a never-ending supply of pappadams. Last to arrive is a bowl of nutty red rice and a terracott

✍️ Time Out Sydney never writes starred restaurant and bar reviews from hosted experiences – Time Out covers restaurant and bar bills, and anonymously reviews, so that readers can trust our critique. Find out more, here. Update: Redfern’s neighbourhood bar and restaurant Bart Jr is a gem. Locals know it too – during the evening and on the weekend, this cheery corner spot pumps. There’s a ripper set menu, midweek pasta with natty vino specials (check their Insta), and if they took the anchovies on toast off the menu, we’re pretty sure there would be a riot. – Avril Treasure Read on for our review of Bart Jr from 2018 by Emily Lloyd-Tait. ***** Redfern residents were already pretty happy with George Woodyard thanks to the ace snackage available from the simple and delicious canteen, Scouts Honour. Now that the day trade was conquered, Woodyard, Anne Cooper, AmandaBaxter and Matt Turk decided it was time to rule the night by opening a bar. The new Regent of afterhours eats is Bart Jr.  In a feat of design wizardry, they’ve managed to make one of those glass-front, new development retail spaces feel warm, welcoming and lived in. It must be all that caramel coloured timber, golden light and flowers arranged about the room. Because this isn’t their first hospo rodeo they know how to manage a crowd – even if you show up at 7pm (foolhardy) they’re adept at predicting table turnover and manage the waitlist with a keen eye. And it is worth it, because what they’ve successfully done is

✍️ Time Out Sydney never writes starred restaurant and bar reviews from hosted experiences – Time Out covers restaurant and bar bills, and anonymously reviews, so that readers can trust our critique. Find out more, here. It is a truth universally acknowledged in Sydney dining circles that special occasion dining demands special occasion views. You may not have made it to Santorini this year, but a table laden with a Hellenic feast set to the backdrop of Botany Bay is as close to ‘summer in Europe’ as you can get via Opal card. And while international travel can at times be stressful, expensive and arduous, dining at Ammos, the new neutral-chic Greek restaurant in the Novotel in Brighton Le Sands, is relaxing and hospitable. It’s not everywhere that can accommodate a quadruple date alongside dinner-for-two, but the beauty of a floor plan this generous is that each table is its own island. And if you do have an intergenerational gathering on the horizon, there is definitely a strong case for bringing more people with you to Ammos. In true Greek style, the menu is lengthy and the serves are generous A plate of feather-light whipped feta is a snow-white, salty canvas for the earthy funk of black garlic, gentle Turkish chilli heat, sweet red capsicum and lemon oil. Pita is the obvious sidekick, but why not level-up your Greek game and order the flaounes instead. These golden, sweet-and-savoury baked pastries are like a souped-up dinner roll, stuffed with three cheeses and a sweet

You could read at home, or you could read inside an award-winning, architecturally designed building that makes quiet time a joy. If you choose the latter, head to Marrickville Library and join the 2,000 people per day that visit: be it for the rhyme time that packs out the ground floor children’s section; for the historic art collection that they brought out of the closed stack into the dedicated art floor; or to peruse the impressive collection of international and domestic periodicals, from high fashion mags to special interest publications on everything from politics to organic gardening.  The library has become an immensely popular spot for people to study or work collaboratively. Some people stay all day, with coffee breaks provided by the café on street level. Note that you can book spaces to work or study. Marrickville Library was constructed on a former hospital site and they managed to reuse 27,000 bricks from the old building in the new construction. They also maintained the Women’s Ward as the current reading room. The library now boasts over 1,000 linear metres of items, including movies, DVDs, and even robots for amateur mechatronic engineers.  While you're in Marrickville, check out what else is good with our local's guide to the area. And these are the other best libraries in Sydney.

Update: A Sydney institution, Spice I Am has been knocking out delicious and authentic Thai dishes for two decades. It’s one of the best Thai restaurants in Sydney, there are great lunchtime deals, and it’s BYO. Love chilli? You'll feel at home here. – Avril Treasure Read on for our original review of Spice I am from 2018 by Emily Lloyd-Tait ***** Omelette in a sour Thai soup does not sound like it should work, but, goddamn, if it isn’t a delicious revelation at number 79 on Spice I Am’s famously lengthy menu. At 82 items long, those A3, double-sided, laminated menus have been keeping flavour fossickers on their toes for 14 years. Although co-owner and head chef Sujet Saenkham has been in Sydney since 1985, it wasn’t until 2004 that he felt the city was ready for his authentic brand of Thai cooking, taken from the recipes his mother would make on their farm in Ratchaburi, south west of Bangkok. He didn’t want to compromise those flavours, no matter how many people complained about there being no zucchini in their curry, and it’s a big part of why this pigeonhole restaurant still garners patient queues after all these years. So back to that omelette soup. Young, tender cha-om leaves (climbing wattle) are densely packed inside a tangle of golden egg, chopped into bite-sized pieces and submerged in a sour soup with a company of fat prawns. It’s richer than a tom yum, feistier than a tom kha gai and perfectly balanced – you won’t find this on suburban Thai menus. For something t

Update: Housed in Rosebery’s The Cannery, Banh Xeo Bar serves modern Vietnamese hits with French flair. You have to order its namesake, of course: the banh xeo, a crisp Vietnamese pancake made from rice and turmeric, stuffed with pork and prawn, and served with fresh herbs and a zippy dressing on the side (you can also order it with roast pumpkin or lemongrass chicken). Add on a handful of snacks and natural wine, and it’s a good time all around. – Avril Treasure Read on for our original review of Banh Xeo Bar from 2018 by Emily Lloyd-Tait ***** Rosebery is rocking to a whole new beat in 2018. The fashion outlets and car service centres are still there, but so is the Cannery, a high density snack zone that features the likes of Gelato Messina, Black Star Pastry, Archie Rose, Three Blue Ducks and Da Mario pizzeria. Right in the heart of this new dining haven is a white-tiled lunch spot lit by a pink neon sign, where Robyn in on the stereo and Vietnamese is on the menu. Don’t you dare pre-snack because you’ll need every inch for the banh xeo. Those titular, lacey-edged, coconutty pancakes in a luminous turmeric gold envelope contain a core of pumpkin, corn, crunchy pig’s head nuggets or barbecued lemongrass chicken. Break it up, add pickled onion, carrot, fresh shiso and mint leaves, and ferry the lot to your mouth in rafts of cos lettuce. It’s a culinary chimera, scoring high marks on the light-and-fresh score as as well as the fried-and-delicious one. The other must-order is

Sydney loves a queue. It tells us that what’s at the other end is so good it’s worth your time as well as your money. There’s an art to the queue and sometimes it’s part of the whole experience. Old hands at the waiting game know the secret hacks, including which ones are worth it, when the best time to go is and which queues to skip altogether. Behold, our queue-rated list of the best orderly lines you’ll find in Sydney. 1. Mr Crackles CarryoutAt this mainstay for late-night snacking the queuing is part of the fun – you’ve got people swaying slightly as they wait for their booze-busting pork roll, and loud music to keep the party vibes high. Think of it more as an interlude in your Saturday night hijinks. 2. Kitchen By Mike at Sydney International AirportYou’re through customs and you flight isn’t for at least two hours if you like to play by the airport’s rules, so genuinely all you have is time to kill. Spending it in the queue here at least guarantees a really good farewell coffee to Sydney, and perhaps a tiny bacon roll before you’re subject to airline food for the next 24 hours. 3. Emperor PuffsThe queue outside this Dixon Street window serves an important part of the process, because it means by the time you make it to the front your hot, cream-filled cakelets are fresh off the machine, and the fact that they don’t allow photography means no Instagrammers hold up the streamlined efficiency of this dessert hot spot. 4. Iggy’sYes, we know queueing for your daily bread so

We enjoy ludicrously good weather in Sydney the vast proportion of the time, but for those scant rainy days or weeks each year we become damp and grizzly and as devoid of manners as we are proper wet weather footwear. Here's a reminder about some of the etiquette for navigating rainy days...1. Accept that your food delivery will be lateYou know what every single other office worker is thinking when it starts bucketing down at 11am? “How do I get my lunch without getting wet?” If you genuinely can’t face the weather, remember that delivery services are getting slammed with orders from people just like you, and so you can either get your own food, or accept that it’ll be an hour later than you hope. Those are your options, and there’s no point getting snarky with the person who did brave the downpour to bring you ramen/pizza/Thai food.2. Do not steal from the umbrella bucketThis is an honour system. No one likes a drippy, slippery floor so we all agree to leave our rain barriers at the door and only leave with the crappy folding black one we arrived with, not that fetching one with the Museum of Modern Art masterpiece on it.3. You either have to go high or low with your umbrellaAll umbrellas can’t stay at head height on footpaths – they won’t fit. Someone needs to go high in a crowd, and someone needs to go low, and you should pick a height early so everyone can adapt smoothly around you. Also, the tallest person in a sharing situation holds the umbrella, them's the rules.4. Do

It’s not that we’re uptight, but us Sydneysiders can get a little flustered when we feel the pressure to get to our seat on time or find somewhere to eat after midnight. There are heaps of anxiety-inducing moments that are part of living in Sydney. Here are just a few of them. “Ding-dong, ding-dong, ding-dong” – the sound of the bell at the Opera House as you’re legging it up the steps. Hearing “last drinks” with no kick-on plans in place. That yellow 'Train Replacement Bus' sign. Being hailed by lifesavers over a megaphone to move back between the flags. Catching the 333 to Bondi in 35-degree heat. Rocking up to Iggy’s Bread at 7.10am and hoping there’s anything left in the bakery. Vivid crowds. Realising another summer has passed and you barely made it to the beach. Waiting to hear the first question in yet another Q&A session at another Writers’ Festival: “Hi, big fan. Mine question is in three parts….!” Visiting the Fish Markets during the 36-hour seafood marathon for a kilo of Christmas Day prawns. Trying to find somewhere to pee on New Year’s Eve. Seeing a sniffer dog looking at you. Realising you're seated in the front row of an intimate theatre performance. Trying to find a park in Potts Point. Trying to park in Bondi. Trying to park in Coogee. Trying to park in the CBD. Seeing the “cash only” sign after you’ve ordered. And eaten. Sprinting to the gates to catch the last ferry back from Manly. Hailing a regular taxi. Watching as your Uber driver accidentall

You guys remember Alfio's, right? The little pop-up Italian trattoria in Leichhardt that stole our hearts and filled our bellies with simple pasta dishes and low-key good times? Well, the Full Circle crew behind Alfio's are getting ready to open a new restaurant in Potts Point for the summer.  Dan Johnston, who has been in the kitchens at Hubert since Alfio's shut up shop, is reuniting with Harry Levy who has been at Bar Brosé and the pair are ready to ride the restaurant rollercoaster once again, taking over Wilbur's Place in Llankelly Place and renaming it Wilmer. The plan for Wilmer involves an a la carte menu with pasta mains around the $20 mark and smaller antipasti plates, and because this venue comes with a liquor license they've enlisted the help of Adelaide Hills winemaker Tim Webber to blend them a house red that they can put on tap. They've asked Marrickville locals Sparrow and Vine to supply a white so prepare for this to be the summer of the carafe. Johnston has only just received the keys to the venue and is waiting on their pasta extruder to arrive from Italy, but it's going to be all action Jackson from Thursday December 1, with dinner available from 5.30pm Monday through to Saturday, so you'd better book a table while the fun lasts. Wilmer, 36 Llankelly Place, Kings Cross 2011. Mon-Sat 5.30pm-late Photograph: Dan Boud  

In fact, now that you're thinking about it, the question is how has it taken someone this long to open a Champagne focussed-venue in the Queen Victoria Building, arguably one of the CBD's most attractive and recognisable structures (those green copper domes are objectively beautiful)? The Champagne parlour and bar is going to be called Reign at the QVB, naturally, so you can live out all your The Crown fantasies starting from Friday March 15. They've set up the offering in the space that used to house the ABC store, but now instead of Bananas in Pyjamas DVDs they're going to be serving over 150 Champagnes and sparkling wines in a room decked out in a royal amount of marble, brass and pale pink. The best part is that the bar will be open until 2am, Thursdays to Sundays, which means a post shopping bevvy or an elegant after theatre meet-up just got even easier in the city. If you're an early doors luxury kind of person, they're open for lunch and dinner daily, too. In addition to Reign, there will also be a new restaurant on level two called Esquire Drink + Dine, where they're going for a New York supper club vibe. Expect a dark oak bar, parquetry flooring, leather seating and low lighting to set the mood, and a whole roast chicken for two, or a high-end jaffle for dinner.  Reign at the QVB opens Fri Mar 15, and Esquire Drink and Dine opens Thu Mar 28 at Queen Victoria Building, 455 George Street, Sydney 2000. Find out more here. Here's our list of Sydney's best wine bars to ke

If idea of a NSW road trip is bringing back nostaglia-tinted memories of an '80s holiday in a caravan by the sea, perhaps it's time to relive your childhood with a vintage caravan. Camplify is kind of like Airbnb but for campervans, caravans and trailers. It allows the people who have invested in all the road-life kit to share their gear instead of it just being parked in the driveway when they're at home. One of the vans on the Camplify site is called Mazzy, and she's a navy and white vintage van that's been renovated and restored with mod retro stylings. There's a queen-sized bed with proper linen, bunks and games for kids, big windows so you don't feel cramped, and a timber-topped galley kitchen with espresso machine and fancy loose leaf teas. The van also comes with beach towels, umbrellas, deck chairs, a barbecue and a chilly bin. But the big selling point is that for the whole of summer is that you get a complete cocktail cart thrown in, kitted out with a full bottle of Botanist gin, cocktail shakers, glassware, mixers (Fever Tree tonic and Sunday Lab herbal tea) and garnishes so you can live that luxe life on a $140-a-night budget.   The van itself is based in Flinders, NSW, which is on the South Coast, and can be towed up to 100kms, which means you can inland past Berrima, up as far as central Sydney, and down further south about as far as Bendalong Beach. All you need to do is find a caravan-friendly spot and the holiday accom comes to you. Prefer to pitch a tent? T

Melbourne’s known for its crazy, unpredictable weather. But it seems whenever we’re hit with a major storm, Melburnians etiquette goes right out the window. It needs to stop. Here are some etiquette rules to follow when it rains in Melbourne. 1. Don’t shake your umbrella at people Get the excess water off by all means, but don’t spray someone in the face like you’re a dirty dog on bath day, and be careful where your umbrella is dripping. It could be on the ground, or it could be on someone else’s shoes. 2. Do not steal from the umbrella bucket This is an honour system. No one likes a drippy, slippery floor so we all agree to leave our rain barriers at the door and only leave with the crappy folding black one we arrived with, not that fetching one with the Museum of Modern Art masterpiece on it. 3. You either have to go high or low with your umbrella All umbrellas can’t stay at head height on footpaths – they won’t fit. Someone needs to go high in a crowd, and someone needs to go low, and you should pick a height early so everyone can adapt smoothly around you. Also, the tallest person in a sharing situation holds the umbrella, them's the rules. 4. Don’t hog the awnings If you have a brolly, walk on the rainy side and leave the awning protection for less well-prepared people. In particular, do not force anyone to walk along the drip zone – those chubby droplets right down your collar are unpleasant. 5. Move with purpose on public transport People want to get off fast but also

There is schoolyard joy in a packet of supermarket sponge cake fingers dipped in chocolate and covered in desiccated coconut like wet feet in sand. But Sydney’s pastry standards are very high, so when you want your sweet treat to feel special, these are the patissiers going the extra mile when it comes to the humble lamington. Buy a box, put the kettle on and bask in some vintage Australiana snacking this summer. Flour and StoneNadine Ingram’s lamingtons are famous. If you think that sponge cake is dry, you are about to eat your words along with this famous cake. The secret is that they dip the cake in panna cotta mix before rolling it in a thick layer of chocolate and a snowfall of coconut shards that are still tropical and chewy. In fact, the lamington is so popular you can get it year-round, and even order it in novelty sizes for birthday and wedding cakes.  Tokyo LamingtonThe newcomer to the Sydney scene is making a buzz with their elaborate flavoured cakes. Given the time of year, they have a menu leaning hard on Australian native flavours, like macadamia and honey, Davidson plum and chocolate, chai and pepperberry or lemon myrtle lime bitters. Plus, they deliver, so you can order a box for your public holiday shindig. Textbook PatisserieIn honour of this afternoon tea favourite, pastry chef and Textbook Patisserie owner John Ralley has dedicated his weekend croissant special to the lamington. Order by Friday Jan 22 for the jumbo version, or you can buy a regular sized s

Gut instinct tells us there is cross over between people who love Disney and those who love dessert, and the center of that particular Venn diagram has just been gifted a Frozen-themed high tea. These are not just your run of the mill scones and mini tarts, the cake tower is being filled by Koi, famous for their beautiful pastries with elaborate flavour combinations and glossy, perfect finishes. The multi-tiered cake-fest is themed to the the song 'In Summer', sung by the naive, weather optimist and anthropomorphised snowman, Olaf. As a result the cake line-up features a layered dessert of passionfruit, coconut and pineapple; the cherry jazz, made with fresh cherry, raspberry, jasmine, blood orange, and almond; a chocolate raspberry cake; a confection shaped like a piece of precious jade; a salted caramel macaron and a chamomile and honey scone. There are savouries too, including a tomato cream pastry with lump fish roe, a tiny chicken and leek pie, and tomato and fetta toast, plus free-flowing tea or coffee. The high tea costs $70 per person and runs on weekends from Saturday January 9 to Sunday January 31 at Koi Ryde and Koi Chippendale. Bookings are essential. Need more finger sandwiches and scones in your life? Here are more of Sydney's best high teas.

It's no NYC, but Sydney has a vocal, devoted pizza fanbase, and they possess very strong feelings on where to get a top pie in the city. Those with a vested interest in good pizza in Sydney should put the CBD's late-night, rock'n'roll, party pizza parlour back on top of their hit list because Frankie's Pizza by the Slice has a new and improved pizza menu, care of one of the city's most celebrated chefs. The wait times for a table at Hubert are as famous as the underground French bistro's chicken fricassee, but former Hubert head chef Dan Pepperell has put in a rockstar appearance, reworking the Frankie's menu after a research trip to New York early in 2020. The new bases at Frankie's are now made using stoneground flour and the dough is left to ferment for a full three days before being stretched out, placed on a pizza stone and cooked slowly until the crust is crisp and blistered. On top, your options now include a rosemary pizza, bolstered with two kinds of cheese (fior di latte and scamorza); a pepperoni pie that balances the spicy heat with a hint of honey; a classic Marg; a herby, zippy combo of zucchini, lemon, chilli, garlic and mint; or the Texas, which involves fior di latte, ricotta, roasted corn, red onion, pickled jalapeño, garlic, chilli powder, coriander, and lime. Yee hah!If it's been a while between music trivia nights or heavy metal gigs, a whole new pizza menu with fine dining credentials is as good a reason to carb-load in the new year as any. Prefer Italia

We are huge fans of the work of Two Good Co. at Time Out. Their lunch jars initiative allowed people to buy a healthy soup or salad designed by leading Australian chefs, and in return they would donate one to a domestic violence survivor in a women's shelter. The program extended to gifts like designer leisurewear, blankets, and beauty  products.  Now they're doubling down on the spirit of the giving season by partnering with Chiswick Woollahra. When you dine at the beautiful garden restaurant until Christmas Day you will be offered the option to purchase an 'empty plate' for $7.50. If you add it to your bill they will ensure a meal is donated to a woman in need. You buy one, they give one, and a little bit of goodness is spread in these trying times.So far, Two Good has delivered more than 157,000 meals to refuges and shelters since business began in late 2016. They also invest in future building by training and employing women in the hospitality industry. Got time to give? Here are some places you can volunteer in Sydney.  

There’s a strong argument to be made for salt and pepper squid being Australia’s national dish, what with its compelling combination of fresh seafood, Asian culinary influences and being widely available, be it at your local fish and chipper or a higher-end dining room. But no, we asked 38,000 people globally what they thought their city’s most defining dish was and the answer for Sydney was Sydney rock oysters (see, the clue was in the name). The dish is not just synonymous with Sydney, but eponymous too. Those famously creamy bivalves grown along the east coast are the opening act on pretty much any menu in the city, regardless of cuisine or status. In fact, they’re so endemic to Sydney dining that some places go so far as to have devoted oyster happy hours where you can double your shellfish for half the normal ticket price. In Melbourne, their answer was Italian-American import the parma, a pub staple made from crisp chicken schnitty coated in a layer of Napoli sauce, slices of smoky ham, and topped with a horde of melted cheese. If you’re in Austin, Texas the resounding answer to ‘what should I eat first’ was breakfast tacos; in Copenhagen it was smørrebrød; and in Kuala Lumpur is was nasi lemak. Given the state of our travel industry there’s not a lot of international sojourns in our immediate future, but happily for Sydneysiders, many of these dishes are available here. Why not engage in some dining chair travel and see how many of the 46 dishes you can knock off the l