Jack Ellis

Summer 2024 update: Life is already expensive but it gets turned up a notch at this silly and joyous time of year. But the good news is that you don’t need to stay home every night and survive on frozen pizza, thanks to our city’s incredible cheap eats. The best bit? Often they rival any dishes you would find in a fancy fine diner. We’ve rounded up the top places with prices that won’t burn a hole in your wallet, including new Thai-Chinese eatery Ama, pasta palace Str’Eats Pasta Bar (with plates starting from $10) and our forever fave, Spicy Joint. Because life’s too short to eat sh*t food. 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 critics and 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.

When I took my first bite of the tuna tostada, I was certain we were in for a good night. The bladework on the fish demonstrates knowledge and care, and the pairing of avocado and lime mayo makes for a perfectly balanced covering for the tostada chip. Beside it on the table, the ‘local fish ceviche’ is served in a skull-sized, coconut shell; the slices of bream sitting thumb-deep in a tiger’s milk liquor of lime, bright-green cherry tomatoes, mild chillies, coriander and cucumber. Although bream wouldn’t usually be my first choice of fish for a ceviche, it’s fresh and undeniably local. I had seen plate-sized bream circling the wharf pylons when I explored the water’s edge prior to the reservation. And, after tasting this unimprovable version, I think bream will now be my first choice for tiger’s milk ceviche. So far, so great. Quarterdeck is housed in an old-style, timber oyster shed, built out over the inexplicably blue waters of the Wagonga Inlet in Narooma, a five-hour drive south of Sydney. All tables have a view of the azure-blue inlet through white-painted window frames, and the décor is unmistakably Polynesian. The cocktail bar is fringed with seagrass, and there are vintage black-and-white portraits of Samoan royalty. The décor appears to be a nod to its former life as a Tiki-style band venue. The illuminated sign over the front door still describes Quarterdeck as ‘The Little Red House of Tunes’. The next dish out is the charcoal grilled citrus pork belly, served with