Towards the end of last year when the line-up of venues for North Sydney’s new metro station was released, Sydneysiders who live and work north of the bridge rejoiced. Now, with the metro well and truly alive and kicking, North Sydney’s new dining precinct is alive and kicking, too – bringing big Sydney favourites north of the bridge for the very first time. With the super-fast metro system meaning you can now get to North Sydney from Central in just nine minutes, this new dining precinct is pretty damn accessible.
On Monday, August 19 (the first day of services for the new stretch of the Sydney Metro), the doors opened at Victoria Cross: a major new city block connecting directly to the new Sydney Metro Victoria Cross Station in the centre of North Sydney. The first round of retailers housed within its walls include foodie outlets whose offerings have previously been kept on the south side of the harbour, so it's big news for this corner of the Emerald City.
Within striking distance of the metro platforms, you’ll find ten new outlets slinging perfect grab-and-go options: speciality coffee from Only Coffee Project, sushi from Sushi Hub and a hot contender for Sydney’s favourite banh mi purveyor (Marrickville Pork Roll) operating its first outlet north of the bridge. Around the corner on the Miller Street laneway (but still technically part of Victoria Cross), you’ll find a further five more hospitality-focused venues – the kinds of place you’d want to sit down for dinner and a few hard-earned drinks before zooming home on the metro.
Among the new dinner destinations, Sydney’s sixth Mary’s is bringing the brand's signature sense of fun to North Sydney, with loaded burgers, epic fried chicken and a carefully-curated drinks list built in collaboration with P&V. Next door, Torotoro Ramen Bar is serving up aromatic bowls of the good stuff, Koji Grill and Dumplings is slinging perfectly crafted dumplings and charcoal-grilled treats, and Doo Dee Thai is offering all our traditional Thai favourites.
It’s not just good food and booze that Victoria Cross is bringing to North Sydney – the new tower (which is in its first phase, with more venues set to open soon) is also now home to a Nails Avenue outlet and a Rose and Co florist. On the street outside, the good people from social enterprise Two Good Co have set up a coffee cart with Single O coffee and baked goods from Breadfern. As always, they'll be donating 50 per cent of profits to a good cause, so we’d suggest getting your mid-morning treat here for a bonus dose of positive impact.
To add to your list of things to do in North Sydney, there's also the new Etymon Projects development up the road at the top of Walker Street, with new spots like modern Japanese restaurant Genzo.
The construction of Victoria Cross tower is set to be completed in mid-2025, with a further seven retailers set to open then – along with a huge four-level gym and wellness space from the One Playground team.
Keen to visit? This Sydney Metro map should help.
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