Sydney restaurant and café reviews

I'd be surprised if many Sydney restaurants have survived as long as Bar Italia. It's been serving locals and visitors in Leichhardt for more than 70 years – since 1952. I'm not surprised it's still going strong all these decades later, though. It still serves up classic Italian hits in what has gradually become a retro setting – we're sure it looked fairly modern back in the '50s! You can get a delicious, filling feed for under $25, so it's without doubt one of Sydney's best cheap eats.  The vibe Sitting here, you can imagine you're in a trattoria in Rome. It's always busy, the service is relaxed (you line up to order), and there are classic Italian features and finishes – including an old-school crazy-pave tiled marble floor, gelato counter near the front, and red-white-and-green neon signage. Although it's popular, you should always be able to find a table, either in one of the indoor dining areas, in the covered area out on the footpath, or – my fave spot – in the sunny terrace at the back, which is covered in vines, bougainvilleas and fairy lights. It's definitely not the most refined Italian food you'll find in Sydney, but it's good grub, and such excellent value. Another bonus: they serve up food all day, every day, from breakfast at 8am to 10.30 or 11.30 at night. The food  The menu is extensive – name an Italian dish and we reckon you'll find it here. When it comes to pasta, they serve everything from family faves like boscaiola and arrabiatta to house specials,...

The vibe Summery and fun, as the name suggests! The team behind some of Sydney’s best cafés, Soulmate in Newtown and Superfreak in Marrickville, are behind this kiosk-like café at the Fanny Durack Aquatic Centre, which is in the glorious Petersham Park. If you’re going for a swim, you can order from the Fanny Durack side and eat on the grass or at one of the poolside tables (that’s what I do!); otherwise, there’s also indoor café seating on the park side, or they’ll lend you a picnic blanket. I’m an Inner Westie, so in my ’hood there’s nothing else quite like ordering up a fish sambo and eating it under an umbrella to a soundtrack of happy kids splashing around in bright aquamarine water. The food Drawing inspo from Aussie kiosks and milk bars from “the good old days”, Splash’s menu is absolutely jam-packed with picks that will satisfy your hunger for nostalgia (as well as a good feed). Our favourite thing we’ve had is the fish sandwich – it’s a huge fillet of golden-crumbed fish with slices of tomato and beetroot, onion, iceberg lettuce, American cheese and a creamy, dill-forward “Splash sauce” on thick-cut, spongy white bread (the type of bread you loved as a kid). The fish fillet is so big, the bread slices can’t contain it, so panko-crumbed perfection spills out the sides. We’ve also had the chip butty, packed with crunchy, golden chips (also on thick white bread) – of course we add curry sauce, which tastes a bit like a sauce Granny would make if she's whipping up...

✍️ 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: Swinging open its doors in 2022, Porkfat is one of Sydney’s best Thai restaurants. Chef-owner Narin 'Jack' Kulasai and Tanya Boon are as kind and warm as they come – in fact, the whole team is – and the food here is so damn delicious, even Nigella Lawson is a fan. There are always new specials to try, but we always have to order Porkfat’s larb. Featuring ground pork coated in pork fat, smoked chilli and roasted rice powder, with snake beans, cucumber, iceberg and fragrant herbs for freshness and crunch, it’s a flavour and texture bomb.  ***** We’re about three mouthfuls into a brilliant dish of deep-fried barramundi with a mango salad – a tumble of sweet fruit matchsticks intertwined with fresh mint and coriander, lemongrass and crunchy cashews licked with nahm jim dressing sitting on top of crisp, succulent fillets of barramundi. I look up and see my dining companion with his eyes closed, hands at his temples, tiny droplets of sweat forming on his forehead. The truth is my nose has started to run like someone on a Codral commercial and the room is beginning to look hazy. It’s abundantly clear the chefs at Porkfat mean serious business, and I, unlike perhaps my date (who at this point are now onto their fourth glass of water) am absolutely here for...

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...

✍️ 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.  The vibe Purveyors of excellent specialty coffee and good times, Single O has been a pioneer of Sydney’s café scene since it opened with a bang in 2003. Found on a cool, industrial-style corner space on Reservoir Street in Surry Hills, this place pumps with both Sydneysiders and tourists from morning until it closes at 3pm. Sustainability has been at the heart of Single O since its inception, with the team committed to sourcing ethically and environmentally responsible beans. They also have a solar-powered roastery in Botany, co-created an innovative milk-on-tap system that swapped plastic milk bottles with 10L bladders – creating an 80 per cent reduction in plastic wares – and their current mission is to halve carbon emissions by 2026 and achieve Net Zero by 2030. How good’s that? The food Single O has an all-day menu, which is great news if you’ve had a big one and still feel like eggs and bacon at noon – just a note that the kitchen closes at 2.15pm. Expect jazzed-up café fare featuring Aussie ingredients and Asian flavours, like their take on eggs Benedict with smoked pork, yuzu hollandaise, cucumber, mint, coriander, pickled apple and chilli oil. Or try the crisp corn fritters, which come topped with romesco sauce, avo, guindilla and a coriander...

The vibeYou’ll find this friendly neighbourhood café on a sun-soaked suburban street in Sydney’s east. Huge bifold windows open up onto the pavement, where wooden tables fill with mums and bubs with oat babyccinos, and runners fresh from the park (it’s just minutes from Centennial) fueling up with smoothies and loaded toasties. On the shelf by the door, you’ll find a colourful, mismatched selection of mugs donated to the café by the local community – if you ask for your coffee to take-away, you’ll be given one of these instead of a disposable cup. This zero-waste philosophy guides the ethos here, with reusable Huskee cups available to buy, and take-away food packaged in biodegradable paper and cardboard packaging.The food The planet-loving philosophy is also reflected in the all-day menu, which is fresh, seasonal and plant-forward (with the option to add halloumi, goats cheese, bacon or eggs if you need a hit of animal protein).The drinks As you’d expect from such a sustainability-focused operation, the coffee served here comes from a local roastery (Black Market Roasters) and there’s a good selection of specialty drinks, with turmeric and matcha lattes served in Huskee cups and smoothies and milkshakes served in glass jars (an extra $2 if you want to take away). Fresh juices come from Darlinghurst based juice king Simon Says Juice, and there’s a spicy turmeric shot that will make you feel like a paragon of health.Time Out tipOrder the gluten free bread – they source from...

✍️ 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.  The vibe If you’re after a sunny-day lunch spot by the water, this place has your name written all over it. It’s down at the harbour at Barangaroo, an iconic Sydney setting. It’s got a huge indoor-outdoor dining room – there’s cover to keep you out of the rain and blaring sun, but you look straight out onto the boardwalk and water. This is no cosy, underground, “hidden gem” – it’s a slick, sleek-surfaces kind of place. On the day we went, the service was a little slow, but the place was pumping – even though it was only a Wednesday lunchtime. The food As the name suggests, the menu heroes fish. Sustainable fish, which is ace. Their philosophy is: "Be as local, seasonal and sustainable as possible.” The menu spans raw and cured options, small plates, pastas and risottos and, of course, main fish dishes (including grilled swordfish, barramundi and mulloway). Non-fish fans can opt for the steak or chicken dish instead, but we’re here for the seafood – so we order the fish and chips (today it’s king dory) and the spinach linguine with prawns. The fish and chips is solid – a nice, generous serve with crisp batter, a tangy tartare sauce and Maccas-like fries. The green-tinged pasta comes with sliced prawns and a pearlescent cherry tomato and pangrattato sauce...

The phrase ‘your phone eats first’ takes on a whole new meaning at The Grounds of Alexandria. In 2024 and 2023, this viral all-day café in Sydney – famous for its sprawling alfresco area, enchanting installations and, yes, huge weekend crowds – was named the world’s most Instagrammed café.  It’s been more than a decade since I last visited The Grounds. Back then, I had to convince my mum to drive me all the way across the Harbour Bridge for a pastry and, much to my shame, a photo op. Now, ten years later, I decided it was time for me to return and see if the café still lives up to the hype. Judging by its almost 400,000 Instagram followers, 123,000 posts tagged #TheGroundsOfAlexandria, and 5,600 Google Maps reviews averaging four stars, I got the gist that it was still going strong. One clear takeaway from my research was to avoid visiting The Grounds on the weekend, when crowds swarm in from all across Sydney – and the world, for that matter. Hoping for a quieter experience, I visited on a Monday morning, only to find the car park completely full by 10am. Those who enter through Bourke Road will first encounter The Grounds’ charming, rustic alfresco area, complete with a miniature animal farm. While I was disappointed to find that ‘Kevin Bacon’ (the café's infamous resident pig) was no longer there, his old pen is now home to two cheerful goats.  Keep strolling past the animal farm, and you’ll eventually find yourself in the gorgeous Garden Bar and BBQ. Here, chandeliers...

When it comes to sustainable dining, Refettorio OzHarvest is in a league of its own. By day, the not-for-profit café serves nourishing three-course lunches to Sydney’s vulnerable communities, free of charge. But every Thursday night, ‘the Ref’ opens its doors to the public for Pay It Forward Dinners, where every ticket pays for four people in need, to dine the following day. If that's not enough, the gourmet meals are completely vegetarian and zero-waste, made using up to 95 per cent rescued produce. It's a win-win-win for your palate, the planet and those in need. The Refettorio, which takes its name from the Latin word meaning "to re-make" or "restore," is a first-of-its-kind social impact collaboration in Australia, brought to us by the food waste warriors at OzHarvest and celebrated Italian chef Massimo Bottura’s not-for-profit organisation Food for Soul. Unlike Bottura's three Michelin-star restaurant, Osteria Francescana, the Ref opens its doors to folks facing food insecurity, serving around 500 guests each week. Talk about a delicious way to make a difference. Part of the Ref’s charm is not knowing what’s on the menu until you’re comfortably seated. Head chef Jez Wick keeps things exciting by changing the three-course menu on a weekly (or sometimes even daily) basis, embracing wonky vegetables and imperfect produce, which have been donated or rescued from local suppliers, supermarkets and farms. Not a scrap goes to waste – any leftover food is fermented, pickled,...

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...