The best new restaurants in Sydney

Neptune’s Grotto, an underground Italian restaurant from the three musketeers behind icons Bistrot 916 (RIP), Clam Bar and Taylor Swift’s fave Sydney restaurant, Pellegrino 2000, is here. Found underneath Clam Bar on the corner of the CBD’s Young and Bridge Streets, the diner is said to be “a love letter to the quiet luxury of northern Italian cooking and hospitality.” Come for handmade pastas, eclectic takes on classic Italian cocktails, and, if it’s anything like the other three hits, a whole lotta fun. With low lights, New York-style booths and a long marble bar, Neptune’s Grotto is moody and sexy – perfect for late-night Negronis and bowls of luscious pasta. To the Grotto we go.

Say hola to Lottie, a sun-drenched rooftop Mexican restaurant, now open atop the new Redfern hotel, The Eve. The 107-seat open-air diner is the latest from the Liquid & Larder crew – the team behind The Gidley, Bistecca, The Rover and Alfie’s – and is the second venue to open at the boutique hotel within Wunderlich Lane, joining the Euro-style Bar Julius, also now open. Alejandro Huerta, the former head chef of Comedor, who has spent time in the kitchens of Noma in Copenhagen and Pujol in Mexico, is leading the kitchen as Lottie’s head chef, alongside executive chef Pip Pratt. Come for house-made tortillas piled with fresh, zingy and charred toppings, shaved-ice Margaritas and flaming-orange sunsets.

Eleven Barrack, a luxe seafood and steak bar and grill by The Bentley boys – the duo responsible for Sydney hits Bentley Restaurant and Bar, Yellow, King Clarence, Monopole, Cirrus and Brasserie 1930 – is now open at, you guessed it, 11 Barrack Street in Sydney’s CBD. Housed in New South Wales’ first savings bank, a heritage-listed building built in 1949, Eleven Barrack combines old-world charm with The Bentley Group’s flawless execution. Crisp white tablecloths, a first-class wine list and tableside service complete the go-hard-or-go-home offering. It's an elegant, indulgent offering, but it's clear they are having fun with it – and we're big fans of the eclectic dining room.

One of Sydney’s hottest restaurant openings of 2024 is here. Olympus, a 220-seat Greek restaurant brought to life by the team behind The Apollo and Cho Cho San, is now open, bringing the fresh, coastal flavours and lively spirit of Greece to Redfern’s new dining and lifestyle precinct, Wunderlich Lane. Named after Mount Olympus – Greece’s highest mountain and known as the home of the gods in Greek mythology – the circular, sunlit restaurant is anchored by the pièce de résistance: a 50-year-old bougainvillaea with vibrant magenta flowers, channeling the laid-back charm of the Greek Islands. Come for Greek hits, smashable Ouzo Coladas and get ready to feast.

A polished dining room with custom mid-century-inspired furniture and an alfresco space perfect for balmy-weather drinking and dining. A considered food menu that showcases quality produce, some of it enhanced by fire. Plus, an all-star team – the crew behind Shell House – with a CV spanning Sepia, Aria, Oncore, Icebergs, Pilu and more. This is The Grill, the fine diner in The Point Group’s new multi-level venue, The International, now open in Martin Place. And yeah, it’s hot as hell.

Bessie’s, a Mediterranean-inspired restaurant from the team behind Time Out’s fave vino haunt, Bar Copains, is here – and we're stoked. Morgan McGlone (culinary director of Potts Point’s Sunday and founder of Belles Hot Chicken), Nathan Sasi (the founding chef of Nomad), and Sasi’s partner Sali (co-founder of shopping platform Wrapd) say that fire is at the heart of their new diner, which is named after McGlone’s grandmother. And the venue is pretty special. It’s the old Chef’s Warehouse on Albion Street—just 70 metres from Bar Copains, which won Time Out’s Best Wine Bar Award 2023. The team has brought in serious talent to head up the kitchen at Bessie’s. Celebrated Sydney-born chef Remy Davis, from the Michelin-starred Elkano restaurant, relocated from San Sebastián for the head chef gig. 

Great news for Manly and Northern Beaches locals: Cibaria, a new all-day Italian diner from the team behind Ormeggio, A’Mare and Postino Osteria, is now open on the beachfront inside the newly renovated Manly Pacific. Our waiter said, “It’s just like the Mediterranean, but in Manly.” – and they are right. We dig the bright and breezy, colourful dining room, the hard-to-stop-eating Italian share-style dishes (Gorgonzola trolley, you are a hit) and the feel-good vibes. One to add to your list.

You will find dancing croissants, delightful food and fedora-donning locals sipping on Spritzes if you happen to head to 118 Queen St, Woollahra. That’s because Cafe Cressida – a casual café and restaurant by chef Phil Wood and wife Lis Davies, the team behind the award-winning Ursula’s Paddington – is now open inside the Musk Stick-pink Queens Court building. Named after the couple’s three-year-old daughter (and found in her favourite building), Cafe Cressida is open for brekkie and lunch seven days a week, as well as dinner on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. No bookings, walk on in. Dancing croissants are also welcome.

Chopsticks at the ready: Sydney dining institution Golden Century – famous for its XO pippies, delicious yum cha and late-night dining – is now open at Crown Sydney, after closing its OG location in 2020. You’ll find the all-new Golden Century on level three of the swish waterfront hotel. And while there are a few differences from its original Sussex Street digs (RIP trolleys and lazy Susans), loyal dumpling lovers will be pleased to hear the Cantonese hits remain. The menu, which includes more than 80 traditional dishes, features all the classics like steamed dim sum, fresh seafood (hello, live pippies with XO sauce on fried vermicelli), glistening roast duck, warming hot pots and more.

If it’s been a while between visits, we reckon you should take a walk down Newtown’s Australia Street, ’cos there’s a bit going on. Sydney’s favourite charcuterie, cheese and booze haven, Continental Deli, has welcomed sibling venues: Flora, an all-day vegetarian restaurant, and Mister Grotto, a seafood diner, with Italian spot Osteria Mucca, and boutique accommodation Australia Street Suites, in the pipeline. (Also found on Australia Street is Westwood, one of our fave pizza joints). The venues are spearheaded by Paisano & Daughters, a family-owned hospo business which also shares DNA with Porteño, Humble Bakery and Bastardo. But back to Flora. Open seven days a week for lunch and dinner, as well as breakfast on Saturday and Sunday, Flora’s focus is to bring seasonal, sustainable, nourishing and – importantly – tasty vegetarian eats to the already strong plant-leaning community.

Lamb shawarma tacos and Wagyu kofta dumplings are some of the fun, flavour-packed dishes on the menu at Iftar, a contemporary Middle Eastern restaurant now open in Merrylands. Iftar, which means “break-fast” in Arabic, is by chef/owner Jeremy Agha, who has drawn on his heritage and family recipes passed down through generations – including a wood-fired sourdough bread – to create the menu. Designed by interior architect Matt Woods, the elegant, dreamy space features terracotta accents, an earthy colour palette, marble tables, travertine floors, and textured clay walls.

If you're into spicy curries, cool cocktails and late-night vibes, Sydney's newest hotspot Kasippu is calling your name. House of Pocket, the group behind Stitch Bar and YCK Laneways, has opened its doors to a Sri Lankan-inspired restaurant and cocktail bar that blends spice with spirit in a beautiful heritage building in the CBD. At the helm is chef Amila Hemachandra, who recently spearheaded a team trip to Sri Lanka. From street eats to high-end plates, the team ate their way through everything to get to the heart of the island nation’s food and culture, before nutting out the concept of their new venture, Kasippu. 

Gymea’s got a new kid on an old block. We’re talking about the recently opened Hazel Kitchen & Bar found within the Hazelhurst Arts Centre. Its backstory? The property originally belonged to Ben and Hazel Broadhurst, who gifted it to the community in the ’90s to create a vibrant arts hub. Today, Hazel Kitchen & Bar, named after its benefactors, celebrates their legacy with great food and creative vibes. Chef Nils Herold serves up fresh, seasonal dishes inspired by the beautiful Hazelhurst gardens – think vibrant, local produce transformed into seriously delicious plates. With Insta-worthy mid-century interiors (that stunning Breccia Rose marble bar is calling out to us), and gorgeous gardens, all you need to decide is whether to sit at the bar, grab a table, or chill on the deck with views of lush surroundings. 

Josh Niland’s revolutionary seafood restaurant has found a beautiful new home in Paddington’s Grand National Hotel, but the game-changing dishes remain. Dinner is set-menu only, while à la carte options are available at lunch. Plus, we love the Saint Peter Bar, a walk-in-only classy spot for Frosty Martinis and Niland’s legendary tuna cheeseburger.

Growing up, sisters Rowena and Kate Chansiri used to eat a beef noodle soup made by their mum using their grandmother’s recipe. It’s a traditional street-food dish that’s slurped in Chinatowns all over Thailand, and now, they are serving it at their new unassuming eatery on 47 Cooper Street in Surry Hills. They are honouring their grandmother in another way, too. The name of their diner, “Ama” (pronounced ah–maa), means grandmother in Thai. Also order: the house-made pork and prawn dumplings topped with a ginger and soybean dressing and a chilli sauce.

Part relaxed noodle bar, part funky eating house, and 100 per cent a good time, Island Radio – a high-energy Southeast Asian eatery with flavour-packed plates – is now open in Redfern’s Wunderlich Lane. Fun and a little bit fruity, Island Radio is by Sydney’s House Made Hospitality. There’s a lot to like in the two-pronged diner, beginning with the noodle bar’s affordable offerings, inspired by Southeast Asia’s street markets. Like the $15 bowl of egg noodles with ginger shallot and sambal, and the $19 bowl of char kway teow with lap cheong, shallot and crisp garlic. Slurp it down with a side of duck spring rolls and crunchy fried chicken with a chilled Tiger for a yum mid-week feed.

The heritage-listed former post office, previously home to One Penny Red in Summer Hill, has transformed into a charming Italian diner with chef Alessandro Pavoni of Ormeggio, A’Mare, and Chiosco leading the kitchen. He’s joined by his business-and-life-partner, Anna Pavoni, and co-owner Bill Drakopoulos. Called Postino Osteria (it's a play on words: "Postino" means both ‘postman’ and ‘small but cosy place’ in Italian), the restaurant is inspired by the simple and traditional trattorias found all over Italy. The team wants it to be a spot where locals can drop in for a bowl of pasta, a glass of wine after work, and where the staff know your favourite aperitivo by heart.

Sofitel Sydney Wentworth, the city’s first five-star hotel, has recently reopened following a $70-million renovation, adding 436 brand-new rooms and more than 15 refreshed event spaces, including a 750-person ballroom. But TBH, we’re more interested in the four new venues. First up is Tilda, a smart-casual restaurant channelling Australian nostalgia (the name is a nod to Waltzing Matilda) with stylish interiors and a menu that champions the best of the land and sea. In a group of four? Be sure to order the totally OTT bread course.

Table Manners is Bronte’s fun, playful and classy new kid on the block. The interiors are dreamy, the vibe at night feels like a roaring dinner party, and there’s a luxe bug club sambo on the menu.

An ambitious three-storey, multi-venue Japanese precinct by the Azabu Group (also Charlotte Bar & Bistro, Kame House, Hanasuki) has opened in a heritage-listed building in Sydney’s CBD. So if you’re thinking of booking flights to Tokyo, we say: save your pocket money and come here instead. Drawing inspiration from Japan’s 47 prefectures (or regions), Prefecture 48 – or P48 for short – is game-changing six-in-one hospitality hub on Sussex Street housing four slick Japanese restaurants, a handsome whisky bar, and a patisserie – with the drinks list across all venues curated by the award-winning Maybe Sammy team. Go check it out stat.

The Shire is heating up just in time for summer with the opening of Benny’s, a relaxed waterfront restaurant overlooking Gunnamatta Bay. RJ Lines, the former chef of Summer Hill’s award-winning One Penny Red, is behind the Mediterranean-and-Australian-inspired menu. In your swimmers? No worries. Benny’s offers takeaway beer-battered fish and chips with mushy peas and tartare sauce, plus gelato and ice cream cones – perfect for enjoying on the grassy knoll just outside in the sunshine.

What do you get when you combine four mates who have worked at some of Sydney’s hottest restaurants, a cracking home in Redfern (the former palace of The Sunshine Inn), and feel-good Euro vibes? You get Attenzione Food & Wine, that’s what. The fun and breezy diner promises to bring yum plates and top-notch vino to Redfern Street. Safe to say it’s got our attention.

The Cut Bar & Grill, a subterranean steakhouse and wood-fired grill in The Rocks, has reopened with a fresh look and menu by the team behind Sydney's award-winning Rockpool Bar & Grill. Expect New York steakhouse classics on the menu, along with quality produce cooked over wood fire and, of course, top-notch steak. The Cut’s signature slow-cooked prime rib – sliced and served tableside – remains on the menu. Located on Argyle Street, the heritage-listed underground space features a smart dining room with wooden and forest-green booth seating and large marble tables. There’s also a bar, perfect for an after-work snack and a The Cut’s Gibson (made with house-made Gibson mignonette and Oyster Shell Gin, served with a Sydney rock oyster) or an end-of-night Negroni.

The team behind the boundary-pushing Pleasure Club (plus other Sydney favourites including The Old Fitz, the Duke of Enmore, and the eponymous Odd Culture Newtown) has opened their latest venture: a French-inspired bistro now open in Newtown. Bistro Grenier has taken over the mezzanine level above the Odd Culture bar, bringing a Euro-style dining experience to King Street.

Pino's Vino e Cucina al Mare – the second coastal iteration of Alexandria’s beloved trattoria Pino's Vino e Cucina – is now open. Al Mare means "by the sea" in Italian, a nod to its location on Surf Road, just a few minutes from Cronulla Beach. The Italian restaurant is housed inside a 1908-built former church and community library that’s cloaked in trailing ivy. Standouts of the opening menu include things like a mixed seafood platter, lobster pasta, pici cacio e pepe and build-your-own charcuterie platters with Italian cheese, salumi and antipasti. Post-swim oysters and Spritz, anyone?

20 Chapel, a neighbourhood bistro with a focus on wood-fired cooking and farm-fresh produce, is now open in Marrickville. Corey Costelloe, the former culinary director of Rockpool Bar & Grill – recipient of Time Out Sydney’s Legend Award 2023 – is behind the 64-seater Chapel Street spot. Costelloe has teamed up with David Allison, an old friend, chef and owner of Stix Farm, as well as Rockpool’s former maître d' Anthony Qalilawa, to bring 20 Chapel to life. As you’d expect from the team’s impressive CV, the menu features premium proteins alongside locally grown, seasonal and organic fruit, vegetables and herbs. We’re told Negronis are on tap, too.

Song Bird, Neil Perry’s latest and said to be his last restaurant, is now open in Double Bay. The 240-seat, three-storey restaurant is housed within the mid-century, heritage-listed Gaden House, and is an ode to Perry’s lifelong love for Cantonese cuisine. Perry, who won the Icon Award at this year’s World's 50 Best Restaurants ceremony, says to think of it like a Chinese version of Margaret, his nearby flagship fine diner. There's more than 70 dishes on the menu, Perry's greatest hits.

Nick and Kirk know how to run a banging restaurant – they’ve run crowd-favourite Ezra (Ashkenazi, Mediterranean and Middle Eastern flavours) in Potts Point for years. Now they’ve opened Teddy, a “modern Aussie bistro” in the former Raja site next door. Nick tells us that they’re having a bit of fun with Teddy, serving up nostalgic menu items with a mod twist. Starters include a prawn cocktail, a French onion dip with chopped radish, and pork and crayfish sausage rolls with “fancy tom sauce”. Think: sophisticated takes on the types of things granny used to whip up for a cocktail party.

Peter Conistis, the founding chef of Sydney’s Alpha and Ploos restaurants, who is widely regarded as the pioneer of Greek cuisine in Australia, has opened Ammos in Brighton-Le-Sands. Meaning sand in Greek, the breezy, sun-drenched 160-seat diner is located on level 3 of the Novotel Sydney Brighton Beach and has a spacious terrace with pretty views of the bay. With dreamy coastal interiors, a fresh seafood station, mezze bar and wines sourced directly from Greece, guests can enjoy a taste of the Med without leaving the tarmac.

Surry Hills stalwart the White Horse has reopened after a massive renovation with a fresh, new team holding the reins. The 170-seat venue features a stylish ground-floor restaurant, an upstairs bar and a sun-drenched garden terrace complete with lush plants – the perfect place for sinking a couple of cold ones in the afternoon. Giddy up. As for the food, expect to find ethically sourced produce from respected producers, as well as a spotlight on native ingredients.

Holy guacamole: Mami’s is an all-day cantina serving up delicious and authentic Mexican fare on Bondi Road  – and if you haven’t been, you really need to go. Nothing on the menu costs more than $20, the tacos took me right back to scoffing them standing up in Oaxaca City, and it’s BYO. Plus, if you head to The Royal across the road you can score 10 per cent off beer and 20 per cent off wine. How good is that?

Good Luck Restaurant Lounge, Merivale's new restaurant, is now open. Located in a hidden basement below the historic Burns Philp & Co building in Sydney's CBD, this head-turning venue is a project three years in the making by executive chef Mike Eggert (also of Totti’s) and CEO Justin Hemmes. Come for pan-Asian cuisine, big, bold flavours, and lots of seafood, fresh herbs and punchy sauces and sambals. And fun. It's Very Fun.

Think there’s not much action happening north of the bridge? Think again. Genzo, a fun and modern Japanese restaurant and sake bar, is now open in Etymon’s new supercharged Walker Street precinct. Lit up by rainbow neon lights and works by Tokyo artist Masanori Ushiki, it’s a cool space, and features a 28-seater cocktail and sake bar (with its own temperature-controlled sake room), a 90-seat dining room and an all-weather terrace. Executive chef Rhys Connell (ex-The Gantry and Sepia) is heading up the kitchen at Genzo alongside Tuan Colombo (ex-Sokyo, Nobu London) serving riffs on Japanese dishes and flame-kissed skewers.

The talented duo behind Time Out favourites Jane and Arthur have opened Fior, a breezy and casual Italian diner in the Sutherland Shire. Come for an Australian riff on Italian cuisine laced with charm, nostalgia and good times. The menu features rustic antipasti, handmade pasta and casual plates at affordable price points, made from mostly local ingredients. Oysters are freshly shucked to order, there's a roaming gelato trolley, and “the Shire’s best aperitivo hour”. We're there.

Whatever way you flip it, Sydney’s pizza game is strong, encompassing everything from NY-style slabs so big you can fold them in three to Neapolitan-style slices loved for their charred blisters and puffy crust. Now, there’s another pizza joint entering the chat: 170 Grammi, the sibling to Lane Cove favourite Via Napoli, is now open in Surry Hills on the corner of Crown and Foveaux streets. Don’t come expecting the same offering as Via Napoli, though. Here, chef-owner Luigi Esposito will be firing up the hand-made Italian wood-fired oven to serve Roman-style pizza, with a thin and crisp base. At 170 Grammi, each pizza is made using only 170 grams of dough (hence the name), so there’s a delicious crunch. Plus, you can eat more.

Good news for the golf, surf and food lovers among us: The Mona Social, a bar and bistro located on the lush grounds of the Mona Vale Golf Club, is now open. Situated in the coastal town at the northern end of Sydney's Northern Beaches, The Mona Social is run by The Boathouse team, who also have The Boathouse Shelly Beach and Manly Pavilion under their belt (among others). Don’t worry if golf’s not your jam. Everyone is welcome to check out The Mona Social – members and non-members alike – so if you’re hungry and in that salty neck of the woods, you have a new good-looking option.

It’s one of life’s universal truths that things on sticks are just more delicious. Wife-and-husband duo Alina Van and Raymond Hou know this well. Since 2019, they have been serving flame-licked skewers to hungry folks all across Sydney including festivals, breweries and the Royal Easter Show. They've now opened their first bricks-and-mortar venue – a two-storey restaurant on Enmore Road – right next door to Bar Louise. With an intimate chef’s table, chic seats and colourful art, it’s a sophisticated step up from their beloved red food truck. And though you may now enjoy their flame-cooked eats alongside a glass of wine – as opposed to scoffing it standing up – their delicious food remains. 

After a big build up, highly anticipated Latin American restaurant Morena is finally now open. Headed up by esteemed chef Alejandro Saravia – the executive chef and owner of Melbourne’s award-winning restaurants, Farmer’s Daughters and Victoria by Farmer’s Daughters – the 200-seat diner is located in the gorgeous, heritage-listed GPO Building in Martin Place. The menu pays homage to Saravia’s home country of Peru, as well as the flavours found in Colombia, Mexico, Venezuela, Argentina, Brazil, Cuba and more.