The best restaurants in the CBD

Clam Bar is a handsome New York-style steakhouse by the team behind the good-times-only Italian diner Pellegrino 2000 and Potts Point's French restaurant Bistrot 916. Chefs and owners Dan Pepperell and Mikey Clift, alongside sommelier Andy Tyson, know how to create a rocking venue with on-point flavours and a feel-good vibe (the fact that it’s impossible to get a booking unless it's a Tuesday at 5pm is testament to that). Hot tip: Order the cheeseburger – it's one of our faves in Sydney.

There may not be a sunny courtyard on the ground floor of the Ivy complex, but most of what’s made the OG Totti's such a hit has made the commute to the George Street digs: the rustic and retro Mediterranean look and feel, an accessible list of easy-drinking wines and unfussy classic cocktails, and – of course – that incredibly delicious and gloriously puffy wood-fired bread. Antipasti is the focus at this more compact, snack-centric younger sibling, with more than 20 options to choose from.

Located in a 1860s-built building that was once home to the heritage-listed Redoak Boutique Beer Cafe on Clarence Street, Palazzo Salato is the biggest venture to date from the Love, Tilly Group, whose impressive portfolio include Sydney stalwarts like Ragazzi, La Salut, Love, Tilly Devine and Dear Sainte Éloise. With silky pastas and killer vino, the sprawling restaurant and bar is reminiscent of Roman trattorie, and if you've got a friend's birthday bash, we say come here.

Located amongst the hustle and bustle of Bligh Street, Alfie’s is the latest restaurant opened by Liquid & Larder, the team behind formidable Sydney steakhouses don’t-sneak-your-phone-in Bistecca and handsome subterranean spot The Gidley. But don’t come expecting the same kind of opulent experience here. At Alfie’s, it’s clear the team have shifted gears and are now moving at speed in fifth. When you’re in want of a swift yet quality feed with top-notch steak, bone-chilling Martinis and sides with main-character energy, Alfie’s is your guy.

If you’re only going to hit up one house while on a day or night out in Sydney, better make it Shell House. Found in Sydney’s CBD, the historic clocktower building is home to not one, but four gorgeous venues held across three sprawling levels and all under the one roof. If you think that sounds like a good time, you’d be right. The jewel in the house is no doubt the Dining Room & Terrace, found on the ninth floor. The sun-lit room features a large open kitchen, cream lamps and beige curved seating and would fit right in on the pages of Architectural Digest. Outside, a wrap-around terrace dotted with fruit trees and cityscape views has long, boozy lunches written all over it.

Exiting the elevator onto the first floor of Sydney’s historic Gowings Building, the ornate Art Deco gilding of the State Theatre feels worlds away, even though it's just beneath your feet. Drawing inspiration from Little Italy and the American steakhouse scene, Gowings 2.0 heralds a new era with a fresh reimagining under the direction of acclaimed British chef and genuinely good guy, Sean Connolly. Here, you can expect really great food, old-school service, and a cracking wine list.

MuMu is the sister restaurant of Dan Hong's famous Potts Point innovator Ms G's, and the dishes are inspired by the journeys of Hong through Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Vietnam. The restaurant is colourful, and as the food arrives on your table, you're pratically eating the rainbow. The flavours are fun and punchy, and that vibe extends to the atmosphere of the place. As well as the brightly coloured décor and big flavours, we also love the banging tunes and playful cocktail list – and the fact the place is open until 2am from Thursday to Saturday night.

Have you ever wondered what it feels like to truly sit in the lap of luxury? You’ll know after a three-hour lunch at Brasserie 1930, the elegant hotel restaurant on the ground floor of the new Capella Hotel on Bridge Street. The fine diner was named for the year the back half of the building was completed, and it has been so carefully constructed and consciously designed it feels like it could well be from a bygone era of aristocratic living instead of a new addition to the city. Take the high life out for a test drive by booking a meal at Brasserie 1930. They’ll treat you like a minor royal even if your day-to-day title is more middle manager than “your majesty”.

They’ll tell you to go for the Peking duck. They’ll tell you it’s a juicy bird with crisp skin and sweet meat. And they’d be right. It is. This is just one of the many roast delights at Mr Wong – a two-level Canto-extravaganza offering everything from fancy dim sum to green beans stir-fried with pork mince and house-made XO sauce. 

Seasonality is key at Lana, and head chef Alex Wong’s menu is constantly shifting, leaning on the best available local produce. Lana's set menus are a standout, are if you're with a group of people, you're sure to go home full and happy. You can also add on dishes from the "Lana's Playlist" menu so expect palate cleansers, yummy little snacks, and aperitifs in the gorgeously renovated surrounds of Hinchcliff House.

Inspired by the famous Parisian bistro Le Relais de l'Entrecote, known for its brilliant steak dish, Bouillon l'Entrecote serves quality NSW Rangers Valley sirloin with crisp, golden fries, a secret sauce (we suspect anchovies make an appearance), and a simple green salad. Having tried it ourselves, we can confirm it’s très délicieux. Located a short stroll from the harbor, this good-looking restaurant also showcases traditional French cuisine at a reasonable price point. Options may include duck liver parfait with baguette, French onion soup, snails with parsley and butter, Wagyu tartare, and crème brulée to finish it all off, of course.

In 2018, husband and wife Daero Lee and Illa Kim opened up a 30-seat restaurant in Surry Hills, wanting to bring a contemporary spin to classic Korean dishes. Since then, Soul Dining has achieved that and more, cementing itself as one of the leading Korean restaurants in town. At the end of 2023, the duo wanted to expand. So, they packed up ship and moved their modern Seoul diner to Wynyard in Sydney’s CBD. And while the new space is bigger, the great food remains. The interiors are dark and moody, featuring splashes of marble, charcoal walls and furniture, striking flora displays, and hanging statement lights – ideal for date night, or a long catch up with friends.

The dress-circle Harbour views? The exquisite works of art on each and every plate? The custom-made crockery? The cornucopia of produce grown exclusively for the restaurant? The service team’s unrivalled professionalism? Some restaurants are engineered for special occasions and totally worth the splurge – this is most definitely one of them.

There’s a certain stereotype associated with any fancy (in this case, ‘grand’) brasserie, especially one where the wine list soars up to $38,000 bottles, the cocktail ice is embossed with the institution’s logo, and the menu throws out phrases like ‘signature caviar service’. For some, that stereotype is ‘pomposity’. The Charles, though, manages to evade the clichés and make fine dining, believe it or not, fun. In fact, they tackle the problem head-on. As their culinary director, Sebastien Lutaud, explains, the team has set out to “celebrate the charm of old-school hospitality without the stuffiness”. 

Given Bopp and Tone's smack-bang CBD centrality, a stone’s throw from Wynyard Station and metres away from George Street, you’d expect to find the corporate crowd carving up 300-gram rib-eyes in between bottles of Henschke shiraz at Bopp and Tone – and they are. A Josper oven and woodfired grill occupy most of the open kitchen’s breathing room, and aside from a few starters and the line-up of sides, most of the work is dedicated to land and sea beasts. And if for some reason the boss left the plastic at the office, footing the bill wouldn’t be a problem – Bopp and Tone is worth it.

Expect Seoul food with a side of funk at Funda, a modern Korean restaurant that's found on Pitt Street. The 120-seat venue channels Y2K vibes and serves remixes of traditional Korean food with modern European touches. There are two seriously good chefs at the helm, including executive chef Jung-su Chang, who's been the executive chef at South Korea’s two Michelin-starred restaurant Jungsik Seoul, where he has held the stars for four consecutive years. Chang will be cooking alongside head chef Chris Kim, who’s worked at award-winning Tetsuya’s and Sepia. So you can expect the food to be on-point.

David Thompson's longstanding Thai restaurant, Long Chim, remains a reliable option when you're craving salt, spice, and everything nice. They accommodate walk-ins and also take bookings for big groups – so bring your party and go to Thai town.

Stumbling across Felix, tucked away in Ash Street in Sydney’s CBD, makes you feel like you're in Paris any day of the week. It's the perfect place for a long, boozy lunch. We love the little touches: there's Tabasco on every table. The wine list, curated by sommelier Franck Moreau, offers a mix of classic and new-world drops. Plus, there's a fresh oyster bar in the main dining room featuring outstanding fresh-shucked oysters and all the fixings for that seafood platter everyone's talking about.

Some Sydney restaurants are “inspired by” eateries from other lands. Others, like Deux Freres, can transport you directly to somewhere on the other side of the world. This laneway pintxos bar and eatery plucks you right out of your Circular Quay surrounds and plonks you, magically, into one of the tiny bars that Spain’s Basque country is famous for.

Dining at Aria will make you fall back in love with Sydney; the longstanding harbourside fine-dining landmark not only offers world-class views but is also overseen by world-class chef Matt Moran. Thanks to the kitchen’s less-is-more approach and a brighter spotlight on native ingredients, the menu has been firmly brought into the here and now. And the panoramic outlook from the floor-to-ceiling windows remains one of the city’s best.

Elegant, ambitious, and perfect for a special occasion, Aalia is as exciting as it is tasty. Located at 25 Martin Place, this fine dining restaurant is a sibling to the beloved and celebrated Nour. While its Surry Hills sister focuses on Lebanese cuisine (diverse and eclectic as it is), what sets the stunningly plush Aalia apart is its expansive journey across the Middle East, including a delightful excursion along the North African coast.

The Bentley Group’s flagship seafood restaurant Cirrus has been serving some of the freshest and tastiest seafood in the Emerald City since 2016, and the good news is that this seriously ace diner shows no signs of slowing down. Expect bright, innovative, and, importantly, delicious plates overseen by executive chef and co-owner Brent Savage. Cirrus is located by the water in Barangaroo.

The sequel to Bistecca, The Gidley offers a broader spectrum of carnivorous thrills but keeps the old-world elegance front and centre. Handing over your mobile phone at the door allows you to surrender completely to a bygone era of prawn cocktails and vol-au-vents, when drinks were stiff and proper and whole fish were filleted tableside. If you need to loosen your necktie and let out your inner Don Draper, this is the place.

In a microcosm where finesse is everything (with a price tag to match), Joel Best starts each day with a visit to the fish market to make sure every element is, well, the best it can be. At Besuto, an omakase-style venture, fish with finesse is the name of the game. Best, alongside the gregarious chef Hiro Fujita, are trying their hand at the “leave it to you” style of dining that has taken Sydney by storm in recent months. The 14-seater is one of the fleet of eateries at the CBD’s Quay Quarter, alongside neighbours like underground bar Apollonia and mega venue Hinchcliff House. 

Ragazzi is a petite laneway pasta parlour that follows in the footsteps of sibling wine bars Dear Sainte Éloise and Love, Tilly Devine. The Harbour City’s obsession with pasta is at an all-time high, but thanks to a focus on lesser-known shapes and a willingness to stray from the tried and true, Ragazzi stands out. And because these are the brains behind two pioneering wine bars, there’s good drinking aplenty to be had. 

The first thing that hits you when you enter the 1936 City Mutual Building – considered by many the finest Art Deco building in Australia – isn't the pristine stone and brass work. It's the smell. Push through the heavy brass doors and be greeted by a mingling of grilling meat, wood fire and leather. This is Sydney's best-smelling restaurant and it's enough to make your mouth water even before you sit down. Breathe it in as you look up at the grandeur of the room.

In the Quay Quarters precinct in the heart of Sydney CBD, you'll discover Londres 126, named after one of the most iconic addresses in Mexico City—the home of the renowned artist Frida Kahlo. It's a departure from the usual city fare, and while it may initially sound gimmicky, this Kahlo-inspired establishment is an elegant and, dare we say, authentic reproduction of the Mexican icon's legendary party venue. The sophisticated wood-paneled 'gastro cantina' captures the rich mix of culture, creativity, and imagination that defined the legendary parties hosted by Kahlo at her home in the 1940s.

It’s human nature to be attracted to the shiny hot new thing, but there’s something to be said about the Sydney restaurants that stay open throughout the years. One of these restaurants is Spice Temple, the fiery subterranean Chinese spot that swung open its heavy black doors in the CBD in 2009 and never looked back. Spice Temple is renowned for putting a spotlight on China’s regional cuisines, from Sichuan to Yunnan, Hunan and Guangxi (fans of Chinese cuisine will notice there are no dishes from the Canton region). Super hot dishes are red on the menu – so spice wusses, tread lightly.

You might not expect a seriously schmick wine bar and restaurant housed in the original Fairfax building in the heart of the CBD to be all about inclusivity, but the Bentley Restaurant and Bar by sommelier Nick Hildebrandt and chef Brent Savage wants everyone to have a good time. If you’re not here for the full sit-down dining experience that’s A-OK. But to get the most out of this venue it's worth ordering a full meal. You won't regret a bite.

World-renowned chef Peter Gilmore’s artful, imaginative interpretation of Australian cuisine, is even more remarkable when tasted under the soaring sails of the iconic Sydney Opera House. Much like a ride on the Manly Ferry or the coastal walk from Coogee to Bondi, eating inside the Opera House is a Sydney rite of passage. The food and service are every bit as polished as the magnificent setting.

With its Italian plates, white tablecloths and focus on attuned service, Restaurant Leo occupies a space between hyper-charged fine dining and casual eatery: it prides itself on the full experience, as well as fresh, beautifully plated dishes. Leo tends towards hearty classics you'd enjoy by the Mediterranean coast: there are rock oysters, lobster maccheroncini, and a risotto with cuttlefish and peas made with koshihikari rice, a type of Japanese grain.