The best seafood restaurants in Sydney

If you want to see and taste seafood magic, make a booking at Josh and Julie Niland’s pioneering restaurant, Saint Peter, now located in Paddington’s Grand National Hotel. Here, Niland transforms coral trout bones into an umami-packed consommé with noodles (also made from bones), takes lesser-used cuts of fish and turns them into wine-bar-worthy fish charcuterie, and even uses Murray cod fat to create caramel. There’s nothing fishy about dining at Saint Peter – this is seriously delicious stuff, backed up by impeccable service, a warm and polished dining room and an excellent drinks list. This is special-occasion seafood dining of the highest order.

Time Out tip: Saint Peter is a set-menu-only affair at night, but they offer à la carte at lunch. After something more casual? Drop in to Saint Peter Bar for Niland's tuna cheeseburger, fish pie and pickled sea creatures, paired with a frosty Martini.

Neil Perry's swish Double Bay fine diner serves some of the best seafood in Sydney, which makes sense given his more than four decades in the industry. Perry is an expert when it comes to respecting his ingredients and allowing seasonal produce to shine. At Margaret, you won't find any overly complicated or intricate dishes. Instead, there's local, sustainably sourced seafood, beautifully cooked and presented – perhaps with a drizzle of robust olive oil, a cheek of lemon and perfect seasoning. As good as it gets.

Time Out tip: Feel like an after-lunch drink? Head on over to Perry's nearby Martini bar, Bobbie's, for an excellent tipple.

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 seafood, meat and vegetables, 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.

Time Out tip: The three-in-one venue is also home to a wine bar downstairs and a rooftop bar on top. Make a night of it and check out all three (and order the Mango Spritz at The Grill).

Famous for its coastal kitsch dining room, home-style, delicious food and those surf views, Sean's is one of Sydney’s most beloved restaurants – and has been since it opened its doors in Bondi back in 1993. Sean’s legendary roast chook is a standout, of course, but so too are the seafood dishes. Fresh, tasty and unpretentious – they’re the kind of things we want to eat on a sunny day here in Sydney.

Time Out tip: Sean's offers a three-course menu that changes almost daily based on what's in season, and I’ve yet to find a dish I haven't loved. It's also a great spot to celebrate special occasions (like my 30th).

When a long lunch is on the cards – and you're after views and fresh-as seafood – Icebergs is still one of the most beautiful places to dine in the world, delivering elegant coastal Italian fare with a side of la dolce vita.

Time Out tip: Don't have heaps of cash to splash? No worries, beeline it straight to the bar. The view, snacks and drinks are on point there, too. 

Chippendale restaurant Longshore is helmed by hospitality legend and former Hartsyard owner, Jarrod Walsh – and here, seafood is king. Walsh grew up fishing, camping and exploring in Port Macquarie on the NSW North Coast, and has drawn on his childhood to create the menu. Come for fresh and flavour-packed menu, which may feature plates like Abrolhos Island scallops with mandarin kosho (a Japanese spice paste) and makrut lime; grilled Clarence River octopus skewers with a smoked soy glaze; and a knock-out abalone pie with pine mushroom ketchup.

Fich at Petersham is definitely nicer than your average suburban fish and chip shop. It’s split in two – on one side you’ve got a counter for ordering takeaway and perusing the ready-made salads. Over the divide is a clean, white dining room with a single giant fish on one wall and Norah Jones on the stereo, where the menu stretches from fist-sized potato scallops with tomato sauce all the way to a ceviche of the day or tender calamari strips that are scored to soak in more of the garlic and chilli oil they are bathed in.

With market-fresh fish, a gentle sea breeze and holiday-like views, it always feels like summer at Bondi’s beachside babe, North Bondi Fish. Come for fresh seafood – whether it's served as a sashimi platter, wrapped up in a zesty taco, or grilled and served with lemon. North Bondi Fish offers exactly the kind of dishes you want to enjoy by the sea, paired with a chilled bottle of white.

At Uncut Seafood, they’ve swapped fried for fresh and chips for delicate crackers. In fact, it’s less of a shop and more of a seafood delicatessen, as labelled by the Lucas sibling trio, who come from four generations of fishmongers. This means Uncut’s sashimi is expertly selected, cut and served. While the walls are adorned with Moroccan zellige tiles and the countertops feature Taj Mahal quartzite, the menu isn’t set in stone. It changes daily, but you can always expect fresh grilled fish with pita and seasonal greens, cuts of sashimi, oysters and prawns.

In its basic structure, Fish Shop is just like your seaside local – you pick a main from snapper, ocean trout, barramundi or King Ora salmon, as well as a market fish, then add a condiment and tack on a side – but after that, it goes off-script. Add on sugo with capers, salsa verde or tangy ladelomono, a Greek-style vinaigrette of lemon and oil. Sides are less along the lines of floury chips, and more in the vein of freekah with apricot chopped through, or fagioli bianchi with herbs and lemon. Joel Bennetts (formerly of Bistrode CBD and Peppe's) heads up the kitchen, shining a light on sustainable seafood and cuts that aren't so widely available. 

Breathe a sigh of relief: the pippies in XO sauce at XOPP are just as good as they are at Golden Century. And that’s a damn good thing, because it would be pretty awkward if the dish that inspired the awkwardly named (say it slowly, one letter at a time) and eagerly anticipated spinoff of the Chinatown institution were not up to scratch. The steamed clams are textbook tender, the shimmering amber sauce just as mystifyingly complex, and, of course, the addition of springy vermicelli noodles or crisp Chinese doughnuts (or both) remains vital. To order this dish is to remind yourself why it is a bona fide Hall of Famer on the Sydney dining circuit.

Mimi’s takes up the majority of the second floor in Coogee Pavilion. You won’t be the only one ordering from the live seafood menu that includes market-price mud crab and sea urchin. And bumps of caviar are delivered to your table on a dedicated cart, with accompanying frozen vodka so that you feel like you own a private jet, even if you can’t take it anywhere.

It's all about seafood at Ormeggio at the Spit. The fresh direction was inspired by Pavoni’s affection for the culinary style of the Southern Italian region of Puglia (the heel of the boot). Think seafood, cheese and vegetables, with crudos made from wild-caught fish.

Time Out tip: If you love Ormeggio, check out its casual sibling, Chiosco by Ormeggio. It's BYO, and you can rock up in a beach dress over your swimmers.

Found in the historic Flying Fish site at the end of Jones Bay Wharf, Sala is a modern Italian restaurant with a seafood-focused menu that celebrates its coastal pozzie. Lap up stellar views of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and harbour alongside sophisticated Italian fare. The restaurant is divided into several sections, so diners can enjoy different types of experiences based on the occasion: the terrace for a casual drink, the main dining room for formal dinners, and a crudo bar overlooking an open kitchen for a little theatre. Whenever you choose to sit, it’ll be a catch.

The restaurant at Hyatt Regency Sydney hotel is all about serving up sustainable Australian seafood – and they offer great-value deals. “We work closely with partners and source produce from all corners of Australia and New Zealand to ensure each dish is not only delicious, but sustainable,” says executive chef, Sven Ullrich. “I am passionate about working with local suppliers and farmers to hand-pick the best and freshest ingredients for each dish whilst being guided by what’s in season.”

On a sunny day, there are few nicer places to be than Queen Chow Manly, located right by the turquoise water at Manly Wharf. From plump prawn dumplings to steamed market fish with white soy, ginger and shallots, and kingfish sashimi with black bean, chilli and white soy, Merivale's high-end Cantonese restaurant serves fresh, premium and tasty seafood. Dig in.

Restaurant and bar St Siandra brings year-round summer vibes to Mosman. So much so that the Mediterranean-inspired venue is situated on a white-sand private beach (yes, really), overlooking the turquoise waters of the Spit. Spend the afternoon watching yachts glide by with Spritzes on tap, and eating seafood prepared by head chef Sam McCallum (formerly of the award-winning Nomad). How's that for la bella vita? 

When the sun is shining and you’re craving fresh seafood, a solid option is Manta, located by the water along Woolloomooloo Wharf. The extensive menu features the best from the land and sea. Highlights include Port Stephens yellowfin tuna crudo with kohlrabi salad, crisp barley and a Japanese-style wafu dressing; Manta’s signature Queensland blue swimmer crab lasagna with a crustacean bisque and garlic chives; and a king prawn spaghetti with chorizo, chilli, capers, tomato and soft herbs. Pair your seafood feast with a crisp white or a fun and fruity seasonal cocktail and that’s lunch done well in our books.

Dim sum doesn't get much better than this luxe Cantonese dining room. Come for lunch and enjoy your seafood in beautiful, two-bite parcels, like scallop and prawn shumai, crystal prawn and snow pea, king prawn and bamboo shoot, and lobster and scallop.

A 600-seat Cantonese restaurant with traditional yum cha, live seafood and late-night dining is now open in the former Golden Century digs. If you’ve been missing the legendary restaurant (we sure have), then we reckon the Royal Palace Seafood Restaurant may fill that dumpling-shaped hole in your heart. Live seafood is a focus of the Royal, with 24 live seafood tanks housing live lobsters, crabs, coral trouts and more. Expect Cantonese classics including lobster noodles with ginger and shallots; Peking duck with pancakes; Singapore chilli crab; and – yes – pippies in XO sauce.

Bondi’s beachside restaurant Promenade Bondi Beach is so pretty that the interiors almost rival the spectacular views of Australia’s most famous stretch of sand. Almost. There’s a focus on grilled seafood, as well as meat and vegetables, and dishes are inspired by coastal regions from around the world. Think sambals from Indonesia and Sri Lanka, and spices from India. It’s all the type of stuff you’d love to devour by the ocean

It’s probably been said 100 times before, but we’ll say it again: Rocker, Bondi’s breezy and cool restaurant and bar, rocks. Found 200 metres from Bondi's golden stretch of sand, the relaxed eatery by Darren Robertson (also Three Blue Ducks) and Cameron Northway has been keeping Bondi locals well fed and hydrated since 2017, and the good times have just kept on coming. If you're craving fish, go for a whole-roasted John Dory with lemon, capers and brown butter sauce; and linguine with pan-fried scallops, garlic, lemon, golden tomato, scallop roe and macadamias. Yum.

Like many of Tokyo's beloved dinner spots, Gaku is tiny, and a little chaotic, with smoke form the robata grill mixed in amongst cheery greetings and people crammed in for their beautiful hand rolls, sashimi and grilled snacks.