Earlier this year, Petit Loulou opened in Martin Place, giving busy city-siders a taste of the flaky croissants and well-stuffed éclairs that made its Milsons Point sibling so beloved. Now you can enjoy the full shabang with the opening of LouLou Bistro just a level above. The all-day menu brings favourites from across the bridge, including John Dory with champagne sauce and the signature chicken liver parfait, plus there’s a steak frites baguette that’s guaranteed to elicit serious food envy from your colleagues. But this two-storey venue is more than a grab-and-go spot: it’s made for lingering, with alfresco seating that’s made for people-watching over a glass of bubbles (Moët is on the menu, naturally).

When celebrated Australian chef Mark Best announced he was taking over one of Sydney’s most iconic dining spaces, collective interest was piqued. Infinity by Mark Best is the new modern Australian diner set to transform the revolving Sydney Tower, 81 storeys up. The opening menu features Coffin Bay oysters with grilled sea foam and South Coast sea urchin crumpets, paired with an exclusively Australian wine list. The interiors have had a muted refresh, with a refined palette of navy, charcoal and warm browns throughout but those panoramic views are still the venue’s main draw.

House Made Hospitality is one of the city’s leading restaurant groups: multi-storey Hinchcliff House (home to Lana, Apollonia and Grana) and Redfern newcomers Island Radio and Baptist St Rec. Club are part of its stable. Now the group is adding Greek to its repertoire with Etheus, a charming new eatery on the main drag at Bondi Beach. Fire-licked dishes are the specialty here so it’s wise to start with chargrilled octopus with ouzo aioli before moving onto the pork neck souvlaki, served deliciously charred on skewers. Or lean into the coastal setting with a spritz and the raw tuna with dakos, a traditional Greek salad that comes with crusty rye bread.

Don’t be alarmed if you spot flames in the dining room of Martin Place’s new Italian restaurant Rovollo. It’s all part of the show: the signature cacio e pepe is tossed tableside through a 20-kilogram wheel of Parmigiano-Reggiano that’s briefly (and safely) set alight, creating a rich, ultra-cheesy coating on the thick ribbons of pasta. The spectacle is a show stopper but it’s not the only attention-grabbing dish from executive chef Cami Feliciano (ex-Seta) and head chef Zane Buchanan (ex-Clam Bar, Fish Butchery): for dessert, there’s a 24-layer dark chocolate cake served with a warm rosemary-infused berry compote. The dining room is just as dramatic, anchored by a parachute-turned-light-pendant, while a beautiful hand-painted mural on the ceiling, designed by Esper Group Director Andrew Wallace’s partner, brings additional warmth to the space. Sink into a banquette seat with a freezer-cold martini (topped with basil and tomato oil) and you’ll forget you’re in the heart of one of the city’s busiest metro precincts in no time.

Known for its award-winning ales and bold stouts, Felons Brewing Co. is a staple of Australia’s craft beer scene. Now the team is wading into new waters with the opening of Felons Seafood, a restaurant and bar perched on the iconic Manly Wharf. As its name suggests, seafood claims the spotlight here and the menu is committed to showcasing top-quality Australian produce and native ingredients, with dishes spanning from grilled fish and chips to refined raw bar favourites. At the helm is proud Palawa man and graduate of the National Indigenous Culinary Institute chef Luke Bourke, whose resume includes being sous chef at Rockpool Bar & Grill as well as hosting masterclasses that delved into First Nations culinary techniques and culture at the Sydney Seafood School. To drink? There’s a standout salt and vinegar Martini with Oyster Shell Gin. 

With its terracotta-hued interiors, sculptural lighting and vibrantly coloured ceramics, Akti’s dining room feels like a cross between an art gallery and boutique homewares store. But one bite of the sizzling, honey-drizzled saganaki will remind you that you’re seated in one of the city’s most impressive new Greek restaurants. With umbrella-fringed alfresco dining right on Woolloomooloo Finger Wharf, the latest venture from the Sydney Restaurant Group is all about bringing fresh takes to the classics. The slow-cooked lamb shoulder pairs perfectly with golden potatoes while the signature cocktail, Meet Me at Akti with its notes of Aperol, limoncello, clarified guava and pistachio tastes like long afternoons by the Aegean Sea.

This low-key hole-in-the-wall is on one of the busiest streets in Sydney’s CBD, yet a meal here feels like you’ve stepped into somebody’s home kitchen. That’s thanks to chef Stella Roditis’s simple yet intensely tasty cooking (a delicate fillet of snapper is given a burst of flavour with the addition of rich guanciale and skordalia) plus the warm service delivered by owner Vito Mollica, who greets every guest like family. If you’re a fan of Darlinghurst’s chef-favourite Bar Vincent (Roditis’s alma mater), Clarence and V brings the same gentle spirit.

Seafood aficionados have a new venue to add to their list as the Continental Deli team – renowned for their charcuterie, preserves and gildas – turn their eye to the ocean with the opening of their new venue, Mister Grotto. Seating just 30 guests at a time, this relaxed diner on Newtown’s Australia Street shucks up three oyster variants on the spot and offers everything from canned smoked cod to seared Coffs Harbour bonito and barbecued nannygai fish perched on a layer of corn-yellow macadamia salsa macha sauce. Not sure where to start? Settle in for the six-course selection menu, which kicks off with a spread of conservas and finishes up with a buttermilk soft serve with fig compote and honeycomb that almost looks too pretty to eat.

Helmed by chef Brent Savage and sommelier Nick Hildebrandt of the lauded Bentley Group,  Eleven Barrack is the latest incarnation of a heritage-listed building that once housed the first Bank of Australia, a 5-minute walk from Martin Place. Inside you’ll find ornate coffered ceilings, marble columns and arched windows, along with the white tablecloth service the group – King Clarence, Bentley Restaurant + Bar and Monopole – are renowned for. Approachable fare executed with excellence underpins the menu, where bistro classics such as coal-roasted coral trout swimming in green garlic sauce and grilled F1 Wagyu T-bones compete with spanner crab and fish pie and confit duck pasta for your attention.

Travertine floors, clay walls, marble tables and brass accents come together to create the rustic and welcoming atmosphere chef and owner Jeremy Agha sought to make with IFTAR, a newly-opened Middle Eastern venue in Merrylands, a 25-minute drive west of the CBD. Here the menu builds upon traditional recipes Agha inherited from his mother, Rita, with some offering a surprising twist, such as lamb shawarma tacos, wagyu kofta dumplings and pasta draped in burnt butter, minced lamb and a minty garlic yogurt. No matter what you order, don’t skip the puffy woodfired sourdough bread from a recipe that has been passed down through generations and is essential for mopping up extra sauce as you dine.

The interior design and heritage architecture are reason alone to visit this six-venue Japanese precinct in Sydney’s CBD, particularly the colourful cartoon mural in the upstairs bathroom and the majestic tree root sculptures on the ceiling of Japanese-Euro diner Five. But the food is made with just as much attention to detail. Of note is the eight-seat progressive Edomae sushi experience at Omakase.

Even carnivores shouldn't be scared by the “v” word at Flora, an all-day vegetarian spot on Australia Street in Sydney’s Newtown. The menu is bright, inventive and delicious at dinner, with dishes such as brussels sprout pierogies with cultured cream and koshihikari rice with corn, aji chilli and marjoram, while daytime looks like cacao husk pancakes and roast tomato and bullhorn pepper gazpacho.

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