Elevated comfort food is everywhere at the moment and former Tetsuya’s executive chef Josh Raine and Michael Tran (ex The Bellevue and Clove Lane) are bringing their own take to the movement by serving a grown-up snack of fish fingers with pil pil at this cosy new Surry Hills wine bar. The space is designed to be a “proper little neighbourhood wine bar”, which means you’re welcome to come in for a full dinner or simply stop by for a quick glass of muscadet or nebbiolo and a bite.

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.

The crew behind the intimate – and hatted – Surry Hills hotspot Bar Copains have debuted two new venues just down the road on Albion Street. Housed in the former Chef’s Warehouse building, Bessie’s is an industrial-chic diner where the Mediterranean-inspired menu is centred on the art of cooking with fire, while its neighbouring sibling Bar Alma’s is an intimate walk-in only cocktail joint. Sink into a tan leather banquette at Bessie’s and spend your evening watching a never-ending procession of flame-kissed lamb empanadas, whole Murray cod and the restaurant’s signature coiled chorizo march out of the kitchen’s enormous wood-fired oven – they taste just as good as they look.

You’d be forgiven for thinking you’ve been transported to a beachfront trattoria on the Sicilian coast as you twirl silky strands of squid ink spaghetti around your fork at Cibaria, an Italian-inspired eatery on the Manly Pacific Hotel’s ground floor. The latest offering from Alessandro and Anna Pavoni – the team behind Barangaroo’s a’Mare and Mosman’s Ormeggio at the Spit – is designed for leisurely lunches and even longer dinners, with a menu touching on all the Italian classics from salumi to wood-fired pizza and zesty yellowfin crudo. If there’s still room afterwards, head next door to Cibaria’s Gelataria for ultra-soft scoops of cremino bianco – white chocolate gelato accented with roasted coconut. 

Fringed by palms and sculptural cacti, the rooftop of The EVE Hotel in Redfern’s buzzy new Wunderlich Lane precinct is home to Lottie, a cosy Mexican joint plating up a tight menu of share plates and a long list of cocktails (there are three Margarita variants), tequila and mezcal. Here, the larger dishes are best matched with a serving (or three) of house made tortillas – ideal for wrapping around melt-in-your-mouth pork jowl with cola mole or bites of the grilled Murray cod, which rests on a bed of spicy achiote sauce and lime onion xnipek. Just make sure you start with a bowl of ultra-fresh guacamole paired with plantain chips.

Korean fried chicken topped with a dollop of mayonnaise, pickled daikon and a heaping of caviar embodies the playful menu at Double Bay’s new peach-hued hang-out spot, Ruma. Come in the morning for a hearty Turkish-style Brekkie with hot honey halloumi and grilled seasonal veggies and a matcha latte; linger longer to pile tuna tartare and gojuchang aioli on crunchy wonton crisps while sipping on a plum and mango bellini; or pop in for dinner and bite into lemon ravioli drizzled in crispy chilli oil and kaffir lime leaves and a vodka, ginger and orange blossom Ruma cocktail.

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.

What’s more Sydney than watching the sun set over the water with the Harbour Bridge and Opera House in the background? Doing it from a three-level 150-foot superyacht as an 11-course tasting menu crafted by Executive Chef Pablo Tordesillas – formerly of Totti’s Bondi – takes you on an Italian-inspired culinary journey over three hours on the iconic harbour itself. Setting sail late March 2025, Solaré’s main deck is devoted to fine dining while the second floor houses a relaxed bar offering an a la carte menu and Martinis served tableside – the top floor channels European beach club vibes with private booths and daybeds primed to help maximise your time in the sunshine.

Michelin-starred dining lands in Sydney with the return of British chef Simon Rogan MBE to the tranquil shores of Balmoral Beach as he once again takes residence in the heritage-listed Bather’s Pavilions. Rogan’s flagship Northern England restaurant, L’Enclume, honours sustainability and farm-to-table cooking and was recently named the Best Restaurant in the World by French culinary bible, La Liste. Guests who manage to snag one of the hotly contested tables at the six-week pop-up should expect a decadent 14-course menu that includes a new twist on the three Michelin-starred restaurant’s signature Anvil dessert – a caramel mousse, apple and miso confection.

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.

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.

The newest addition to Sydney’s glitzy Barangaroo, the green and gold accented Annamese takes a fine dining approach to traditional Vietnamese dishes while adding a Thai-inspired twist. While you can order the classics, from barbecue chicken and tiger prawn rice paper rolls to slow-cooked lamb shoulder swimming in a peanut coconut curry, the menu places a strong emphasis on sustainably sourced seafood, so don’t go past the Hanoi-style wok-fried ocean trout with galangal or Sydney rock oysters paired with nuoc cham haisan dressing, green chili and caviar. The drinks menu is just as innovative, with a Pho-inspired tequila-based cocktail and a kaffir lime and lemongrass gimlet on offer.

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.

Wunderlich Lane, in the inner city suburb of Redfern, is shaping up to be one of the buzziest places to eat and hang out in Sydney. Upbeat and colourful, Island Radio is one of the freshest additions and exactly what you want in a neighbourhood bar. There are south-east Asian style snacks and half-price noodles every Tuesday but perhaps the most interesting item on the menu is a bit of a swerve: toasted rice bread. Light, fluffy and served with sambal butter, it’s ideal for swiping up the sauce from dishes including wagyu beef rendang.

If you’re going to call a restaurant Olympus – the home of the gods in Greek mythology – it had better make a spectacular impression. Thanks to its amphitheatre-like curves, retractable roof and 50-year-old bougainvillea tree centrepiece, this glamorous spot in the new Wunderlich Lane complex in Redfern does just that. The extensive menu designed by head chef Ozge Kalvo (formerly of Ester and Baba’s Place) is equally ambrosial: the mezedes list has every Greek dip and snack imaginable, the avgolemono soup shimmers with citrus and the lamb shoulder is rich and yielding.

Crown Sydney is already home to some of Sydney’s best big-ticket dining – Clare Smyth’s Oncore, Italian favourite A’Mare – and now welcomes a much-missed local institution with the opening of Golden Century on level three. The Chinatown original closed in 2021 but all the classics are back – XO pippies, abalone steamboat and salt-and-pepper squid – as well as the Wong family’s famously friendly service, which this time comes with a side of harbour views.

As you take your seat at Neptune’s Grotto in the Sydney CBD, an alabaster statue of the titular Neptune, lord of the waves, gestures dramatically from the middle of the room. The statue is the delightfully off-kilter centrepiece at this sultry Italian restaurant, the newest opening from the team behind Pellegrino 2000 and Clam Bar (the latter in the same building). Less seafood-driven than the name might suggest, the menu is more about restrained, well-made pasta, such as tagliatelle ragù and gramigna – a stubby, tubular shape popular in Emiligia-Romana – with sausage. End the night on a fiery note: the flambéed zuppa inglese is a party trick of a dessert.

The team behind Sydney’s three-storey Shell House knows how to do multi-dimensional, every-occasion drinks and dining and its latest opening is one of the most anticipated of the summer. The International at Martin Place consists of three venues: The Wine Bar, with a large by-the-glass list and woodfired pizza; The Grill for hibachi-fired meats, cold seafood and chilled Martinis; and, on the rooftop, cocktails, snacks and city views at The Panorama Bar.

The centre of Sydney has plenty of places to shop but until now has been a bit short on charming wine bars. Inside the heritage-listed Strand Arcade, The Restaurant Pendolino delivers on the latter with the opening of its adjacent offshoot, Bottega. Expect small plates and lesser-known regional Italian wines by the glass.

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