Your List of the 20 Hottest Restaurants in Sydney to Book Now

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.

From the outside, Josh and Julie Niland’s new home for their whole-fish restaurant, Saint Peter, inside the Grand National Hotel, is deceptively unassuming. Sitting on a pretty Paddington corner, in Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs, it’s not dissimilar to other 19th-century pubs in the area. But step through the main doors and that kerbside anonymity shapeshifts into the warmest of welcomes. The bar is all marble, desert-toned leathers and bunches of banksia leaves. Then it’s through to the main dining room where the team – led by head chef Joe Greenwood – will be preparing the evening’s seven-course tasting menu. There’s the salt-and-vinegar garfish or mackerel, a delicate tangle of coral trout bone “noodles” topped with Tasmanian saffron and there's always something encased in pastry, such as a Wellington or pâté en croûte, made with every part of a fish to minimise waste and maximise flavour – courtesy of Niland’s ode to scale and tail everything, which has cemented him as one of the world’s most exciting culinary visionaries.

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 sweet note: the fig leaf panna cotta is top notch.

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.

Maybe you didn’t know you wanted to dip hot chips into butter chicken gravy but a visit to this colour-soaked, fun-forward Anglo-Indian diner in Sydney’s Camperdown will convince you of its culinary merit. Derrel’s is the handiwork of ex-Baba’s Place chef Brendan King, who has transplanted some of the electric energy of that cult Marrickville warehouse restaurant. Pull up a metal chair, try the mashup samosa chaat with tamarind chutney and don’t worry about how messy you leave the formica.

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. 

Sunshiney crudo, a good plate of pasta and a fizzy spritz or two are exactly what a neighbourhood Italian spot should offer. With Fior, the team behind Jane and Arthur in Sydney’s Surry Hills is bringing a little bit of that Mediterranean magic to Gymea in the Sutherland Shire. The menu is packed with crowd pleasers, such as lamb ragu pappardelle and Wagyu lasagne. Make the most of BYO wine and sparkling from 12pm to 3pm on Saturdays and all day Sunday.

Sydney diners are no strangers to fusion cuisine: Ms G’s infamous cheeseburger spring rolls; Mr Wong’s crispy salt and pepper fried Balmain bugs; Ito’s Hokkaido scallop ravioli.  Cross-cultural creations are familiar fare in the Harbour City however at Double Bay newcomer Bartiga, there are fusions so unexpected that even a seasoned restaurant goer is likely to encounter something new. A case in point: the Tom Yum bouillabaisse spaghettini, combining the succulent seafood of the traditional French stew with the hot and sour flavours of Thailand’s signature soup, and silken strands of Italian pasta. It’s surprising culinary collisions like this – Asian twists on classic dishes – that make the menu at this stylish new eatery such an adventure.

Hotel grande dame Sheraton Grand Sydney Hyde Park has a new flagship woodfired restaurant, Sydney Common. Martin Benn (Sepia, Society) is on board in a culinary mentor-type role for head chef Jamie Robertson, who has designed a menu of elevated comfort classics such as king prawns with chilli, salted Shiso butter, and O'Connor dry-aged rib-eye with smoked fat vinaigrette and anchovy butter.

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.

It’s taken generations to perfect the flavours of the dishes you’ll sample at this family-run Sri Lankan diner on Crown Street. However, this is more than just your average mom-and-pop outfit, although you’ll likely meet both mum – Dilki De Hoedt – and dad – head chef Augi – as well as their sons and daughter-in-law, Jason, Travin and Saaya. Between them, they list stints in the kitchens of top Sydney venues including Parlar, Sixpenny, Sokyo and Bennelong on their résumés. The menu summons all the spice and colour of familiar Sri Lankan favourites elevated by up-market ingredients, such as the short rib curry curry served with house-made roti, or the Negombo prawn curry with finger lime.

If you’re a fan of Australia’s gazillion New York-style steakhouses, make sure you try this one. Like all of Dan Pepperell and team’s venues (Pellegrino 2000 and Bistrot 916), there’s a wink and a nudge everywhere you look at Clam Bar, from the huge tin marlin on the wall to the upmarket diner desserts. Steaks come with every trimming imaginable, the prawn cocktail is one of the best in the city and you’ll dream of the corn & gruyere gratin for weeks. 

There are few things more comforting than a schnitzel, especially if it’s crumbed and browned to order (and perfection), with a coating puffing airily from its base. Served simply alongside bright pickled cucumber salad and a side of nokedli – little dumpling nubbins sprinkled with fresh nutmeg – it’s the gastronomic equivalent of a doona on a rainy day. The one at 40-year-old Hungarian neighbourhood favourite, Corner 75, cooked by head chef Carley Scheidegger and her team, makes a good case for being the best in Sydney.

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