Sydney’s fine-dining chefs are world-famous for their culinary prowess. Whether you’re in a glamorous restaurant with harbour views, a hidden French bistro or a tiny omakase joint, be prepared for a gourmet adventure.
Apr 2025 -
4
min readSaint Peter
Where: Paddington
Located in the heritage-listed Grand National Hotel, Josh Niland’s lauded Paddington fine diner has been described as groundbreaking for his inspired approach to cooking seafood. The two-hat restaurant features lesser-known cuts and a scale-to-tail approach that champions sustainability. A 10-course chef’s menu might include marron and its parts with tart tomato consommé; fish charcuterie; and aged yellowfin tuna; plus native Australian fruits: desert lime, quandong and Davidson plum. The wine list echoes the sustainability ethos, with a rotating list of passionate NSW producers.
Saint Peter, Paddington
Quay
Where: Circular Quay
There are chefs, and then there’s Peter Gilmore, who oversees the award-winning dining room at Quay, with stellar views over the Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge. This three-hat icon is frequently named as the best restaurant in the city and serves up a degustation menu of native ingredients and inspired flavours with artfully created dishes almost too pretty to eat.
Quay Restaurant, The Rocks
Bennelong
Where: Circular Quay
Gilmore is also in the kitchen at Bennelong, another Sydney legend that’s tucked beneath the sails of the Sydney Opera House. If you can draw your eyes away from the architecture and the views, the menu promises innovative Australian cuisine that that celebrates local ingredients. Western Australian marron is served with tart finger lime and buckwheat pikelets; Hervey Bay scallops fill ravioli that’s finished with XO sauce and nasturtium buds; rich pasture-raised Maremma duck is balanced with cherry, blackberry and kampot pepper. The Opera House serves as inspiration for the cocktail menu, with drinks named for famous performances from the bourbon-and-banana-bread Nutcracker cocktail, to the Madama Butterfly made with Mancino Sakura vermouth, strawberry and rhubarb.
Bennelong Restaurant, Sydney
LuMi
Where: Pyrmont
The two-hat LuMi sits on the waterfront at Pyrmont, overlooking yachts bobbing in the harbour. Serving Italian cuisine with a Japanese twist, the indulgent tasting and omakase menus have up to 16 individual courses featuring fresh seafood, decadent wagyu and caviar.
LuMi Dining, Pyrmont
Sixpenny
Where: Stanmore
Set in a century-old building in the Inner West, Sixpenny is both a nod to history and a celebration of innovative Australian cuisine. The team work with small-scale producers and farmers to create a seven-course tasting menu that’s fresh and vibrant whatever the season. Save room for the clever 'day-old' sourdough, which regular diners rave about. Introduced as a way to eliminate waste, the bread is made daily from a decades-old mother culture combined with a flour of pulverised day-old bread mixed with leftover coffee. Spread each slice generously with house-churned mascarpone butter.
Sixpenny, Stanmore - Credit: Sixpenny
Aria
Where: Circular Quay
The flagship restaurant of celebrity chef Matt Moran, Aria has been a Sydney favourite for almost 25 years. It retains the feel of a chic members club, pairing wood panelling and million-dollar harbour views with a menu of fine dining staples likelike blue swimmer crab, duck, quail and Rangers Valley wagyu.
Aria, Circular Quay
Ursula’s
Where: Paddington
Inspired by European neighbourhood bistros, Ursula’s is housed in a classic corner terrace in leafy Paddington. The dining rooms are bright and colourful, and the menu fuses classic French techniques with Australian ingredients – think Moreton Bay bug pasta with crustacean butter or golden syrup dumplings (inspired by a recipe from the CWA).
Ursula's Paddington - Credit: Nikki To
Firedoor
Where: Surry Hills
There’s no gas or electricity used in the kitchen at Surry Hills’ Firedoor. Everything is prepared over coals, allowing the ingredients to shine. Chef Lennox Hastie has worked in Michelin-starred restaurants all over the world and his five-course menu changes daily. Coral trout might make an appearance, served with peach and wasabi; or Murray cod with smoky paperbark; or Rangers Valley beef served with sweet rossa di milano onion.
Firedoor, Surry Hills - Credit: Nikki To
Oncore by Clare Smyth
Where: Barangaroo
Located at the top of the gleaming Crown Towers hotel with dramatic views of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, Oncore by Clare Smyth could be the culinary ride of your life. Smyth was the first British woman to be awarded three Michelin stars and this expert chef knows how to prepare a decadent degustation. Light dishes like smoked duck wing, and cheese choux pastry begin a meal which culminates in braised lamb with sheep’s milk yoghurt followed by Spring Ridge venison with haggis and macadamia. Choose the wine pairing to get the most out of the extensive list of old and new world drops.
Oncore by Clare Smyth at Crown Towers, Barangaroo
Besuto
Where: Circular Quay
Arguably the best of Sydney’s new wave of omakase restaurants, one-hat Besuto is a little slice of Osaka in the city. Seating just 12 diners, the 18- or 20-course menu changes daily, depending on what the seafood chefs source from the markets each morning. A sake pairing or a glass from the 100-strong list of Japanese whiskies rounds off this decadent chef’s table experience.
Besuto, Ciruclar Quay - Credit: Kitti Gould
Mimi’s
Where: Coogee
You’ve probably seen local celebrities on Instagram doing the now famous ‘caviar bump’ in the sunny dining room of Mimi’s, part of the revamped Coogee Pavilion. But this chic seaside restaurant is more than just a gimmick, serving up an exquisite Mediterranean-inspired menu with a live seafood bar, generous banquet menu, and refreshing cocktails such as the Kenso Pride, a rum-based drink featuring Kensington Pride mango; or the citrusy Mimi’s Margarita made with Fortaleza reposado tequila.
Mimi's at Coogee Pavilion, Coogee
Bentley Restaurant & Bar
Where: CBD
Bentley is considered to have one of the most impressive cellars in Australia, with almost 1,000 bottles available, from the rare to the extravagant. It’s truly a place to let the experts take the lead. Opt for one of the three matched wine pairings (or the non-alcoholic option) to complement chef and co-owner Brent Savage’s innovative 15-course tasting menu. A meal might start with smoked eel cream with black brioche; followed by blue fin tuna with kiwiberry and lemon myrtle. Rangers Valley rump cap is the dramatic, main event.
Bentley Restaurant and Bar, City Centre
Rockpool Bar & Grill
Where: CBD
Stick to the classics at Rockpool Bar & Grill, the CBD steakhouse set in a glorious Art Deco building with high ceilings and luxurious marble finishes. Wood-fired meats and seafood are the stars of the menu, with wagyu fat potatoes a must-order supporting act. Rockpool was one of two Australian eateries to make the top 10 list of best steak restaurants in the world in 2024.
Rockpool Bar & Grill Sydney, Sydney CBD - Credit: Rockpool Bar & Grill Sydney
Monopole
Where: CBD
Monopole has undergone many changes over its lifetime but in mid-2024 it returned to its roots, relaunching as a fine dining French restaurant with all the trimmings. Antique lighting, velvet drapes and vintage wine posters create an authentic atmosphere, while a menu of boudin blanc, pâté, duck à la prune and mousse au chocolat will transport you straight to the continent.
Monopole, Sydney CBD - Credit: Monopole
AALIA
Where: CBD
One of the only fine dining Middle Eastern restaurants in the city, the two-hatted AALIA pushes the boundaries of flavour. Executive chef Paul Farag has revived 10th century Arabic recipes and forgotten ingredients to create a menu unlike any other. At AALIA, guests are treated to traditional Middle Eastern hospitality in an inviting space inside Harry Seidler’s iconic MLC building.
AALIA, Sydney City
Ormeggio at The Spit
Where: Mosman
Dining at two-hat Ormeggio is designed to feel like a trip through Italy, from the yellowfin tuna crudo to the charcoal octopus, mud crab risotto and swordfish cotoletta. There’s also a dedicated gelato bar, extensive wine list, colourful cocktails and gorgeous water views from the glass-walled dining room.
Ormeggio at The Spit - Credit: Alessandro Pavoni | Ormeggio at The Spit
Jonah’s
Where: Whale Beach
Surf and turf are the stars of Jonah’s modern Australian menu. Think ocean trout fillet with confit cherry tomato; rib eye with truffle mashed potatoes; or a dinner for two of whole lobster thermidor. Wine is a must at this beachside fine diner, with the multi-award-winning list named Best Hotel Wine List in the World in 2022. Set high above Whale Beach, the dining room has 180-degree views of leafy headlands surrounding a breathtaking shore. The view is so exquisite, the private balcony is often reserved for marriage proposals.
Jonah's Restaurant and Boutique Hotel, Whale Beach - Credit: Mandy Zieren | Jonah's
Eleven Barrack
Where: CBD
The newest venue from the Bentley Group, Eleven Barrack is a luxurious steakhouse in the heart of the CBD. Everything is designed to impress on the 50-dish menu, from pots of caviar served in silver ice-filled tureens, to proteins cooked over a woodfire grill. Steaks range from petite, like the 240-gram Rangers Valley flat iron; to oversized, like the 800-gram F1 wagyu T-bone, and many dishes are finished table-side. With a wine collection of rare and special drops inherited from the group’s now closed Cirrus, Eleven Barrack is a singular experience.
Eleven Barrack, Sydney CBD - Credit: Eleven Barrack
Bert’s
Where: Newport
Take a short trip north of the city and you’ll arrive at Bert’s, a light, airy brasserie overlooking Pittwater’s lovely, sailboat-dotted harbour. The relaxed atmosphere is quintessential Northern Beaches, but there’s incredible attention to detail and mastery in dishes like red snapper fillet with cucumber and dill salsa; or one-kilogram, grass-fed bistecca alla Fiorentina. Save room for dessert. The rum baba with light-as-air whipped diplomat cream is assembled table-side.
Berts, Newport - Credit: Steven Woodburn
Pilu at Freshwater
Where: Freshwater
With restaurants frequently coming and going, there’s comfort in Sydney’s longstanding fine diners, like Pilu at Freshwater. Paying homage to chef-owner Giovanni Pilu’s native Sardinia, diners can expect elevated regional Italian cooking. There are seadas – fried dough parcels filled with pecorino punctuated with lemon and finished with warm honey – that have been on the menu since the doors opened in 2004; and showstoppers like the slow-roasted suckling pig with cauliflower blossoms. Order a bottle from the list that celebrates Australian and Italian wines, and enjoy the stunning beach views.
Pilu Freshwater - Credit: Pilu
Armorica
Where: Surry Hills
Inspired by grand Parisian brasseries, Armorica sits in the heart of Surry Hills. The sprawling, 150-seat dining room still manages to be intimate, with wine-coloured leather banquettes and moody lamp lighting. The menu is unapologetically celebratory, featuring slices of duck terrine with crusty baguette; fire-kissed whole WA rock lobster with buttery grenobloise emulsion; and an impressive one-kilogram T-bone. Cocktails are delicious and understated, the perfect opening to a refined meal.
Armorica, Surry Hills - Credit: Armorica
