Located on “Macquarie Mile” at Sydney’s Circular Quay,  two-storey Japanese-French fusion restaurant Oborozuki (meaning “Hazy Moon”) takes fine dining to the next level. Opened in 2022, it’s helmed by head chef Daeun Kang (formerly of Aria) and plates up à la carte and teppanyaki menus, offering locally sourced, seasonal ingredients and Japanese flavours configured into French-style dishes. Think kingfish with Ichiban dashi, oyster cream, purple daikon and umibudo or beef tartare with lovage emulsion, butter lettuce, red kosho and aonori crisp – all served with a side of panoramic harbour views. Enjoy each course with a recommended pairing of wine or sake from the team’s expert sommeliers.

Since opening in May 2024, this 300-seat Lebanese restaurant, which overlooks the field from the second floor of Accor Stadium in Sydney’s Homebush, gives new meaning to the phrase “dinner and a show”. Treat yourself to a delicious banquet meal of authentic share plates laden with barbecued shish tawook (chicken skewers), batata bi kizbara (twice-cooked crispy potato, garlic, chilli oil and fresh coriander) and pastry croquettes of mince meat, served by arguably the friendliest waitstaff in the city. Head there for an unforgettable feast before a football game or concert.

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 pork and fennel pappardelle and Skull Island prawns with ’nduja butter. Drop in from 4pm for the Tuesday to Sunday aperitivo hour that offers a generous range of snacks and most drinks for under $10.

When your bar serves more than 100 types of tequila, as is the promise at Centro 86, you’d better have more ambitious plans than shots and Margaritas. Thankfully, the artful mixologists at this subterranean CBD  spot, brought to you by the same folks as the award-winning Cantina OK! and Bar Planet, have limitless imagination. The emerald-green Rebujito blends the classic agave spirit with celery soda, Thai basil and Granny Smith apple, while the slushy Morada gets its magenta blush from dragonfruit. Along with the jewel-toned drinks, a mosaic bar, nattily waistcoated staff and colour-splashed artwork combine to make this a proper grown-up good time.

The team behind Newtown’s Odd Culture bar and restaurant has fought valiantly to open the Sydney suburb’s first bar with a 4am liquor licence in more than 100 years and the spectacular end result doesn’t disappoint. Tucked into a basement underneath neighbourhood stalwart Thai Pothong restaurant, the moodily lit bar serves off-kilter cocktails (co-created by Matt Whiley of Re Bar) based on nostalgic childhood memories – like the Cherry Ripe and Mr Whippy. The space will host regular live music and performance art.

Increasingly, Australian food is defined by its inclusivity; a seemingly limitless melting pot of cultures and cuisines. It’s how chef Cuong Nguyen (Hello Auntie, Hey Chu) approaches his own cooking and it’s an ethos he’s distilled in Penelope’s at Sydney’s Quay Quarter. Fittingly, the menu dances all over the globe, from moreton bay bug linguine to miso glazed eggplant.

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 charred tomatoes with goat’s curd, smoked oil and togarashi, and Hereford grass-fed rib eye with smoked fat vinaigrette and anchovy butter.

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 WA lobster kottu curry served with house-made roti, or the Negombo prawn curry with finger lime.

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.

Limewashed floorboards, pastel décor and tropical accents aren’t what most people imagine in a woodfired, meat-focused restaurant. Nor do you generally expect the desserts, seafood and salads to make such a strong showing (the radicchio and gouda is a grand time). These are just some of the surprises at Poetica in North Sydney, a welcome whisper of fresh air compared to the moody steakhouses that have sprung up in the city in the last 12 months. But it’s not all playful and pretty; huge Jack’s Creek sirloin steaks, Roast Hampshire pork and Ranger Valley MB3 tomahawk do their time in the dry-ageing cabinets before making their way to the plate via the fire.

The former Cuckoo Callay space on Crown Street in Surry Hills is now a spirited, Japanese-style izakaya with hints of Euro flavours, thanks to the heritage of Italian head chef Erik Ortolani, who spent time in the kitchens of Nobu. Stick to the sashimi, chawanmushi and tempura to keep things strictly Japanese. Or lean into the Euro fusion and order Berkshire tonkatsu milanese with wasabi mustard. The cocktails are also worth a look – the refreshing take on a Gimlet includes lemongrass and rockmelon.

Martinez, in Sydney’s buzzing Circular Quay, is an ambitious undertaking, serving breakfast, lunch and dinner in a sort-of southern French style, five days a week across a restaurant and terrace. The Spanner crab spaghetti with jamón xo,
tomato and shellfish butter is top of the must-order list

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. 

Sydney’s First Family of Fish, Josh and Julie Niland, are making their debut in the lower North Shore with the launch of Petermen. Taking its name from a traditional word for ‘fishermen’, the venue will serve responsibly caught seafood and champion sustainable growers. A typical dish might be a dry-aged coral trout, sliced and fanned into a plated artwork, with a tumble of herbs and the trout’s offal as its centre. Another could be saltbush curry puffs or a head of whole roasted garlic that you squeeze yourself as DIY garlic bread. 

A dedicated Negroni bar serving up to 20 variations on the bitter, blush-hued Florentine spirit? Resounding si. Named after the aperitivo’s inventor, Conte Camillo Negroni, Bar Conte (340 Riley Street, Surry Hills, (02) 7254 1170, @barconte_surryhills) sticks to the brief with a menu of small Italian plates, including Negroni-infused salami.

This new addition to the Queen Victoria Building is the opulent European brasserie Manon, brought to the city by Marco Ambrosino and Manny Spinola, the duo behind Bondi darling, Lola’s Level 1. You’ll find French favourites on the menu including steak frites, and in the morning, opt for the decadent croque madame or have your pick of pastries to go.

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