Ethan Smart
With a unique restaurant culture that celebrates seasonality, our love for the outdoors and the wealth of produce available in Australia, the Sydney restaurant scene is constantly evolving and impressing us with quality, creativity and culinary variety.
From a Japanese restaurant following up an Eastern Suburbs favourite to a Middle Eastern restaurant in a converted church and a modern Chinese restaurant by the team behind a bunch of CBD stars, exciting places to eat continue to enter the Sydney scene — so there’s always a new restaurant worth your next booking. Here are the best new restaurants in Sydney that we’ve tried and loved.
Amé, Darlinghurst
Darlinghurst’s Oxford & Foley precinct will welcome a Nikkei restaurant from Sydney’s ESCA Hospitality Group (Besa, Itō, Aalia) on Thursday 22 October. At Amé, the Japanese-Peruvian cuisine (popularised by chef Nobu Matsuhisa’s eponymous global chain) is led by executive chef Erik Ortolani, who oversees the group’s other Japanese-inspired venues and worked at Nobu in Italy. “What interests me about Nikkei is the way these two distinct cuisines come together, and the balance between the precision of Japanese food and the boldness of Peruvian cooking,” said Ortolani in a statement. “At Amé, I’ve taken that foundation and worked with the exceptional seafood and produce we have here in Australia to create something that feels true to both influences.”
The opening menu lists a Peruvian tuna ceviche-topped nigiri, achiote chicken arepas with avocado and a black Angus sirloin with roasted bone marrow and salsa criolla, and Jerom Morris’s cocktail program integrates complementary flavours and ingredients (like pineapple, capsicum and shishito).
In the Oxford Street strip that also welcomed Japanese wine bar Aenza this year, Amé’s corner site similarly retains heritage details, bringing a sunset palette with sheer curtains evoking Japanese noren, statement lighting choices and turquoise and brass accents. Amé will open for dinner seven days, and lunch Wednesday–Sunday. Bookings are available online.
The Fitzroy Dining Room, Woolloomooloo
The Old Fitzroy Hotel in Woolloomooloo has revealed an overhaul of its level-one restaurant space, welcoming the return of Ben Richards (Ester, Ante, Cafe Paci) as head chef of what is now called the Fitzroy Dining Room; Richards worked in the venue in 2019 as chef de partie under our 2025 Chef of the Year, Nik Hill (now of Porcine).
“My time at The Old Fitz was such a pivotal part of my career and one I look back on so fondly,” he says. “I learnt so much from Nik and the team, so I’m really keen to bring back a few bits and pieces from that time as a way to pay tribute but also bring a sense of nostalgia in,” he said in a statement. Chasing a sense of familiarity and with plans to change seasonally, the opening menu includes a country pork terrine with pear mostarda, frisée salad and sharp English mustard; sweet prawn and tarragon-filled zucchini flowers served with salsa rosa; ricotta gnudi with sweet summer corn, spinach and parmesan; and a Riverine striploin steak frites. Old favourites (perhaps Sydney’s favourite Scotch egg?) are tipped to make special appearances, too. Set menus are available at $75 or $90pp.
The Woolloomooloo pub has been operated by Sydney’s Odd Culture Group (Bistro Grenier, Razz Room) since 2021; they’ve also undertaken an interior refresh of the Fitzroy Dining Room, retaining its heritage charm (but the burgundy walls have been swapped to a cheery mint green). The Fitzroy Dining Room is open for dinner Wednesday–Sunday and lunch on the weekend. Bookings can be made online.
Spezia, Sydney
The flagship restaurant for Sydney’s new landmark precinct The Lands by Capella has arrived, with three Michelin-starred chef Jae Bang (Freyja and ex-Re-naa) bringing his credentials to the CBD.
Tucked away in open-air sandstone courtyards framed by red awnings, Spezia is “first and foremost an Italian restaurant” that takes inspiration from the flavours of the Silk Road. Co-curated by head chef Aaron Cassia (ex- Re-naa and Noma), the menu has been designed to include hints of spice in every dish.
This might look like a twist on carbonara via a pecorino-filled ravioli in an egg yolk and housemade dukkah oil emulsion; or spaghetti in a blue swimmer crab bisque that’s joined by anise and fresh chili, topped with a prawn tartare. The wine list spans over 500 bottles and 36 wines by the glass, as well as a small selection of cocktails. Spezia is open for lunch and dinner from Tuesday to Saturday, with bookings available online.
Stanley, Manly
Brisbane’s top Chinese fine-diner has made its way to the glitzy Northern Beaches, bringing its signature seafood-skew and water views to Manly Wharf. Leading the charge is acclaimed chef Louis Tikaram, whose highly anticipated return to Sydney follows years spent at the helm of the lauded EP & LP in Los Angeles, as well as stints at Longrain, Bentley and Tetsuya’s.
Stanley at Manly Wharf is part of the Artemus Group’s waterfront revival, bringing a distinctly Cantonese sensibility to the harbourfront. The 250-seat, indoor-outdoor restaurant channels the grandeur of traditional Cantonese dining, with deep emerald tones, dark rattan and lantern-style lights. There’s plenty of theatre, too: three large seafood tanks take pride of place, while Peking duck arrives tableside. The menu is characteristically seafood-driven, with highlights including: Stanley’s signature steamed dim sum platter; tropical crayfish lo mein; Fujian fried rice scattered with blue swimmer crab and plump scallops and MB9+ wagyu with black pepper sauce. The wine program – led by sommelier Christian Blair – spans local and international producers, with bottles lining the cellar wall, joined by high-octane cocktails like the Tom Yum Margarita and Fortune Cookie Old Fashioned. Stanley at Manly Wharf is open five days a week. Bookings can be made online.
Arthur, Surry Hills
It’s not a new restaurant — but Arthur, on a charming corner in Surry Hills, has been wholly reimagined by chef-owner Tristan Rosier and group executive chef Beth Patterson. The one thing that hasn’t changed: a commitment to 100% Australian ingredients, on plates and in glasses. Moving away from its former set menu-only format, Arthur now offers snacks, small plates and shareable main dishes, and guests are invited to play out their experience how they like; according to Rosier, “it’s more Arthur than it’s ever been.”
On our visit, standout plates were the “Aussiefeller” oyster grilled under warrigal greens, cheddar and beer; a cordon bleu-style quail; mussels drizzled in native curry sauce on kohlrabi “noodles”; and lamb rack with persimmon marmalade and ice plant. Fans of Arthur’s former iteration will be thrilled to know that the cheese tart has stayed. While the layout remains the same, Rosier completely redesigned and extended the kitchen with new dry-ageing cabinets enhancing the meat and seafood program and a plancha-style grill. The dining room has been smartly updated to maximise capacity, with a larger marble bar, new banquette seating and the addition of outdoor tables (for walk-ins only). Rosier and co-owner Bec Fanning have also brought over the Australiano Hour that is so popular at nearby sister venue Jane, doing $3 prawns with bush tomato cocktail sauce, $8 hashbrowns topped with sea urchin and drinks from $7. Bookings can be made online.
Trattoria Da Orazio, Rushcutters Bay
Before he owned beloved local restaurant Da Orazio in Bondi and Alexandria’s Da Orazio Pasticceria, chef Orazio D’Elia once led the kitchen at Rushcutters Bay restaurant Popolo. Now, he’s taken over the former Popolo (and, more recently, Marta) site and introduced Trattoria Da Orazio: a fresh neighbourhood restaurant sharing cuisine from across all regions of Italy.
The menu offers Nerano-style crumbed sardines filled with provola served with zucchini alla scapece; baby Calabrian peppers filled with tuna mousse; and a veal ribeye al limone making use of a newly installed 1.5-metre charcoal grill. A spread of regional pasta includes pretty green tortelli Milanese filled with braised osso buco ragù served on a saffron fondue, and a savoury octopus pie stacking layers of golden pastry direct from his Inner West pasticceria, with plans for pastry pop-ups on weekends.
Redesigned for its new era, the restaurant now features an open-plan dining room with a handful of tables spilling into the piazza, with a 4.5-metre walnut and brass bar topped with Italian Crema Antico marble, and a miniature vintage fishing boat displaying the catch of the day. Wines from across Italy (selected by fellow Popolo alumni Fabio Dore of Sella Vinoteca) are joined on the drinks list by seasonal cocktails and a sizable selection of amaro, with with an aperitivo hour between 4pm and 5.30pm daily serving complimentary nibbles with all drinks. Da Orazio Trattoria is open for lunch Thursday–Sunday and dinner seven days. Bookings are available online.
Ashe, Sydney
As they prepare to close stalwart restaurant Bentley in August, Nick Hildebrandt and Brent Savage’s Bentley Restaurant Group can celebrate with the arrival of Ashe: their new Southeast Asian grill restaurant in the Angel Place dining precinct. Set under street level, the dining room has a palette of deep green, blue and brass, with glimpses of bamboo plants, hanging metal pendants and the kitchen in full view.
“Inspired by the flavours of Vietnam, Thailand and Malaysia, the menu brings together Southeast Asian traditions with native Australian ingredients that have become central to my cooking,” said Ashe executive chef Khanh Nguyen, who also leads the kitchen at the group’s first foray into Asian flavours, King Clarence. Utilising a clay oven and grill, menu highlights include a shellfish plate offering grilled pipis topped with lemongrass sate, blood lime and peanut, and oysters dressed in smoked coconut vinaigrette, native curry oil and karkalla; fried parcels of braised oxtail served with a smoked marrow bone and fermented chilli sauce; a grilled pork bánh mì-inspired pâté en croûte; and a Barnsley chop with muntrie glaze, green garlic and warrigal greens.
With direct street access and an adjoining hallway for restaurant guests to continue their night, the group’s sizable new bar and music venue, Vespertine, will open in the near future with a 4am licence. Ashe is open for lunch and dinner seven days.
Fishnets, Bronte
Joining his popular bistro Table Manners on Bronte’s Macpherson Street, Fishnets is the new Japanese-inspired restaurant from Alex Cameron.“[It’s] grounded in Japanese technique, but designed to be shared and enjoyed in a relaxed neighbourhood setting,” said Cameron. “There’s a growing community of venues here, and we’re hoping people start to see Bronte as a destination for dining.”
The menu, led by chef Sanghyeop Kim (Sokyo omakase) and group executive chef Luke Churchill, spans a nigiri section, snacks like bug and prawn spring rolls or chicken wing yakitori, and main events such as grilled quail in a gochujang glaze. Showstoppers include a half-kilo tuna katsu served with cabbage, Japanese demiglace and tartare; local pipis in yuzu beurre blanc; and a 150-gram, $90 A5 Japanese wagyu sirloin. Desserts look like matcha Basque cheesecake or shell-shaped ice-cream sandwiches, while the drinks program covers signature cocktails, sake and Japanese whisky, and a spread of local and international wines.
Where Table Manners is light and bright, Fishnets takes a darker palette with custom sconces, works from local artists Nix Francia and Rebecca Fernon interpreting Japanese folklore, leather booths and a dedicated cocktail bar.
Bar Bruno, Sydney
Joining basement daiquiri bar and discotheque, Razz Room, Bar Bruno is Odd Culture Group’s rustic, all-day Italian osteria. Sitting above Razz Room at ground level, the warehouse-style space pairs exposed brick walls and high ceilings with a mixture of booth, bar and table seating.
Mornings begin with coffee from Genovese and house-made pastries, before executive chef Tony Gibson’s à la carte menu takes centre stage. Expect familiar Italian flavours with less emphasis on pasta and more on seafood, crudo and meat. This looks like mussels with fagioli giganti (jumbo butter beans) and ’nduja butter, crisp cotoletta with black garlic aioli, and Murray cod in parmesan-rind brodo, among the standouts.
Drinks, overseen by group beverage manager Jordan Blackman, skew spritzy, bitter and amaro-heavy, alongside pours from Red Mill Rum. The Grasshopper — made with Mapo’s fior di latte gelato — is the must-try cocktail, while the tight 100-bottle wine list leans Italian, balancing cult producers with emerging makers. Bar Bruno is open from 10am until late on weekdays and from noon until late on Saturday.
Ananas, The Rocks
Anyone with fond memories of buzzy French brasserie Ananas will be pleased to hear it has reopened its doors after a decade. Next door to its original Argyle Street address in The Rocks, the new space has the same 1881 sandstone bones as the original, in a smaller format that better suits the experience. “It was ambitious and had a clear point of view, but the original space was simply too large to operate comfortably,” says Frank Tucker, CEO of Hunter St. Hospitality (Rockpool Bar & Grill, Spice Temple). “We’ve been looking for the right environment to bring it back for years.”
With executive chef Mike Flood (Felix) at the helm, the menu leans into French brasserie staples such as escargots, soupe à l’oignon and steak au poivre with frites. Entrées are mostly under $30 and mains under $50, with a mix of returning favourites and moments of tableside theatre, including a Baba d’Ananas brought to the table and finished with a pour of house-infused pineapple rum.
“This isn’t about recreating a Paris corner exactly as it is,” says Flood. “The menu draws from across France and shifts with the seasons. As we move towards spring, it lightens and leans south, with olive oil stepping in and dishes becoming brighter. The idea is familiarity and comfort, with moments of decadence when you want to dial it up.” Naturally, the wine list also steers French, with approximately 800 to 1000 wines available and a justifiably strong emphasis on Champagne.
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Grappa The Rocks
A second location for the beloved neighbourhood restaurant that opened in Leichhardt in 1999, Grappa has launched at the original Rockpool site on George Street. Owners Charlie and Virginie Colosi have brought their pillars of Italian food, wine and hospitality to the historic 1860s bakehouse building, sticking to their approach of all pasta, pizza, bread and desserts made in house.
Head chef Adam Nicholls’s menu blends favourites from the Inner West’s menu with new dishes that speak to the harbourside location, with highlights like house-made Calabrese sausages, pappardelle with White Rocks Veal ragù and the signature salt-baked snapper. Chef Alessandro Penna mans a wood-fired oven fuelled by red gum, yellow box and ironbark, turning out scampi, Limestone Ridge full-blood wagyu tomahawks and pizzas. Per the name, the drinks offering includes over 150 varieties of grappa, plus an Italian- and French-focused wine list. Grappa The Rocks spans a ground-floor dining room and, upstairs, an aperitivo bar (with a dedicated bar menu) and event spaces, with an outdoor terrace to open on George Street later this year.
Sushi Oe, Pyrmont
Your odds of securing a spot at one of the nation’s most coveted counters are now slightly better. Last month, Toshihiko Oe relocated his six-seat Cammeray omakase restaurant Sushi Oe to the Sydney Fish Market. The elegant, charcoal-hued space, decked out with ceramic details from his home in Fukui prefecture, ups his audience to eight diners per seating. “Ten years ago, there were Japanese restaurants [in Australia], but nobody knew about omakase,” says Oe. Today, customers wait up to two years to enjoy his offering of around 30 impeccable dishes (now at a cost of $350pp).
While guests previously had to text Oe direct in the hope of nabbing a seat, the system has now moved online, though you can still expect a wait. “I feel like I’ve touched my dream,” he says of the opening.
The James, Sydney
Interpreting classic English dishes with French technique and international influences, British restaurant The James is now open in The Langham, Sydney — complete with ruffled curtains, kitsch colourways and timber joinery. Operated by the Drakopoulos family-owned SRG Hospitality (Akti, Sails Lavender Bay, The Nielsen), The James is led by head chef Sam Tuchband, who brings experience from highly regarded London restaurant Trinity, as well as Aria Sydney.
Menu highlights look like Welsh rarebit pain perdu, seasonal game (maybe Fallow deer with brassicas and berries) and an Eton Mess vacherin with Shropshire Blue, while tableside serves include a blushing beef Wellington presented on antique silverware, and a Knickerbocker Glory sundae service. Australian and English wines (especially standouts of its emerging sparkling wine scene) are joined by British beers and ciders and spins on classic cocktails, like the Sir James reimagining the gimlet with The Botanist gin, Linden Leaf 8 gin, Noilly Prat, grapefruit and iceplant tincture.
Watermans, Barangaroo
The Bentley Restaurant Group opened Mediterranean-inspired restaurant Watermans in Barangaroo late last year, marking a return to the waterfront precinct just over a year since the closure of Cirrus. Led by Darryl Martin (Barzaari) as executive chef, the menu takes inspiration from the Levant, with a custom-made, wood-fired grill and oven influencing most of the menu. Key dishes include pickled watermelon and raw tuna salad with sumac; sweet and sour Abrolhos scallop with sesame praline; and pomegranate-glazed, slow-cooked lamb shoulder with pickled radishes and black lime.
Located in the One Sydney Harbour development, the restaurant sees long-term collaborator of the group Pascale Gomes-McNabb, alongside Chris Grinham from H&E Architects, deliver a 120-seat space, including a large outdoor dining area with lush greenery-covered pergolas perfect for summer dining.
Rick Stein at Coogee Beach
Rick Stein’s first Sydney restaurant builds on the popularity of his restaurants at Bannisters properties in Mollymook and Port Stephens, on the New South Wales South Coast. “The connection between my restaurants and the sea is very important to me,” Stein told Gourmet Traveller. “The ethos of my restaurants almost requires that they be by the sea.”
Stein’s unmistakable voice and love for seafood shines through on the Rick Stein at Coogee Beach menu: XO pipis are described as “one of my favourite seafood dishes — particularly when made with Australian pipis,” while oysters Charentaise invites diners to “eat an oyster, take a bite of sausage, then a good gulp of cold white wine.” As well as the quality, Stein says he’s inspired by the variety of fish on offer in Australia. “Fish like snapper and blue-eye… flathead is a favourite — there’s so much flavour in so many of the species,” he says. Rick’s fish and chips, in the style of his sell-out Padstow chippie, are fried in beef dripping and come with mushy peas and tartare sauce, and dishes with Asian roots — a favourite of the chef himself — include his famous Singapore chilli crab.
The restaurant has a relaxed coastal aesthetic across a main dining room, outdoor dining terrace, two semi-private dining rooms and a bar.
Aambra, Rose Bay
Tthe Rose Bay Uniting Church has been transformed into a light-filled, 140-seat Levantine restaurant. Owner Cristian Gorgees has spent the last three years working closely with interior designer Paul Papadopoulos from DS17 to bring his vision for Aambra to life. “This property is such an important part of Rose Bay and indeed Sydney’s history,” said Gorgees, “so we wanted to make sure there was something special about every inch of it.” Outside, a multi-level wraparound deck is furnished with lounge chairs and olive trees. Inside, original stained-glass windows, Italian marble floors, custom pendant lights and an open kitchen aren’t the only attractions.
With executive chef Gianluca Lonati – ex-Nour – leading the charge, the share-style menu showcases a breadth of flavours from Iraq, Lebanon, Jordan, Cyprus and Egypt. Snacks and smaller plates might look like samke harra (Lebanese-style spicy fish) whiting sando with whipped tahini, or a seafood version of kibbeh nayeh made with tuna instead of lamb. Mains feature an on-the-bone 800-gram wagyu rib-eye that’s cooked over an open-flame grill, or dry-aged carob duck crown. On the drinks front, sommelier Sasa Savic has curated a wine list more than 130 strong, as well as fruity cocktails like a watermelon Martini or arak elderflower Spritz.
South End, Newtown
The first project from a trio of respected names in Sydney hospitality, South End is a neighbourhood bistro on Newtown’s King Street. In the kitchen, former Fred’s head chef Hussein Sarhan is joined by Alex Tong (Ester and Hong Kong’s Belon and Ho Lee Fook), serving a highly seasonal menu that puts flavour first. “We want to be the local everyone wants as their local,” said Tong in a statement. “There for an easy meal at the bar, but just as ready to roll for a splash-out good time for a celebration, and with enough movement in the menu to keep it fresh week to week.”
Snacks and smaller plates might look like potato rösti with curls of Tête de Moine cheese and chestnut honey, or buttermilk-fried rabbit with green garlic aioli. Mains follow the same broadly European lean — described by Sarhan as “potato Europe in the winter and tomato Europe in the summer” — which could look like whole flounder with sauce vierge, or roast chicken with nettle butter. Leading service and drinks is Paul Guiney, who cites Embla, A.P Bread and Wine and The Bentley Group in his former stable and claimed GT’s joint Maître d’ of the Year title in 2008. Expect an “always fun, always delicious” wine program that favours emerging and interesting producers from Australia and Europe over established labels, and a few batched cocktails.
Young’s Palace, Potts Point
Potts Point has scored a take on the old-school Chinese restaurant by “Big” Sam Young and partner Grace Chen. Young’s Palace sticks to interpretations of favourites seen in Chinatowns around the world — the likes of prawn toast, sweet and sour pork, and fried rice — where Young’s first restaurant, S’more in Castlecrag, is luxe, over the top, and indulgent.
“The brief is local neighbourhood Chinese, and I want to stick to the truth of it,” says Young. “I want to make this restaurant approachable to everyone.” For those looking to splash out, a “secret menu” of premium lobster, beef, truffle and caviar provides the high-end fixings that made S’more a destination. Similarly, the wine list offers affordable options with a “baller” selection of coveted producers (of the ilk of Selosse or Pierre-Yves Colin Morey) and vintages. The styling of the corner site on Kellett Street plays with the familiar aesthetic, with fringed lamps and curtains, red velvet banquettes, and artworks of roosters and dragons.
Vin-Cenzo’s, Darlinghurst
Bar Copains, Bessie’s and Alma’s owners Morgan McGlone and Sali and Nathan Sasi are putting their spin on Italian at the former Bar Vincent site in Darlinghurst. Vin-Cenzo’s offers a commitment to produce over authenticity, with inspiration from France, Spain, and even America’s take on Italian cuisine. Menu standouts look like grilled scampi with chilli, garlic and Sicilian oregano; a veal T-bone with Marsala and shimeji mushrooms; and pastas including pumpkin and pecorino quadrati (like a thick, square spaghetti), or rigatoni with tripe and sweetbread ragu.
The significant dessert menu tempts with an Italian biscuit selection (served in a vintage tin) inspired by Nathan’s Sicilian godmother, plus coffee granita with whipped mascarpone, a pig fat cannolo with Sicilian almonds, and a line-up of sorbet and gelati. Wines mostly cover Italian, French and Australian makers (including some rare vintages from McGlone’s personal cellar), and cocktails cover Italian classics. The space, while it’s kept its signature archways, has a fresh palette of glowing yellow, blues and deep burgundy, with hand-painted murals, walnut timber and tiled details, and capacity has almost doubled thanks to the addition of an outdoor dining space. Vin-Cenzo’s is now open at 174 Liverpool Street, Darlinghurst for lunch and dinner Tuesday–Saturday, with a late-night supper club menu until 2am on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights.
