Sydney

They've moved up the road sans wood-fire oven, but that hasn't stopped the Sydney restaurant from serving good, honest food backed up with a commitment to sustainability.

XOPP, the next step for Sydney's Golden Century, strikes a balance between old and new, writes David Matthews.

Sure, Pasi Petänen can spin Pacojets with the best of them. But with his new, permanent home in Sydney's Inner West, the chef and serial pop-up artist shows he can still win at the basics.

A talented chef, a less-is-more approach, and how about that chip butty. Sydney's the Old Fitzroy Hotel is essential pub dining.

With our growing familiarity with wattleseed and finger limes, some would say that the quest to bring Australian ingredients into the national vocabulary is over. Over 22 courses at Orana, it’s clear that we’re just getting started.

The game plan here has always been top-dollar cosseting, and with a splendid wine list and largely accommodating service to match, that's what you get.

Clayton Wells pulls it off time and time again.

Service here is confident and charming, ensuring any occasion at Bennelong is just that little bit extra.

At Barangaroo, a dining district rife with "concepts", Cirrus stands out as a real restaurant.

Double-clothed tables, a capacious, sumptuously appointed room, discreetly eager staff in crisp uniforms - welcome to Est.

Think of Fratelli Paradiso as a stage, its diners and staff all actors working together daily to produce a play dedicated to the joys of a peculiarly inner-city brand of Sydney-Italianness.

Landing a table can be very challenging, but once you're in it's a life of ease.

Golden Century isn't fine dining and it’s hard to do the menu justice without at least six people - but for what it is, there is no peer in Sydney.

Some come to Icebergs for the scenery, others just for the scene. Some people even come for the food.

Paul Carmichael keeps refining his sound at the Sydney outpost of David Chang's restaurant empire.

It could be one of the darkest dining rooms in town, but nine years in the ideas on the plate and in the glass at Monopole are brighter and sharper than ever.

A meathouse that's a vegetarian's paradise? Tell your plant-based friends.

Rockpool Bar & Grill delivers the glamour via its thrilling Deco-era dining room, all soaring pillars, mood lighting and lofty ceilings.

Lunch at Sean's couldn't be more Bondi if a surf lifesaver popped in to say hi to her mates mid-service.

The discreet entry belies the popularity of this Suzie Wong inspired-China diner, which continues to attract a suited CBD lunching clientele.

The bubblegum-pink shopfront of the former Marie-Louise salon is the unlikely façade of this smart two-storey Turkish eatery.

There's nothing else like Tetsuya's in Sydney. It's an oasis of hush in a Japanese-styled building hidden in a gated compound right in the CBD.

The food is only part of the appeal; the lively crush of bodies yelling for picks from one of the edgiest wine lists in town gives the place permanent buzz.

Welcome to the high temple of the vegetable – roots, shoots, leaves, crumbs and dust conjured to artful, textural and sustaining creations.

This large gorgeous restaurant atop the former Newport Arms owes more than a dash of its sunny elegance and Med-luxe vibe to Merivale's Paddington flagship.

The neighbourhood hangout that’s open seven days a week, serving hangover-busting breakfasts, killer cocktails and a casual dinner menu.

A mighty tasty mash-up of Sydney’s obsession with café culture and authentic Thai eats.

You'll find no burgers underground, but you will find a menu built on those same principles.

Local vegetables and seafood play a starring role at this Northern Rivers built, quite literally, by hand by chef-owner Ben Devlin.

Fresh on the Bondi scene, this Mediterranean-style restaurant features a menu driven by wood fire, Italian snacks, retro classics and fun times.

We don’t usually buy the unlike-any-other-venue-in-Sydney speak. But Mary’s Underground is.

At Pipit, the newest destination restaurant in the Northern Rivers region, an ex-Noma chef and original Byron boy takes his cues from the coast and the community.

In a world of fast food fashion, Est bucks the trend, delivering good food and service that never go out of style.