- Read More
Aqua Dining
This modern Aussie restaurant boasts one of the most memorable settings in Sydney. Its indoor and outdoor tables hang suspended in a glass cube-like structure over the North Sydney Olympic Pool right between Luna Park (the city’s vintage amusement park)...
- Courtesy Brett StevensRead More
Bennelong Restaurant
Housed in the iconic Sydney Opera House and overlooking the bustling Circular Quay, Bennelong Restaurant is a delightful spot for innovative cocktails and modern Australian cuisine. Despite its touristy location, Bennelong feels refined and intimate, serving fresh takes on seafood dishes.
- Read More
Catalina Rose Bay
This award-winning restaurant, one of the grande dames of the Sydney restaurant world, is for those who prefer more serene water views than are on offer at such trendy seafront spots as Otto’s or Icebergs. Few experiences match watching the...
- Read More
Hugo’s
Right on Manly Wharf where the ferries arrive from Sydney, Hugo’s is a fabulous waterside spot for a casual lunch or dinner. Its owners are a pair of Aussie celebrity chefs, Pete Evans and Massimo Mele, and their pizzas are...
- Read More
Icebergs Dining Room and Bar
When Sydney’s beautiful people want to see and be seen, they head here. The famed Bondi restaurant is hyperbole-inducing—wraparound floor-to-ceiling windows with panoramic views of Bondi Beach, and the artful Mediterranean dishes are simply but expertly executed. Fashion editors, models...
- Read More
Otto Ristorante
Bigwigs power-lunch here on oysters and sinfully rich dishes like hand-rolled porcini pasta with wild boar ragu from head chef Richard Ptacnik. It doesn’t hurt that Otto’s location on Woollomooloo wharf has turned into a people-watching promenade, complete with lurking...
- Read More
Papi Chulo
Propped up on Manly Wharf, Papi Chulo sits on the water’s edge and offers a tasteful but relaxed ambiance ideal for an easy lunch or dinner. With checkered tile floors, copper fixtures and wicker-style benches, the space feels at once...
- Read More
Pilu at Freshwater
Pilu at Freshwater offers the best of Australian dining with a gorgeous seaside location, open-air dining room and elegant, beach-inspired décor. The award-winning chef, Giovanni Pilu, is Sardinian and takes pride in the menu’s authentic regional dishes, including saffron spaghetti,...
- Read More
Quay
One of Sydney’s most lauded and awarded restaurants, Quay features a dramatic dress-circle position on the harbor and near-faultless food. (This is definitely a big-night-out style restaurant, with prices to match, so don’t be surprised to get a case of...
- Read More
Sean’s Panorama
There are two legendary restaurants on Bondi Beach, Icebergs and Sean’s Panorama. Whichever one you choose to dine at, you will not be disappointed. In fact, you may just feel that you are eating with the coolest crowd around yet...
Sydney

Courtesy Ripples
Sydney’s dining scene has gone stellar in the past decade or so, embracing cuisines as far ranging as Greek, Chinese and Middle Eastern, although “Mod Oz” cooking—innovative takes using fresh local ingredients with a nod to classic French technique—still reigns. It’s possible to eat better in Sydney than just about any other city on earth; visitors are often astounded by the creativity of the chef’s and the quality and choice of produce available. But typical Aussie anti-pretension still reigns at the most expensive restaurants, so you will notice a very casual dress code, including diners in shorts and sandals. In another nod to Australia’s deeply egalitarian mindset, some of the most popular spots, such as Longrain refuse to take reservations. Note: While servers in Australia are paid far more generously than their American counterparts, tipping is common, especially at the pricier establishments (10 percent is customary). For an abbreviated list of restaurants, read Top Tables Sydney.
Destination
Type of Restaurant
Type of Meal
Editors Pick
Beyond…
Consider combining your trip with one of these destinations.
- Courtesy of Laucala Island ResortRead More
Fiji
One of the most unspoiled places on earth, Fiji is an island nation whose tranquil beauty casts a spell. With lavish retreats and stunning natural landscapes, the heartbeat of the country remains its soulful, community-focused culture.
- Photo by Grant SheehanRead More
Wellington & Wairarapa
North Island’s Wellington and the Wairarapa region are a great combination for travelers who appreciate a small-city vibe framed by bucolic farmlands, a burgeoning wine region and one spectacular lodge, located right on scenic Palliser Bay.
- Courtesy of Hapuku LodgeRead More
South Island
New Zealand’s South Island is the larger but less populated of the country’s two main islands. It is ridiculously scenic – in fact, when you picture New Zealand, chances are you're envisioning the South Island, with its rugged alpine peaks,...