High-quality produce cooked over a naked flame, with no sauces to hide behind.

Charcoal-roasted meats and sides, paired with a choice of 300 wines.

This Holt Street eatery is a throwback to the original Bodega on Commonwealth Street in the early noughties and Italy in the ’60s. Visit for spaghetti with ‘nduja and clams, eggplant parmas and house-made gelato.

Inside the Norfolk Hotel’s former sports bar is a vibrant wine nook inspired by the Barcelona suburb it’s named after. Expect a range of vermouths, plus mussels and chips, crackers topped with Cantabrian anchovies, and skewers cooked over a flat grill. From the team behind Love, Tilly Devine.

Noisy, spicy and lots of fun, just like the original in Melbourne.

After a fire, a pop-up and a Covid-19 shutdown, Nomad has returned to its original Foster Street home. Enter for duck mortadella, wood-roasted eggplant with flatbread, and a six-week dry-aged rib eye.

Drinks and snacks reach new heights at this not-restaurant from the team at Ester.

Bodega has joined up with Wyno, together the venue is now known as Wyno x Bodega. There’s a bigger focus on vino, a smaller menu and fan favourites, the fish fingers and banana spilt, are still available.

A European-style bistro with a particular focus on Scandinavian flavours. Come for smorgasbord (snacks) such as barbequed octopus with bullhorn peppers, chilled strawberry soup with Iberico jamon and oysters spiked with a punchy house sauce.

A restaurant and bar focusing on the melding of Japanese techniques and flavours with Peruvian produce.

An ambitious yet down-to-earth set-menu restaurant from former Farmhouse and Dead Ringer chef Tristan Rosier.

Another winner from Bill Granger, the man who revolutionised Sydney's cafe scene.

A sharp restaurant and bar from the team who brought us Bulletin Place. Naturally, it serves great cocktails.

Whisky, cocktails and yakitori.

Settle into the handsome dining room to tackle the 180-bottle-strong wine list, or grab some takeaway slushies from the old coffee window. Plus, there's excellent house-made pasta.

An oversized bento box-like Japanese eatery and sake bar.

This Mexican diner's menu is entirely plant-based, and it's all the better for it. If you're a veg-lover and a fan of Mexican flavours, this is the spot for you. When your tortilla's loaded with pastor-style mushrooms, pico de gallo and pineapple; you won't even notice the meat's gone.

The super-popular “inauthentic Indian” restaurant from Melbourne and NYC serves up butter chicken without the butter.

A Thai Town fixture since 2004. This slamming, unpretentious little BYO joint has all the classics you know. There’s also a strong Thai following to rival the corporates and students dropping in for an affordable lunch and dinner.

Vacanza embodies the Italian “less is more” approach to pizza. There’s a neat list of pies, a calzone for good measure, plus a dedicated mozzarella bar brimming with imported Italian cheeses. Need we say more?

Contrasting colours and layered textures –Sáng pushes the boundaries of Korean cooking.

A pasta retailer turned restaurant.

A colourful vegan-friendly pasta and spritz bar.

A little French bistro with hidden, shady courtyard out back.

Top contender for Sydney’s smallest restaurant, Raita Noda is an eight-seater Japanese kitchen in Surry Hills.

A Japanese dining experience with Western legs.

This Merivale bar is home to the tacos secreto – a sort of lucky dip for tacos, where the filling is a surprise until it reaches to your table. Secreto or not, each taco is around $7. We recommend the DIY platters, which are better value for money (and more fun). Try fillings such as baked eggplant and soy-chilli bean sauce or sirloin steak and chimichurri.

Authentic Neapolitan pizza on Crown Street.

Sneakers and champers to go with your fried chicken.

Authentic Vietnamese street food and a long list of Asian beers make this mini-chain a winner.

Line up for luxurious, velvety ramen made with the help of science.

Some of the best light ramen in Sydney.

Authentic Neapolitan street food in a bright, modern setting.

Too Korean to be called modern Australian, but not traditional enough to be called classic Korean.

A colourful restaurant showing India’s whimsical side.

Not every pizzeria can say it has an Italian flour technician at the pass. And the proof is well and truly in the dough here (there’s more than one kind depending on what you order). But it’s the genre-bending toppings that truly stand out: past pizzas on the menu have been loaded with anything from pureed pea to smoked turkey.

A cosy, izakaya-style Japanese bar diner with a downtown vibe.

Dumpling dinner with a happy ending.

The team behind Bopp & Tone, The Butler and The Botanist have given this institution a $1.5-million makeover that pays tribute to its past.

At every turn, chef Dylan Cashman’s smart 20-seater is guided by provenance and zero waste. Whole beasts are used from nose to tail; fresh produce comes from the garden out back; and local winemakers are placed front and centre. Ask for the “secret” drinks menu – it’s got super rare French drops and cocktail specials.

A garage-style trattoria where you can disappear into prawn ravioli bathing in brown butter and sage sauce, a list of mainly Italian vino, and a lively soundtrack spanning Afrobeat and Italian pop. From the rock star trio behind Potts Point neo-bistro, Bistro 916.

A handsome brasserie-style spin-off by the team from Arthur Restaurant. It’s primed for casual afterwork drinks and snacks with a sharing menu focused on zero-waste.

Pass between two heritage buildings to reach this dramatic space with a 10-metre-tall glass ceiling. Inspired by the marketplaces of the Middle East, it’s a romantic spot to enjoy shawarma, velvety burrata and pita pockets.