A ritzy institution on the Customs House rooftop. The menu bounces between Indian and Italian flavours to create an altogether modern Australian vibe that spans surf, turf and vegan dishes. An appropriate focus on seafood works a treat, given the jaw-dropping views of Sydney Harbour. Book ahead for the window seats.

The old-school Italian with the iconic green door has been kicking hard since 1987 with honest Napoli-style fare including hand-made pastas, fish and beautifully prepared meat courses. The tablecloths are white, the upholstery is floral and the service is pitch-perfect.

This is the godfather of Italian dining in Sydney. Beppi’s has been ticking-over with the same consistency, fit-out and leather-bound menus – hand-carved by the late Beppi Polese himself – since 1956. Immortal dishes include clams and mussels with garlic, olive oil, white vino and tomato; and zucchini flowers stuffed with ricotta, basil and mushrooms.

Sydney’s fine dining benchmark. Tetsuya’s alumni (Dan Hong and Luke Powell, to name a few) have gone on to shape the city’s culinary landscape. They earned their stripes here first, plating-up a famous menu that includes the signature confit of Tasmanian ocean trout – one of Australia’s most iconic dishes. It’s all set within a serene Japanese-style interior.

This is where Bill Granger first became Australia’s unofficial brunch ambassador. At one time, this breakfasts at this sun-drenched cafe were the yardstick by which all the city’s cafes were measured: avocado on Iggy’s bread, poached eggs with elevated sides and ricotta hotcakes. A blond-wooded, white-walled institution.

Gloria’s is the reason they call Petersham Little Portugal. Come for taberna-style charm and huge huge and hearty serves of provincial Portuguese food. Think red-bean, pork, beef and chorizo stew with rice, or fried pork with clams, capsicum and coriander on a bed of cubed potatoes. Don’t leave without trying the Portuguese tart.

Whale Beach’s own elegant fine diner and hotel lives inside a wartime-era coach house. The menu has an Italian edge, with wild-caught fish and a couple pastas starring. If that's not enough to lure you in, the dining room has priceless ocean views to match the superlative food.

Curbside dining, Sopranos-style, since 1965. The buzzy dining room upstairs is a good alternative though, where you’ll find generous bowls of pasta and super-sized schnitzels with cheese and veg. Hair-raisingly robust espresso from 6am until midnight.

This German restaurant, which opened in 1961, has a 4000-bottle cellar-slash-dining area you have to see to believe. There’s seven sorts of schnitzel and a killer pork knuckle too, plus a smattering of Dutch-Indonesian dishes. And with 48 hours notice, chef Max Dietz will oblige any special request for an off-menu German dish.

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.

An institution among Laksa addicts. The name has several locations under its banner, but the Hunter Street location has been ladling bowls of piping hot laksa since 1987 – it was around long before many of the CBDs other Asian stalwarts joined the party.

Italian swagger in Sydney’s most experimental wine bar. Chef Dan Pepperell’s legacy lives on in his unshakeably spectacular pretzel with whipped bottarga, but current head chef Frank Guest's touch across the daily menu brings even more panache to this game-changing Paddo institution.

This “rickety-chic” institution has been winning over Sydneysiders with its ever-changing seasonal menu since 1993. It’s packed with ultra-fresh produce from the restaurant’s own farm in the Blue Mountains – check the restaurant chalkboard details. Cheerfully charming and dangerously good.

Cultish popularity and loads of sambal. Expats, students and food explorers make the pilgrimage to Anzac Parade for the Indonesian fare at this institution. Visit for outrageously tender chicken (choose from charcoal or deep-fried options), street-style satays and nasi goreng.

This underrated fine diner has been going strong since the 1950s. It sits on the edge of Cowan Creek, one of several waterways feeding directly into the Hawkesbury River near Mooney Mooney. Expect elegant waterside dining at its best, with beautifully-plated European dishes and a progressive wine list.

Moncur has been in business since 1993. The food here deftly deploys Australian produce across its concise menu of well-executed European dishes. The tome of a wine list is filled with Australian and European pours (at occasionally dizzying price-points).

There’s charcoal chicken joints, then there’s El Jannah. The Granville original put the Western Sydney suburb on the culinary map with its tender birds, addictively punchy garlic sauce and neon-pink radishes. These days it’s a well-oiled chicken machine, with sister locations across town.

This is the show-stopping star of Matt Moran’s culinary empire. The artfully-plated dishes warrant the lofty price-tags, but those generous harbour views do a lot to offset the sting. This is one of Sydney’s great try-before-you-die restaurants – a pillar of modern Australian dining.

Come here for hawker-style laksas by way of KL and Penang. There’s also a Borneo-specific style heavy on the shrimp and spice, plus a myriad of chicken and pork dishes. It’s all supported by deep-fried Malaysian bites. There are two relentlessly-busy locations in Kingsford and Campsie.

Picture a baguette loaded with meat, carrot, pickled daikon, liver pate and coriander stalks. Now add birds-eye chillies so intense they’ll make your eyes water. Now picture a line of banh mi addicts wrapping around the block, hankering for Sydney's most famous banh mi. That’s Marickville Pork Roll.

A cornerstone of south-west Sydney’s Cantonese-speaking community. Its suited-up service and low-key decor have remained unchanged since 1980. And you can expect the same consistency from the extensive menu. Equally primed for one-person lunch or a banquet for many.

This sandstone brewpub has been continuously trading since 1841. Lately though, it’s become a craft beer holy ground and tourist destination. The house Three Sheets Pale Ale tastes great poured fresh from the tap, and it's best paired with a warming curry from the rather flash bistro menu.

Definitive modern-Italian in Potts Point. Visit for ground-breaking wines, a Sydney-famous lasagnetta Bolognese and impeccable service. Frat Paz nails it every time.

Some fanatics call this the best pasticceria in Sydney. Five Dock’s Italian community certainly seems to think of. In any case, the quality of Tamborrino’s Roman-style biscuits, cannoli and cream-filled pastries is evident. For a quick breafkast, go for an Italian-style croissant and a strong espresso.

Enmore Road’s perennial late-night Pakistani joint. Newtown kids gravitate towards the excellent tandoori, but past midnight, the taxi driver set fuel up with flash-fried Lahore-style curries and stews ordered off the special menu (the staff write it in biro on the back of a docket).

Visit this slamming Maltese eatery for whopping pastas and flaky, addictive pastizzi (savoury pastries). This giant of South king left its original digs after 14 years and moved to the north end of the strip in 2020. It’s now three times the size – that means three times the pastizzi flying out of the ovens. Essential Newtown eating.

Hungarian treats have been front and centre at this bagelry and pretzel-maker ever since it opened in 1979. Here you'll find exquisitely layered chocolate cakes and strudels, plus bagels good enough to stand up to any of Sydney’s flashy new-school bagelries.