Looking for somewhere new to eat? Well, you're in luck. Sydney/Eora is brimming with new restaurants to try, across a generous spectrum of cuisines and styles.
In this update, you'll see some of Sydney's best hospitality groups expanding on what they do best with ambitious and excellent new venues across the city. Meanwhile, Circular Quay and North Sydney are bursting with new spots to try. Keep scrolling to see Sydney's best new restaurants as of April 2024.
Morena
1 Martin Place, Sydney
Image credit: Morena | Supplied
Farmer's Daughters chef Alejandro Saravia is set to open his first Sydney venue in Sydney before the end of 2023. Located in the historic GPO building at Martin Place, Saravia will be dipping into his native Peru for inspiration, as well as Cuba, Mexico, Venezuela, Argentina, and Brazil.
Called Morena, the new 220-seat restaurant will follow Saravia's farmer-to-chef philosophy. He'll be working directly with Australia's best suppliers, layering over authentic ingredients from across Latin America to stay true to the flavours of those cuisines.
Saravia is credited with bringing Peruvian cuisine to Australia. "I am so excited to open Morena in the heart of Sydney," he says. "With this new venue, we will be elevating the way Sydneysiders engage with the diverse cuisines from across Latin-American cultures.”
Good Luck Restaurant Lounge
11 Bridge Street, Sydney CBD
Image credit: Merivale | Supplied
A Japanese interpretation of Totti's might sound left of field—but that's essentially what you're in for at Good Luck Restaurant Lounge. It's the newest Merival and Mike Eggert venue, tucked under the historic Burns Philp & Co building in the Sydney CBD.
Eggert will follow the Totti's blueprint, saying in a statement, "Think Totti’s but then add soy, dashi, vinegar with fresh herbs, citrus, and chilli". Slated to open in late April, menu highlights include fire-roasted prawns in tomato miso with chicken skin and cereal crunch, a "Good Luck Colada" cocktail with coconut and cardamom, and a riff on the spicy Margarita called "Laat Jam".
Described as “great food with a side of party” Good Luck Restaurant Lounge will span a main dining room, bar, and private dining rooms, with live seafood tanks and two wine rooms, and a rebellious and avant-garde 70s-inspired Tokyo aesthetic.
Good Luck Restaurant Lounge will open on Wednesday 24 April. Bookings are open now.
Sydney Common
161 Elizabeth Street, Sydney CBD
Image credit: Sydney Common | Supplied
Overlooking leafy Hyde Park, Sydney Common is the latest in Sydney's growing list of excellent woodfire grill steak restaurants.
Up on the first floor of the Sheraton Grand Sydney, it is also an exceeds-expectations hotel restaurant, complete with a champagne bar, a long list of martini variations, and up-and-coming chef talent Jamie Robertson in the kitchen.
With produce to the front and the woodfire grill as the centrepiece of the restaurant, elevated and original dishes come through—like the Kurobuta prosciutto served on the striking pink fleshy pulp of black figs, drizzled in white sesame oil, and dusted with sumac.
Fabbrica Pasta Bar
348 Victoria Street, Darlinghurst
Image credit: Fabbrica | Dexter Kim
Pasta favourite Fabbrica has expanded its footprint this month, opening a new pasta bar in Darlinghurst. Picking up where A Tavola restaurant left off, the second official Fabbrica outpost will have space for 80 across two floors, complete with an 18-seat communal dining table and a private dining room.
Expect to see a menu filled with your Fabbrica and Ragazzi favourites—with handmade pasta and minimal intervention wines as the stars of the show. Think spaghetti cacio e pepe, mafaldine with ‘nduja and prawns, tonnarelli with blue swimmer crab and chilli, and lumache with Tathra Place pork and fennel sausage.
For the Darlinghurst venue, executive chef Scott McComas-Williams and new head chef Damiano Balducci have added mozzarella-stuffed zucchini flowers topped with hot honey, cured meats sliced to order, an Italian ode to the pub schnitzel cotoletta alla Milanese, and a beef short rib braised in Nebbiolo.
Fabbrica Pasta Bar will open on Monday 15 April.
Casa Esquina
79 Elliott Street, Balmain
Image credit: Casa Esquina | Steven Woodburn
From the group behind Tequila Mockingbird and Esteban, Casa Esquina is a sprawling Argentinian-inspired restaurant in the heart of leafy Balmain.
Built into the former Efendy site, Casa Esquina has revamped the courtyard and added an upstairs balcony, and an open kitchen with a flaming a flaming parrilla grill. Dishes getting the grill treatment include Tajima Wagyu rump cap, whole fish with anchovy gribiche and butter, and even whole suckling pigs, all calling for accompanying chimichurri and salsa criolla.
There are takes on Argentina’s local eats like fugazzeta (a version of stuffed pizza), various empanadas, house-made sausages, and a sweetbread and prawn paella.
New restaurants opening soon:
- Postino Osteria By Ormeggio Chef Alessandro Pavoni
- Neptune's Grotto By The Clam Bar Team
- The Hook By The Piccolo Bar Team
Bar Infinita
10 St Johns Avenue, Gordon
Image credit: Bar Infinita | Supplied
Bar Infinita is a neighbourhood Italian with a fiery edge. Namely, head chef Francesco Iervolino, who has spent time in the kitchens at some of Sydney's best Italian and wood-fired restaurants: Ormeggio and Firedoor.
There's no pizza here—instead, Bar Infinita's flame-licked pizza oven is used to crisp-up the house focaccia and a neat edit of steak cuts like a Tajima wagyu striploin and a Riverina Black Angus T-bone Florentina. This is backed up with handmade pasta, like lobster linguine, squid ink tagliolini, and a rigatoni Amatriciana.
And, it wouldn't be Italian without antipasti, and Bar Infinita goes all out. Think oysters with Limoncello granita and finger lime, short rib croquettes, crispy fried chicken with fermented chili mayo, and gnocco fritto with San Daniele prosciutto.
King Clarence
171 Clarence Street, Sydney
Image credit: King Clarence | Instagram
King Clarence is the Bentley Group's second new venue following the opening of Brasserie 1930 at the Capella Sydney Hotel.
King Clarence is the group's first foray into Asian-inspired cooking—featuring dishes inspired by Chinese, Korean, and Japanese cuisine. "This is new and exciting territory for us," Nick Hildebrandt, co-owner and sommelier, said in a statement.
On the corner of King and Clarence Streets in the Sydney CBD, the 100-seat venue features a custom-built BBQ and grill, a large live seafood tank, interiors by Pascale Gomes-McNabb, and, as with all Bentley Group venues, an extensive wine list, this time designed to be paired with Asian-style dishes. Since opening, the fish finger bao, inspired by the iconic McDonald's Filet-o-Fish, has become a major crowd favourite.
Penelope's
Level 1, 50 Bridge Street, Sydney
Image credit: Penelope's | Supplied
From Hello Auntie's Cuong Nguyen, Penelope's is a new 132-seat venue that sees Nguyen expand on his signature bright and buzzy Vietnamese and examine what Australian cuisine is right now—not fusion, but a diverse plateful of influences from all around the world.
Head chef Bremmy Setiyoko (Smeg Young Chef of the Year Finalist 2024, ex-Spice Temple, Sepia) does a standout Bakar chicken served with garlic toum and turmeric and lemongrass sambal, alongside a selection of dry-aged beef, and a rainbow of sauces and sides to pair.
Drinks follow the modern Aussie theme. The wine list is a "hottest 100", with over a quarter of the list available by the glass. Signature cocktails reference Australian natives, like the "Bogan Old Fashioned" with aged rum, macadamia, wattleseed, and vegemite caramel.
Chez Blue
599 Darling Street, Rozelle
Image credit: Chez Blue | Steven Woodburn
Forget stuffy and structured French dining—Chez Blue is a relaxed French bistro serving charm in spades and croissant-washed mini martinis.
In the kitchen, head chef Mark Williamson (ex-Bistro Moncur) is crafting a menu focusing on shared food, with revamped classics like Niçoise-inspired tuna tartare, chicken liver pate with a brûléed top and brioche, croque monsieur with melted comté for dipping, steak frites, and a one-kilogram NSW grass-fed ribeye.
French calls for a few glasses of the good stuff, so Solotel’s head of beverage and Master of Wine Annette Lacey’s wine list mostly comprises approachable Gallic drops, with a cocktail list of classics and signature sips.
Alfie's
4/6 Bligh Street, Sydney
Image credit: Alfie's | Instagram
Proving Sydney is entering her steak house era—Alfie's has joined the growing edit of grill restaurants popping up around town. You can expect great things from this one: Alfie's comes from the crew behind The Gidley, Bistecca, and The Rover.
Beef-fat candle-lit venues Bistecca and The Gidley are loved for their commitment to single cuts (the T-bone and rib-eye respectively), and Alfie’s will follow suit by exclusively offering sirloins from NSW’s Riverine region, butchered in-house in a new central butchery and steak ageing facility.
The vibe at Alfie's is fast and furious too—a great price point and dynamic experience starting with a steak in the restaurant and ending with an ice-cold martini in the bar. All within an hour, perhaps.
Charlotte Bar & Bistro
139 Blues Point Road, McMahons Point
Image credit: Charlotte Bar & Bistro | Supplied
From the Azabu group, Charlotte is a luxe French bistro, adding to Sydney's growing collection of French-inspired diners. Here, you can indulge in classic French staples—like warm baguette and butter, tartare de boeuf mixed tableside, saucisson, chicken and duck liver parfait served with brioche, and, of course, steak frites.
And with Michelin-trained, ex-LuMi Dining chef Hiroshi Manaka at the helm, you can expect some more avant-garde, Japanese influences to shine through on the menu too. Like the gyoza escargot—a snail gyoza with bone marrow, spinach, and red wine jus.
The signature dish at Charlotte is the Boeuf En Croûte Royal—decadent duck and beef wrapped in fois gras, mushroom, and crisp puff pastry. If you're keen to try it, you'll need to plan ahead as Charlotte requires 24 hour's notice for this impressive dish.
Khānaa
335 Crown Street, Surry Hills
Image credit: Khānaa | Supplied
From the talented father-daughter duo behind Métisse, Khānaa is a stylish homage to Bengali food. Restauranteur and chef Opel Khan is a master of artful, storied dishes and, at Khānaa, his heritage and childhood in Bangladesh are the chief inspiration.
Leading the kitchen is Khan's daughter and head chef Lucinda Khan (Acqua E Farina), while Jasmine Khan is front-of-house.
The menu is a series of stunning technical plates, like the standout duck leg confit samosa topped with pink petals of fermented daikon. There's also a crispy nest-like aloo pakora with ruby pearls of shiraz caviar and a sculptural bowl of bone marrow and ox tail consommé. The Khans know their way around a tasting menu, so while a la carte is on offer—we recommend settling in for the Chef's Table-style nine-course experience.
BTWN At W Sydney
31 Wheat Road, Sydney
Image credit: W Sydney | Supplied
The hype for the new W Sydney hotel is real. As well as its luxe suites and fancy five-star amenities, the property is locked to become a bit of a dining destination with mega restaurant "BTWN" (an abbreviation of "between") as the centrepiece.
Head chef Chris Dodd (ex-Aria, The Blue Door, and Bistrot Plume) will be doing locally sourced, sustainably-minded dishes like poached Aquna Murray Cod, with pickled Eden mussels and sauteed cavolo nero from Moonacres Farm, and slow-cooked yoghurt-rubbed Gundagai lamb shoulder.
BTWN also features a late-night dessert bar headed up by Singaporean dessert queen Janice Wong. Called "2am Dessert Bar" the whimsical spot will be open for dinner until the wee hours, serving spectacular sweets alongside custom cocktails and local wines. Round out your experience with a visit to W Sydney's incredible rooftop bar, 29/30.
Bistro George
176 George Street, Sydney
Image credit: Jacksons on George | Tom Ferguson
Clams casino, fancy steaks, and an amaretto crème caramel for dessert. This is the vibe at Bistro George, the smart Euro bistro housed within the revamped Jacksons on George.
Gone are the sticky floors of the late-night CBD pub, which has been reimagined by legendary Sydney restauranteur Maurice Terzini (Icebergs) and Michael Broom's DTL Entertainment Group. Spread across three floors, there's a casual ground-floor public bar, a sleek rooftop terrace, and then Bistro George sandwiched in between.
Heading up food is Steven Sinclair. As well as Icebergs, Sinclair brings experience from Michelin-starred restaurant L'Enclume. The bistro carries the flame of Jacksons on George's late-night days, flipping into a supper spot with live jazz after 11pm on Fridays and Saturdays.
Itō
413-415 Crown Street, Surry Hills
Image credit: ESCA Group | Jiwon Kim
When Toko moved to the CBD, Crown Street was suddenly deprived of a glam Japanese spot. The ESCA Group (AALIA, Nour, Lilymu) has captured the gap in the market with their newest venue, Itō. Filling the two-storey space that used to house their buzzy cafe brand, Cuckoo Callay, Itō is inspired by the izakayas of Japan.
Cool, bright, and casual, here you can sip from an extensive selection of sake, quirky Japanese wines, and Japanese-inspired cocktails, while you snack on sashimi and Hiramasa kingfish.
Head chef Erik Ortolani's heritage is Italian, but his passion is in Japanese cooking having clocked time in the kitchen at both Cho Cho San and Nobu. You can see the crossover come through with fusion dishes like aglio e olio spaghetti with garlic shoots and togarashi or the Wagyu mafaldine with white shimeji and miso.
Petermen
66 Chandos Street, St Leonards
Image credit: Petermen | Instagram
Acclaimed chef Josh Niland and his wife Julie have taken on the lower North Shore with a new 60-seat restaurant called Petermen. In line with Josh's noted commitment to championing sustainable seafood, Petermen focuses on the growers and producers that seek to elevate the standard, and change the culture of how we consume food.
The St Leonards spot is open for dinner during the week, then Saturday lunch, and—maybe most new and exciting for the Nilands—there is a Sunday brunch offering too. At dinner and lunch, there are raw options (like line caught bonito and "its bone soy"), a preserved section of cured delights (like Port Lincoln Berrima octopus and espelette pepper), a menu of charcoal grill items, and grand mains designed to share, like a yellowfin tuna Chateaubriand for four with sides like shoestring fries and garlic Warrigal greens.
Meanwhile, the all-new brunch offering will re-introduce some cult favourites, like a sea urchin crumpet, a spanner crab croissant, and Manjimup marron scrambled eggs. New brunch items include smoked Murray cod bacon and maple pancakes (yum).
Looking for more great restaurants to try? Check out:
- The Best Restaurants In Surry Hills
- The Best Restaurants In Potts Point
- The Most Beautiful Restaurants In Sydney
Image credit: Casa Esquina | Supplied
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