From ramen garage workshops to laneway church burgers and top Thai hot spots, Newtown restaurants offer plenty of unique and juicy feeds. Echoing the eclectic vibe of Newtown as a whole, the restaurant scene spans fancy date night spots, vegan-friendly diners, casual kerbside eateries, and some of Sydney's coolest digs to grab a natural wine or craft cocktail.
These are Urban List's picks for the best Newtown restaurants to try on your next Inner West dining odyssey.
Know what you want? Skip to
- The Most Iconic Restaurants In Newtown
- The Best Italian Restaurants In Newtown
- The Best Vegan-Friendly Newtown Restaurants
- More Of The Best Restaurants in Newtown
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The Most Iconic Restaurants In Newtown
Odd Culture
266 King Street, Newtown
Image credit: Odd Culture | Supplied
Located along King Street, Odd Culture is a walk-in-only, all-day eatery and bar dedicated to all things fermented. This cool and casual Newtown restaurant takes culinary inspiration from all over the globe (but if we had to pick a cuisine, we'd say it's European-leaning), with a drinks focus on natural wine and wild ales.
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Hit Odd Culture's drink-in bottle shop two doors up, SPON, for a pre- or post-meal wine.
Rising Sun Workshop
1C Whateley Street, Newtown
Image credit: Rising Sun Workshop | Website
This laneway Japanese joint is an eclectic Newtown restaurant that was dreamt up by a collective made up of former coffee legends, motorbike enthusiasts, a baker, a chef and a designer.
The ramen at Rising Sun Workshop equals what you find in Tokyo, with just four bowls on offer: The Light (a chicken-based shio broth), The Darkness (a chicken and smoked pork shoyu broth), The Monk (a vegetarian bowl) and the famous breakfast ramen with buttered toast bone broth, bacon, fried onsen egg, roast tomato and green onion. Or, go for a selection of snacky bits, gyozas and barbecued plates.
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Rising Sun Workshop is dog-friendly downstairs.
Cairo Takeaway
81 Enmore Road, Newtown
Image credit: Cairo Takeaway | Destination NSW
Cairo Takeaway specialises in Egyptian street food served with a lot of heart. Any night of the week you can find keen Inner Westies lined up out the door, as the joint is walk-in-only.
The vibe is fun and unpretentious and the food is flavoursome and wholesome. There’s a big focus on plant-based goodness and a neat offering of charcoal-grilled meats just like the streets of Egypt.
We love the packed pita pockets, plates of meats or falafel served with salad, pickles, bread and dip, and hawawshi flatbread with spiced mince.
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Cairo Takeaway is BYO (wine only).
Continental Deli Bar & Bistro
210 Australia Street, Newtown
Image credit: Continental Deli | Instagram
Deciding where to eat in Newtown? Take a seat at the deli counter or a footpath table to have your Euro moment at Continental Deli. A fine selection of cheeses, tinned seafood, and cold cuts is accompanied by a neat bistro offering and the cutest canned cocktails around. You can't leave without trying Continental's iconic Mar-tinny—a perfectly balanced gin martini from a can. And if you love the Mar-tinny, try the Flan in a Can for dessert.
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Visit at lunchtime for the iconic French dip sandwich with a cup of beef jus.
Cafe Paci
131 King Street, Newtown
Image credit: Cafe Paci | Instagram
Award-winning Finnish-born chef Pasi Petänen's Cafe Paci is a top example of Sydney's ever-growing upscale-casual restaurant trend. It's the evolution of his hugely popular pop-up that ran until 2015, and opened in the Inner West in 2019, toeing the line between neighbourhood bistro and fine diner.
In this Newtown restaurant, you'll find a seasonal a la carte menu that follows Petänen's European sensibilities with some global twists. Head in for a cocktail and a snack, or stick around for a full night of feasting.
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There's an epic $90pp set menu (required for groups of more than six).
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The Best Italian Restaurants In Newtown
Osteria Mucca
212 Australia Street, Newtown
Image credit: Osteria Mucca | Hugh O'Brien
Located in Paisano & Daughters’ Australia Street precinct (alongside Continental Deli, Mister Grotto and Flora from the same team), Osteria Mucca is an old-school Italian restaurant inside a former butcher shop in Newtown.
The 50-seat restaurant masters regional classics, family recipes, handmade pasta and in-house butchery across a menu led by Berlin-born head chef Janina Allende (previously at Alberto’s Lounge and Pellegrino 2000).
On the drinks front, Osteria Mucca spotlights wine from small, family-owned Italian vineyards, plus a slow-sipping aperitivo selection and traditional Italian cocktails.
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To top it off, award-winning pastry chef Lauren Eldridge handles the dessert menu.
Bella Brutta
135 King Street, Newtown
Image credit: Bella Brutta | Instagram
Bella Brutta serves some of the best pizza in Sydney in our books—and it does have a full menu of Italian goodness too. A typical meal here looks like a few bits from the antipasto selection like pickled mussels, salumi, and silky stracciatella, before belting into a house-made pasta followed by Naples-style pizzas topped with primo local and imported ingredients. Come for the delicious pizza, stay for a tiramisu, or plan ahead and order takeaway online.
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If you're thinking about bringing a GF or coeliac friend, they'll have to pass on the pizza.
Westwood Pizza
245 Australia Street, Newtown
Image credit: Westwood Pizza | Website
Westwood is a hole-in-the-wall Newtown restaurant in an old neighbourhood store by Mitchell Westwood, whose Sydney pizza resume includes Queen Margherita of Savoy and the nearby Bella Brutta.
The flavour-packed, minimalist menu offers wood-fired pizzas topped garlic and honey (a fan favourite), spanner crab, charred greens, hot spanish salami, plus a class Marg with a few salad and side options to round out the lineup. Walk-ins-only.
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Wait times can get long—consider pre-ordering from 4pm.
The Best Vegan-Friendly Newtown Restaurants
Vandal Taqueria
403 King Street, Newtown
Image credit: Vandal Taqueria | Facebook
Vandal is one of Sydney’s best Mexican restaurants, and you wouldn’t believe it if we told you, it’s completely plant-based. An homage to the Latino food trucks of Los Angeles, the eatery's walls are covered in street art, and the flavours coming out of the kitchen are mouth-watering.
Order the “cheese” burger spring rolls with house-made "beef” patty, popcorn “prawns”, wild mushroom quesadillas and all the vegan tacos your heart desires. Be sure to leave room for the range of frozen margaritas and desserts like the icy and spicy chilli oil sundae.
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Can’t decide what to eat? Leave it up to the chefs with a six-course set menu for just $39.
Bloodwood
416 King Street, Newtown
Bloodwood is a cosy, brick-walled Newtown restaurant that's big on supporting its community and small-scale producers—especially local growers. The seasonal menu changes often but always offers hearty, home-style food, and the drinks list is big on signature cocktails infusing house-made ingredients and sustainably made natural wines. The $70 banquet menu is also great bang for your buck.
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Vegos need to try the house-made pecan paté.
Mary’s Newtown
6 Mary Street, Newtown
Image credit: Mary's | Instagram
Located in an old church with gothic chandeliers, candle wax and loud punk music, Mary's Newtown restaurant is your go-to for damn good burgers. If you're uninitiated, start with the signature Mary's burger, or a pick from the vegan menu—there are around seven plant-based burgers on the lineup stuffed with fried cauliflower, double roasted field mushroom or Impossible™ vegan patties, plus melty vegan cheese. Walk-ins-only.
Insider Intel
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Visit on Thursday for $10 margaritas.
More Of The Best Restaurants In Newtown
The Stinking Bishops
Shop 5/63–71 Enmore Road, Newtown
Image credit: The Stinking Bishops | Instagram
The Stinking Bishops is a gourmet cheese shop and restaurant with over 40 varieties of cheese on offer. Saddle up for a charcuterie board made up of two, three or four types of cheese and pair with local wines for the perfect aperitivo hour, or take home your new favourite.
If you want to upgrade your cheese selection into a full meal, this Newtown restaurant also serves a full menu with cheese-friendly snacks and dishes like beef tartare, mac 'n' cheese drizzled in paprika oil, and crispy porchetta with cabbage and apple salad.
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Not sure what to pick? The cheese bible has all the tasting notes you need.
Mister Grotto
208 Australia Street, Newtown
Image credit: Mister Grotto | Supplied
Also charted by Paisano & Daughters, Mister Grotto is a seafood restaurant and bar in Newtown. Wooden planks and boat-themed decor fill the 30-seat venue, with head chef Måns Engberg captaining the kitchen.
The menu leans on South- and Central-American influences, starring raw and charcoal-kissed oceanic goods. Sit up at the seafood bar to watch over oyster shucking and crudo prep or slide into one of the low tables with a thoughtfully paired wine.
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The window seat is the most coveted spot in the joint, perfect for sipping a Grotto Martini while people watching.
Belly Bao
184 King Street, Newtown
Image credit: Belly Bao | Instagram
This little hole in the wall specialises in (yep, you guessed it) bao. The Taiwanese street food makes an appearance on menus Sydney-wide, but Belly Bao takes the soft, springy dough and transforms it into new experiences you need to try.
As well as the usual filled buns with slow-braised pork belly, panko-crumbed chicken or beef short rib, they do specialty “bao-gers”, noodles made from their bao dough, and even serve burrata with flatbread-style bao.
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Don't skip the Golden Gaytime bao for dessert.
Thai Pothong
294 King Street, Newtown
Thai Pothong is an Inner West institution—and it dishes up some of the best Thai food in Sydney. Service is top-notch at this Newtown restaurant, with super-speedy delivery of dishes despite it being packed most nights of the week. Try the classic chicken satay or prawn betel leaves to start before choosing from all the usual suspects for the main event: green, red, yellow, massaman and penang curries. It’s also super vegan-friendly.
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You might hear Thai Pothong referred to as the robot restaurant—you'll see why...
Maiz
33 Enmore Road, Newtown
Image credit: Maiz | Instagram
Walking into Maiz feels like you’re in a courtyard in Oaxaca or Puebla. This Newtown restaurant breaks away from the typical taco with a vision of linking authentic food to the Aussie culinary scene by celebrating corn in all its form—making this place super gluten-free-friendly.
The menu covers tacos, filled molotes, chilaquiles, flautas and loads more, plus an extensive selection of agave spirits served as signature margaritas and specialty cocktails.
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Maiz does one of Sydney's best bottomless brunches on weekends, 12pm–3pm for $89pp.
Pistou
601 King Street, Newtown
Image credit: Pistou | Instagram
Pistou is a French-inspired restaurant on Newtown’s King Street from Jules Bouillon, whose experience includes opening the legendary Balthazar in London and, more locally, Glorietta.
Pink walls, baskets of fresh bread, and a large cabinet stocked with charcuterie and pickles fill the venue. As for the menu, expect a weekly rotation of seasonal cheeses, charcuterie, freshly made dips, and sandwiches, plus bistro-style dishes like beef tartare, seared scallops and house-made pasta.
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Pistou has a few weekly dining specials like raclette nights and bottomless feasts—view what’s on here.
Little Lagos Bistro & Bar
125 Enmore Road, Newtown
Little Lagos is a beloved Nigerian dining gem where the walls are painted a warm ochre and a mural of Fela Kuti—an iconic West African activist and musician—welcomes you at the door off Enmore Road.
The casual Newtown restaurant’s menu is made up of traditional recipes passed on from generation to generation. Jollof rice, a rich basmati rice cooked in a spicy tomato and pepper sauce with traditional Nigerian spices, is the best place to start (it’s suitable for vegans and vegetarians too) before adding hearty stews, fried plantains and more.
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Little Lagos holds epic Afro-Caribbean block parties—watch this space for upcoming events.
Main image credit: Continental Deli | Instagram
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