Locating a cheeky late-night bite can prove challenging. Fortunately, with venues stretching their closing hours well into the evening, Sydney/Eora has flourished into a vibrant, late-night dining hub.
Disagreeing with Ted Mosby’s sentiment, the Urban List team believes that the real magic happens after 2am. Whether it’s a takeaway joint serving up quick eats, an underground bar offering savoury snacks, or a restaurant ready to cater to cravings, even after the clock strikes nine, we're here for it.
These are the best spots in Sydney for late-night food and dining.
Never miss a new opening or upcoming event in Sydney again—get us in your inbox here.
Bar Conte
340 Riley Street, Surry Hills
Image credit: Bar Conte | Instagram
Dedicated to the Negroni, Bar Conte is truly a slice of Italy, offering late-night dining and delectable drinks. Share a charcuterie spread with friends or tuck into baked tomino cheese with sage, pancetta and truffle honey, king prawn pasta with nduja crumb or a 500-gram O’Connor rib-eye on the bone until late.
Compliment dinner with one of Bar Conte’s 30 unique Negroni selections, such as their rhubarb Negroni blend Campari, Oscar 697 vermouth, Glendalough Rose gin and rhubarb liqueur, or sip a Negroni flight to find a new favourite. With Sydney’s most extensive offering of Italian vermouths and bitters, you'll be fashionably late for your bedtime.
THE DETAILS
Late-night dining hours: Last orders at 11:15pm Thursday–Saturday
The Caterpillar Club
92 Pitt Street, Sydney CBD
Image credit: The Caterpillar Club | Instagram
Located smack bang in the centre of all the Sydney CBD nightlife action is The Caterpillar Club, the ‘it’ venue for late-night snacks and underground music. Waddle in for a nightcap and fend off the hangover with a top-tier cheeseburger—it's one of the best we’ve ever had. Their beef-dripping chippies are also to die for, or you can go glam after dark with buttermilk waffles served with creme fraiche and caviar.
You'll want to pair your late-night eats with their house cocktails including a selection of lychee, mango and watermelon martinis or an elderflower and mint Southside spritz. Once you've filled up you'll want to hit the d-floor for a boogie, and with live music and DJs on every night you’re guaranteed a good time.
THE DETAILS
Late-night dining hours: Entire menu available until midnight seven days, select items available until 3am Sunday–Thursday or 4am Friday and Saturday
Indian Home Diner
86 Oxford Street, Paddington
To call Indian Home Diner a late-night cult favourite would be an understatement. The Oxford Street eatery is the obvious choice if you're in or around Paddington and need a late-night Friday or Saturday feed.
Look for the orange sign and a line out the door and go straight for the crowd-favourite Indian kebab with your choice of curry sauce, a chicken tikka, and aloo chop or onion bhaji, all beautifully wrapped up in a garlic naan.
THE DETAILS
Late-night dining hours: Open until 11pm Tuesday–Thursday and Sunday, 3am Friday and Saturday
Royal Palace
393-399 Sussex Street, Haymarket
Image credit: The Royal Palace | Instagram
If you’re planning a night out in Chinatown, head to Royal Palace: a gigantic 600-seat Chinese restaurant specialising in yum cha and fresh live seafood on the former site of Sydney icon Golden Century.
Experience gourmet dining well after dark by digging into dumplings, dim-sims and salt and pepper squid, or try their signature dishes such as fresh lobster with ginger and shallot-braised noodles or Peking duck pancakes—satisfying late-night stuff.
THE DETAILS
Late-night dining hours: Until 11pm every night.
The Emerald Room
Level 1/235 Victoria Street, Darlinghurst
Image credit: The Emerald Room | Josh Raymond
From glorious cabaret and spectacular live vocals to jaw-dropping acrobatics plus late-night eats, The Emerald Room has got it all. The evening here starts with dinner and a show (with various seating and dining packages available) which wraps up at 9.30pm, and from there a late-night, a la carte menu kicks in.
Among the bedazzling emerald hues and suave jazz tunes, the late-night menu includes oysters, steak frites and strawberry gum doughnuts, plus a sexy selection of signature cocktails.
THE DETAILS
Late-night dining hours: 9.30pm–12am, Wednesday–Saturday
You might also like
Big Poppa's
96 Oxford Street, Darlinghurst
Image credit: Big Poppa's | Instagram
Since opening back in 2016, Big Poppas established itself as one of the best joints in the city for outstanding cocktails and a proper late-night feed. In fact, don't be surprised if you find a packed restaurant at 2am on a weeknight. There's no late-night menu here; you can order from the whole thing right up until 2.30am. That means hand-cut pasta, endless cheeses, cured meats, gelato, Italian vino, and hip-hop playlists into the wee hours of the morning.
Be welcomed into Big Poppas with champagne on arrival when you book a table for four or more for Big Poppa's Bad Bitch Energy Thursdays, and stick around after 8pm for Big Poppa's lineup of female hip-hop DJs playing until 3am.
THE DETAILS
Late-night dining hours: Last orders at 2.30am every night.
Hey Chú
Level 1/249 Castlereagh Street, Sydney CBD
Image credit: Hey Chú | Instagram
An ode to Vietnamese nightlife, Hey Chú is all about the late-night bites and good vibes, operating within Hotel Downing. After 9pm, a late-night menu kicks in, involving tableside hibachi grills and a selection of cold smoked meats to pair with signature cocktails like the Karaoke with Hennessy VS, Crème De Gingembre, mint, ginger, green tea and peach tea jelly.
Dressed up with Vietnamese street art and handmade lanterns, with local artists performing through the week and DJs on weekends, you'll feel as if you've left the city and landed on the streets of Hanoi.
THE DETAILS
Late-night dining hours: Open until 12am Monday–Saturday
Nakano Darling
14 Steam Mill Lane, Haymarket
In the sprawling Darling Square foodie precinct, Nakano Darling is serving up the late-night food of Japan's izakayas in a warm, timber-clad setting plucked straight out of Shinjuku's back streets. Fried chicken, gyoza and specialty highballs are the go, making it a late-night haven of fried eats (and a nightcap or two).
Karaage and gyoza come in multiple serving sizes, as well as classic drinking snacks like lotus root chips, octopus karaage, corn butter cheese and fried udon with pork slices.
THE DETAILS
Late-night dining hours: Open until 2am Thursday–Saturday, 12am Sunday–Wednesday
Zaffi
Little Hunter Street, Sydney CBD
Image credit: Zaffi | Instagram
Taking the phrase “raise the roof” to new heights, Zaffi is a late-night alleyway venue bringing unmatched ambience over two levels. In the ground-level restaurant, indulge in a modern Middle Eastern menu, with raw dishes, mezze including grilled halloumi in honey and thyme za’atar, slow-cooked and chargrilled short ribs in a pomegranate dressing, and show-stopping desserts like baklava soft serve.
Downstairs, the modern, bunker-like basement bar kicks on until 4am on weekends and literally had its roof raised to allow for dancing on tables—which really sums up the energy.
THE DETAILS
Late-night dining hours: Until 4am Friday and Saturday, 11pm Tuesday–Thursday
Caffe Roma
9 Kellett Street, Potts Point
Image Credit: Caffe Roma | Instagram
An Italian institution in a charming terrace house setting, Caffe Roma has been serving up the goods (antipasti, pizza, pasta, and more) till late for over 30 years.
Swing by after dark for an Aperol spritz and plates of burrata and prosciutto, steaming spaghetti vongole and dense tiramisu served in generous portions—exactly what we need when it's approaching bedtime.
THE DETAILS
Late-night dining hours: Until 2am Monday–Saturday, and 12am on Sunday
Old Town Hong Kong Cuisine
10 Dixon Street, Sydney CBD
Spread over two levels in the heart of Chinatown, Old Town Hong Kong Cuisine should be on the list for any late-night Chinese food hankerings. The Haymarket eatery's pages-long menu doesn't muck around, with dumplings, bao, Hong Kong-style street food, noodles, fried rice, omelettes, and a must-share roast duck to chow down on until late.
THE DETAILS
Late-night dining hours: Open until 1am Tuesday–Sunday
Honey
70 Tumbalong Boulevard, Haymarket
Image Credit: Honey | Instagram
If you like your late-night fried chicken with a side of K-Pop and lashings of neon, pop Darling Square's Honey on your radar. Loud, vibey, and drenched in neon lights, Honey is inspired by the nightlife of Seoul and serves a menu of Korean pocha or late-night food.
The highlight of the snack menu is the Korean fried chicken, served crispy and juicy and best enjoyed with Honey's house beer. Otherwise, there are also Korean bulgogi pizzas, with bulgogi beef served on a fluffy pizza base and topped with mozzarella, kimchi, and other prime late-night ingredients.
THE DETAILS
Late-night dining hours: Open until 12am Tuesday–Sunday
Jimmy's Falafel
330D George Street, Sydney CBD
Image Credit: Jimmy's Falafel | Instagram
Merivale's casual Middle Eastern joint is perfect for soaking up the booze on a night out. Conveniently located on George Street, Jimmy's Falafel serves up mighty fine falafel, as well as pita, mezze plates, and charcoal-grilled meats and fish. There's a main menu available until 11pm, and a late-night menu of snacks and pitas that kicks in after then—both have baklava for dessert.
THE DETAILS
Late-night dining hours: Open until 12am Monday–Wednesday, 2am Thursday–Saturday, 10pm on Sunday
Old Mate's Place
Level 4/199 Clarence Street, Sydney CBD
Up a few flights of stairs and through an unmarked door, you'll find one of the city's best late-night haunts for food and drinks. Old Mate's Place is a serious vibe, with leather-bound booths and candlelit bookcases.
The Clarence Street legends offer their full menu until 1.30am every night to keep the good times rolling past your usual bedtime, and we probably buried the lede by not mentioning that the kitchen specialises in cheesesteaks. From a classic Philly Cheesesteak to the Devils Three-Way with sirloin, jamon Iberico, mushrooms, roasted capsicum, onion and provolone cheese, they're the ultimate boozy nosh.
THE DETAILS
Late-night dining hours: Until 2am Tuesday–Sunday
Apollonia
5-7 Young St Basement Level, Sydney CBD
Image Credit: Apollonia | Instagram
Hiding away in the basement of Hinchcliff House is a definite must-do on any late-night adventure. The moody underground bar is inspired by Apollonia, the Sicilian wife to Michael Corleone inThe Godfather.
If you want to pair your vino with a late-night bite, Apollonia has you covered as well with the main menu available through to 10pm, and a smaller version of snacks to pair with your Negroni available until late.
THE DETAILS
Late-night dining hours: Open until 1am Monday–Wednesday, 2am Thursday–Saturday
Pancakes On The Rocks
22 Playfair Street, The Rocks
Breakfast food connoisseurs Pancakes On The Rocks is the true definition of late-night dining—or anytime dining, we should say. Waltz into The Rocks outpost at literally any time of your night and order up a plate of fluffy pancakes covered in chocolate and peanut butter or bacon, eggs and a hash brown—enough said.
THE DETAILS
Late-night dining hours: Open until 12am Monday–Thursday and Sunday, 2am Friday–Saturday
Employees Only
9a Barrack Street, Sydney CBD
Image Credit: Employees Only | Instagram
When iconic New York City speakeasy bar Employees Only opened a Sydney outpost back in 2018, it's fair to say we were pretty jazzed. Employees Only brought with it plenty of the intimacy and sophistication of the OG West Village haunt, as well as a late-night dining attitude straight outta the Big Apple.
On Friday and Saturday nights, mains like crackled pork belly or the 1.3kg tomahawk steak stop serving at midnight, but the rest of the menu carries on until 2.30am. So, walk in late on an empty stomach and enjoy salmon ceviche, baked bone marrow or sesame-crusted halloumi well into the night.
THE DETAILS
Late-night dining hours: Open until 12am Tuesday–Thursday, 3am Friday–Saturday
Goros
Goros, simply put, is an abundance of late-night fun. Head into the Surry Hills bar for sake, games, karaoke, DJs, yakitori, gyoza, burgers, craft beer, and a touch of neon. The Japanese-themed bar is certainly not short on good times. And if you're in need of a refuel, you can order from the late-night menu—with options like burgers or chicken karaage—up until midnight.
THE DETAILS
Late-night dining hours: Wntil 12am Thursday–Saturday
El Loco @ Excelsior
64 Foveaux Street, Surry Hills
Image Credit: El Loco | Instagram
El Loco lines Foveaux and Bellevue Streets with colourful tables and chairs and with pretty happy folks. Inside it's much of the same, and why wouldn't people be happy with margarita slushies flowing and tacos piling out of the kitchen into the hands of hungry patrons?
El Loco's full menu of tacos, mains and salads, platters and snacks is available to 10pm, when a substantial late-night menu kicks in with plenty of options like chicken wings, nachos and endless taco options right up until close.
THE DETAILS
Late-night dining hours: Until 12am Monday–Wednesday, 1am on Thursday, 3am Friday–Saturday, 10pm on Sunday
Zigi's Wine Bar
8 Shepherd Street, Chippendale
Bringing a lot of Middle Eastern flavour and heart to Chippendale, Zigi's Wine Bar serves its full menu through to midnight, including an epic selection of cheeses from all around the world. Drop in late to dine on six-hour braised Moroccan chicken, 42-hour sous-vide Jerusalem lamb, or small plates of housemade labneh, authentic Israeli hummus and more. Pups who like to stay up late are also welcome.
THE DETAILS
Late-night dining hours: Open until 12am Wednesday–Sunday
Looking for more, check out:
Main image credit: Big Poppa's | Instagram
Urban List Best Of: has our highest stamp of approval—curated lists of the very best recommendations for you to eat, do, see, buy or book, carefully chosen by our Editors.