Sydney’s Oldest Cafes, Restaurants And Pubs That Are Still Serving Today
Eloise Luke
Contributor | Urban List
Sydney/Eora is constantly chasing what’s new. New chefs, new fit-outs, new openings announced with weeks of build-up and a waitlist before the doors even swing open. The city’s dining scene moves fast—and when something closes, it’s often replaced before the paint has dried.
Long before degustations and dining precincts, there were restaurants built by migrant families staking out a future. There were pubs serving meals to dock workers and traders in The Rocks. There were cake shops where birthday traditions began decades ago and never stopped. These venues weren’t designed around trends, but around feeding people, reliably, night after night.
Some opened in the aftermath of war, when Sydney’s food culture was still relatively narrow, while others grew alongside the city’s transformation into a multicultural capital. Over time, they became reference points: “the place we always go,” “where Mum used to take us,” “that spot Dad swears hasn’t changed in 40 years.”
In an industry where the average restaurant lifespan can be short, surviving for half a century (or longer) is no small feat. It requires financial discipline, loyal communities, a clear culinary identity and a willingness to evolve carefully whilst staying true to the heart that keeps people coming back.
From colonial-era pubs to mid-century European dining rooms and suburban institutions that shaped neighbourhoods, these are some of the oldest restaurants and food venues in Sydney that are still serving today.
Una's Restaurant
340 Victoria Street, Darlinghurst
Image credit: Una's | Instagram
Operating since the late 1960s, Una’s is one of Darlinghurst’s longest-standing restaurants — and a rare holdout for proper continental comfort food in Sydney. What began as a tiny café on Victoria Street has grown into a beloved European dining room known for generous plates and old-school hospitality.
After its original opening, Austrian owner Annie reshaped the venue into a Central European café, building a menu around traditional dishes from Austria, Germany, Switzerland and Hungary. Over the decades, the space expanded and ownership changed, but the spirit of the restaurant stayed the same.
Today, Una’s is best known for its golden schnitzels, slow-cooked Hungarian goulash, Dutch beef croquettes and house-made apfelstrudel. The dining room is cosy rather than flashy, and the drinks list features imported European beers and schnapps to match the menu.
Insider Intel
- Una’s has been on Victoria Street in some form for more than 50 years—making it one of Darlinghurst’s true dining institutions.
Beppi's Italian
21 Yurong Street, Darlinghurst
Image credit: Beppi's | Instagram
Opened on 10 June 1956, Beppi’s is one of Sydney’s longest-running Italian restaurants—and still operates from the same East Sydney address where it all began. Founded by Friuli-born restaurateur Beppi Polese and his wife Norma, it arrived at a time when Italian food was still unfamiliar to many Australians.
Beppi had trained in grand hotels across Milan, Venice, Florence and Rome before moving to Sydney in 1952. After working in established Italian restaurants, he opened his own—introducing diners to ingredients like mussels, octopus and artichokes long before they became menu staples. In the early days, he even sourced mussels himself when suppliers couldn’t.
The dining room remains intimate and traditional, and the menu continues to centre northern Italian classics alongside one of Sydney’s most respected wine cellars. Over the decades, the restaurant has earned dozens of awards and helped shape the city’s Italian dining culture.
Insider Intel
- Beppi’s opened two months before Australia’s first television broadcast, and has never moved from its original site.
Fortune Of War
137 George Street, The Rocks
Image credit: Fortune Of War | Instagram
First established in 1828, the Fortune of War is recognised as Sydney’s oldest continuously licensed pub. Originally opened by former convict Samuel Terry in the heart of The Rocks, it quickly became part of the social fabric of early colonial Sydney.
In the 19th century, The Rocks was the city’s working harbour precinct, and the Fortune served sailors, dock workers and soldiers moving through the port. While the current building dates to 1921, many of its heritage details remain, including timber fittings and the original-style bar that still anchors the room.
Though technically a pub, venues like this were once central dining spaces for the city. Today, the Fortune of War continues to serve classic pub fare and cold beers beneath high ceilings and walls lined with historic photographs.
Nearly 200 years after it first opened, it remains one of the few places in Sydney where you can quite literally drink inside living history.
Insider Intel
- The Fortune of War has been operating since before Sydney had railways, trams or even a Town Hall—making it one of the city’s longest-standing hospitality venues.
Diethnes
336 Pitt Street, Sydney CBD
Image credit: Diethnes | Instagram
Established in the 1950s and operating from Pitt Street since 1977, Diethnes is widely regarded as one of Sydney’s original Greek restaurants. For decades, it has been a steady presence in the CBD—serving traditional recipes shaped by Greece’s island and mainland cuisines.
The restaurant’s story is closely tied to post-war Greek migration. Former owner Phillip arrived in Australia from the Cyclades in the 1960s, beginning as a kitchen hand before eventually taking ownership. Under his guidance, Diethnes developed into a well-known city dining room before relocating to its current Pitt Street address in the late 1970s.
Today, the next generation continues to run the restaurant, maintaining its focus on classic dishes like roast lamb, moussaka and spanakopita. The dining room is nostalgicly decorated, reflecting the restaurant’s commitment to preserving the warmth and generosity traditionally associated with Greek hospitality.
Insider Intel
- Diethnes is one of the CBD’s longest-running family-operated restaurants.
Filicudi
11 Ramsay Road, Five Dock
Image credit: Filicudi | Instagram
Since 1979, Filicudi has been part of the fabric of Five Dock — a suburb long associated with Sydney’s Italian-Australian community. It also hasn’t ever needed to dramatically evolve, because it got the formula right early on.
Chef-owner Maria Carbone, who took full ownership in 2014 after decades working in Sydney’s Italian kitchens, brings a hands-on approach that prioritises technique and consistency over trend. Nothing here feels overworked — it’s confident, grounded cooking that has kept locals returning for more than 40 years.
The dining room carries the warmth of a long-running family trattoria, while the kitchen keeps things firmly traditional. Fresh gnocchi is made daily, seafood is prepared whole, and tomato sauces simmer slowly rather than being rushed. The menu is all about the classics: crab pasta, tender octopus, pizza pulled from the oven and generous bowls of ragu.
Insider Intel
- Save room for dessert—the tiramisu is made fresh and doesn’t stick around for long.
Mezzapica
130 Norton Street, Leichhardt
Image credit: Mezzapica | Instagram
Long before boutique bakeries and Instagram cake drops, there was Angelo Mezzapica.
Born in 1912 on the island of Lipari in Sicily, Angelo trained in pastry from a young age before moving to Messina to apprentice under a Swiss pastry chef. After years working across Sicily, he migrated to Australia in 1949, bringing with him traditional techniques and recipes shaped by southern Italy.
By the early 1960s, Mezzapica Continental Cakes had become a cornerstone of Sydney’s Italian community, particularly in Leichhardt’s “Little Italy.” It was the place for celebration cakes, biscuits and pastries that tasted like home for post-war migrants building new lives in Australia.
Ownership has passed through family hands over the decades, expanding production and introducing wholesale supply to cafés and restaurants across Sydney. But the foundation remains Angelo’s recipes — cannoli, continental tortes and specialty cakes crafted with the same European sensibility.
Insider Intel
- If you’re ordering for a big occasion, book early — their specialty cakes are a staple for Italian-Australian celebrations across Sydney.
Main image credit: Fortune of War | Instagram
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