A host of 2022 restaurant openings have brought even more vibrancy to Sydney’s diverse restaurant scene. A Surry Hills spot showcases Peruvian-Japanese food, plant-based food from Turkey’s Aegean coast gets full focus in the CBD, and a Chef’s Table star is serving up Basque country dishes with flair. That’s just a small taste of what Sydney’s latest hotspots have to offer. Read on for 6 must-book restaurants in Sydney.
S’more (Castlecrag)
Brought to life by ex-Merivale chefs “Big” Sam Young and Grace Chen, S’more is the shining jewel of Sydney’s Lower North Shore. The culinary power couple debuted their 40-seat Castlecrag bistro in late May, offering an upscale menu serving French and pan-Asian cuisines in a casual space. Think dishes such as Siberian caviar on rock oysters, Wagyu rib-eye, and lobster pasta. Grab a seat at one of the black banquettes or the wooden tables and pair your meal with top-notch cocktails like a yuzu spritz, truffle negroni, or a salted plum margarita.
Pellegrino 2000 (Surry Hills)
If Italy isn’t on the radar this summer, swing by Pellegrino 2000, on the corner of Crown Street’s iconic dining strip in Surry Hills. The retro Italian trattoria comes from the team behind the popular Bistro 916, and is split over two levels. On the ground level, decked out with brown leather banquettes and mustard walls lined with vintage Italian movie posters, pasta master Dan Pepperell dishes out a mix of stellar Italian staples and new creations. Highlights include the fritto misto, spaghetti vongole, prawns with brown butter tortellini, and a “limongello” tart featuring limoncello-flavoured jelly served in lemon peel. An intimate wine cellar with candle-lit tables is on the lower level where sommelier Andy Tyson will happily guide you through their decades-old selections of wine. Recently, Pellegrino 2000 landed first place on Delicious’ prestigious top 100 list. Hot tip: the best seats at the restaurant are at the outdoor bar where you can see all the action while enjoying a gentle breeze in the summer months.
Sofia on Cleveland (Redfern)
For an elegant night on the town, look no further than Sofia, a cosy southern-Mediterranean grill and cocktail lounge in a 19th-century heritage building. The restaurant is a collaboration between renowned Australian chef Justin North and the owners of the iconic Bar Cleveland, Sophie and Con Bousgas. Named after Sophie Bousgas’s grandmother, Sofia serves homestyle, seasonal dishes ideal for sharing. Olive oil from Bousgas’s family farm in Greece shines in a number of dishes such as pomegranate ocean trout, spiced beef tartare, and chargrilled lamb ribs. The playful drinks menu includes the Turkish delights-inspired Noah’s Arc cocktail and a host of wines from Australia and Europe.
Gilda’s (Surry Hills)
Before chef Lennox Hastie became a Chef’s Table star, he worked in the foothills of Spain’s Basque country. His latest, Gilda, which debuted in September 2022, is an homage to his time there. Grab a spot at the emerald green kitchen counter, where chefs hand diners dishes straight off the pass. The menu is packed with snacks such as t. Most meals here start with a San Sebastian pintxo (a skewered dish featuring a guindilla pepper, an anchovy, and an olive) along with mackerel fillet and seared kangaroo pintxos. For larger plates, opt for the beef tartare, and the pipis in a jamón broth with alubia beans. Don’t leave without an order of smoked buffalo milk soft serve drizzled with dulche de leche and arbequina. Pair it with a glass of sherry, and enjoy it Iberian style—surrounded by people sharing plates of food.
Maydanoz (Sydney CBD)
Maydanoz is a love letter to Turkey’s Aegean coastline, with a focus on plant-forward food and a commitment to zero-waste dining. Here, the Efendy Group team, led by celebrity chef Somer Sivrioglu and restaurateur Tarik Köni, serves zeytinyagli-style Turkish dishes, meaning vegetables cooked in olive oil. Signature dishes include lentil koftes, halloumi kebabs, quail eggs chilbir (Turkish-style eggs with yogurt and chile oil) on toast and pistachio-rose kunefe. The drinks menu similarly highlights Turkey’s bounty with white wines made from the Narince grape and floral reds from Papaskarasi grapes. Cocktails prominently feature ingredients such as spiced rum, fresh parsley, and apple juice. The interiors reflect the blue and green tones of the Aegean coast, with velvet banquettes, marble countertops and stone walls lined with rows of Turkish copper pots.
Nikkei Bar and Restaurant (Surry Hills)
Nikkei Bar, which opened in 2019, has brought its namesake Japanese-Peruvian cuisine to Sydney in a big way. The restaurant comes from the same team behind Sydney hotspots Tokyo Bird, Osaka Trading Co. and Banchō. Nikkei’s recently launched seafood-heavy set menu features dishes such as tiradito, a ceviche prepared with thin slices of fish; sakamushi, a sake-steamed murray cod; and lomo saltado, a stir-fry influenced by Peru’s Chinese immigrant community that’s prepared at Nikkei Bar with Wagyu beef and wasabi. Most of the dishes here are shareable, and Nikkei has a 12-seat bar overlooking the kitchen that can be reserved for larger groups. The drinks menu spotlights 40 wines and Peruvian alcohol such as pisco, an Andean black corn whiskey, and the non-alcoholic chicha morada, a purple corn beverage.
Melissa Woodley is a Sydney-based food and drink writer. Follow her food adventures in Sydney and beyond on Instagram @sporkdiaries.
