Sydney’s glistening beaches and steady sunshine aren’t the only things that give it international bragging rights—the city’s formidable dining scene bursts with trendy new restaurants and bars. Some are backed by hospitality heavyweights, while others are steered by talented next-gen chefs.
In the CBD, three seasoned chefs took a risk by unveiling a New York City-inspired steakhouse in a city known for whole fish. Down the road, a pizza bar dishes up square pies with housemade dipping sauces. A plant-based pioneer draws on her Spanish roots to create soulful Mediterranean plates at a fully vegan hotel restaurant in Woolloomooloo.
Read on to meet the half-dozen new and revamped restaurants and bars enticing Sydneysiders right now.
Curly Lewis Brewing Co. (Bondi Beach)
Surf, skate, or simply skip over to this restaurant and brewery bar by well-known craft beer brand, Curly Lewis. The beers here are inspired by the beachy backdrop and are clean, easy to drink, and focus on local produce and changing seasons. Since opening in summer 2022, Curly Lewis has poured crowd favourites such as a hazy and hoppy ale, but there’s also a yuzu-kissed Japanese-style lager and a power-packed coffee stout. Hit up the weekly happy hour from 4 pm to 6 pm ($8 house wine, $6 schooeys, and $15 cocktails), then cruise into dinner. Thankfully, Curly takes its food just as seriously as its beer, so expect coastal pub-style fare such as hazy ale beer-battered fish and chips and Portuguese chicken burgers. Desserts pay tribute to iconic Aussie childhood snacks and include a fairy bread ice cream sandwich and a Lamington ice cream sundae.
Alibi Bar & Dining (Woolloomooloo)
Alibi made a name for itself as Australia’s first completely vegan hotel restaurant, but now you have all the more reason to visit, thanks to a January 2023 menu takeover by renowned plant-based pioneer Shannon Martinez. Drawing from her Spanish roots, the Melbourne chef gives dishes a soulful Mediterranean spin resulting in creations such as creamy cacio e pepe, smokey oyster mushroom pinchos morunos (skewers) with romesco sauce, and traditional potato tortillas with garlic aioli. Consider pairing your meal with botanical cocktails, all-natural whites, or top-notch kombucha from the innovative bar menu—and end with Martinez’s signature tiramisu. The one-of-a-kind culinary experience is enhanced by Alibi’s airy dining room, decked with rattan seating, patterned tiles, and tropical greenery.
City Oltra (CBD)
Anyone lucky enough to attend City Oltra (previously Oltra Disc)’s pizza parties during lockdown will be stoked to hear the team opened a pop-up pizza bar beneath the Central Station tracks in late 2022. At 16 inches, the round pizzas are larger than life, but City Oltra also slings Detroit-style square pies (also available in gluten-free versions), grab-and-go slices, cold cuts, and shareable salads. For something more adventurous, get the square potato pizza with housemade sausage, potato, ricotta, chives, and cheese. Pro-tip: take advantage of half-and-half topping options, and order a crispy chile, ranch, or gin dipping sauce to dunk the crusts into.
Kokumai (Barangaroo)
Kokumai—one of Sydney’s top omakase bars—brought its premium prix-fixe experience to Barangaroo when it opened a second location in May 2023. Expert chefs treat guests to a daily changing 10 or 20-course degustation menu in a slick black-and-white setting, featuring seasonal bite-sized Japanese delicacies. The restaurant also doubles as a sushi bar and offers an eight or nine-course tasting menu where diners can sample panko oysters, grilled whole barbecue eel, and salmon wasabi carpaccio, plus fresh sashimi, nigiri, and hand rolls. In true Japanese form, the restaurant serves sake, umeshu (plum liquor), whisky highballs, and offers BYO wine (for $30 per bottle).
Clam Bar (CBD)
Dan Pepperell, Mikey Clift, and Andy Tyson (the trio behind hatted restaurants including Pellegrino 2000 and Bistrot 916) branched out from Italian cuisine when they opened their highly anticipated New York-inspired restaurant in early May. This luxe spot in a heritage-listed building is a nod to old-school steakhouses and seafood grills. Expect premium rib-eye, porterhouse, and New York strip steaks, alongside retro classics such as prawn cocktails, crab cakes, and oysters Rockefeller. Clam Bar’s show-stopping main is a whole-grilled Murray cod, fileted tableside and paired with your choice of sauces. Drinks include a fine wine list and impeccably crafted martinis and manhattans—sippable odes to NYC.
Soot (Barangaroo)
Barangaroo welcomed its first deluxe Korean barbecue joint in late April. Soot is the latest from Kolture hospitality group (Honey, Kobo, Kinhboy, and Tokki) and breathes new life into a space previously occupied by Japanese restaurant Marble. Every table is fitted with smokeless and odourless grills for diners to sizzle and sear premium and hard-to-find wagyu cuts, plus raw seafood, noodles, soups, and traditional banchan (side dishes). Cap off your feast with a drink from the extensive wine list or a Korean-inspired cocktail such as Soju Wanna Drink with lychee, elderflower, pandan leaf-infused vodka, and soju, and you’ve got a meal to remember.
