The months leading up to summer have been a particularly exciting time for new restaurant openings in Sydney.
There’s a Peruvian-Japanese eatery that’s shoring up the fledgling local Nikkei scene with six types of ceviche, a CBD steakhouse modelled after the iconic restaurants of New York, and a tapas bar that brings the Balearic Islands to Bondi.
Read on for five newly opened spots in Sydney, and book a table right now on OpenTable.
The best new restaurants in Sydney to book ASAP – read on for a guide.
For sustainable seafood – visit Longshore in Chippendale
Hartsyard alums Dot Lee and Jarrod Walsh have created a playful, sustainable seafood menu at Longshore that spotlights pickling, fermenting, and curing techniques. Diners can choose from a 10-dish snack flight with items like Jervis Bay pickled mussels or a surf and turf tasting menu with red kangaroo tartare. Sustainability means the kitchen and bar work in unison, with cocktails using leftovers from the chefs. Plus, the vibe is just as relaxed and fun as the menu: Consider ordering a glass of Riesling alongside your food and dining al fresco.
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For celebratory fusion cuisine – try Lima Restaurant & Bar in Dawes Point
A few months into running a Chifa (Chinese-Peruvian)-Nikkei (Japanese-Peruvian) venue, the founders of Lima decided a clearer focus was in order. Cue dishes like octopus tiradito, and Wagyu on rice with garlicky anticuchera sauce that celebrate the century-old union of Japanese and Peruvian cuisines. One of a handful of Nikkei restaurants in Sydney, Lima has a celebratory feel: graffiti murals evoke the lively bars in Lima’s Barranco district and a dramatic, backlit halo of cherry blossoms suspended over the bar nods to Japan.
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For a new surf-and-turf spot – book at Clam Bar in Sydney CBD
Clam Bar is the ultimate surf-and-turf destination from the restaurateur dream team of Dan Pepperell, Andy Tyson, and Mikey Clift. While the trio’s sibling venues Pellegrino 2000 and Bistrot 916 are inspired by Rome and Paris, Clam Bar is all about New York City steakhouses. In a gorgeous room filled with intimate booths and lit by Art-Deco chandeliers, white-jacketed servers deliver decadent dishes like oysters Rockefeller, seafood towers, and dry-aged steak cooked on the bone in a charcoal oven.
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For a coffee joint and a late-night hotspot – head to Makaveli in Bondi Beach
This cafe-by-day, restaurant-by-night is the ultimate cool-kid spot in Bondi Beach. Makaveli slings coffee by Will & Co alongside pastries from Tuga, granola bowls, and slices of Brickfields focaccia starting at 6 am. In the evening, the lights go down and music goes up to create a stellar sharing-menu destination. Expect produce-forward dishes like taleggio croquettes with pickled kumquat, charred purple broccolini with housemade romesco sauce, and bright, sweet, marinated cherry tomatoes. Bondi locals may be spoilt for choice, but this diminutive space away from the main drag is just what the suburb needed.
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For a new exciting tapas bar – visit Iberica at Bondi Beach
Iberica takes cues from the Mediterranean, but unlike its Greek sibling Ikaria, the focus here is Spain’s Balearic Islands. Owner Joaquin Saez spent his teenage years on the islands, so it’s no surprise his tapas bar has snacks down pat. Highlights include salted cod croquettes with duck-egg emulsion, raw mackerel with figs and green olive oil, and Spanish sausage with red wine jus and caramelised onion. Like the restaurant’s location, the space also melds two worlds: T Peach-colored walls, geometric pendant fixtures, and olive green leather banquets evoke Mallorca as much as they do Bondi Beach.
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Still can’t decide? Explore more great restaurants to try in Sydney on OpenTable.
