Autumn is setting in, making it the perfect season to discover Sydney’s best new restaurants, bars, and cafés. From a refreshed courtyard wine bar in Paddington to Newtown’s new trattoria with old-school glamour, the exciting new dining spots populating Sydney’s scene are constantly changing. It may seem like there’s a new restaurant opening in Sydney every week, which is equally thrilling as it is daunting for those who like to keep up with the city’s culinary culture. We’ve handpicked the best new Sydney restaurants to have on your radar this autumn, whether you’re looking for your new local or a dazzling new diner for your next big celebration.
Here are the best new restaurants, bars and all-day dining gems in Sydney.
24 York
Steakhouses are continuing to make a comeback, so much so that a restaurant wholly devoted to steak frites is set to open in the middle of the CBD. Run by the team behind Rockpool Bar and Grill, 24 York will solely fire up steak and chips. Priced at a very reasonable $48, it’s the same quality MB2+ scotch fillet from O’Connor in Gippsland found on the Rockpool Bar and Grill menu. It will be joined by a choice of sauce, perhaps a zesty chimichurri, a classic peppercorn, a creamy mushroom or a rich umami butter, and chips. The drinks offering is also sharp-shooting with four wines (available by the glass or bottle) and four cocktails, joined by tap beers. While the menu is succinct and the venue seats 160 people, there will still be still thick tablecloths, sharp service and leather banquettes, with the team being inspired by the legendary Le Relais de l’Entrecôte in Paris. The restaurant is overseen Rockpool Bar and Grill’s executive chef Santi Aristizabal.
24 York will open on July 23.
Akti
Grecian-inspired seaside dining has arrived at Woolloomooloo Finger Wharf, with Akti taking over the prime position where Manta once was. The family behind the Sydney Restaurant Group (Ormeggio at the Spit, the Nielsen and the Fenwick) are tapping into their Greek heritage at this harbourside hotspot.
Chef Ntinos Fotinakis (who hails from Athens) has overseen the menu while head chef Robert Judd (Hellenika and SK Steak & Oyster) will man the pass. Traditional Greek dishes get a seafood-focused Sydney spin: giouvarlakia (traditionally a meatball soup) is remixed to be a zesty raw fish dish; taramasalata is jazzed up with smoked yuzu; while eggplant moussaka is reimagined as a bite-sized croquette. Tableside service will spruce up long lunches and dinners: perhaps slow-roasted lamb shoulder presented with still-smoking burnt rosemary, while galaktoboureko (a custard and filo pastry dessert) is transformed into an “Athenian mess” and dished out at the table.
Greek wines will be celebrated alongside an extensive globetrotting list. Cocktails-wise expect ingredients central to Greek cuisine to be infused into spirits and washes, from extra virgin olive oil, to Greek yoghurt, alongside cucumber, dill and mint. The Meet Me At Akti cocktail with Aperol, limoncello, clarified guava and pistachio is sure to be a cheers-worthy summer hit. With a colour palette that recreates the pastel hues seen in the Agean sky of just before the sunsets, interiors are just as swish as the food.
sydneyrestaurantgroup.com.au/akti
Caness
Paddington’s main thoroughfare has welcomed Caness, a Middle Eastern meets Mediterranean restaurant and snack bar in a former grocery store. Drawing on tapas-style dining, the 60-seater serves up denizens of the deep blue like saganaki prawns in a tomato and feta sauce; grilled octopus with a caper-studded dressing; and a soft brandade, which sees salted cod and potatoes become a creamy dip. There’s also a take on a sabich with fried eggplant, hard-boiled eggs and tahini atop pita; a beef tartare charged with pimentón and harissa; and a vegetarian shawarma crafted with delicious layers of mushrooms and celeriac. The 80-strong wine list is approachable and a great fit for weeknight sips or a long Saturday lunch, while the cocktail menu features a Figroni – a figgy take on the popular aperitif – and a tomato water-spiked tipple that riffs on gazpacho.
Rick Stein at Coogee Beach
A culinary hero is moving into Sydney’s eastern suburbs ahead of the next summer season, with the opening of Rick Stein at Coogee Beach. Best known for his seafood-focused fare, veteran chef Rick Stein is opening the new 224-seat restaurant with wife Sarah Stein at the beachfront Intercontinental Coogee Beach in November. Comprising a signature restaurant, bar and courtyard terrace, the new spot will be Stein’s third in Australia, joining his existing restaurants in Mollymook on the NSW south coast, and Port Stephens, on the mid-north coast.
While the menu is still in development, it will no doubt feature some of the dishes Stein has carved out as signatures over the years, including British-style fish and hand-cut chips with mashed peas, and bright and spicy Singapore chilli crab.
Rick Stein at Coogee Beach is projected to open in November 2025.
Bar Freda’s
Another relocation has seen Freda’s find a new home back in Chippendale after shutting up shop in Taylor Square. Bar Freda’s is a two-storey, snack-focused music and wine bar located within the heritage terraces connected to The Abercrombie.
Led by co-founders and partners in life and business, David Abram and Carla Uriarte, Freda’s 3.0 promises giant disco balls, an on-point soundtrack and a drinks list of small producer-focused wines, Tommy’s Margaritas and matcha-spiked Piña Coladas. Food-wise, there’s an amalgamation of past menu items from Cafe Freda’s, so think drink-friendly small plates of Sydney rock Oysters, charcuterie, pickles and cured meats. There’s also layered lasagne croquettes with a side of hot sugo; fried king prawn sandwiches with thousand island dressing; and rigatoni with eggplant ragú.
A.P Quay
In Circular Quay, All Purpose Bakery (A.P Bakery) is continuing its conquest to bring excellent baked goods to all corners of inner Sydney, which is set to open on Bridge Street on Monday, 28 April. Founded by chef Mat Lindsay (Ester and Poly), baker Dougal Muffet, restaurateur and hotelier Russell Beard, and developer Jin Ng, A.P Quay will mark the team’s seventh location, following the most recent opening of A.P Bread and Wine in Darlinghurst.
The menu is anchored by rotisserie meats, cooked on a Rotisol spit imported from France, that fill made-to-order sandwiches. These include porchetta seasoned with fennel seed, citrus and garlic, served on slices of fluffy wholegrain focaccia with crackling, salsa verde, cheese, or perhaps Korean carrot salad and roasted green chilli. There’s also a crunchy white roll stuffed with barbecue-spiced spatchcock, aioli, cheese and lettuce, joined by a choice of homely brown butter gravy or brioche chicken liver stuffing. Spatchcocked chickens are also available for purchase, either half or whole, while slices of porchetta will be sold by the 100 gram. Sides include hot chips, rotisserie drip potatoes, Korean carrot salad, and shaved cabbage salad — making for ideal shareable lunches.
At breakfast time, you’ll find milk buns filled with egg and cheese, accompanied by either a chicken tsukune patty or a round of fried mortadella on a milk bun, as well as seeded bagels, fluffy croissants, pizza biancos, and pies (including a new one with Asiago cheese and onion). There are also toasties, along with drinks from Reuben Hills, including cold brew coffees, matcha and more.
The team has once again enlisted the same architect from A.P Bread and Wine, Anthony Gill, to execute bold yet welcoming interiors, with deep red columns, ceramic tiles, and stainless steel.
A.P Quay is opening in Quay Quarter at 50 Bridge St, Sydney on Monday, 28 April. apbakery.com.au
Herbs Taverne
The team behind cosmic-cool Martini juggernaut Bar Planet and award-winning mezcal bar Cantina OK! has just announced it’s opening a new bar in May. Opening on Sydney’s Clarence St, right by Cantina OK!, the soon-to-open, Negroni-fuelled bar is new territory for the Mucho Group — but with a name like Herbs Taverne, you know they’ll be bringing their boundless fun and flair.
Similar to its CBD sibling and its meticulously searched and sourced mezcals, Herbs will be a sanctum for the world’s highly regarded and rare amaros, too. It’s a smart move, as no doubt an homage to Europe’s aperitif and digestif traditions paired with Mucho’s idiosyncratic edge will prove popular in this part of town.
On the drinks list, expect 12 core cocktails, from a regularly changing Spritz to numerous Negroni variations, all with utterly unique flavour pairings. “They each have something unexpected, from pairing amaro with parsley, or Gentian with passionfruit, even pairing Calvados and Żubrówka,” says Mucho’s creative director Jeremy Blackmore in a statement.
Herbs Taverne is slated to open at 213 Clarence St, Sydney on Saturday 3 May. It’ll be open daily from 4pm-2am. instagram.com/herbs.taverne
L’Avant Cave
After four years of cooking above P&V in Paddington, the crew from Porcine has officially taken over the menu for its courtyard bar, which now gets its own name: L’Avant Cave. The team is familiar with the set-up – they’ve been providing terrines for the downstairs bar for years – but this solidifies the relationship, with Nik Hill taking care of the menu, while Matt Fitzgerald and Harry Levy handle service. The new offering shares some of Porcine’s DNA with more of a small-plate focus, largely inspired by their research trips. “The three of us – myself, Matt and Harry – we try to get to France every year or two, and we spent some time there last year,” says Hill. “We did a pop-up in Paris and spent a lot of time indulging heavily.” At L’Avant Cave, Hill is looking forward to flexing his snack muscle with a mix of newly developed treats alongside adaptations of dishes that have appeared on the menu at Porcine, such as a pigeon Melba toast. “We used to serve this on the side with a whole roast pigeon. Now it goes perfectly downstairs in the wine bar as its own dish,” says Hill. Punters will also find the likes of crumbed scallops with gribiche; oeufs mayonnaise with anchovies and capers; a croque-monsieur on toasted brioche; and garlic snails. L’Avant Cave continues to follow the P&V BYO format, with wine available to buy from the shop for $25 corkage, as well as by-the-glass options.
Osteria Mucca
In Newtown, Osteria Mucca is the the penultimate puzzle piece of Paisano and Daughters’ delicious Australia Street precinct. Named to honour the building’s butcher-shop past (mucca meaning “cow” in Italian), the 50-seater offers old-school trattoria charm. With Janina Allende (Pellegrino 2000 and Alberto’s Lounge alum) in charge, Osteria Mucca’s menu brings an “in with the old” philosophy to the plate, with old-world Italian techniques, nose-to-tail cooking and plenty of pasta at the fore. Think pigs’ head sausage across the board, lemony prawn spaghetti lifted with bottarga; pappardelle paired with chicken liver and mushrooms; and spinach and ricotta ravioli swimming in short-rib ragù. Desserts are courtesy of Paisano’s official sweet tooth, Lauren Eldridge, and are likely to feature dolce delights including fluffy ricotta sponge or sweet-wine custards.
Conte
In the city, Bar Conte has opened a second outpost following its Surry Hills debut. Bringing Negronis and Italian fare to the CBD’s epicentre, owner Raffaele “Lello” Lombardi has spent the past two years living in Italy to garner inspiration. The spacious 160-seater takes up shop on Clarence Street, where you can expect white tablecloths and a more refined menu than the original venue. “We have the largest collection of Italian vermouth, amari (digestifs) and Italian gin ever seen in one venue,” says Lello. This results in more than 40 different Negroni styles and variations, plus a food pairing menu for the lauded cocktail.
Corner 75
In Sydney’s inner east, Jean-Paul El Tom of Baba’s Place and Sixpenny’s Daniel Puskas have joined forces to explore Hungarian food, taking over Corner 75 in Randwick. The old-school Hungarian restaurant has a new lease on life thanks to the new custodians, which keeps the soul of the long-standing Hungarian restaurant alive while putting a clever post-modern, slight Australian spin on it. It has the heart of Baba’s Place and the exacting finesse of Sixpenny, and has brought a welcomed new standard to the neighbourhood’s dining scene.
The atmosphere is jovial and warm, with a memorabilia-laden dining room delivering nostalgic charm; and the wine list is a delightful education on Eastern European drops. Menu-wise you’ll find a classic golden schnitzel; a complex and hearty gulyásleves (beef and potato soup); and a chicken broth with semolina dumplings, which could cure all ills with its comfort. Sides are also a must, particularly the nokedli, a buttery, spiced pasta-like side.
Avia
Settling into Darlinghurst near Taylor Square is Avia, a 60-seat restaurant from former Apollo chef Stefano Marano and front-of-house Jack Reid. The corner spot calls on Marano’s experience working in both Australia and Italy, its name – the Latin for “grandmother” – a reference to his nonna, who sparked his passion for food. The menu spotlights lesser-known pasta shapes like sedanini (a long ridged tube), bottoni (a filled button shape) and strascinati (an oversized orecchiette). Marano also makes his own salumi like capocollo (cured pork neck with fennel and pepper) and wagyu bresaola, and even a porchetta-inspired rolled lamb belly seasoned with a mushroom duxelle, which he’s calling “lambetta”.
A.P. Bread and Wine
Lauded bakery A.P. has opened another outpost and is venturing into day-to-night territory. By morning the sandstone cottage is home to croissant gelato affogatos; and an excellent ploughman’s-inspired brekky plate replete with chunky sourdough, cheddar cheese, soft-boiled egg, pickled green tomatoes and a side croissant with jam to tick both sweet and savoury boxes. Things switch over to “A.P eritivo” mode by night. The team’s pastry and baking expertise is on show thanks to its ode to the vol-au-vent with green peas and an onion gravy; and masterful pâté en croûte; joined by a pasta crafted from leftover bread with anchovy and zucchini; an old-school jazzed-up beef rissole with peppercorn sauce and a fried egg; and a petit croque monsieur. To drink, there are batch-made cocktails and organic wines that dance from pink and macerated to a weighty whites list; plus house-made sodas and amaro.
Cafe Cressida
Ursula’s chef-owner Phil Wood is flexing his comfort cooking muscles at a new café-restaurant in Woollahra. Cafe Cressida resides in the leafy suburb’s beloved pink corner building and is named after Wood’s daughter with wife and co-owner Lis Davies. The pair enlisted New York stationery store Mr Boddington’s Studio to design the playful illustrations of Champagne and croissants that adorn the menus and courtyard walls. Inside there are lampshades crafted from vintage tablecloths, scalloped details and coloured Maison Balzac glassware.
By day expect toasties filled with Gruyère, parmesan, sauerkraut and Dijon mustard; and warming bowls of congee with shredded roast chicken, peanuts, chilli and fried bread. Thursdays through to Saturdays see dinner seatings, with snacky plates of Sydney rock oysters; figs with lardo and hot honey; and Iggy’s sourdough joined by Champagne and Negronis. Bigger plates include cacio e pepe mafaldine; amatriciana rigatoni; chicken schnitzel with coleslaw; and a swanky cheeseburger.
Eleven Barrack
Brent Savage and Nick Hildebrandt of The Bentley Group have debuted Eleven Barrack, situated within a grand former bank which was originally built in 1849. Tableside service, freshly shucked oysters and a strong steak selection are joined by a dining room that takes cues from the grand grill restaurants of New York and Paris. Seafood is also celebrated with oscietra caviar atop fried ricotta dumplings; there’s a raw plate with bluefin tuna and Abrolhos scallops joined by crudités; a terrine is transformed with lobster and leek joined by Champagne butter; and a shellfish spaghetti showcases Balmain bugs, mussels, prawn and spanner crab. A custom-built grill fires up a mighty pork tomahawk with a blood plum glaze, wagyu t-bone, and gold band snapper served with a classic chive butter sauce. Naturally, the wine selection is impressive with a hefty list to compliment anything from a quick seafood snack to a push-the-boat-out steak lunch. The group has also enlisted Pascale Gomes-McNabb and Chris Grinham for the fit-out, which emulates the esteemed dining rooms of Europe.
“We’ve been trying to secure the site at 11 Barrack Street ever since the closure of Seta, as we believe it has the bones to become one of Sydney’s great restaurants,” says co-owner Nick Hildebrandt. “We believe the dining room will have a grandeur rarely seen in Sydney,” says Hildebrandt.
Eleven Barrack is now open, with reservations available via the Eleven Barrack website.
Letra House
The city has scored a new wine bar from the Love Tilly Group, with Letra House opening on Kent Street. The group’s newest addition leans Spanish, filling the snacky Spanish void left after the sudden closure of Redfern’s La Salut. Mood-wise, Letra House pays homage to the Euro bars beloved by the group’s co-owners – Matthew Swieboda, Nathanial Hatwell and Scott McComas-Williams – so expect exposed brick, leather banquettes, dark walnut timber, and low lighting. Wine by the glass is the go here, with more than 50 drops available at any given time that will change regularly, sourced from Spain, France and Italy as well as lesser-known regions in Lebanon and Greece. Meanwhile, McComas-Williams, executive chef Alex Major and head chef Brandon Jones oversee a menu that may include a doughnut with Manchego custard and anchovy; duck leg croquettes; a generous yet light Spanish tortilla with prawns; and larger plates of whole sand whiting; and Rangers Valley sirloin with tomato butter and guindilla peppers.
letrahouse.com
The Clareville
On the Northern Beaches, local icon Clareville Kiosk has ushered in a new era following 41 years of dining on the insular peninsula. Re-imagined as The Clareville, the deep teal weatherboard cottage (originally a 1960s post office and general store) is bringing added polish to the prime spot at Pittwater’s foreshore. At the helm is chef-owner Cooper Dickson, who worked across Capella Lodge on Lord Howe Island, Southern Ocean Lodge on Kangaroo Island and in the NT at Longitude 131.
Seafood underpins much of the menu, including roasted scallops with miso butter, corn and furikake; raw tuna atop a sesame crisp with nori, avocado and salted daikon; and mussel escabeche with hot mustard cream and charred sourdough. Many of the snacks are served on ceramics made by Dickson’s father, Lex, whose wares once graced the tables at Tetsuya’s. Mains spruce up the protein and three veg formula with finesse, and include grain-fed sirloin with creamed leek, truffled mushrooms and kohlrabi, joined by marrow and soft herbs; Berkshire pork with cauliflower, cucumber and caramelised apple; and dry-aged duck with carrot, orange, walnuts, squash and a salty-sweet jus.
theclareville.com.au
Ruma
In Double Bay, Ruma is bringing some spice and sass to the postcode. Chef Faheem Noor (ex-Tetsuya’s) drives a menu that’s unbound by a single cuisine. Taramasalata is spruced up with spring onion and chilli oil, while tuna tartare comes with gochuchang-spiked aïoli and wonton crisps for scooping. Ravioli comes perfumed by makrut lime leaves and lemon, and beef short ribs are slow-cooked with a shiny kecap manis glaze. This globe-trotting approach is matched similarly on the breakfast menu, where a Thai-inspired chicken sausage roll comes with a fried egg and spicy nahm jim; Japanese-style shokupan toast is served with honey and cherries; and there’s even crisp house-made dosa.
rumadining.com.au
Clarence and V
On Clarence Street, a sophisticated all-day canteen is keeping city slickers well fed from breakfast through to dinner at Clarence and V. Former Bar Vincent chef Stella Roditis runs the kitchen, serving up understated plates of Mediterranean classics that pack a serious flavour punch. Case in point, the stuffed zucchini with avgolemono, or the simple salad of tomato and Roman beans with bagna cauda. For breakfast, cold coconut porridge sits alongside a killer vegetarian focaccia (stuffed with provolone, marinated spinach and mozzarella) and a breakfast plate teeming with ham, pickles, cheese and a soft-boiled egg. Later in the day, more substantial plates hit the pass, perhaps a pot au feu or porchetta and potatoes. All paired with a short and sharp wine list of Italian and Spanish red, white and orange.
instagram.com/clarenceandv
Loulou Martin Place
Above the new Martin Place Metro station, Loulou is preparing for its opening. The bistro, bar, boulangerie and traiteur will follow in the tradition of the Milsons Point flagship. The CBD expansion will see the 130-seater bring Frenchy-chic vibes to Elizabeth Street, which will be lined with Parisian-style streetfront tables. Expect dishes similar to the original outpost, like steak tartare with potato crisps; spanner crab, leek and Gruyère tarte; and salmon gravlax with crème fraîche and crêpes; and steak frites with café de Paris butter.
Next door Petit Loulou is a more of a grab-and-go affair serving as a café and patisserie, with counters stacked with Paris-Brests, coconut palmiers, croissants and tarts, alongside rotisserie chook baguettes, Niçoise salads and golden sausage rolls.
Loulou Martin Place is set to open soon, with Petit Loulou already open. loulou.sydney/loulou-bistro-martin-place
Percy
The wine bar cultures of San Sebastián and Barcelona are channelled at Percy’s, a new Basque-inspired 50-seat bar-restaurant within Pyrmont’s refreshed Hotel Woolstore 1888. Percy’s pinxtos menu kicks off with the a take on the famed Gilda (a traditional skewered snack). This comes with pickled guindilla peppers and olives mixed up with a square of salty Manchego. Other menu highlights include spicy ’nduja butter on sourdough; artichoke fritters with romesco; pan con tomate; and flank steak with mojo verde; alongside tinned fish and jamon serrano.Percy’s executive chef Eli Lozada (formerly Rockpool Dining Group) and chef Rosy Scatigna, (ex-Lume in Milan and Shell House Sydney) have crafted the menu to complement a wide range of Sherries, vermouths and wines by indie Spanish producers.
percy.sydney
Lottie
Located atop Redfern’s The Eve Hotel, Lottie boasts lush alfresco ambience with a side of poolside cool, plus punchy Mexican fare and plenty of shaved-ice Margaritas. In short, it’s your new summertime hang. The upscale contemporary Mexican restaurant and mezcaleria champions Australian produce through dishes inspired by the Pacific coastline of Mexico. Think snacky plates of trout ceviche with tomato, Geraldton wax and avocado, and prawn and carrot aguachile, alongside larger plates of Swiss brown tamales; Murray cod pibil baked in banana leaf; and aged beef chop with burnt pepper and salsa picante all served with house-pressed corn tortillas. On the drinks side, tequila and agave drive the bar with an impressive cocktail list that includes three hero margaritas: classic, spiced, and seasonal. For wine, expect a vibrant list of natural and biodynamic drops selected to complement the kitchen’s Mexican flair.
The 107-seat space has been designed by interior star George Livissianis and sports a central marble bar with 27 seats for walk-ins; an open kitchen for culinary theatrics; and a retractable roof to ensure the good vibes continue no matter the weather.
Golden Century at Crown Sydney
Beloved Sydney institution Golden Century went into administration in 2021, leaving behind a 32-year legacy of weekend yum cha crowds and late-night dining traditions. At the time, there was some speculation whether the Chinatown haunt had been “saved“, which at the time didn’t eventuate and was a twofold blow for XO pipi-loving Sydneysiders. But three years on, and the Cantonese restaurant has announced its resurrection, relocating to the other end of town and finding a new home at Barangaroo’s Crown Sydney.
“Golden Century is where it all began and we are excited to once again welcome in our loyal customers, serving our beloved Cantonese classics in a picture-perfect location that overlooks Sydney harbour and beyond,” says Golden Century co-owner Billy Wong in a statement.
It joins the Crown’s impressive list of restaurants — Oncore by Clare Smyth, Nobu, a’Mare and Woodcut — and its new iteration will no doubt prove popular. Expect much-loved menu favourites such as XO pipis, lobster served two ways, and Peking duck, as well as yum cha lunches and sparkling Sydney Harbour views.
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