New South Wales

Sydney’s latest chophouse is classy, confident and cosmopolitan in the same breath, writes Matty Hirsch.

Annual Restaurant Guide: NSW top 25

Annual Restaurant Guide: NSW top 25

The latest incarnation of Sydney’s pre-eminent seafood shrine is a full-throated triumph, writes MATTY HIRSCH.

A new boozer with a keen native focus is putting back some much-needed pep in the step of inner-city Sydney, writes MATTY HIRSCH.

At a new Korean hotspot in Sydney's CBD, the level of creativity is as high as the decibel count, writes MATTY HIRSCH.

Where once Automata stood, you’ll now find a playful aquatic adventure fuelled by some seriously skilful cooking.

Some restaurants like to surprise. Bar Vincent prefers to delight.

The signature restaurant at the swish new Capella Sydney nails the five-star hotel restaurant brief.

It shouldn't be so surprising that the food in Promenade's Dining Room is this good.

In a city so packed with New York-style chophouses it's starting to feel like Manhattan Lite, Clam Bar's edgier riff on the genre is a welcome relief.

The team behind Pellegrino 2000 and Bistrot 916 go Americana with rollicking results.

An Italian-accented tasting menu licked by open flames sets a high standard for finer dining on the Central Coast

A rooftop party palace atop Sydney’s Ace Hotel blends nostalgia with hope for better times ahead.

To have the complete Chaco Bar experience one must surrender all inhibitions at the fabric-draped door.

There's a lot more to Firedoor than just meat. Ignore the hype, trust the chef and enjoy the show.

Fleet, the exceptional Brunswick Heads fine-diner, is getting ready to welcome diners back in January 2022.

Set in an ultra contemporary yet cosy glass "box" on Pyrmont Bay, LuMi is unlike anything else in Sydney.

After nine years, Merivale's answer to Cantonese cuisine is still a CBD favourite.

Nomad has never been an intimate venue, but the food is deeply familiar and personal.

Post-lockdown, Peter Gilmore is back, and he's unveiled a new signature tasting menu that's as ingenious as ever.

The aroma of fried curry leaves, mustard seed and cardamom lures diners to O Tama Carey's hot-to-trot Sri Lankan eatery.

It would be easy for this Byron mainstay to rely purely on its good looks, but chef Jason Saxby brings genuine substance to the table.

The shining jewel in Crown Sydney's dining portfolio, a'Mare promises a polished night out without the pretence.

This agrarian fantasy is manifested in the diminutive town of Gundaroo, where comforting dishes are constructed under the historic tin roof of the 1865 Royal Hotel.

Malaysian favourites, bold takes and neon lights – expect these and more at Junda Khoo's playground.

At Sáng, spicy, sweet and fermented flavours are combined with truckloads of texture and a refined touch, expanding the definition of Korean dining in Australia.

Slick service, killer cocktails and the best steak in Sydney – you'll find yourself back at The Gidley again and again.

Breezy Mediterranean plates and spectacular beachfront views, Una Más easily takes the crown for cool, casual dining in the harbour city.

James Viles takes Mother Nature seriously. At Biota Dining, the kitchen and the environment are closely connected, with a focus on locally gathered and grown produce.

REVIEW The beachy jet-set fantasy conjured by the boutique likes of Halcyon House often comes undone at the table. But Paper Daisy doubles down on the magic, perfectly in tune with the blend of poolside ease and inspiration that makes this hotel such an intoxicating treat. At breakfast, pancakes are leavened with kefir, and whole-wheat […]

REVIEW Some dining guides have a worth-a-detour category, reserved for good value, local produce-driven regional diners. That’s exactly the speed at the low-frills, double-fronted shop that houses Mullum’s destination-drive wood-fired pizzeria. Don’t expect any ceremony at this locals’ hangout, where the greeting is likely to be, “Hey, what’s happening?” The less-is-more sustainability theme manifests in […]

REVIEW Sitting pretty in wine country, surrounded by mountain and vineyard, Margan is more than worthy of a detour. The estate bottles its share of fine wine (not least the shiraz), but it’s also a fine place to while away an hour or two at the table. They’re good at growing things other than grapes, […]

REVIEW Despite our extensive coastline, benchmark Australian seafood restaurants are rarer than Venus tuskfish, which puts 24-year-old Fins and its chef and proprietor Steven Snow into the fish hall of fame. Peerless seafood and constancy pervade his menu. The daily line-caught selection still comes three ways – mild chilli miso consommé, Moroccan tagine and Snow’s […]

REVIEW Tinkling chandeliers, heritage-listed surrounds, primped gardens – this Gatsby-esque Blue Mountains restaurant, set in Lilianfels Resort & Spa, might be the place that you and your great aunt agree on. Time your evening with the sunset; the colours that play out across the cliffs in Echo Point will leave you swooning. So too will […]

REVIEW This likeable wine bar has been pleasing Novocastrians for a few years now, but things have stepped up in the food department with the arrival of Cory Campbell, a chef fresh from running the kitchen of the three-starred Vue de Monde in Melbourne. He has turned the bar menu on its head, the fried […]

REVIEW After winning fans at Canberra’s A Baker and cooking at Temporada, chef Adam Bantock has escaped to the country with some grand designs for regional cuisine. He’s taken to heart the concept of home-grown hospitality, transforming part of his family cottage into a 50-seat eatery. The cooking is fittingly accessible, eschewing culinary chicanery in […]

REVIEW Like the love-child of a Hamptons beach house and a Cotswolds garden manor, Bells at Killcare offers the kind of setting that demands long lunches and languorous dining experiences. A sprawling veranda and an interior of cream and blue with lots of timber frame expansive views across Bells’ manicured lawns and gardens. In true […]

REVIEW Chickens and children are as much part of the experience as the food here: there’s a playground for kids, while cows, pigs and chooks are star attractions at The Farm, the restaurant’s grand agricultural, ecological and educational project. Embraced by locals and mobbed by visitors, things can get chaotic, but the floor staff keep […]

REVIEW Despite the name, no one comes away from Cobblestone Lane thinking “quaint”. The food here is masterful and mature – the work of the skilled Heath Smith. The historic emporium in which the restaurant resides has become a temple to both expansive vision and local pride. Bathurst’s high-lifers come here to be wowed, and […]