The 35 Best Restaurants in Sydney's CBD
Found in heritage buildings, down laneways and on the harbour, these CBD restaurants are some of Sydney's best for fine dining and casual feasting.
The 35 Best Restaurants in Sydney's CBD
Found in heritage buildings, down laneways and on the harbour, these CBD restaurants are some of Sydney's best for fine dining and casual feasting.
The best restaurants in Sydney's CBD are hard to nail down. For one, we have so many outstanding places to eat in the city centre. They range from cheap eats haunts and old-school dining institutions to more contemporary fine diners with views for days — all pumping out some of the best food in the city.
The Sydney CBD is also a difficult area to draw a line around. But for the purpose of this list, we've decided not to include Haymarket or Quay Quarter Lanes, for they deserve their own individual praises. Also, this list of the best Sydney CBD restaurants is long enough as it is. So, if you do find yourself wandering around the city centre in need of a good feed, read on and find the best places to eat and drink the day away.
Recommended reads:
The Best Restaurants in Sydney
The Best Bars in Sydney
The Best Coffee Shops in Sydney's CBD
The Best Pubs in Sydney
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35
Liquid & Larder, the team behind Bistecca, The Rover and The Gidley, has brought another beefy brasserie to Sydney’s CBD in the form of Alfie’s. On Bligh Street among the hustle and bustle, Alfie’s is a one-of-a-kind restaurant, aiming to provide an approachable, more affordable take on the steakhouse with a simplified menu and more casual atmosphere.
There’s just one cut of meat on offer, the 220-gram Riverine sirloin. But by god do they treat the cut with careful reverence. The steak is $38 and is promised to hit your table within 15 minutes of ordering, if you need it to. It’s a concept that works perfectly for a weekday power lunch or for a group catch-up on a Friday night before kicking on elsewhere. Accompanying the steak is a range of sides and some standout bevs. Alfie’s sommelier is charming, and happy to help you find the perfect wine to pair with your sirloin, but the standout drinks at Alfie’s is the martini, served at an icey negative ten degrees.
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34
Since it opened in 2016, Restaurant Hubert has built a reputation as a true gem of the Sydney restaurant landscape. It even has the Jack Harlow tick of approval. From the moment you open the door, this Bligh Street spot will hurtle you headfirst into a C.S. Lewis-style adventure, taking you from dreary city streets to the resplendent old-world opulence of post-war Paris. It’s like an adult’s version of Narnia, only this time, there’s steak and wine.
If you’re heading to this Sydney CBD restaurant, you’re in for some serious mood lighting and daily live jazz. Playing off this utterly romantic setting is an intricate menu of classic French brasserie dishes. And, while Hubert is drenched in lavish luxury, it knows how to have a little fun with $7 drinks and $18 cheeseburgers during happy hour,` and regular movie screenings in its theatre.
Images: Daniel Boud.
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33
From the moment it opened, the cool factor and unmistakable style of the Ace Hotel brand was delivered in spades. And Kiln, its fantastic sky-high restaurant, is no exception.
Chef Mitch Orr has brought a menu that’s equally imaginative and delicious with inventive, genre-crossing dishes that bring together Italian flavours and Japanese influences (although not necessarily always at the same time). Matching the menu is a killer drinks list, a fun and electric atmosphere, and the sense that at any minute, you could turn around and bump into someone famous. The buzz is real at Kiln.
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32
What was once a CBD dining institution for late-night revellers as the final stop on a night out, has reopened as a flash multi-storey and multi-concept pub. Jacksons on George re-emerged after years in the wilderness in September 2023 following a multimillion-dollar renovation under the guidance of Maurice Terzini (Icebergs, Re-) and his DTL Entertainment Group partner Michael Broome.
There are three distinct spaces in the Sydney CBD restaurant: the ground-floor public bar, a flash new French bistro and the sleek cocktail-fuelled rooftop bar. And like all good pubs in the city, the crew runs a wicked happy hour in the Public Bar every weekday between 4–6pm offering $7 beers and wine. Consider your after-work drinks sorted.
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31
In the heart of Sydney’s CBD is a haven of enthralling cuisine: Nel, the passion project of owner and Chef Patron Nelly Robinson. Described as a “culinary odyssey”, Nel’s constantly evolving 11-course degustation menu is crafted to elevate modern Australian fine dining experiences.
Nel’s exquisitely formed dishes show a delicacy, imagination and precision of technique that quickly sets the place apart. Each course is plated with finesse under the watchful eye of Chef Nelly, who started his career as a kitchen hand when he was only a teenager at the Michelin-starred UK restaurant Northcote. Past degustations include the KFC feast, Disney experience and A Taste of Singapore.
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30
Popular multi-level venue Esteban is split into three distinct offerings: an upstairs restaurant, a downstairs mezcal bar and a laneway dining space. In the kitchen, Head Chef Will Quartel is plating up Mexican share plates created using traditional cooking techniques but with sustainably sourced Aussie produce.
Corn tortillas are made in-house daily, while the custom-built parilla grill and vertical charcoal rotisserie have been installed to churn out the likes of tacos al pastor and ironbark-grilled chicken. Other specialties served in the upstairs restaurant include pink ling ceviche with leche de tigre, karkalla and fried plantain and a massive one-kilogram wagyu rib eye paired with black garlic and chipotle butter.
Image: Steven Woodburn
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29
This simple yet delicious Chinese diner in the depths of Sydney’s CBD has long been a reliable lunch spot for groups. The city location means it’s easy to get to, and the sprawling menu of dumplings, stir fries and hand-pulled noodle dishes means there is likely to be something each one of your colleagues will like.
It’s worth noting this is a busy lunch spot, so try to call ahead or book online before you check it out. It’s also a BYO restaurant, so be sure to drop by a nearby bottle shop to bring a few cheap beers or some wine along with you.
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Sydney has experienced a recent influx of sleek bistros and flash steakhouses, but none are leaning into the opulence quite like Clam Bar. This Bridge Street brasserie from the team behind Bistrot 916 and Pellegrino 2000 sets itself apart by combining the modern sensibilities of its CBD counterparts with a playful fondness for the menu items from fine diners of yesteryear.
Seafood towers, prawn cocktails, egg salads and oysters three-ways — they’re all here. Dan Pepperell (ex-Restaurant Hubert and 10 William Street), sommelier Andy Tyson (ex-Alberto’s Lounge) and former Rockpool Dining Group chef Michael Clift’s third venue does nothing in half measures. It’s easily one of the best restaurants in the Sydney CBD.
Image: Jason Loucus
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27
An era of omakase has well and truly arrived in the Sydney CBD. From the picturesque Bay Nine in The Rocks to the tiny 12-seat Besuto at Quay Quarter, the luxuriously indulgent and precisely prepared multi-course experiences have well and truly entered the mainstream. Joining the suite of Japanese restaurants offering omakase in Sydney is Toko Restaurant.
You can try a whole host of traditional Japanese dishes here, but the sashimi omakase is the star of the show. Melts-on-the-tongue tuna, snapper and salmon are bound to make an appearance with whatever else is raw, in season and of the highest quality. The sushi menu also features some particularly luxurious nigiri — coming with caviar, truffles or foie gras.
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26
Take the lift in Westfield Sydney up to level seven, and you’ll find this massive 1200-square-metre Middle Eastern restaurant and bar where an impressive calibre of hospitality vets are waiting to wine and dine you. It has a cool 800-person capacity and a bustling kitchen producing hearty food inspired by the street eats of Turkey, Israel, Lebanon, Cyprus and Egypt.
We’re fans of coming here any day of the week but are especially excited about its bottomless brunch offerings on weekends. For a cool $68 per person, you get unlimited mimosas for 90 minutes as well as a selection of mezze. It’s also home to a suite of private dining rooms for when you’re having a city birthday party or are keen to level up your next work do.
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25
Award-winning Italian steakhouse Bistecca specialises in Tuscany’s top chop, the bistecca alla Fiorentine. Just like football and espresso, Italians take their bistecca very seriously, and, as such, there are strict rules that govern its cooking and eating. In Florence, the chianina cow breed is used, but due to the impractical nature of importing it, Bistecca has opted for a local alternative — a high-quality black angus beef from the Riverine region of NSW.
Once you’ve selected your steak size, the meat is presented to you for approval. It’s then thrown on an open hearth to spit and sizzle on a bonfire of olive and wood branches. Around 40 minutes after ordering, steaks arrive sliced and ready for attack. And damn, is this an outstanding steak.
Image: Dominic Loneragan.
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24
Botswana Butchery is a mega-venue in Martin Place housing up to 940 guests, and the menu is all about presenting Australian and New Zealand meat, seafood and wine in the best possible way.
The menu’s main attraction is titled The Butcher’s Block and presents a selection of exclusive cuts of meat from some of the country’s best producers. Here, you’ll find the likes of black opal wagyu rump, whole slow-roasted lamb shoulder and 1.6-kilogram servings of mb5+ Jacks Creek wagyu tomahawk. It’s home to some of the best steak in Sydney.
Image: Sander Dalhuisen.
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23
Back in 2022, a new venue from Sydney hospitality giant Merivale arrived in its Ivy precinct. MuMu was the latest venture from beloved local chef Dan Hong (Ms G’s, Mr Wong), serving up southeast Asian street food-inspired dishes to the masses. Like its neighbour, Bar Totti’s, MuMu is hugely popular. So, if you’re going with a group, booking ahead is an absolute must.
Open for lunch at midday and staying open until late in the evening, this restaurant in Sydney’s CBD offers an all-day selection of flavoursome eats alongside wine, cocktails and two hefty banquet menus. The music is booming, and the lights are turned up bright at MuMu, with Hong looking to create a vibrant venue for any time of the day.
Image: Jiwon Kim.
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22
Underground CBD favourite Burrow Bar moved from its original home in De Mestre Place to 96 Clarence Street with big plans to expand into two levels and open a restaurant above the bar. Those plans became a reality with the 2021 opening of Cash Only Diner, a Vietnamese eatery serving up dishes with roots in owner Chau Tran’s family heritage — and the cuisine of Hue, Vietnam.
Tran has taken dishes she learned from her mother — a classically trained chef who studied at a French finishing school in Hue — and, with the help of co-owner Bryce McDonough and the Burrow Bar team, has put together a menu that bursts with flavour and showcases the cuisine of the coastal Vietnamese city.
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21
In late 2018, an Italian restaurant with olive trees, woodfired bread and next-level pasta opened inside Bondi pub The Royal. Called Totti’s, it was an instant hit in the eastern suburbs and has become a Sydney legend within half a decade. And, it’s since expanded to the CBD and Rozelle. You’ll find Bar Totti’s inside Merivale’s inner-city Ivy Precinct.
Like its beachside sister, it has the beloved charred bread alongside an extended menu of antipasto plates and snacks — spanning twenty different plates, with sardines, scallop crudo, burrata, anchovies, nduja, octopus and baked cheese all on the list. But, unlike its sibling, it’s also home to high-energy party vibe, serving up food and drinks till 2am three nights a week.
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20
When it comes to upmarket Japanese restaurants in Sydney’s CBD, Merivale’s Sushi e is a leader among the pack. Diners have the option of sitting around the sleek marble bar, getting a front-row view of the blowtorch-wielding chefs. Small low-lying tables against the back window offer a more intimate setting, while the comfy lounges out in the adjoining Hemmesphere Bar provide a more practical seating arrangement for bigger groups wanting to dine in.
No matter the size of your party, call ahead and make a booking. Both early and late sittings are frequently booked out, and it isn’t hard to see why. The service at Sushi e is efficient and professional, and the standard of cuisine unparalleled. It’s one of the best Sydney CBD restaurants, and everybody seems to know it.
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19
Set among the colonial, bamboo-focused furnishings of the 1930s Shanghai-inspired eatery, Mr Wong’s is one of Sydney’s CBD’s best restaurants. There are over 80 Cantonese dishes on the vast menu.
Get around a huge selection of steamed and fried dumplings (our favourite is the lobster and scallop) as well as bao buns, cheung fung and a killer Kung Pao chicken. Come dinnertime, those who are overwhelmed by the huge menu can opt for one of the four set menus, preparing for a massive feast no matter which one they choose.
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With more than 50 dishes on Spice Temple’s menu, this long-standing Sydney CBD restaurant pushes Chinese cuisine in new directions without losing traditional flavours. The extra spicy dishes highlighted in red serve as a warning to those intolerant to fiery mouthfuls of food or a beacon to those who love said burning sensations.
The dishes, to be shared, are monumentally large — even for two people. A half-share of any main is a minor challenge to finish. And it all tastes damn good. It’s great to see casual fine dining like this in the city, where you are properly fed, not counting the dollars while purposely filling up on bread.
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17
The Love Tilly Group has been championing small bars for years now via the tiny Love, Tilly Devine, in a Darlinghurst back street; the CBD’s Ragazzi, one of the best restaurants in all of Sydney; and the Potts Point favourite Dear Sainte Eloise. But, the group has outgrown the cosy settings of its previous ventures with its most ambitious spaces yet: the 120-seat Palazzo Salato on Clarence Street.
This inner-city Italian restaurant is a love letter to all things pasta and wine. Located in the heritage-listed former Redoak Boutique Beer Cafe building, the space pulls inspiration from New York’s Gramercy Tavern and the trattorias of Rome. Food-wise, handmade pasta is to the fore, but other less carb-focused Italian eats make plenty of notable appearances. With this Sydney CBD restaurant, The Love Tilly team has done it again.
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Maydanoz on Carrington Street comes from award-winning Turkish chef Somer Sivrioğlu (Efendy). He’s pushing towards vegetarian and vegan cuisine in the sleek 100-seat venue, but you will still find some meat options.
If you are heading in for dinner, you’ll be greeted with an extensive a la carte menu with highlights including the lentil kofte and cabbage kebabs with harissa, labneh and coriander. And if you come between 3-6pm from Monday to Friday for happy hour, you’ll nab discounts on beer, wine, cocktails and a limited food menu.
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15
Located in the heart of Sydney’s CBD, Machiavelli Ristorante, opened in 1988, is focused on bringing the finest and freshest ingredients to its menu – organic whenever possible. Head Chef Laurent Cambon has been at the helm since 1994, drawing from his experience working at Paris classics such as L’Arpège and Au Trou Gascon to create one of the best Italian restaurants in Sydney.
The menu here is everything you could expect from a traditional Italian joint that’s famed for hosting prime ministers and media moguls alike. The antipasti includes zucchini flowers with ricotta; a caprese salad with vine-ripened tomatoes, basil and fresh mozzarella; and prosciutto served on its own or with buffalo mozzarella. For a pasta dish, try the gnocchi gorgonzola or the pappardelle duck ragu in a rich madeira sauce. They’re all winners.
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14
Rockpool Bar & Grill is a grand institution and one that maintains a consistently high bar. A marbled open kitchen exposes spunky chefs sweating under heat lamps, the atmosphere is aplenty, and the wine selection is more like an encyclopedia than a list.
But what you’re really here for is some of the wham bam steak. The Cape Grim dry-aged 36-month-old grass-fed fillet is quite possibly what they had in mind when they coined the phrase “melts in your mouth”. Then there’s the rib-eye on the bone for the bottomless pits among us. Don’t be ashamed, be proud. This is where you treat yourself to the best steak in Sydney’s CBD.
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13
City workers, theatre-goers and general pasta lovers should all have this romantic Italian restaurant in Sydney CBD at the very top of their hit list. Ragazzi comes from the duo behind Love, Tilly Devine and Dear Sainte Éloise, bringing these venues’ passion for carbs and minimal-intervention wines to Angel Place. The 38-seat wine bar features textured concrete walls, leather banquette seating and a ten-seat, wraparound brass bar, serving up daily-changing wines by the glass, along with a whopping 250 by the bottle.
Then there’s the pasta — possibly Sydney’s best. While you can expect the menu to be different every time you visit, some of the highlights you may run into include spaghetti cacio e pepe, mushroom and gorgonzola ravioli and spanner crab conchiglie. Can’t make a decision? The friendly staff and open-plan kitchen mean there’s always a helpful opinion around the corner.
Image: Nikki To.
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12
Ichi-ban Boshi is a much-loved Sydney ramen institution for a reason. It’s cheap, it’s delicious, and you have it in front of you just minutes after ordering — which is handy given the queue you can expect at peak times. While there are plenty of options on the menu, including great gyoza and okonomiyaki (Osaka-style savoury pancakes), the huge ramen selection is an unmissable crowdpleaser.
The noodles are made fresh and cooked al dente – a satisfyingly chewy textural experience. We recommend the Tokyo ramen topped with melt-in-your-mouth roast pork. While there are a few Ichi-bans around Sydney, head to its flagship restaurant at The Galeries for the best.
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11
Jessi Singh, the mind behind some of the country’s best Indian restaurants, now has a home on York Street. Pinky-Ji is Singh’s second Sydney outpost, launched with the help of former Chin Chin chef Johann Jay. Singh describes Pinky-Ji as the younger, sassier, and more independent version of the much-loved Daughter In Law.
Here, at one of the best restaurants in the Sydney CBD, you can go full a la carte or opt for the Chef’s Selection that includes a whole host of its most popular dishes — recommended for those who easily get choice paralysis. And when the time comes to pair a drink with your curry, you can opt for a classic cocktail or peruse the help-yourself craft beer fridges for a hoppy treat.
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10
Sky Phoenix is a Sydney yum cha institution that has been serving up the tastiest carb parcels since 2002. The eatery has been crowned with the title of Sydney’s best yum cha for a number of years, and once you’ve dined there you’ll understand why.
Housed in the Westfield food court, the busy dumpling house serves yum cha every day of the week, and because the turnover is so high, you can rest assured that the dumplings will arrive at your table fresh and hot. Head here for a speedy work lunch or long dinner with mates in the CBD.
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9
A unique dining experience arrived at Martin Place in 2022 from the team behind some of Sydney’s most renowned restaurants (Nour, Lilymu, Henrietta and Cuckoo Callay). The group’s latest and most extravagant offering, Aalia, is in the dining precinct in the former MLC Centre space.
The 150-seat restaurant takes diners on a journey through the history of Middle Eastern food, while also slinging brilliant Aussie and international wines. Highballs, spritzes and inventive cocktails are all on offer to accompany your one-of-a-kind feast at this Sydney CBD restaurant.
Image: Christopher Pearce
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8
Shell House comes from The Point Group, the hospitality collective behind the likes of The Dolphin, Bondi Beach Public Bar and Harry’s. The much-hyped multi-level venue plays home to four different bars and restaurants: Menzies Bar & Bistro, Sky Bar, Dining Room and Terrace, and Clocktower.
Each venue inside Shell House comes equipped with a luxurious interior design and its own unique energy. Step into Menzies, and you’ll find warm lighting, thick leather seats and a lavish bistro menu. The gold-heavy rooftop bar offers up a fun mix of cocktails with panoramic city views. Dining Room and Terrace is filled with rich brown and beige tones as well as a seafood-heavy dinner menu. And Clocktower is fittingly situated inside Shell House’s historic 400-tonne clocktower.
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7
Set within QT Sydney, one of the best hotels in Sydney, Gowings Bar & Grill is one of the finest hotel restaurants you’ll visit in the city. The luxe but still fairly laidback New York-style steakhouse is full of buzz even though it is a bit hard to find — up on the second floor of the hotel.
Apart from the steaks, the menu is a mostly Italian affair, from the handmade pasta and truffled-topped pork cotoletta to the extensive gelato selection and truly excellent Campari pannacotta. It’s the kind of Sydney CBD restaurant and bar where you can easily have a super long lunch, sipping on amaros and Euro-centric cocktails up until dinner service starts up.
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Many years ago, a diverse group of Arabic peoples migrated widely through northern Africa and western Europe, bringing traditionally Middle Eastern influences (saffron, almonds, spices) with them to the continent. It’s an influence that continues today in the rich world of Moorish cooking, and this cross-cultural approach provides the template for the seasonal menu at Mercado.
The chefs do all their pickling, curing and smoking on-site and combine fresh produce with a modern, agreeably loose take on Moorish and Spanish food. And like a true European market, the menu here evolves alongside the seasons and the unique produce the team picks up from local farmers.
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5
If you work in Sydney’s CBD, you’ll no doubt be aware of Palace Chinese Restaurant and its trusty menu of Cantonese favourites. Unless you’re feeling particularly peckish, it’s probably best to bring some hungry mates with stretchy pants to this one.
There are more than 60 yum cha classics on the menu, including steamed duck meat dumplings and crispy prawn toast. The price tags at Palace Chinese are a little heftier than their Chinatown counterparts, but this place is all about convenience and proximity. And really, what’s better than indulging in a midweek yum cha session?
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4
Sure, for the price of a meal at Tetsuya’s, you might’ve been able to fly to Melbourne and back, but dining here is a journey unlike any other in Australia. This is high-flying dining, with very few institutions left like it in Sydney. There’s something to be said about a restaurant that has been at the forefront of Australian dining for so long and still has an extensive waitlist.
Situated smack-bang in the middle of the CBD, the heritage-listed site feels like you’ve left the country for dinner. The eight-course degustation menu takes quite a few hours to get through and costs $320 per person (not including matching wines), but it is entirely worth it. Best bookmark this one for a special occasion.
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Adjacent to the Ivy’s rooftop pool, Uccello is an Italian-inspired diner for the city worker looking to capture those European long lunch vibes. The menu is fresh and flavoursome, bringing together some of Italy’s best dishes in a relaxed Australian atmosphere.
There are antipasti aplenty, a handful of handmade pastas and plenty of woodfired eats that come straight from the kitchen’s stone oven to the table. For those keen on the aforementioned long lunch, be sure to try the $100 set menu on Saturdays, which includes nine different dishes that change seasonally.
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From the owners who brought us Menya Mappen just a few doors down and Menya Noodle Bar, Tenkomori resembles a cafeteria-style eatery but instead of serving burgers and chips, it dishes out ramen noodles, karaage chicken and other fried Japanese fare.
This is how Tenkomori works: line up at the counter and order your ramen, grab a plate and select some fried sides such as tofu, chicken and prawn. Move along the assembly line and pick up a miso soup while you’re at it. At the very end, you pay while your noodles are being made in front of your eyes. It’s really a foolproof system and means the restaurant can process orders quickly and efficiently. Tables turn over quickly, too, as CBD diners quickly slurp down their noodles and leave.
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Brasserie 1930, a lavish European-influenced brasserie swung open its doors in Sydney’s CBD in early 2023, calling the luxury hotel Capella Sydney home. The acclaimed hospitality crew behind Bentley Restaurant and Bar, Monopole, Yellow and Cirrus have brought an elegant dining room, next-level eats and a meticulously curated wine program to the expansive inner-city hotel.
The seafood here is plentiful, and the share plates will impress, but the real show-stealer is the steak selection. Take your pick from the Rangers Valley rump cap, O’Connor’s short rib and bone-in sirloin or the Coppertree Farms 600-gram rib eye. It’s a lavish affair — one to match the stunning hotel that it calls home.
Images: Kris Paulsen
Top images: Ragazzi by Nikki To.
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