The Best Spots to Grab Dinner or a Drink Near the Vivid Light Walk

An obvious place to start, Opera Bar is quintessentially Sydney. If you can get a spot at this bustling bar you’ll be right by both the Sydney Opera House and Lightscape, while enjoying panoramic views of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. It’s also hosting Taste and Sound of Sydney, a festival-long celebration of local food and music serving up tunes from Latifa Tee and Djanaba, and special produce-driven menu items like Sydney rock oysters and a citrus and jalapeño scallop crudo. Be warned though: it’s sure to be packed throughout the duration of Vivid.

Image: Nikki To.

Sydney has plenty of top-notch French restaurants, but not many sit just metres from Circular Quay Station and the Vivid Light Walk. Situated above Loftus Street, Bouillon L’Entrecôte is one of Concrete Playground‘s picks for the best restaurants in Sydney, impressing with ultra-cheesy soufflé, saucy escargot and expertly made steak frites with a secret house sauce. There’s still plenty of dinner reservations available throughout the festival, or you can go for a pre-Light Walk meal on a Saturday and make the most of the restaurant’s current weekend lunch deal offering two courses for $59 or three for $69.

One of the newest additions to Circular Quay is Belles Hot Chicken’s flagship 130-seat restaurant. Swapping takeaway boxes for table service, this diner retains the charm of the chain’s Glebe and Barangaroo outposts with vintage Americana style, Nashville hot chicken and a fun drinks list. Pair chicken sandwiches, tenders, drumsticks, wings and buffalo cauliflower — all available in heat levels ranging from ‘chicken salt’ to Really F**king Hot — with Belles Original Draught, orange wines and house cocktails, like spiked iced tea, too. If you want the decisions taken out of your hands, you can opt for the highlight reel $40 set menu.

Hidden underground in the basement level of the four-storey Hinchcliff House is Apollonia, a cocktail bar with an affinity for negronis and romance. There’s a dozen negronis on offer, spanning from classic to adventurous, as well as a host of top-notch non-negroni cocktails and wines to choose from. This is a great spot to finish your night after a gig at the Opera House or a stroll past the lights. If you stick around until midnight on a Friday night, you’ll be treated to The Thunderbolt. This weekly tradition at Apollonia is a toast to what’s important: friends, life, love and negronis.

Venture around the harbour to The Rocks and you’ll not only discover installations like Barerarerungar and City Gazing, but you might also stumble upon Hickson House Distilling Co and its huge multi-level bar. Set in the soaring brickwork and girders of the former Saatchi & Saatchi garage, the extensive bar showcases the distillery’s own spirits, as well as its favourite peers, through approachable cocktails. There’s also plenty of moreish snacks on offer, including Sydney rock oysters, kangaroo tartare, chargrilled octopus and fries with black garlic aioli — plus larger plates like a classic cheeseburger, seared tuna and porchetta with native herbs.

Pinky Ji has some of the city’s best Indian food just a few hundred metres from one of Vivid 2023’s hyped attractions — Dark Spectrum. This CBD favourite comes from the crew behind Surry Hills’ Don’t Tell Aunty and Melbourne’s Daughter in Law. Here you can expect flamboyant decor, unpretentious and playful Indian eats and a huge self-serve craft beer and drinks fridge. Must-orders include the Balls of Happiness — a single-bite explosion of papadum, mint sauce and chutney — the crab fried rice, the “unauthentic butter chicken” and the fragrant vegan yellow dahl. Still feeling indecisive? Opt for the Chef’s Selection for $65 per person.

Open every day of the festival, this pop-up Barangaroo food hall features a heap of acclaimed chefs and restaurants descending on The Cutaway for a celebration of all things chargrilled. Grab a seat by the fire to watch the masters work and take a bite of the exclusive menu, or take part in a live demo to master the art of the grill with the help of the best in the trade. Throughout the festival, you’ll find the likes of Firedoor’s Lennox Hastie, Michelin-starred chef Dave Pynt, NOLA Smokehouse and Bar, La Salut, Duo Duo, Plate it Forward (Colombo Social, Kabul Social and Coyoacan Social) and Hoy Pinoy calling the Fire Kitchen home. View the program of eats here.

Striking a balance between fun and serious dining can be difficult. Some restaurants lean one way, offering affordable meals, karaoke and ‘Ring for Tequila’ buttons. Others nail the full-blown fine dining experience. But Barangaroo’s new Korean barbecue and steakhouse joint SOOT manages to provide a mix of both, pairing vibrant communal dining and shots of soju with top-notch cuts of wagyu. SOOT recently landed on Barangaroo Avenue right in the middle of the Vivid Light Walk. If you’re venturing out with a group of friends, book a table here and enjoy a night of high-quality meat, pickled sides and Korean spirits.

Jack of all trades Barangaroo House is broken into three levels: the sunny House Bar that operates as a pub-style hangout spot; Rekodo, a music-centred Japanese listening bar with bao, snapper karaage and sashimi on the menu; and the top-floor Smoke which acts as the venue’s rooftop bar. Whether you’re looking for a casual beer, a vibrant atmosphere or a cocktail with a view during your Vivid journey, pop into Barangaroo House and you’ll find what you’re looking for. Rekodo has even launched a tune-heavy bottomless brunch for those looking to really take their weekend up a notch.

Image: Steven Woodburn.

While Golden Century may have shut its doors, its legacy lives on through XOPP in Darling Square. Located right next to Vivid’s huge outdoor free live music program Tumbalong Nights, the expansive restaurant is serving up a heap of Golden Century favourites, including the pipis in XO sauce, a dish that’s so revered that even David Chang has called it “the best dish in the world”. It’s even partnered with a more casual takeaway version of Golden Century downstairs, offering up an on-the-go menu of barbecue classics. Head in for a gig and pair a live performance from fast-rising R&B talents Kaiit and Chanel Loren with a serving of pipis, duck and barbecued char siu.

Image: Steven Woodburn.

If you find yourself at the end of the Light Walk near Central Station, a cheerful way to finish your night is with a trip up the elevator to The Old Clare Hotel’s rooftop bar. This poolside beauty is an ideal spot to round out (or start) your adventure through the city with a mimosa or a mulled wine tucked among the Sydney highrises. If you’re peckish, the bar has its own selection of eats, including teriyaki chicken skewers and LP’s charcuterie, or you can head back down to street level and hit up Spice Alley for an affordable dinner.

Image: Nikki To.