Mother's Day lunches tend to fall into two camps: overthought or underwhelming. The sweet spot sits somewhere in between. Good food, a bit of occasion, and enough structure that no one ends up negotiating over mains. Across Sydney this year, restaurants are leaning into set menus that actually make sense — whether that's a long Lebanese spread in The Rocks, a Greek feast by the beach, or a steakhouse lunch that doesn't pretend to be anything else. Here's where to book. Ananas The Rocks The Rocks is getting a new French address just in time for Mother's Day, with Ananas opening on May 7, meaning your booking is among the first through the door. The $115pp four-course menu sticks to bistro logic: line-caught fish crudo, chicken terrine, then mains like confit duck leg or steak frites au poivre. Dessert lands as a shared table spread–rosé grapefruit sorbet, crème caramel with liquorice root custard and tarte au chocolat with Armagnac cream. A strong pick if Mum likes the idea of being early to something. Aria CBD If you're leaning formal, Aria is doing what it does best, a refined, high-touch dining experience. Executive chef Tom Gorringe has curated a five-course tasting menu ($275pp) that moves through lobster raviolo with Meyer lemon and kombu, seared scallop with leek and vin jaune, and finishes on chocolate, cherry and vanilla. Every mum gets a glass of champagne on arrival. There's a $70pp two-course option for kids (12 and under), with lunch running as a two-hour sitting. Dinner shifts gears slightly: à la carte is available for smaller groups, while parties of eight or more move onto an eight-course tasting. Vitelli's Upstairs Redfern If the brief is carbs and comfort, this is the one. Vitelli's Upstairs is running an $129pp New York-Italian lunch across eight dishes, fried lasagne bites, garlic focaccia with parm dip, pipe rigate all'vodka, chicken parm and barramundi piccata. There's cheesecake to finish, and a $49pp kids' option that includes a double chocolate sundae. Lunch only, and super generous. Sahtein The Rocks Thirteen dishes for $77pp is hard to argue with. Sahtein's Lebanese feast covers the full spread: dips, breads and pickles, then lamb and beef sausages with pomegranate molasses, skewers, batata harra, falafel and tabbouleh, finishing with baklawa and orange blossom ice cream. The kind of meal that stretches well into the afternoon. Grana CBD Grana's $139pp shared lunch is less about occasion theatrics and more about ingredient-led cooking. Expect swordfish carpaccio, shaved cuttlefish with pomegranate and finger lime, crab gnudi, roasted Bannockburn chicken with porcini cream, then panna cotta and a dark chocolate torta to close. Polished without being showy. Lana CBD Lana continues to sit comfortably between Italian and Asian without forcing the comparison. The $149pp menu runs nine dishes. Wagyu bresaola, grilled Jersey milk curd, squid ink capelli with XO clams, Black ONYX striploin with kai lan and bone marrow, and a yuzu parfait with limoncello custard. There's also a $70pp kids' menu, which makes this one of the easier CBD options for groups. Etheus Bondi Beach One of the few venues doing both ends of the day. There's a $69pp breakfast (yoghurt with preserved pear, filo pie, halloumi bagel, eggs with oregano butter) and a $159pp long lunch that shifts into grilled king prawns, saganaki with ouzo and honey, braised lamb shoulder and bougatsa. Greek, by the beach at your pace. Island Radio Redfern For something louder in flavour and atmosphere, Island Radio leans Southeast Asian. The $119pp dinner covers eight dishes including crispy pork belly with kimchi, XO longevity noodles, slow-cooked wagyu brisket with golek peanut curry, with a $35pp kids' menu to keep things simple. Dinner only, and built for a lively table. The Cut Bar & Grill The Rocks Sometimes the brief is just steak. The Cut's $139pp seven-course menu centres on a 250g Cape Grim MB5+ Black Angus with red wine sauce, horseradish cream and fat-cut chips cooked in beef dripping. It opens with tartlets and tuna, and ends with a hot fudge sundae. Straightforward, done properly. Bar Patron Circular Quay Less ceremony, more celebration. Bar Patron's $115pp set menu runs nine dishes ranging from snapper with salsa macha, to brisket birria quesadilla, Glacier 51 toothfish with Oaxacan adobo, finishing with tres leches. It's the kind of menu that pairs easily with a margarita or two. The Harbour views don't hurt either. Spice Temple CBD For the mum who finds most banquets a bit predictable. Spice Temple's $139pp menu pulls from across China's regional cuisines. Yunnan-style pink snapper, Sichuan beef, steamed flathead with ginger and shallot, dumplings and prawn toast to start. Big, bold and delicious. Saké Restaurant & Bar The Rocks & Double Bay Not every Japanese set menu finishes with steak, but this one does. Saké's $155pp contemporary menu runs from Sydney rock oyster with mandarin vinaigrette through bluefin tuna sashimi and Moreton Bay bug tempura, before landing on MB6–7+ hanger steak with miso-compressed leek. Chocolate mousse to close. Available at both The Rocks and Double Bay, and one of the more structured options going around. Touch Wood Sydney Fish Market A more relaxed option, but still with a bit of thought behind it. Touch Wood is running a $95pp three-course menu (with a $30pp kids' option) from 10.30am, with all mums receiving a complimentary glass of prosecco and a box of cookies. You can also pre-order flowers from Mayfarm Flowers to collect on arrival which neatly solves the "did anyone bring a gift?" problem.
