The Sydney Festival 2017 Eats Guide

Our city's biggest summer celebration of local and international talent has finally arrived – and you've managed to bag tickets! Good start, compadre. But as any regular arts-goer knows, finding pre- or post-show eats is a tricky business. That's why we've chosen our top places near the main Sydney Festival venues, so whether you're heading to the Magic Mirrors Spiegeltent and see some cheeky cabaret, to Carriageworks for Nick Cave's immersive Until exhibition, Barangaroo to visit the giant Always sculpture or one of the many lunar exhibitions or Riverside Theatre for a 30s-inspire Shanghai circus, we've got your nosh needs covered.

Jamie Williams

IF YOU'RE HEADING TO... MAGIC MIRRORS SPIEGELTENT OR CITY RECITAL HALL

LONG CHIM

RESTAURANT HUBERT

INDU
Seeing a show in Angel Place? Take a turn before China Lane. From here, head through a small door, and follow your nose down a few flights of dimly lit stairs. Indu, which takes its inspiration from the southern coastal regions of India, is owned by doctor, philanthropist and all-round hero Sam Prince. Indu's menu is refreshing, totally innovative and surprisingly light — a far cry from the heavy Indian curries that characterise most Indian restaurants in the city.

MERCADO
Previously head chef at the acclaimed Nomad and co-creator of ice creamery Good Times, Nathan Sasi blends fine dining finesse with a love of the rustic and a real hands-on approach at Mercado (nominated for Concrete Playground's Best New Restaurant in 2016). The laneway establishment does all their pickling, curing and smoking on-site and combines fresh produce with a modern, agreeably loose take on Moorish and Spanish food.

IF YOU'RE HEADING TO... THE OPERA HOUSE OR ROSLYN PACKER THEATRE

OPERA BAR
D'uh. Pop by this revamped icon, given brand new life by Matt Moran last year. Equip yourself with a refreshing pomegranate and mint Sydney Sling ($18) and head outside to the sun-drenched deck where you and 699 other people can now find a seat.

BENNELONG
Peter Gilmore has ditched the fancy, fiddly techniques he's famous for (see: Snow Egg) and created an informal menu with approachable prices at the opera house. Bennelong has five different dining options to choose from. There's The Bar and The Circle for drinks and nibbles; Cured and Cultured, the casual dining option; The Restaurant, the main event; and The Kitchen, six VIP seats in the kitchen for a behind-the-scenes experience. Try the theatre dining option.

GATEWAY SYDNEY
If you've spent one too many nights wandering hungry around Circular Quay, dodging dodgy fish and chips and bad pizza, you'll welcome this place. This new $60 million precinct has been transformed by Woods Bagot Architects from a very average walk-past-worthy food court into a slick new dining area. The ground floor features Gelato Messina's first CBD store (sorry Gelatissimo), Four Frogs Creperie (ham and cheese galettes for brekkie, yes please) and a new outlet for Adriano Zumbo's pastries. Also featured is Roll'd, Workshop Espresso, The Gozleme Co. and health food outlet Urban Orchard, among a slew of others.

WALSH BAY KITCHEN
Walsh Bay Kitchen, within the Roslyn Packer Theatre, sits on the burgeoning food strip of Hickson Road. The space is slick with off-Broadway style: think parquetry floors and leather banquettes. The recessed lightboxes seem a nod to stage lights, casting dress circle moodiness. If mirth and merriment bars a thousand harms and lengthens life, there isn't a better reason to catch an end-of-season show and dig in here. Check out their Festival Feast.

HOTEL PALISADE & HENRY DEANE
Standing proud in Millers Point, the Hotel Palisade forms a unique and improbable part of Sydney's foreshore history; when it was built a century ago, it was the city's highest building. Now been revived with a smart new maritime design by Sibella Court, Hotel Palisade serves up pub food that avoids the familiar schnitzels and steak sandwiches and opts instead for snacks like creamy chicken liver pate with a sweet Young Henrys cider jelly ($12) or a beef brisket sanga ($18) with a mug of salt and vinegar chips. Venture upstairs for the swanky Henry Deane rooftop bar, with some of the best views in the whole city.

THE GLENMORE
The much loved local's-style pub remains on ground level, but as you head up the stairs towards the first level and rooftop terrace, you can see just how much this oldie has been spruced up. It has one of the best views of the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House, along with some great pub food.

IF YOU'RE HEADING TO... CARRIAGEWORKS

RON'S UPSTAIRS

REDFERN CONTINENTAL
Redfern's day-to-night European diner is just a short walk from Carriageworks. Birthed by the guys who brought you Arcadia Liquors (just across the road on Regent), Redfern Continental really is a little bit of everything: the perfect neighbour in a suburb fast becoming an eclectic hub of food and drink in Sydney.

RISING SUN WORKSHOP
Tinker on your motorbike and slurp your way through bowel of ramen on the same premises at Rising Sun Workshop's permanent Newtown digs. For the uninitiated, Rising Sun is a social enterprise that serves two purposes. On one hand, it provides its motor-revving members with a communal space for repairing and polishing up their bikes. On the other, it's a café, serving coffee, cookies and seriously killer ramen.

LEADBELLY
Want more after the show? The space that once housed the infamous and much-loved Vanguard has been quickly revamped as Leadbelly. While the bar and restaurant is a new concept, it has fully embraced the building's history by offering live gigs Thursday through Sunday — for free.  Leadbelly is a restaurant too, after all. The Southern US-style food menu is essentially a round-up of perfect gig snacks — think popcorn shrimp and smoked brisket po' boys.

IF YOU'RE HEADING TO... PARRAMATTA/RIVERSIDE THEATRES

EL-PHOENICIAN
There may be cheaper Lebanese options along Parramatta's Church Street, but you're unlikely to find better quality than at El-Phoenician. Known for its generous servings and loud groups, this local institution is offering festivalgoers a Festival Feast menu of all your favourites. But if you'd like a little theatre with your tabouli, make sure you lock in a ticket to Hakawati, a performance set in the restaurant itself.

THE EMPORIUM
This bustling, dual-level food and wine mecca from the guys behind the Coffee Emporium franchise opened in January 2015, and still promises great things for festivalgoers and Parramatta locals alike. With a Mediterranean-inspired menu designed by chef Leon Volk and an international wine list, The Emporium has raised the bar for the area's main eats street. Don't go past the Festival Feast menu.

SABU
This contemporary Japanese restaurant and sake bar sports a sleek fitout and a prime position in the Eat Street district of Parramatta. The menu ranges from sushi, sashimi to robata, with cocktails, sake and sake flights on offer. Sabu is known to exhibit local artists and often surprises guests with live performances, so if you're looking for a culture-infused dinner spot to relax in ahead of your SydFest adventures, this is your go-to.

NICK AND NORA'S

If you're heading further along the line to Blacktown for Urban Theatre Projects' outstanding immersive show Home Country, do not eat dinner. Just saying.

IF YOU'RE HEADING TO... BARANGAROO AND DARLING HARBOUR

PIZZA DA MARIO POP-UP
Over in the Cutaway, after you've finished soaking up the fake surf and sun of The Beach at Barangaroo, grab a next-level sausage sandwich from Newtown's Sausage Queen Chrissy Flanagan, or continue the nautical theme with a visit to Pizza da Mario Pop-Up, a Da Mario-run pizzeria disguised as a shipping container. Apparently this is for mobility purposes, but the novelty alone makes it worth a visit (there's a three-tonne pizza oven inside).

BANKSII
Sydney's first vermouth bar and bistro opened late last year at Barangaroo. Named after botanist Sir Joseph Banks, Banksii comes from the couple behind Asian fusion favourite Bar H in Surry Hills, chef Hamish Ingham and sommelier Rebecca Lines. They're bringing a slew of aperitifs and a mod Oz bent to the waterfront space — and we're loving it. The Barangaroo development itself is a bit sterile, but design firm Luchetti Krelle has done a good job warming the place up with soft coral and turquoise tones, cream and worn blue linen coverings and orange dangly lights.

ANASON
Turkish eatery Anason was the first permanent restaurant to open its sleek navy doors in the Barangaroo precinct. Nestled neatly in an unassuming alcove, Anason is immediately warm and inviting inside and out; the indoor area is largely dedicated to an open plan kitchen and wine storage so most diners eat outside in the open-air terrace. The innovative menu is stridently Turkish, showcasing authentic mezze plates characterised by bold flavours and even bolder colour palettes.

LOTUS
Dumpling masters Lotus Dining have officially joined Barangaroo's waterfront promenade. Now open in The Streets of Barangaroo, the restaurant is Lotus's third Sydney edition and, with 160 seats, its second largest. On the menu is a stack of established favourites as well as a bunch of new, Shanghai-influenced creations, dashed with Australian native ingredients.

BELLE'S HOT CHICKEN
Belles has made things permanent with Sydney, opening the doors on a 130-seat eatery in South Barangaroo. Seemingly all grown up (sorta), Belles operates as a restaurant now instead of a canteen counter, developed by OLA Architects (responsible for Melbourne's Bomba) and co-owners Morgan McGlone and Miranda Campbell. Think table service, space for larger groups, an expanded menu and Belles' infamous bedfellow: Australian natural wines. Not keen for a sit-down meal? You'll still be able to order takeaway from a separate, dedicated window.

By the Concrete Playground team. Top image: Jamie Williams.