Sydney's 50 Most Popular Restaurants of 2016
Catch up on the year's most buzzed-about establishments.
Eating and drinking in Sydney is a bountiful escapade, with inventive, bold new restaurants taking over the city's rooftops, waterfronts, beachfronts, main streets and laneways with innovative design and groundbreaking menus alike. This year, these were the restaurants you kept searching for, the most popular on Concrete Playground (even if they weren't brand new). Catch up on the establishments Sydney can't stop asking for tables at.
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RestaurantLucky Suzie - CLOSED
78 Stanley Street, Darlinghurst
A Malaysian hawker-style bar and restaurant from the Devon team.
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RestaurantKoi Dessert Bar
46 Kensington Street, Chippendale
Chippendale's beloved dessert bar and restaurant from MasterChef alumni.
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RestaurantFolonomo - CLOSED
370 Bourke Street, Surry Hills
Sydney's first 'profit for purpose' eatery isn't just a good deed to those in need — it's a treat for your stomach as well.
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RestaurantMaybe Frank - CLOSED
421 Bourke Street, Surry Hills
Your new Surry Hills go-to for everything from caprioskas to capricciosas.
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RestaurantFred's
380 Oxford Street, Paddington
Hatted farm-to-table dishes made in a Tuscany-inspired open kitchen.
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RestaurantTequila Mockingbird
6 Heeley Street, Paddington
A Paddington terrace filled with tequila and tasty Latin American morsels.
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RestaurantTella Balls Dessert Bar
Shop 5, 370 New Canterbury Road, Dulwich Hill
Everything you could ever want dipped, drizzled and injected with 'Tella.
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RestaurantUncle Tetsu
501 George Street, Sydney
The world's most coveted Japanese cheesecakes are available right here in Sydney.
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RestaurantThe Green Lion
Upstairs, The Red Lion Hotel, 726 Darling Street, Rozelle
Sydney's first entirely vegan pub.
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RestaurantNourishing Quarter - CLOSED
315 Cleveland Street, Redfern
It all started with a group of friends, a handful of nutrition books and a collective desire to heal through food.
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RestaurantNour
490 Crown Street, Surry Hills
The contemporary Middle Eastern restaurant has recently been hatted, and is ideal for your next meal in Surry Hills.
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RestaurantIndu
350 George Street (entry Via Angel Place) , Sydney
This is the Indian food we've been waiting for.
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RestaurantBarzaari
65 Addison Road, Marrickville
Enjoy a modern Mediterranean feast at this Addison Road eatery.
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RestaurantThree Williams
613A Elizabeth Street, Redfern
This spacious warehouse cafe serves knockout sangas in an (air-conditioned) industrial-chic setting.
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RestaurantJuicy Lucy - CLOSED
232A Elizabeth Street, Sydney
This chicken joint cooks chooks with a Southeast Asian twist.
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BarPub Life Kitchen
265 Bulwara Road, Ultimo
Four long years after shutting down, beloved burger joint Pub Life Kitchen returned to the bottom of the Lord Wolseley Hotel.
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RestaurantBombay Street Kitchen - CLOSED
University Hall, Corner Glebe Point Road And Parramatta Road, Glebe
This Glebe restaurant pays tribute to the dying street food culture of Bombay.
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RestaurantCubby's Kitchen - CLOSED
500 Crown Street, Surry Hills
Crown Street’s new Middle Eastern eatery from the team behind Toko.
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RestaurantAbout Life Double Bay - CLOSED
1 Kiaora Lane, Double Bay
Simply walking into About Life will make you feel healthy.
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RestaurantWolfe & Co. - CLOSED
540 Old Northern Road, Dural
Dural has a new cafe, and you can order crème brûlée toast and Champagne for breakfast.
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RestaurantBoss Lady Food & Co - CLOSED
1/18-22 Purkis Street, Camperdown
A boss Camperdown cafe run by two boss ladies.
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RestaurantThe Grounds of Alexandria
Building 7A, 2 Huntley Street, Alexandria
The Grounds is innovative, idealist and a little bit chic — in the best possible way.
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RestaurantCLOSED - Mamasan Surry Hills
403 Crown Street, Surry Hills
Bondi's beloved Asian-fusion joint has expanded to the Hills.
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RestaurantS'Age Bistronomy - CLOSED
308 Pacific Highway, Crows Nest
Unexpected experimental fine dining in Crows Nest.
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RestaurantBovine & Swine Barbecue Co. — CLOSED
92 Enmore Road, Newtown
Serious barbecue carved up in front of you like a sexy meat striptease.
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RestaurantI Maccheroni
3 Jersey Road, Woollahra
Authentic Italian fare from an ex-10 William Street chef in Woollahra.
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RestaurantLittle Lord - CLOSED
102 Salisbury Road, Camperdown
A cute Camperdown cafe reminiscent of your grandma's living room.
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RestaurantIzakaya Fujiyama
52 Waterloo Street, Surry Hills
Rows of sake line the wall above the long wooden bar, where patrons propped up on bar stools get a front row view of the bustling open kitchen.
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RestaurantTim Ho Wan - CLOSED
Corner Of Victoria Avenue And Railway Street, Chatswood
Yes, there's a queue, but it's worth it for a basket of these Michelin-starred dumplings.
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RestaurantLodge Tapas - CLOSED
24 Burns Bay Road, Lane Cove
Modern comfort food and impeccable service in Lane Cove.
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RestaurantThe Reservoir - CLOSED
47 Reservoir Street, Surry Hills
This corner cafe has added dinner and some killer Greek street food to their repertoire.
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RestaurantGojima - CLOSED
Cafe Court, The Star, 80 Pyrmont Street, Pyrmont
Sydney's new home of the rice burger.
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RestaurantButcher and the Farmer
Shop 7, Tramsheds Harold Park, 1 Dalgal Way, Forest Lodge
An artisan butcher and restaurant with a restored tram for a dining room.
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RestaurantSadhana Kitchen - CLOSED
147 Enmore Road, Enmore
High teas, degustations, lunch delivery - these raw vegans do nothing by the book.
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RestaurantOld City Kitchen & Bar - CLOSED
189 Missenden Road, Newtown
The traditional tastes of Jerusalem have come to Newtown.
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RestaurantAutomata - CLOSED
5 Kensington Street, Chippendale
An experimental dining experience by top Australian chef Clayton Wells with one of the best degustations around.
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RestaurantNo.1 Bent Street- CLOSED
1 Bent Street, Sydney
Mike McEnearney does homely food in a sleek CBD setting.
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RestaurantWhite Taro - CLOSED
67 Albion Street, Surry Hills
Western and Southeast Asian worlds collide at this Surry Hills cafe.
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RestaurantHenry Lee's
Eveleigh Creative Precinct, Hart Street, Redfern
This cafe has a strong emphasis on community, sourcing produce and drinks from local businesses.
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RestaurantBarista & Cook - CLOSED
834 Bourke Street, Waterloo
A Waterloo brunch spot delivering knockout brews and bites.
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RestaurantNEL
75 Wentworth Avenue, Sydney
Take shelter from uninspiring food in this major player on the Sydney dining scene.
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RestaurantMecca Alexandria
2/26 Bourke Road, Alexandria
Where Darkhorse blend is roasted out back, brewed out front and sometimes comes fizzy from a tap.
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RestaurantCafe Shenkin
53 Erskineville Road, Erskineville
Erskineville's long-loved home of hearty shakshuka and insanely good pastries.
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RestaurantGavroche
2-10 Kensington Street, Chippendale
Kensington Street's old-school French bistro is succeeding in recreating the classics. And, yes, that includes snails.
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RestaurantEdition Coffee Roasters - CLOSED
265 Liverpool St, Darlinghurst
Japanese meets Scandinavian, so don’t expect eggs and bacon here.
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RestaurantAssembly Restaurant
488 Kent Street, Sydney
The CBD bar has its own Italian restaurant — with former Da Orazio chef Nick Pulcher in charge of the menu.
