Headed to Sydney to catch sight of the iconic Sydney Opera House? Or maybe you’re headed there for work? Regardless of why, a girl (or boy) has got to eat! So… read on to figure out where to eat and what to eat in this beautiful beautiful city!

 

TABLE OF FOOD

• Western cuisine
• Asian cuisine
• Desserts

Western cuisine

Cuckoo Callay

Location: Newtown Railway Station // 413 Crown St, Surry Hills

Sydney is extremely well-known for their breakfast / brunch selections and their delicious coffee, and I’m telling you – Cuckoo Callay is the perfect place for you to satisfy those cravings!

Food for the day: Bacon Mac Daddy – we’re talking double smoked bacon, bacon mac ‘n’ cheese, 63-degree poached egg, tomato relish and fried shallots in a buttery croissant. Heaven help you and me…

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Grounds of Alexandria

Location: 7A, 2 Huntley St. Alexandria

Also known as the mother of all cafés, I kid you not, this café is soo widely visited, I’m 80% sure you’ve heard of it beyond my blog. Not only is it every millennial’s dream (with all the IG-worthy frames), but the food is really good too! Alas, you should try to make reservations beforehand, lest you end up waiting ~30-45 mins for a seat (like me!)

Our obvious focus here = photos, not food. Ergo no food photos, sorry guys!

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Vacanza Pizzeria

Location: 414 Bourke Street, Surry Hills // 261 Bronte Road, Waverley

This is hands-down, one of the BEST Italian restaurants in Sydney. The food here is simply sublime and very very authentic (as attested by my Italian friends). Do check it out – you won’t regret it!

Food for the day: Prosciutto with goat cheese mozzarella, ALL their pizzas, Tiramisu

 

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Lord Nelsons Hotel

Location: 19 Kent St, The Rocks

Purportedly the oldest continuously licensed hotel in Sydney (open since 1841), what better place to enjoy a classic pub meals than in the hotel that probably started said pub meals?

Food for the day: Prawn and rodriguez bros chorizo pizza, beef pie mushy peas potato mash and gravy, tempura ale battered fish and chips wasabi mayo ++ don’t forget their award winning beers

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Australian Heritage Hotel

Location: 100 Cumberland St

Want to try pizzas and burgers made from kangaroos and/or emu? Well then you’ve come to the right place! Order Australian Heritage Hotel’s famous Coat of Arms pizza topped with half kangaroo and half emu, and wash that down with a satisfying gulp of beer!

Food for the day: Quinoa salad with sweet potato, Coat of Arms pizza, Kangaroo Union Burger

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Le Pub

Location: 66 King St

Another day, another pub for you!

Food for the day: Ribeye Steak, Southern Fried Chicken, Beef Bourguignon Pie

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Sydney Fish Market

Location: Bank St and Pyrmont Bridge Road

Craving for fresh seafood at decent prices (by Australian standards anyway)? Then hop on over to the Sydney Fish Market and stuff yourself silly!

Food for the day: Seafood seafood and more seafood!

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Sydney Cove Oyster Bar

Location: 1 Circular Quay East

The only seafood restaurant that’s situated along Sydney Cove’s edge, I do believe this restaurant deserves a place on my list by sheer dint of its location alone. Gaah, imagine eating while enjoying a beautiful unobstructed view of the Harbour Bridge and of the boats lazily passing by

Food for the day: Oysters and champagne

Asian cuisine

You can take the girl out of Asia, but you can’t take Asia out of her! Man oh man, did I crave for Asian food while in Sydney! Lucky for you, that means I’ve got a pretty decent compilation of where to go for Asian food

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The Malaya

Location: 39 Lime Street

Dayum, food here is amazing – which is obviously why this institution has managed to last for 50+ years. Check this restaurant out if you’re craving for Nonya food, you won’t regret it!

Food for the day: Sayor Otak, Kapitan Prawn, Szechuan eggplant

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Chat Thai

Location: They’ve got several branches, check out the restaurant website for a full list

Possibly one of the hippest place to dine today, Chat Thai backs it up with amazingly authentic Thai dishes that will leave you craving for so much more!

Food for the day: Dtom Saap (hot and sour soup woth braised pork ribs); gaeng daeng gai (red curry of chicken with winter melon and thai basil), grapao bped (stir fried five spice roast duck, chilli, garlic and holy basil), padt thai, sticky rice with coconut custard, lodt chong nahm kati (pandan and palm sugar noodles, black glutinous rice and taro in coconut milk with ice)

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Golden Century

Location: 393-399 Sussex St

If you’re craving for traditional sit-down Chinese food (which comes complete with horrendous service), then it’s difficult to go wrong with Golden Century. Just make sure to have a reservation and come early, as queues can get ridiculously long (even if you have a reservation). Also, don’t forget to bring your patience, and just keep reminding yourself that you’re here for the food! Haha

Food for the day: Soups (hot and sour, fish head, creamy corn); XO pippies with vermicelli, fried duck in cranberry sauce; Fujian style fried rice

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Bodhi

Location: 2-4 College Street

Turning vegan, but still craving dimsum? Fret not, Bodhi’s got you covered, as they specialize in vegan yum cha (another phrase for dimsum, who knew?) and pan-Asian cuisine! Oh btw, the restaurant’s great for date nights too, with its whimsical outdoor garden overlaid with twinkling fairy lights

Food for the day: Sweet potato dumplings, shiitake mushroom and asparagus dumplings, combination footballs (mushroom and veggies)

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Korean BBQ Madang

Location: 371A Pitt St

Possibly THE most popular Korean place in Sydney, this restaurant definitely lived up to the hype! During peak hours, the queueing time can last up to an hour – which is why I always go during non-peak hours (aka late lunch or early dinners). Location’s a bit difficult to find as it’s in a nondescript alley, but just follow Google Maps and your nose as the distinct smell of yummy Korean food wafts by

Food for the day: Bul Dak, BBQ Modeum, Haemul Jabache

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Pho Pasteur

Location: 709 George Street

Don’t let its simple facade fool you, behind these glass windows is the most yummy beef pho ever (or well, maybe not the MOST yummy, but it was definitely good!). Only thing to keep in mind is it’s a cash only restaurant, so make sure to bring some greens

Food for the day: Beef pho, duuuh! 😉

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Chinatown Night Market

On a Friday night, Chinatown Night Market is the place to be! While the merchandise isn’t great per se (you can find better stuff in Thailand, or even in Divisoria), the food is awesome – allowing you to taste test multiple Asian street food in one go

Dessert

Would it be a food blog of mine if there wasn’t a dessert section? Nope.

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Koi Dessert Bar

Location: 46 Kensington St

Forget your diet, Koi Dessert Bar will tantalize and tempt you with its drool-inspiring dessert creations! The brain child of MasterChef Australia’s Reynold Poernomo, check out this pretty dessert bar not just for the delectable desserts, but also for the amazingly cozy ambiance (and maybe a glimpse of the handsome chef!)

Food for the day: Moss cake, Numbella

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Black Star Pastry

Location: They’ve got multiple stores. Check out the café website for a full list

This cake, my dears, is world famous. Check it out for yourself – I don’t feel like my words can do it justice!

Food for the day: Delectable strawberry watermelon cake, which consists of two layers of almond dacquoise (like a meringue), rose-scented cream, watermelon, strawberries and garnished with pistachios and dried rose petals

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Gelato Messina

Location: Loads – find the nearest one to you!

Best gelato in Australia! They come out with really funky flavors every few weeks or so, so you’ll never tire of trying their gelato out. Unfortunately, I’m not huge on experimenting, but I can assure you – their mint chocolate chip gelato? Simply amazing

Ice cream of the day: Just try them all (via taste testing!) – then choose the one that hits the right sweet spot for you!

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Paddington Market

Location: 395 Oxford St

Technically Paddington Market doesn’t serve food alone, but that’s what I’ll always remember it for. They’ve got a selection of food stalls that’re awesome, but really, it was the dessert stall (called That’s So Sweet) that really captured my tummy! Yum yum, indeed!

 

Sydney is truly a beautiful and yummy city! If you haven’t checked out my other blogs yet – please do so! I’m hoping it’ll be helpful to you!

• Tips and tricks to enjoy a family trip to Sydney
• Day 1: Airport + Hotel and supermarket + The Rocks Tour
• Day 2: Taronga Zoo + Manly Beach + Golden Century dinner
• Day 3: City Tour + Fish Market + Paddy’s Market + Darling Harbor
• Day 4: Blue Mountain + Leura Village
• Day 5: Opera House + Rocks Market + Australian Heritage Hotel
• Day 6: Bronte to Bondi Coastal Walk + Watson’s Bay + Harbor Bridge + Luna Park
• Eating my way through Sydney – top picks!
• Best nature trails and areas in Sydney – my top picks!
• Events to catch in Sydney – my top picks!
• My experience skydiving with Sydney Skydivers

 

If you’re headed to Melbourne – do check out my Melbourne blogs as well:

• What to see and do when in Melbourne
• Eating my way through Melbourne – top picks!
• Day trips from Melbourne (Great Ocean Road, Brighton Houses, St Kilda)
• Great Ocean Road Tour experience