The Where To > Sydney Guide
WHERE TO DRINK >Stay up-to-date
DRINK > Conte, Sydney (17/20)
Conte in Sydney’s CBD is grand, an unapologetically Italian, ode to the Negroni. Part bar, part ristorante, and all about drama, detail and la dolce vita energy. With more than 30 (and climbing toward 40) Negroni riffs, serious Italian wines and a full dining menu, it feels less like a…
DRINK > Cantina OK! it is tiny but it is also fabulous
At the end of a dark alley off Clarence Street, not far from the Sydney Town Hall you will find a micro mezcal bar that you are probably going to want to make your regular.
Cantina Ok! opened in 2019 and it really is a tiny bar, it…
The Sydney Guide >
Sydney is without any doubt one of the most beautiful cities in the world. From the stunning harbour that glistens to the Opera House, Sydney’s beautiful beaches and vibrant restaurants.
There is plenty of creativity and design here after all it is home to the worlds largest gay mardi gras festival (held annually in March).
Sydney people love being outside be that running on a beach, paddling a kayak on the harbour, surfing, cycling or hanging out at a hotel beer garden or a cafe in a park, being outside is key. And that is probably connected to the wonderful mild climate that the city benefits from most of the year round.
WHERE TO HAVE COFFEEIts more than just a caffinated beverage you know
CAFE > Paramount Coffee Project
When it comes to coffee royalty Mark Dundon of Seven Seeds is pretty close to the top. He started with St Ali in South Melbourne (a coffee roaster, cafe that has grown significantly) and then Seven Seeds a coffee roaster and cafe, Brother Bada Budan, Traveller and the…
CAFE > Room Ten, Potts Point
Llankelly Place runs parallel to Macklay Street and only a few years ago it would have been way too seedy for a fancy coffee or breakfast bar, but after all of the change in Kings Cross you are more likely to be run over by a real estate agent in…
CAFE > Bills, Sydney
Bills is the cafe that made breakfast something more serious for Sydneysiders, originally it was in Liverpool Street Darlinghurst (it opened in 1993). There was a large communal table and for many people it was the first place that they experienced avocado on toast. It was also…
CAFE > Home Croissanterie, Balmain Sydney
Balmain was once a working class suburb with an early opening pub on each corner of the street but since the early 1980s when the port's were closed down and the land converted to apartments, Balmain has become a super desirable suburb to live. Just a 10 minute…
WHERE TO EAT >
Eleven Barrack feels like a grand city dining room that Sydney has been waiting for: a lavish steak and seafood grill in a heritage bank building, tuned with just enough irreverence to keep things fun. It is also the sharpest new expression of the Bentley Group’s polished food, wine and service…
Saint Peter in Sydney is one of Australia’s (possibly the world’s) most compelling places to eat seafood right now, a restaurant that turns whole fish into high drama without ever losing sight of comfort, generosity, and genuine hospitality. Relocated to The Grand National Hotel in Paddington, it feels like both…
Tucked into a narrow cut-through behind Wynyard Station, Scala Lane is down the kind of lane your mother said don’t go down. Yep it looks dodgy. Past the garbage skips, the delivery entrances and the parked vans. Here you find the kind of Italian wine and pasta bar that feels like a happy…
Since opening their doors at the new Wunderlich Lane in Redfern, Olympus Dining has been one of the hottest bookings in Sydney. Greek food at its finest, in the heart of one of Sydney’s original Greek suburbs.
AMBIENCE >
The Wunderlich Lane precinct includes the Eve Hotel, restaurants, bars, supermarkets and apartments. It’s stunning, and a…
In 2025, Porteno was recognised as number 20 on the world's best steak restaurants. This is Sydney hospitality done well, Its a smart room, good food, good service and an excellent wine cellar. What's not to love.
AMBIANCE >
Step inside Porteno and it’s Buenos Aires by way of Sydney—soccer…
Editors Note (25/8/24): We are saddened to hear the recent media reports and claims about Swillhouse venues. The accusations are extremely disturbing. As a result we are removing the review rating we gave for the venue.
It seems that every new exciting restaurant in Sydney is…
"Lets have a quiet night, just a glass of wine and some tapas". Famous last words as we ambled down to Bar Topa which sits in amongst the throng of busy restaurants in the Merrivale owned "Ivy" district off George Street in Sydney's lower CBD towards the rocks.…
Over the years there have been some very fine eateries in Maclay Street, Potts Point. You could slip out of the sleaze of Kings Cross walking down Darlinghurst Road to arrive in the style of Potts Point, eat something delicious and then wind your way back to one of the…
Sydney Restaurants >
Sydney knows how to do posh, restaurants like the wonderful Tetsuya made the early in roads as Australia developed its cuisine and fine dining restaurants in the 1980s. Then it was restaurants like Rockpool, Bennelong, Aria and Bondi Icebergs with celebrity chef’s incredible views and cutting edge cuisine that took the Sydney dining experience to a different level.
The next generation of restaurants all maximise the culinary heritage of a multicultural city but they also pay homage to the supermodel city that Sydney is – they maximise the views and glamourise the dining experience.
WHERE TO STAY >
STAY > QT, Sydney (18/20)
QT Sydney brings theatrical glamour, bold design, and a playful, inner-city energy to one of Sydney’s most characterful heritage corners. Blending the restored State Theatre and former Gowings department store, it delivers an urban escape that feels equal parts boutique hideaway and backstage pass to the CBD’s creative pulse.
AMBIENCE >
Arriving at QT Sydney, the mood is set before you even reach reception: a dramatic façade on Market Street, a tucked-away entrance, and a lobby layered with rich textures, curated art, and a touch of mischief. Inside, lighting is low and cinematic, with jewel-toned furnishings, polished wood, and contemporary…
STAY > The Clarence Hotel, Sydney (9/20)
The images on Accor site do make The Clarence Hotel look really smart with a modern designs and rooms that have plenty of space. After a massive renovation completed in December 2024, the hotel reopened and it looked ideal for our quick weekend in Sydney.
We took advantage of an Accor Plus offer (you pay an annual fee $399 which provides you some discounts at Accor properties and also one night of accomodation a year, subject to availability feels like a good deal or maybe not).
Arriving at the hotel the first thing you notice is it is just a doorway…
STAY > Ace Hotel, Sydney
The Ace Hotel in Sydney knows how to party. It is definitely that kind of place. If you are looking for a low key discreet place to chill, then this is probably not the place for you. If you are looking for a hotel that is party central then good chance you have arrived at the right place.
Part of the Ace Hotel group, this is their first hotel in the Southern Hemisphere with others in Brooklyn, New York, Toronto, Kyoto, Seattle, Portland, Palm Springs, New Orleans and soon in Athens and Fukuoka.
Rooms feature floor…
STAY > Paramount House Hotel, Sydney
The Paramount House Hotel is a boutique hotel that resides in the old offices of Paramount Pictures. Today it is a very funky space with rooms that are cleverly designed to feel like the very best of your home. That is if you have french linen sheets, polished wooden floors, insanely comfortable beds, handwoven rugs and merino throws (of course you do!).
There are twenty nine rooms in the hotel which was restored by architects Fox Johnston, the rebuild retained the art deco facade but it took nearly nine years to rebuild the interior. …
