The Where To > Sydney Guide
WHERE TO DRINK >Stay up-to-date
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 >
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…
Tetsuya Wakuda AO started his restaurant of the same name in a townhouse in Rozelle in 1989 some 34 years ago, it was an immediate hit and he was at the very cutting edge of the Australian culinary scene. His brilliant precision in creating extraordinary dishes that blended fine French…
Promenade is the newest restaurant in Bondi and the premium tennant in the newly renovated Bondi Pavilion which is right on the foreshore at Bondi Beach in Sydney. With so many restaurant options around it is a challenge to have a smart new venture with quality fine dining, a…
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.
Restaurant Hubert is very hard to position, when you describe…
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 > 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. …
STAY > The Morris Hotel, Sydney
The Morris is one of the newest hotels in the Sydney CBD, part of the Accor Groups ‘Handwritten Collection’ this is a boutique hotel with the structure of a big hotel group. Located at the grittier Haymarket end of Pitt Street, close to China Town, Surry Hills and Central Station. The Morris offers smart rooms, a small restaurant and bar.
Originally built in 1929 by an Italian Australian architect Virgil Dante Cizzio and it remained Australia’s tallest hotel for 34 years and boasted both hot and cold running water, which can still be seen on written on…
