Sydney’s dining scene evolves constantly with new openings every week. Here are our 2025 favourites, spanning Bengali food, killer wine lists and one from the trio behind some of Sydney’s favourite eateries.
- 5 min read
Kolkata Social
Location: Newtown
Why go: Kolkata Social is a celebration of Bengali food from the team behind social enterprise, Plate It Forward. The menu is inspired by chef Ahana Dutt’s mum’s cooking. On a given night you might find crisp-skinned barramundi in a smoked yoghurt sauce laced with mustard oil; or chicken chaap, a dish billed as “butter chicken’s cousin”. The space is a series of connected rooms painted vibrant blue and brick red with a mural of the matriarch decorating one wall. Like all the group venues, a meal at Kolkata Social buys two meals for people in need – one in Sydney, one overseas.
Kolkata Social, Newtown - Credit: Proof of Dreams
Grandfather’s
Location: CBD
Why go: Fish tanks lining the walls, dim sims in stacked bamboo steamers, an exquisitely decorated, red-toned room: Chinese 140-seater Grandfather’s is yet another great hit by the Pellegrino 2000 team. Referencing the cuisines of Sichuan and Guangdong provinces, the menu is a mix of contemporary dishes with some Aussie-Chinese classics. There’s thunderously crunchy sweet-and-sour pork laced with Sichuan peppercorns, sticky char siu pork grilled over charcoal and crisp roasted duck crown to wrap in fluffy, steamed pancakes.
Grandfathers, Sydney - Credit: Ethan Smart
Rovollo
Location: CBD
Why go: For such a compact space, Rovollo brings the drama. It’s in the custom artworks by co-owner Andrew Wallace’s partner; in the warm light that turns the heads of passersby; and in the dishes presented tableside. Order the pici pasta and your server will arrive wielding a blowtorch to melt the centre of a parmigiano reggiano wheel, mixing through a coil of pasta to be finished with egg yolk. Exquisitely cooked fish – the selection changes regularly – shouldn’t be missed, nor should the 24-layer chocolate cake with caramelised berry sauce.
Rovollo, Sydney - Credit: Nshot Creative
Iftar
Location: Merrylands
Why go: Named for the first meal eaten to breakfast each day of Ramadan, Iftar in Merrylands is a celebration of Middle Eastern food and hospitality. Chef and owner Jeremy Agha took inspiration from his mum Rita’s recipes. On the daytime-only menu, you might find Lebanese-style sojok sausage to have with fried eggs, panfried dumplings of wagyu kofta or a trio of “village cheeses” – haloumi, akawi and baldiye – drizzled with honey. Come with a group and share a full spread chosen by the chef.
Iftar, Merrylands - Credit: Iftar
Cibaria
Location: Manly
Why go: With sibling venues Ormeggio at The Spit, Postino Osteria and a’Mare, Manly’s Cibaria Trattoria opened under pressure to impress, and the breezy seaside Italian restaurant has delivered. There's plenty to share on the menu: piles of finely sliced prosciutto di Parma, grilled king prawns, 1kg cuts of decadent bistecca fiorentina and plenty of freshly made pastas. Located in the Manly Pacific Hotel, the open space is social with close-set tables and floor-to-ceiling bi-fold glass doors offering views of Norfolk pines and the beach beyond.
Cibaria, Manly - Credit: Cibaria
Bessie’s
Location: Surry Hills
Why go: The team behind wildly popular wine bar, Bar Copains, has hit the mark with a fire-focused diner, Bessie’s. Mediterranean-inspired fare is on the rotating menu and an element from every dish is kissed by flames. On a given night you might find stretchy stracciatella with roasted beetroot and crunchy buckwheat, or charred pork belly with tart pickled pear and rocket. Keen for a snack rather than a full meal? Alma’s bar is tucked in at the front of the restaurant, offering cocktails and small plates.
Bessie's Restaurant, Surry Hills - Credit: Declan Black Photography
Corner 75
Location: Randwick
Why go: Corner 75 looks about the same as it did when the original opened in Frenchmans Road in Randwick in the 1980s. Now, the beloved Hungarian neighbourhood diner is under new ownership. The teams behind Sixpenny and Baba’s Place have stepped into the kitchen, but instead of completely overhauling the menu, they’ve tweaked the classic dishes. There’s still dinner plate-sized pork schnitzel; fried, golden langos flatbread topped with sour cream and salmon roe; and a big selection of Hungarian wine. The charming old photos are still on the walls too.
Corner 75, Randwick - Credit: Corner 75
Homer Rogue
Location: Cronulla
Why go: The new Greek taverna from Cronulla hospitality stalwarts, the Kapoulas brothers, is quickly becoming a local favourite. Inspired by the casual eateries of Athens, Homer Rogue, a 100-seater, serves dishes like dolmades, charcoal-roasted souvlakis and “our mum’s moussaka” – classic food meant to be shared. If the menu leans traditional, the fit-out is edgy, with graffiti on the exposed cement walls, bare fluorescent bulbs and a bust of the poet Homer himself.
Homer Rogue, Cronulla - Credit: Trent van der Jagt
Clarence and V
Location: CBD
Why go: The fit-out at Clarence and V isn’t showy; it's not meant to be. This compact CBD eatery has a single row of banquette seats across from a marble bar, and simple, European-inspired fare is on the menu. The dishes follow the seasons and daily whims of the chef. You might find fine slices of porchetta arranged around potato salad, mussels in fragrant herb butter or a robust piece of snapper served with guanciale and tangy skordalia. Hospitality here is on point, with owner Vito Mollica circulating the small room, chatting to guests and serving strong coffee that’s available long after most cafes close.
Clarence and V, Sydney - Credit: Clarence and V
Mister Grotto
Location: Newtown
Why go: Mister Grotto is a casual 30-seat seafood restaurant where you can order the curated tasting menu of sustainable seafood or sit at the bar and watch the chefs at work while you tuck into oysters and a glass of white. The restaurant is one of three new venues by the Continental Deli team in the reimagined W May building on Australia Street. Want to stay local after a night for food and wine? There’s also boutique accommodation above the restaurants.
Mister Grotto, Newtown - Credit: Hugh O'Brien | Machine XYZ Studio
Lee Ho Fook
Location: CBD
Why go: Since star chef Victor Liong opened Melbourne’s Chinese fine diner Lee Ho Fook in 2013, Sydneysiders have been looking to their southern cousin with envy. But now dishes like textural, pickled black fungi with mung bean noodles and chilli oil; or 10-day dry-aged duck glazed, slow roasted and served with quince hoisin and steamed pancakes have arrived in the CBD. Order from the tasting menu to sample the breadth of dishes alongside a tea pairing which features teas from China, Taiwan and Japan, curated by Tea Craft.
Lee Ho Fook, Sydney - Credit: Nikki To
Sippenham
Location: Sydenham
Why go: From the street, the broad front window of Sippenham frames a cosy scene: locals tucking into generous plates of pasta and topping up wine glasses from the collection of sustainable, low-intervention drops. Inspired by East London’s food scene, Sippenham has become a gathering place for a suburb where the night scene is quiet. The menu of housemade pastas is constantly changing. There might be plump, saucy meatballs with spaghetti; rigatoni carbonara with guanciale and pecorino romano; or a take on vodka pasta, made with ruffled mafaldine noodles and a fat scoop of stracciatella.
Sippenham, Sydenham - Credit: Sippenham
