

Couple enjoying friend chicken and drinks at Butter in Surry Hills, Sydney
If you delay your dinner to after 10pm, you'll discover a whole new side of Sydney. The late night dining scene is an underground one, you need to know where to go but once you do, you'll be rewarded with everything from steak frites in chic French bistros to noisy Chinese seafood banquets and delicious hole-in-the-wall spots that serve the kind of food you crave after a night of revelry.
The Ivy precinct on George St is home to Bar Totti, serving snacky Italian share plates into the early hours. Just on the other side of Martin Place is Employees Only, its bar menu, which includes steak tartare, doesn’t start until 10.30pm. Restaurant Hubert is also doing French food until late while Barrio Cellaris the place for midnight Mexican food and margaritas.
Like any international city, Sydney's Chinatown is a thriving late-night haunt. Feel like mouthwatering barbecue pork or pippis in XO sauce at 3am? Head straight for Golden Century on Sussex Street, a local institution. Have a midnight dumpling feast at Old Town Hong Kong, try Dae Jang Kum for Korean barbecue or order Chat Thai’s supper menu after 10pm.
When you’re leaving a gig on Oxford Street, look for the line outside Mr Crackles. This tiny shop serves up rolls stuffed with crispy roast pork and cups of pork crackling to the hungry masses until 4.30am.
Fried chicken is also a late-night lifesaver. Thirsty Bird in Potts Point specialises in Southern American style, Butter in Surry Hills pairs fried chicken with champagne and alcoholic slushies, while Arisun in Chinatown does spicy Korean chicken.
The party doesn’t have to stop just because you’re hungry. At Big Poppa’s in Darlinghurst, they serve Italian classics until 3am accompanied by a hip hop soundtrack. Get pizza by the slice while playing pinball and listening to live music at Frankie’s in the city centre or eat gyoza with midnight karaoke at Goros in Surry Hills.
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