Your weekly taste of Australia’s best food, drinks and spirited discoveries
Today we dive into the new and refreshed offerings on the Central Sydney dining scene.
From Asian fusion eateries raising the bar on creative and quirky dishes, to a new look and feel for a Circular Quay icon and the relaunch of one of Sydney’s oldest corner pubs, there are so many places that you need to add to the list for your next culinary adventure in the big smoke.
To say that Island Radio has an exciting vibe and a big personality is a huge understatement. From the moment my partner and I stepped into this colourful culinary hotspot in Sydney’s Redfern, I could feel the energy – it’s as bold and as bright as the decor. The new menu has Japanese, Malaysian and Korean influences, and you know a place is good when it’s packed with locals who know the staff and exactly which dishes and cocktails they are going to choose before they settle into their favourite corner.
The decor has a 70s island vibe about it, with a ceiling packed with hanging large moon-like lights adding a warm glow to the deep red, burgundy and orange tones.
On the weekend DJs take the buzzing atmosphere to another level.
I started with a Hot Passion cocktail, which is a delicious concoction of Espolòn blanco tequila, passionfruit, chilli honey, fresh lime and Tajín. It pairs beautifully with the kingfish sashimi or spicy yellowfin tuna tartare.
Then we moved on to a glass of rosé with gochujang sambal and crispy rice, and some turmeric fried chicken. Served with golek peanut curry sauce, it is a serious contender for the dish that’ll have me coming back as often as the locals. In fact, one table of eight seated beside us all ordered the fried chicken, with more than one person saying it was the best fried chicken in Sydney.
The King prawn roti with fermented chilli aioli and spanner crab and prawn wontons had us swooning and sending photos to friends, and by the time the burnt pavlova with yuzu cream and pandan ice cream arrived, we had become some of Island Radio’s many lovers.
Where: The corner of Baptist Street and Cleveland Streetin Wunderlich Lane, Redfern, Sydney.
Dim Sum Sessions: Go with a bunch of friends and tuck into prawn har gow, pork and chive dumplings and crispy chicken buns. Available Saturdays and Sundays from noon to 3pm, the $90-per-person menu includes 90 minutes of house wines and beer, with non-alcoholic options available. There’s also a vegetarian menu to explore.
My Verdict: One of the best Asian-fusion restaurants with an atmosphere that lifts the spirits. We’ve already booked to go back.
Discover more at: islandradio.sydney
Sydney’s most famous waterfront drinking spot has entered a new era, with Applejack Hospitality unveiling an overhaul of Opera Bar. Beneath the Opera House sails, the familiar harbour views now come with redesigned bars, new furniture and a deep green palette by Australian design studio Luchetti Krelle.
The food takes its inspiration from Sydney’s suburbs. Culinary director Patrick Friesen and precinct executive head chef Daniel Cooper have built a market kitchen menu around local producers, bringing together Asian and Middle Eastern influences, pizza and modern Australian favourites.
Drinks lean into Australian nostalgia, including a frozen Mango Weis Bar cocktail and a Cheeky Lamington featuring coconut tequila and white chocolate.
With free live music every night, there’s every reason to arrive before sunset and linger. Bookend an Opera House performance with something delicious, or simply enjoy those magnificent views of Sydney’s other icons – the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge.
The white facade is almost the same as it has always been – those doors welcoming guests since the 1930s – with the instantly recognisable silver stallion rearing above the roof. Step through the door at 381 Crown Street, however, and the White Horse will show you just how far it has come since its pub beginnings.
Following a major 2024 transformation, the Surry Hills landmark continues to evolve under executive chef Jun Hwang, with French techniques meeting influences from his Korean heritage, and seasonal Australian produce giving the menu its foundation.
Lobster-stuffed pappardelle in miso broth and chicken with gochujang jus illustrate the approach: recognisable ingredients given fresh interest through considered sauces and seasoning. And the seafood pie with an edible bone is an example of the small, fun details that make the menu something really special.
Downstairs, the restaurant combines reclaimed oak tables with textured walls and bold art. Upstairs, a public bar and tucked-away garden terrace offer a more casual setting for drinks, high above the bustling streets of Surry Hills.
A little southern Italian hospitality has arrived in Sydney’s CBD with Bar Benevento – a coffee and pasta bar from brothers Anthony and Julian Izzillo, who are the duo behind de Vine Food and Wine and former restaurant Wildfire. have joined cafe operator Kosta Papanikitas to create an alimentari-inspired gathering place.
The brothers’ grandfather arrived in Australia in 1953, working for five years before bringing his wife and children over. Aptly, the character-filled eatery is named after the Campanian city where the brothers’ father was born.
This heritage shapes a menu of weekly pasta specials, chicken cotoletta, panini and small bites alongside meats and cheeses. Chef Tim Fisher adds surprises: taralli are boiled and baked like bagels for warm dipping, while tiramisu swaps coffee for wild mint and saffron Strega.
And who says you can’t have ravioli for breakfast? The giant piece of ravioli dished up with hollandaise sauce is already a signature dish enticing those after an out-of-the-ordinary morning meet-up with friends or colleagues.
At 413 Bourke Street, Surry Hills, Linla brings the sociable spirit of Taiwanese dining to a neighbourhood bar. Its name evokes the moment friends raise their glasses, setting the tone for an evening of shared plates and inventive cocktails. The night-market crispy chicken is delivered in a paper bag with spices to add and shake in, and pork and prawn wontons and sticky rice arancini give the menu a light, playful edge.
Experimental drinks remain approachable, with Asian flavours running through the cocktail list. Gather a few friends, order across the menu and leave room for the popular fairy bread bao – a nostalgic finish with a twist.
Fire drives the cooking at Ashe, Bentley Restaurant Group’s Southeast Asian restaurant on the corner of Angel Place and Ash Street in Sydney’s busy CBD. Executive chef Khanh Nguyen draws on Vietnamese, Thai and Malaysian flavours, working with Australian produce and a dedicated clay oven and grill.
The sharing menu might begin with a shellfish plate of Sydney rock oysters, Abrolhos Island scallops and Yamba pippies before moving to king prawns with red curry or blackened grouper. Timber panelling and green accents lend warmth to the dining room. It is an inviting city address for friends who enjoy exploring bold flavours together over dinner.
Bobby Chans brings a tropical mood to 25 Martin Place, beneath Cabana Bar. Bamboo and rattan interiors set the scene for Asian-inspired sharing plates from executive chef Brad Sloane, whose travels through Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand and Singapore inform the menu. Chicken wontons with crispy miso chilli oil, tempura eggplant and sesame prawn toast bao buns offer plenty of temptation.
Cocktails follow the same playful direction, from a purple Ube Colada to a Thai Basil Gimlet. Come for lunch between city errands, or gather friends for dinner and let the evening unfold in a room that grows livelier as night falls.
French winemaker Jean-Claude Mas brings a little of the Languedoc to Australian tables through Côté Mas, available at Dan Murphy’s. His guiding idea, le luxe rural, celebrates the everyday pleasures of good wine and the countryside that produces it.
Mas took over the family business in 2000, building a reputation for wines that express southern France while remaining approachable. The Côté Mas range reflects that outlook, inviting drinkers to explore the region without needing an encyclopaedic knowledge of French labels.
The Côté Mas Syrah is rich, soft and supple, with plum and raspberry fruit, liquorice and gentle spice. Try it alongside grilled lamb or a vegetable bake when friends come around. The new, experimental and delightfully quaffable RosOrange is perfect for summer drinking. It’s s the best of both worlds, combining the fresh, easy-drinking brightness of a rosé with the rich texture and complexity of an orange wine.
After six and a half years with its doors closed, The Observer Hotel is welcoming drinkers and diners back to The Rocks. Barrelhouse Group, the team behind The Duke of Clarence, has restored the historic George Street pub with the warmth and character of an English drinking house.
There is plenty here for anyone who appreciates a proper pub lunch. The Scotch eggs have to be some of the best in Sydney, while the prawn cocktail brings a welcome touch of nostalgia. Order a pint, settle in and give lunch the time it deserves.
The pleasure extends beyond the menu. Snooker, darts and chess rooms encourage guests to put their phones away and enjoy friendly competition. Outside seating offers another invitation to linger and do some people watching.
Until next Friday… keep discovering, keep tasting and never drive past a country pub on an empty stomach.
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