The 17 Best New Restaurants In Sydney In 2024
— Updated on 18 March 2024

The 17 Best New Restaurants In Sydney In 2024

— Updated on 18 March 2024
Randy Lai
WORDS BY
Randy Lai

What’s the best new restaurant in Sydney? Despite the fact that we’re not a city-living rag, it’s a question we’re often asked at Boss Hunting.

In that spirit, we’ve compiled a rolling list — updated on a quarterly basis — of all the best new Sydney restaurants (all opened within a year) below.

RELATED: The 27 Best Breakfasts In Sydney For 2024



The Best New Sydney Restaurants In 2024

Matkim, Sydney CBD

best new restaurants Sydney

Tucked away in Sydney Place, Matkim (from the same team that brought you Kobo and Soot) is the newest in a burgeoning array of Korean omakase restaurants.

Here, no more than 8 guests per night gather around the counter to witness Executive Chef Noel Lao’s culinary artistry. Drawing inspiration from Executive Chef Jacob Lee’s own cultural heritage, Lao and his team explore the country’s authentic culinary modes using modern techniques and premium Aussie ingredients.

One look at WA marrons, glazed in a sauce of doenjang (i.e. fermented soybean paste), or yukhoe tangtangi – a dish made here in the modern fashion with sea urchin and poached octopus – lets diners know that at Matkim, creative flavour combinations are most definitely on the table.

Address: 180 George St, Sydney NSW 2000
Chef(s): Noel Lao, Jacob Lee
Opened: March 2024
Price Guide: $$$$
Opening Hours: Tuesday – Saturday (6 PM – 10 PM)
Bookings: Essential


Bartiga, Double Bay

best new restaurants Sydney

For a restaurant that has come together – from concept to execution – in about 4 months, Bartiga feels remarkably well-realised. Bringing Southeast Asian flavours to Double Bay (with the appropriately bougie twist) co-owners Charlie Kelly and Faheem Noor opted to do something a little different to the vast majority of Euro-skewed eateries on Bay Street.

The sight is a significant one for Kelly: formerly home to the iconic health food store, Café Perons, operated by his mother for close to four decades. Much of that institution’s relaxed, contemporary charm remains: with coffee and all-day fare now replaced by Chef Noor’s curated nighttime menu. (Lunch is served Friday to Sunday.)

Flavours inspired by Noor’s Malaysian heritage – sambal, nam jim, lemongrass, and pandan – are the building blocks – in what emerges as a convivial, group-friendly dining experience. Begin with the prawn toast sando: a handful of moreish golden nublets, eaten in the style of san choy bau with soft herbs and a satisfyingly chunky chilli sauce.

Moving onto mains, the tom yum spaghettini makes an impassioned case for why we should all eat more broth with pasta; while the roasted market fish, seasoned with a curried beurre blanc, offers up a damn sight more pleasure than your typical bit of rump cap or filet.

Our advice? Secure an outdoor table during sunset hours on the weekend – glass of Mendocino Chard in-hand – and while away your evening.

Address: 16 Cosmopolitan Centre, 21-22 Bay St, Double Bay NSW 2028
Chef(s): Faheem Noor
Opened: January 2024
Price Guide: $$$
Opening Hours: Tuesday – Thursday (5 PM – 10 PM); Friday (11:30 AM – 11 PM); Saturday (11:30 AM – 11:30 PM); Sunday (11:30 AM – 11 PM)
Bookings: Recommended


Casa Esquina, Balmain

Rejoice, Balmain-based barbeque enthusiasts – Casa Esquina has arrived.

This Argentinian gem, from the team at Atticus Hospitality, aims to transport Sydneysiders into the heart of Buenos Aires.

Specialising in open-flame cooking, performed via the restaurant’s impressive parrilla grill, Casa Esquina is a great new spot to crack into a range of terrestrial and aquatic proteins: whether you prefer Wagyu picanha (‘rump cap’) or a whole Mahi Mahi blackened with smoky chimichurri.

The venue’s multitude of spaces means that, depending on the time of day/mood, you can experience Argentine grilling in a range of different ways. We wager that the courtyard and balcony will become fast summertime favourites, but if you want a seat amidst the action, the dining room is your go-to.

Address: 79 Elliott St, Balmain NSW 2041
Chef(s): Will Quartel
Opened: March 2024
Price Guide: $$$
Opening Hours: Tuesday – Saturday (12 PM – 12 AM); Sunday (12 PM – 10 PM)
Bookings: Recommended


SOUL Dining, Sydney CBD

A Surry Hills stalwart that closed its doors late last year in preparation for relocation to Wynyard, SOUL Dining is back and – by most accounts – better than ever.

Having taken up residence on Carrington Street, this modern Korean eatery now offers a $65 express lunch menu in addition to its signature 10-course degustation (the latter is best savoured at dinnertime).

Executive Chef Daero Lee is still finding novel avenues of expression for old-school Korean soul (or is that Seoul?) food: such as a croquette of soondae (“blood sausage”) or beef short rib, seasoned with an unctuous jus-like sauce in the spirit of the traditional galbi jjim marinade.

Throw in a relaxed communal dining room, decorated in lashings of onyx and dark timber, and you’ve got the makings of a modern Korean eatery with plenty of year-round appeal.

Address: 2/50 Carrington St, Sydney NSW 2000
Chef(s): Daero Lee
Opened: January 2024
Price Guide: $$$
Opening Hours: Monday – Saturday (12 PM – 3 PM, 5 PM – 10 PM)
Bookings: Recommended


Snack Kitchen, Potts Point

best new restaurants Sydney

At the corner of Macleay Street, within earshot of The Roosevelt, you’ll find Snack Kitchen – a casual drop-in, drop-out concept from Icebergs proprietor Maurice Terzini.

A collaboration with Terzini’s son Sylvester, Snack Kitchen lives up to its name with a food menu that is largely given over to bite-sized morsels with an “Italo-Australian” influence. The sort of place where regulars will post up with a carafe of Cataratto or one of the many ‘by the glass’ vermouth options, be sure to take advantage of Snack Kitchen’s daily happy hour (3 PM – 5 PM).

Just a smattering of our favourite small plates include the fish crudo of the day, baby-fist-sized globules of fresh mozzarella, and the ever-reliable fritto misto.

Address: 95 Macleay Street, Potts Point NSW 2011
Chef(s): Josh Donachie
Opened: January 2024
Price Guide: $$$
Opening Hours: Tuesday – Friday (3 PM – 12 AM); Saturday (12 PM – 12 AM)
Bookings: Not required


Parlour, Sydney CBD

Parlour is one of the best new restaurants in Sydney.

QT Sydney’s charming street-level cafe is now a bona fide French restaurant: inspired by dimly lit, backstreet bistros of a kind you’ll find in your favourite Parisian arrondissement.

Chef Sean Connolly has already mastered the art of the Italo-leaning grillroom upstairs at Gowings. Now, he’s proving just as adept when it comes to refined French classics like twice-baked soufflé; crumbed lamb’s brains with anchovy mayo; or, for lunch, how about a raclette-stuffed jaffle?

Fun and theatrical, the Parlour refit even comes with its own compact wine cellar. Rumour has it that the restaurant will begin hosting private dinners in that space soon, so there’s plenty of reason to revisit in the coming months.

Address: 49 Market Street, Sydney, NSW 2000
Chef(s): Sean Connolly
Opened: September 2023
Price Guide: $$$
Opening Hours: Monday – Wednesday (6:30 AM – 10 PM); Thursday (6:30 AM – 12 AM); Friday – Saturday (6:30 AM – 2 AM); Sunday (6:30 AM – 10 PM)
Bookings: Recommended


Raja, Potts Point

Image Credit: Nikki To

Between oysters swimming in lime water, melt-off-the-bone goat riblets with a beautiful salsa-esque green sauce, and bone marrow dosa, Raja presents diners with a lot to love. 

The new contemporary Indian restaurant, opened by Nick and Kirk Matthews-Bowden, has set up shop right next door to the duo’s acclaimed Israeli restaurant Ezra; with ex-Firefoor chef Ahana Dutt showcasing a great sense of flair and creativity in the kitchen.

Native Australian produce has been sieved through the culinary lens of Mumbai, presenting something wholly unique for Sydney’s increasingly eclectic dining scene. The results are invariably fantastic: from savouries through to desserts like burnt rice pudding; macadamia and citrus sorbet; and plump ricotta doughnut spirals with pistachio sauce. 

Address: 1 Kellett Street, Potts Point NSW 2011
Chef(s): Ahana Dutt
Opened: June 2023
Price Guide: $$$
Opening Hours: Tuesday – Thursday (5:30 PM – 11:30 PM); Friday – Saturday (12 PM – 3PM, 5:30 PM – 11:45 PM); Sunday (12 PM – 3 PM, 5:30 PM – 10 PM)
Bookings: Recommended


Amuro, Darlinghurst

The conventional wisdom, in Darlinghurst, is that one can never have enough mid-tier wine bars; but gosh are we glad that new Sydney restaurants like Amuro are also opening up in the inner city.

This 20-seat sake room comes from Kei Tokiwa (ex-Chaco Bar), who presides over an in-depth program of brewed Japanese rice spirits, emanating from the country’s many historic prefectures.

The country’s wine, beer, and single malt whisky also feature: appropriate foils for a menu full of snackable morsels such as curried cuttlefish balls, hiratake mushroom, or grilled ray fin.

Address: 2/255 Crown Street, Darlinghurst NSW 2010
Chef(s): Kei Tokiwa
Opened: April 2023
Price Guide: $$$
Opening Hours: Wednesday – Friday (4 PM – 10 PM); Saturday – Sunday (2 PM — 10 PM)
Bookings: Essential


Funda Dining, Circular Quay

Korean fine diners have been a fixture in cities like Hong Kong and London for almost half a decade, so it’s exciting to see that same curiosity now boiling over with a plethora of new Sydney restaurants that explore the cuisine of the Peninsula.

Funda is a vivid, hyper-pop riff on the concept. Yes, the interiors may be fluorescent and casual (leaning into the relentless energy for which popular Korean entertainment is known) but there’s no mistaking the creativity and competence of the chefs working on its sprawling, partially open pass.

Between a mash-up of burrata and traditional saewoo jang (“marinated raw prawns”) or grilled calamari speckled with pickles, Funda marches to the beat of its own creative drum. The results are, in most ways that count, effective.

Address: Tenancy 2 & 3, 50 Pitt St, Sydney NSW 2000
Chef(s): Jung-Su Chang
Opened: August 2023
Price Guide: $$$
Opening Hours: Monday – Wednesday (12 PM – 3 PM, 5:30 PM – 10 PM); Thursday – Saturday (12 PM – 3 PM, 5:30 PM – 11 PM)
Bookings: Recommended


Otogo, Ultimo

Sydney already doesn’t lack for Japanese specialty cafes — so what’s one more, we guess? One of the more recent examples is Otogo: a little hideaway in Ultimo, complete with a rock garden, specialising in onigiri (hand-compressed rice balls) and soba noodles.

The brainchild of Michelin veteran Mitsuhiro Yashio, these are easily the tastiest onigiri you’ll try outside of Japan. The best bit? Yashio has managed to find a way to automate part of the production process: meaning that he’s able to keep his costs manageable and pass some of those savings onto customers.

Given Australia’s ongoing cost of living struggles, having access to a well-priced, high-quality source of onigiri (not to mention complementary dishes like fried chicken and cold soba) is great news indeed.

Address: 56-58 Bay Street, Ultimo NSW 2007
Chef(s): Mitsuhiro Yashio
Opened: July 2023
Price Guide: $$
Opening Hours: Monday – Sunday (8 AM – 8 PM)
Bookings: Not required


The Sanderson, Sydney CBD

Taking up residence in the 101-year-old Beneficial House on Wynyard Lane, The Sanderson is the latest offering from local drinks outfit, Speakeasy Group (Eau de Vie, Mjolner).

Truth be told, Sydney probably doesn’t need another grandiloquent Euro-inspired chophouse; but The Sanderson ticks all the boxes insofar as CBD-based power lunches, consisting of pricey seafood and prime cuts beef cuts, go.

Here, the maxim is definitely along the lines of “bigger is better”: as evidenced by the generous amount of banquette seating, hefty portion sizes, and theatrical guéridon (a.k.a. tableside) service.

Indulge in a carbonara éclair (or three), follow that up with the dry-aged pork chop and then head downstairs to Eau De Vie for an array of nightcaps that pull stylish double duty as dessert.

Address: 285 George Street (entry via Wynyard Lane), Sydney NSW 2000
Chef(s): James Green
Opened: May 2023
Price Guide: $$$
Opening Hours: Tuesday (5:30 PM – 10 PM); Wednesday – Thursday (12 PM – 4 PM, 5:30 PM – 10 PM); Friday (12 PM – 10 PM); Saturday (5:30 PM – 10 PM)
Bookings: Recommended


Longshore, Chippendale

Image Credit: Jason Loucas

Previously a favourite of intrepid diners in Newtown, Longshore lives on in another incarnation in Chippendale. Now located in the former Automata space (RIP), Chefs Jarrod Walsh and Dot Lee continue to explore modern coastal flavours, given definitions by a range of complementary Asian and Aussie ingredients.

The $120 ‘Chef’s menu’ seems to be the best way to play at Longshore’s new industrially appointed digs: centering on an imposing open kitchen that pumps out items like Tasmanian octopus skewers charred in squid ink; or an entire John Dory roasted on the bone, ladled with XO gravy.

It’s a tall order to occupy the physical space of a now-defunct eatery as beloved as Automata, but Walsh and Lee’s share-friendly menu and (relatively) welcoming pricing will likely give Longbranch plenty of staying power.

Address: 5 Kensington St, Chippendale, Sydney NSW 2008
Chef(s): Dot Lee, Jarrod Walsh
Opened: June 2023
Price Guide: $$$
Opening Hours: Monday (6 PM – 11 PM); Thursday (6 PM – 11 PM); Friday – Saturday (12 PM – 3 PM, 6 PM – 12 AM); Sunday (12 PM – 4:30 PM)
Bookings: Recommended


Bistro Nido, Sydney CBD

In the pantheon of fusion cuisines, Franco-Japanese has got to be right up there. But rarely, in Sydney, has it been explored with as much gusto as it is at Bistro Nido.

Brought to diners by the same team behind the pioneering Devon Cafe, Nido’s delights lie more in the lunch and dinnertime context (as opposed to the former’s focus on coffee and all-day brekky favourites).

Likely the most sit-down-y venue you’ll find in Regents Place — a Sydney CBD complex known for its casual Asian eateries — we reckon that it’s best to pull up here for a long lunch on a Friday. If you’re catching a film at nearby Event Cinemas, the location also makes this an ironclad pre-show dinner spot.

Start with a few freshly fried zucchini flowers piped full of scallop and prawn mousseline, before moving on to prawn mafaldine (of course, there’s a prawn mafaldine) or Nido’s truly best-in-class confit duck leg — ladled with a decadent Kyoho grape jus.

Address: Shop 1007, 501 George St, Sydney NSW 2000
Chef(s): Andrew Lee, Zachary Tan
Opened: May 2023
Price Guide: $$$
Opening Hours: Wednesday – Thursday (5:30 PM – 10 PM); Friday – Saturday (12 PM – 3 PM, 5:30 PM – 10 PM); Sunday (12 PM – 5 PM)
Bookings: Recommended


Le Foote, The Rocks

best new restaurants Sydney

Swillhouse Group, best known for buzzy openings like the Caterpillar Club and Alberto’s Lounge trained its sights on The Rocks earlier last year with the highly anticipated opening of Le Foote.

One of the oldest publicans in that historic area has been remade completely in the image of a Mediterranean tavern, complete with a menu of plonk-friendly small plates by Chef Stefano Marano (formerly of The Apollo). The vaguely Greco-Roman mural in the venue’s sit-down section (by ceramicist Mastro Cencio) is all but impossible to miss.

Think cheese pies and duck sausage, alongside a striploin of Jack’s Creek beef; or Coral Coast barramundi, paired with black olives and a beurre noisette.

The 300-strong list of references in Le Foote’s wine cellar is available, in large part, by the glass. Meaning that if you find yourself down by The Rocks, this would also work equally well as a pitstop for nightcaps.

Address: 101 George St, The Rocks NSW 2000
Chef(s): Stefano Marano
Opened: May 2023
Price Guide: $$$
Opening Hours: Monday – Sunday (5 PM – 12 AM)
Bookings: Recommended


Armorica Grand Brasserie, Surry Hills

The best new restaurants in Sydney

Sydney’s most swanky dining rooms have a tendency to be found in the heart of the city. Yet restaurateur Andrew Beecher clearly wanted to ante up the stakes with this ambitious venue, a bigger bolder sibling for fellow Eastern suburbs restaurants Franca and Parlar.

Beecher’s expensive, eye-catching interior is lifted by refined dishes like Murray Cod with guindillas, or a range of dry-aged beef cuts, always accompanied by a decadent array of sauces ranging from mushroom to classic bearnaise. 

Fun, unapologetically lavish twists on many of the restaurant’s appetisers abound, though few menu items make the Armorica philosophy (of ordering big, or going home) as clear as its ‘Signature Chocolate Bar’: a veritable ingot of Valrhona mousse, cased in a cookie base and hard candied shell.

Address: Shop 1 & 2, 490 Crown Street, Surry Hills NSW 2010
Chef(s): Jose Saulog
Opened: March 2023
Price Guide: $$$
Opening Hours: Tuesday – Wednesday (5 PM – 11:30 PM); Thursday (5 PM – 12 AM); Friday – Saturday (12 PM – 12 AM); Sunday (12 PM – 10 PM)
Bookings: Recommended

RELATED: Armorica Grande Brasserie Review


Clam Bar, Sydney CBD

Clam Bar Is Sydney's Ritzy New Homage To The Great American Steakhouse

Between venues like Pellegrino 2000 and Bistrot 916, it appears that messrs Clift, Tyson, and Pepperell can do no wrong. With Clam Bar, the trio’s latest Sydney city venue, it looks like that track record is set to continue.

A hotly anticipated new project a stone’s throw from Hinchcliff House, you’ll find Clam Bar in the spot formerly occupied by Ross Lusted’s acclaimed Bridge Room. More of a wink (than a nod) to the clubby grillrooms of Midtown Manhattan, Clam Bar’s sweet spot is all about stiff drinks — many of them forgotten classics — and big slabs of beast — cooked on the restaurant’s custom Josper grill.

As our erstwhile colleague Chris Singh points out, this isn’t an exact facsimile of what you’ll find in New York City. And in typical form for the Pellegrino boys, we suspect it isn’t meant to be.

Giant steaks are all well and good, but it’s Clam Bar’s stupefyingly good cheeseburger, or many of the side dishes (executed with strong attention to detail) that will keep you coming back for more.

Address: 44 Bridge St, Sydney NSW 2000
Chef(s): Sam Galloway
Opened: April 2023
Price Guide: $$$
Opening Hours: Monday – Saturday (12 PM – 3 PM, 5 PM – 10:30 PM)
Bookings: Recommended


Poetica Bar & Grill, North Sydney

Etymon Projects, the group behind The Charles Grand Brasserie & Bar and LouLou, returns to its habitual stomping ground of North Sydney with the excellent Poetica.

The refined 180-seat bar & grill is another addition to North Sydney’s reenergised dining scene: favouring approachable, familiar classics that let their premium ingredients do most of the lifting.

Signatures include the roast chicken with mussels and onions, or a salad of ember-cooked oxheart tomatoes with smoked eel and house bread. Oenophiles will be happy to know that the 700-bottle cellar, commanding pride of place at Poetica, isn’t just for show either.

Address: 1 Denison Street, North Sydney NSW 2060
Chef(s): Connor Hartley-Simpson
Opened: September 2023
Price Guide: $$$
Opening Hours: Tuesday – Saturday (12 PM – 11 PM)
Bookings: Essential


If you’ve enjoyed this round-up of the best new restaurants in Sydney, consider checking out these other locally-based dining guides below:

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Randy Lai
WORDS by
Following 6 years in the trenches covering consumer luxury across East Asia, Randy joins Boss Hunting as the team's Commercial Editor. His work has been featured in A Collected Man, M.J. Bale, Soho Home, and the BurdaLuxury portfolio of lifestyle media titles. An ardent watch enthusiast, boozehound and sometimes-menswear dork, drop Randy a line at [email protected].

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