A Spanish tapas gem overlooking Bondi Beach, Chinese food done differently, a local edition of one of London’s best eateries, and a long overdue sister to Melbourne’s famous Lee Ho Fook. This is a snapshot of Sydney’s new restaurant scene as of October 2025.
Sydney’s dynamic dining scene is constantly changing, and that has never been more obvious than in the past few years. After a swift recovery from the pandemic, the city started demanding more luxurious, world-class restaurants and was given a big influx of grand dining rooms as a result.
Recent months have restored a gentle balance to the scene, with a great diversity of new concepts: a Spanish revival by Sydney’s most iconic beach (Alzado), a pair of modern Chinese stunners (Grandfather’s, Young’s Palace), and a British blow in at one of our newest hotels (The Palomar).
To help guide locals and visitors around Sydney’s new dining scene, we’ve listed 10 of our favourite new Sydney restaurants for you to get across. And yes, consider this a challenge.
These are the best new restaurants in Sydney
Last Updated: October 2025
Editor’s Pick: Alzado, Bondi
1. Alzado, Bondi Beach
Signature dishes: Pan con tomate with optional Cantabrian anchovy, grilled sardines on the plancha, arroz caldoso.
One of Bondi’s most endearing institutions has a brand new signature restaurant courtesy of consulting chef Pablo Tordesillas and head chef MJ Olguera. And it’s a quick pop over to the Mediterranean, aligning with the recent dining boom in Bondi which has so far been led by several Greek kitchens, but shifting towards Spain.
The space leans into a coastal-Spanish mood, pairing a relaxed beachside energy with confident, flavour-forward cooking. And it’s a great vibe too, especially if you grab a seat out on the wraparound balcony that overlooks Bondi Beach. Long lunches are a given.
Whether you wander up after a swim or settle in for a long lunch that rolls into dinner, the vibe is unhurried and social. It’s the kind of place that thrives on simplicity and style.
Address: 118 Campbell Parade, Bondi Beach
2. The Palomar, Paddington
Signature dishes: Abrolhos Island scallop with zhoug butter, butterflied line-caught blue mackerel with chermoula, Westholme wagyu tartare with amba and celeriac.
The Sydney edition of the celebrated London original lands inside the new 25hours Hotel The Olympia in Paddington. And securing such an acclaimed concept from London is a coup for Sydney’s dining scene overall, sending a strong signal that the city’s international pull is growing in its worldly appeal.
Alongside the pedigree of the London team, this new iteration is helmed locally by chef Mitch Orr and head chef Luke Davenport, both bringing global credentials and a vision to root the menu in Australian produce.
Inside the dining room the vibe is lively and confident, mixing heritage building bones with design flourishes (think pink quartzite bar and navy leather seating) for warmth and refinement. The menu dives into Mediterranean-Levant flavour worlds. So think wood-fire grilled line-caught fish, charred vegetables, big flavour from shifka, amba and chermoula, all tranformed by local ingredients.
Address: 7 Oxford St, Paddington
3. Radio Taco, Chippendale
Signature dishes: 48-hour marinated beef birria tacos
Is there a taco war in Sydney right now? With Radio Taco joining a fresh wave of Mexican openings (Papi’s Barria on Oxford Street, El Taco Grill in Marrickville), it certainly feels that way.
Radio Taco is tucked into a 12-seat space on Abercrombie Street, and after opening the birria is already selling out early most evenings. The menu is tight and razor-focused: the 48-hour marinated beef birria, the mushroom version that surprised even the team, the burrito format and consommé bowl. The team behind it include chefs and founders firmly rooted in Mexican street-food culture.
Address: 6 Baptist St, Redfern
4. Lee Ho Fook
Signature dishes: 10-day dry-aged Peking duck with quince hoisin, crispy eggplant in spiced red vinegar, Glacier 51 toothfish steamed with silken tofu and ginger-spring-onion oil.
When Melbourne’s two-hatted Lee Ho Fook decided to open in Sydney, it marked more than a simple expansion. The restaurant takes up residence inside the heritage-listed Porter House Hotel on Castlereagh Street, underscores a more ambitious play for food and drink by the Porter House Hotel. A change led by Trippas White Group.
The dining room leans into the building’s historic character with dark timber, exposed brick and low lighting, while the kitchen delivers Liong’s signature tension between precision and playfulness. There are nods to his Melbourne classics, like that addictive crispy eggplant, but Sydney gets its own identity through a sharper focus on premium seafood and charcoal grilling.
Address: 203 Castlereagh St, Sydney
5. Homer Rogue Taverna, Cronulla
Signature dishes: charcoal-roasted chicken and pork souvla, grilled octopus souvlaki, and a rich, family-style moussaka.
Brothers Harry and Mario Kapoulas have brought a hard-edged, vibrant Greek tavern to Cronulla, channeling the energy of Athens’ late-night dining scene rather than Sydney’s polished take on Greek food. The space is loud and confident with graffiti-covered walls, terrazzo floors, and an open charcoal grill set the tone. A walk-up wine fridge filled with Greek and Australian bottles keeps the energy flowing.
The menu is built for sharing, with no set order to how the night unfolds. You might start with loukaniko sausage and haloumi flatbread or baked manouri with hot honey before moving to the crackle of the souvla or a slow-cooked beef stifado wrapped in chicken skin.
Address: 3/3 Surf Rd, Cronulla
6. Grandfather’s
Signature dishes: stir-fried pippies, Sichuan sashimi.
Here’s another big, pleasant surprise. While Neil Perry has pivoted from Chinese to Italian with Gran Torino, the bankable trio of Mikey Clift, Dan Pepperell, and Andy Dyson have shifted from grand grills and moody Italian restaurants to classic Cantonese. You’ve got yum cha during the day and late-night supper until 1am on select days. Pick your style and run with it, dancing across a menu that focuses primarily on Guangdong and Sichuan food.
As they’ve shown before with the likes of Pellegrino 2000 and Neptune’s Grotto, this team has the Midas touch for Sydney’s dining scene, so even if it’s still early days for Grandfather’s, it’s hard to doubt that we’re looking at the birth of a new CBD classic.
Address: Corner of Pitt St & Angel Place, Sydney
instagram.com/grandfathersrestaurant
7. Vin-Cenzo’s
Signature dishes: Chicken and mortadella agnolotti
If anyone can turn the old Bar Vincent site around, it’s the Bar Copains team. Sali Sasi has taken over this Darlinghurst favourite with her husband Nathan and friend Morgan McGlone. They’ve all proven highly dependable in modernising Sydney’s wine bar scene and making it more intimate and much more European.
And so their pitch is to turn Bar Vincent into a fun Italian supper club. A playful, polished experience that pays homage to not just Bar Vincent, but the 80s diner that made the address famous: Tre Scalini. You’ll see old photos from those days hung on the walls now, really dialling up that sense of place while reshaping the space with double the capacity and a new outdoor area.
Food will change regularly, but Sasi has experimented with bringing across some Bar Vincent staples. Specifically, he seems to have blended the former kitchen’s beloved agnolotti and tortellini dishes for the signature chicken and mortadella agnolotti served in a light broth.
Address: 174 Liverpool St, Darlinghurst
8. Young’s Palace
Signature dishes: Sweet and sour pork, chicken mapo tofu
There’s nothing about Big Sam Young that doesn’t inspire confidence. The affable chef was a big presence on social media during lockdown with his drool-inducing luxury creations (basically putting caviar on everything and eating a lot of lobster), which bled over into Castlecrag’s S’More Bistro.
This one hits a bit closer to the heart of Sydney. Young’s Palace brings Big Sam Young and Grace Chen into Potts Point, taking over a historic Kellett Street with a fun modern Chinese restaurant inspired by many different Chinatowns around the world. The duo’s more lavish designs are found all over the menu, with giant mud crabs and claypot abalone rich with truffles and caviar. But these seem to be unfussy, exacting dishes like classic chicken mapo tofu and a signature sweet and sour pork.
Address: 1 Kellett Street, Potts Point.
9. Le Frérot, Potts Point
Signature dishes: erkshire pork cutlet with apple purée, Black Angus hanger steak with bottomless frites
From the team behind Franca, Le Frérot positions itself as the “little brother”: less formal but just as polished. Tucked into Potts Point, the space feels open and welcoming, offering a French-café mood in the morning, a relaxed bistro at lunch, and a lively destination by night. Much more approachable than Andrew Beecher’s fine dining Parlar, which formerly occupied the space.
Whether you’re grabbing a morning pastry, enjoying a lunchtime salad with wine, or settling in for classic steak-frites and fries until they won’t come anymore, Le Frérot delivers the kind of balance that Sydney is looking for right now, that is approachable but uncompromising. It fits neatly into Potts Point’s mix of relaxed sophistication and vibrant café life.
Address: 81 Macleay St, Potts Point
10. ONICE
Signature dishes: grilled Skull Island prawns with XO butter and burned lemon; Wagyu beef betel leaf with peanut dipping sauce; and Auntie’s marinated lamb cutlets with house chilli oil.
Vietnamese, Thai and Japanese flavours merge to create a punchy menu at this new Mosman restaurant, where they pride themselves on great service, which is as warming as the food. To start, tuck into mini ba’nh mi, prawn spring rolls, crispy duck pancakes, Sizzling half shell scallops with nam prik pao brown butter or sweet and sticky chicken wings that are already highly reviewed.
The rest of the menu comprises salads (including green papaya salad with shrimp floss, cherry tomato, fresh cucumber and peanuts), wok and stir fry dishes — including Thai sweet chilli king prawns with capsicum and pineapple, or braised Wagyu beef pad see ew — large plates and sides. As for dessert, there’s Vietnamese crème caramel, matcha cheesecake and an intriguing-sounding tiramisu mousse mochi to satisfy your sweet tooth.
There’s not a single dish that doesn’t sound mouth-watering, so we’re happy to see two set menus, ranging from $89 to $119 per person.
Address: 161 Middle Head Road, Mosman
What’s next for Sydney’s dining scene?
New Sydney restaurant openings won’t stop rolling out over the coming months. We’ve just had a big spread of high-profile openings from some of our most reliable chefs, including Big Sam Young and Neil Perry. Furthermore, we also have the new Sydney Fish Market opening up soon, and we’re hoping at least one of those restaurants will have a good, creamy butter-poached bug roll on the menu.
For a deeper insight into all the new Sydney restaurant, bar and hotel openings coming this year, take a read of our what’s new in Sydney guide.
Why trust this list?
Sydney Travel Guide’s staff have spent weeks dining out at the best new Sydney restaurants to help put together this round-up for our readers. We realised that bloated dining listicles can end up giving people choice anxiety, so we wanted to keep it tightly curated and keep it just ten of our favourite new Sydney restaurants. This is by no means an exhaustive list, which is why we’ve included a section calling out a few other places you should eat around town.
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