The best restaurateurs in Sydney are excellent at reading the moment; giving people what they want even before they want it. And this point in time belongs to tighter budgets. The reality bites hard as corporate entertainment spends are capped and cost of living increases.

Of course, classic three-course meals and dégustations will always have their place, but increasingly, diners are looking for more entry points to the establishments they love. They want snacks at the bar, set lunch menus, and generous golden hours.

They want it with finesse, knowing the cash they are parting with is money well spent. As ever, hospitality is about being hospitable and some of Sydney’s best industry minds are tailoring their menus to oblige. As Tristen Rosier, founder of Jane in Sydney explains, it’s about finding creative ways to offer great value so that “people want to keep coming back”.

If this is the year of democratic and affordable fine dining, book us in for an express table or seat at the bar.

Here are the best lunch specials, set menus, bar menus and Sydney happy hours for affordable fine dining in 2025.

Best lunch specials and set menus in Sydney

Kingfish sashimi at Cho Cho San.

Aalia

To experience a quick taste of Paul Farag’s wood-fired Middle Eastern menu at Aalia, try the express lunch option, where $70 will get you a snack and a choice of entrée and main to share — including Murray cod masgouf or lamb neck shawarma.

Bistro Moncur

Woollahra favourite Bistro Moncur has a daily two-course lunch menu for just $65 per person, which includes crowd-pleasers like steak tartare and steak frites.

Bennelong

Traditionally, Bennelong keeps their dining tight with set menus, putting their best foot forward in the best order possible, always. But things are changing slightly. Enter Bennelong’s a la carte dining debut, so you can sample some of the best Sydney has to offer, in a way that’s comfortable for you.

Cho Cho San

Potts Point’s crowd favourite, Cho Cho San, gets points for its $65 Izakaya set menu available at lunch or dinner. Get bang for your buck with staples such as the kingfish with sesame and cucumber, miso eggplant, spicy chicken and tofu udon, and black sesame mochi — and that’s not everything.

Esteban

From Tuesday to Sunday, Esteban’s $65 Almuerzo Pequeño menu (Spanish for “little lunch”) offers three quick and quality courses: starting with a salmon tartare with salsa macha and crispy potato, followed by a pork belly taco, before the crescendo of steak with black garlic and chipotle butter, and smoked potatoes.

The Charles Bar

It may not be as grand as its big sister brasserie next door but The Charles Bar serves up chic NYC energy with its all-day bar menu and generous lunch special every Monday to Saturday, which features its aged wagyu cheeseburger and choice of house wine or beer for just $25.

The Wine Bar at The International

Thirty dollars won’t get you much these days, but from 12–3pm every Tuesday to Saturday, The Wine Bar at The International is slinging an express lunch menu for time-poor workers. Featuring $15 flame-kissed pizzas made with 72-hour fermented sourdough and a rotating roster of $25 handmade pastas, it’s almost too good to be true. Plus, $10 glasses of wine.

Best Sydney happy hours

Freshly shucked oysters at Jane, Surry Hills.

Jane

At Jane in Surry Hills, where founder Tristan Rosier emphasises that his Australiano Hour offers the same dishes you get at regular service, just in a cheaper, more snackable form. “You can get our kangaroo tartare, which is a signature, or $3 oysters with a punchy guava vinaigrette, with the exact same oysters we normally use,” he says. “Quality for us is paramount, not just cutting the price.” Must-orders include the lamb dumplings and creatively grilled cucumbers. Run, don’t walk.

Herbs Taverne

This party-forward, red-lit dive bar dedicated to amaro is serving more than good times. It’s now pouring $12 seasonal Spritzes and $7 lager from 4-6pm daily. And for the first time since opening, the team are taking bookings.

The Rover

Surry Hills’ The Rover is offering $2 freshly shucked oysters and $14 Venetian Spritz in its elegant upstairs restaurant. These happy hour specials are available daily from 4-6pm, making them an ideal pre-dinner deal.

Gildas

Also in Surry Hills, Lennox Hastie’s San Sebastián-inspired wine bar Gildas celebrates after-work occasions with its Gildas Golden Hour. On offer on Wednesdays and Thursdays from 5–6.30pm, and again Fridays and Saturdays from 3-5:30pm, Golden Hour sees $12 cocktails and wines alongside its namesake snack for $5 and $12 off-menu specials. Plus, it’s launched a reasonable $65 pre-theatre menu which could see you eating gildas, lamb rump with mojo verde and popcorn soft serve with salted caramel — to name a few.

Rockpool Bar & Grill

Pulling up a seat at Rockpool’s bar is always a good idea but there’s an even better reason now. RP Hour hits the bar for two hours every weekday between 4pm and 6pm, with $12 Martinis, wines by the glass for $15 and reasonably priced snacks.

Maybe Sammy

One of the world’s best bars, Maybe Sammy, continues to offer up its teeny Martinis at an approachable price point. From 4.30–5.30pm every Tuesday to Saturday, you can score classic Martinis as well as the Chamomile Martini in miniature form for $8, plus more mini cocktails such as a mini Eucalyptus Gimlet and mini Irish Coffee.

Saké

Sydney’s contemporary Japanese diner Saké has launched Saké Hour at its two Sydney locations — The Rocks and Double Bay— running from 4–6pm every day. Available exclusively at the bar, the happy hour offers Happy Hour prices on wines and cocktails, along with a selection of value-packed snacks.

Pleasure Club

Escape to Pleasure Club’s suave happy hour. Kicking off every Thursday to Sunday from 5-7pm, find $2 oysters alongside $15 cocktails and $9 non-alcoholic cocktails.

Odd Culture

Newtown’s Euro-inspired hotspot is offering happy hour prices from 4-6 pm, Wednesday to Friday. Roll in for $15 Martinis and Negronis, along with a snazzy array of snacks, including a $12 cheeseburger, a $7 potato scallop with crème fraîche and caviar, and $8 zucchini flowers topped with togarashi.

Morrison’s

Get shucked at Sydney’s oyster hotspot, Morrison’s. Enjoy the signature oyster hour every Wednesday from 6-7pm, where Sydney Rock Oysters are freshly shucked to order (and $1.50 to boot). And if oysters aren’t your thing, from 4-6pm on weekdays, happy hour is serving up $10 Negronis and Aperol Spritz, alongside $7 beer, wine and spirits and a chef’s selection of snacks.

Shell House Sky Bar

Continuing Sydney’s salty trend for cheap-as-chips molluscs, Shell House’s Sky Bar has expanded their Golden Hour offer to include everyone’s favourite shelled critter: the oyster. Between 4-6pm every Tuesday to Saturday, guests can purchase oysters for $2, a signature prawn katsu sando for $15 and a Margarita for $15. Bookings are encouraged but walk-ins are welcome. Golden, indeed.

The Charles Bar

Roll into happy hour at The Charles Bar with $16 cocktails, $2 oysters and a crispy lamb shoulder sandwich for $14. Or, if you’re looking for somewhere to kick on after dinner, scoot on in after 8pm for $8 LP’s Saucisson Sec or $15 aged wagyu cheeseburgers. Everybody’s a winner.

Suki

Suki calls on modern Asian flavours for their daily Golden Hour. With glorious interiors and service, their menu includes $3 oysters, $6 edamame, $15 holy basil chicken and $15 Margaritas for a blissful afternoon spent sipping every Tuesday to Friday from 5–6pm.

Bar Tilda

Bar Tilda is bringing its signature brand of classic elegance to the CBD happy hour scene with $12 Martinis, Negronis, or Spritzes from 3-6pm, Monday to Friday.

The Wine Bar at The International

The Wine Bar at The International has hit its stride, offering its Sips + Snacks happy hour every Monday to Saturday between 4–6pm. Sip a selection of killer cocktails, wines and beers, along with snacks like gildas, oysters and jamón with crisps — all under $12. We’ll cheers to that.

Bopp and Tone

Snag a spot on the terrace or score an $8 wine or $16 cocktail inside this opulent CBD bar from 3-6pm Monday to Saturday. Pre-dinner drink anyone?

Best bar menus in Sydney

Elevated cheese and crackers at 40Res.

Bentley Restaurant & Bar

The bar has never been an afterthought at CBD heavyweight Bentley. Bites include beef tartare, piquillo pepper and capers, or tempura bay lobster, duck liver parfait with steamed buns, or dive into king prawn with smoked lime butter and sundew. The seafood platter is also one of the best in the city.

Bennelong

Whether you’re heading for pre-show snacks or looking for a snacky meal backdropped by some of the best views in the city, the bar at Bennelong always dazzles. Order oysters with lemon pepper granita, prawn toast with fermented chilli aioli and zucchini, goat’s curd, pepita and hemp arancini and you can’t go wrong.

Oncore by Clare Smyth

The menu at Clare Smyth’s fine-diner at the top of Crown Sydney won’t leave you with much change under $400. But the bar menu offers a way to sample her cooking with a little less commitment, for both your wallet and your time.

Rafi

A North Sydney favourite, Rafi’s bar menu is one for the records. Dishing up bites such as house-made sourdough pita and hummus, prawn toast with sesame and chilli mayo, or its more substantial cheeseburger with dill pickles and Rafi sauce, these bar snacks are worth shelling out for.

Bar Julius

The Eve Hotel’s lobby bar is bringing European-inspired snacks and cult cocktails to Redfern’s new Wunderlich Lane precinct. From beef tartare to crispy lamb belly and an All Day Mary, Bar Julius is dishing up delight. Plus, it has a solid happy hour offering from 4–5pm daily.

Bessie’s & Alma’s

Bar snacks and small plates rule the roost at this quaint wine bar at the top of Albion Street. Sister to Surry Hills’ favourite Bar Copains, this two-in-one restaurant and bar puts fire-forward flair on every dish. Charred, garlicky flatbread is best paired with a side of devilled eggs and mortadella. No room at Copains? No worries — lay into its signature fish sandwich at Bessie’s or Alma’s.

40Res

With an ex-Tetsuya chef on the pans, this neighbourhood wine bar delivers deceptively simple bites. Stop in for saltbush and pepperberry calamari, or a chicken croquette filled with bechamel made from rendered chicken skin, and enjoy a rotation of pasta and risotto dishes.

This article was recently updated in July 2025.

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