The best restaurants in Sydney for autumn

This intelligent, genre-defying neighbourhood bistro sticks the landing with unwavering confidence every time.

“Over the years, critics have praised [chef Pasi Petanen’s] approach as ‘cerebral’ and ‘innovative’, and while those certainly aren’t untrue, he has a rare capacity for making wild ideas and flavour combinations seem simple, even logical.”

Gourmet Traveller editor Joanna Hunkin at the GT Annual Restaurant Awards in 2024

GT tip: Go for the carrots. Start with the fermented carrots with ‘nduja on rye and end on the carrot sorbet with yoghurt and licorice dessert. Trust us.

Paul Farag’s Aalia is full of contrast – on the menu and off – but it’s never jarring. Instead, it feels bold and different, exactly how it tastes.

At its heart, Ante reads restaurant despite its casual walk-in-only format. Almost fine-dining-level attentive service is one reason to go, but it’s also chef Jemma Whiteman’s fully developed menu.

GT tip: Ante is walk-in only, so put your name down on the list and go for a drink nearby. The wait is worth it.

The recruitment of Sixpenny and Shell House alumnus Aaron Ward has done wonders for the Bathers’ Pavilion kitchen. The longstanding long-lunch institution – with its dapper interiors, well-drilled service and trusty 40-page wine list – didn’t need much help, mind you.

Sydney is no stranger to wood-fired ovens, but there must be some sort of black magic going on inside the one at Ester. These are flavours that hit hard, leading you right to the precipice, helped along by casually confident staff and a drinks list that rides the zeitgeist. 

Nicknamed “Junda’s Playground”, the humming 160-seater is pushing even more buttons and boundaries on its still-sprawling menu. There’s always been so much to love here, and now there’s even more.

A few years on, the Ace Hotel Sydney’s crown jewel proves it remains one to watch.

The Bentley Group’s Asian offering presents a culture studies dissertation on the plate, and it’s a sentimental headspin. Playful and cerebral all at once, this is one of Sydney’s brightest openings.

“With Khanh Nguyen leading the kitchen — serving a menu as inventive as it is irreverent — and a front of house team that know how to dial up the fun without ever losing the polish, this high-flying team unlocked a new level and stuck the landing once again.”

Gourmet Traveller editor Joanna Hunkin at the GT Annual Restaurant Awards in 2024

GT tip: the fish finger bao may be the Instagram darling, but the mapo tofu has our hearts.

Neil Perry’s vast menu at his suave Double Bay flagship is tied together with a voluminous wine list and service that makes you feel like family, making Margaret one of Sydney’s great dining journeys.

Chef-owner Alessandro Pavoni and his team continue to deliver at this enduring but refreshingly relevant marina-side diner. Seafood is the fitting star here, which sits well among the moored boats and the coastal-chic surroundings – all stucco walls, curves for days and a gelato bar. 

Don’t let the name of this neo-bistro fool you; Porcine is more than a cathedral to pork. Sure, chef Nik Hill knows his way around a pig, but his playful marriage of French precision and kitschy whimsy, epitomised at dessert by a puffy île flottante rising from a pool of custard, extends democratically to a far broader line-up of proteins.

GT tip: Arrive early to have a drink at the new courtyard bar L’Avant Cave — a collaboration between the P&V and Porcine teams.

Pledging allegiance to your local Thai restaurant is a Sydney tradition, but Porkfat is a compelling reason to sideline neighbourhood loyalty. 

The views at Quay stop you in your tracks – as do the poolish crumpets and haunting White Coral dessert – and service from the plum young team remains resolutely professional. A seemingly immovable presence in the pantheon of Australia’s great restaurants.

The latest incarnation of Sydney’s pre-eminent seafood shrine is a full-throated triumph.

Unhurried. That’s how Sixpenny rolls. It’s true of the pace at which flavours develop in the growing collection of ferments and preserves that line the back wall. True, too, of the eloquent explanations chefs and seasoned waitstaff offer with all seven courses. 

Profound care is felt in every direction – from every pop of colour in the room to the gentle service and notable Australian ingredients both on the plate and in the glass. A triumph.

Gone are the vestiges of former pub days, supplanted by a soigné dining room and bar filled with eye-catching art and designer furniture.

Moments of awe aren’t uncommon at the 10 chairs along chef Ryuichi Yoshii’s opulent counter set-up, in a hushed corner of Crown Sydney. Booking ain’t easy, and neither is footing the bill, but can you put a value on such mastery?

GT tip: Bookings are released on the first day of each month at 12pm for the following month. Set a calendar reminder.

To earn a place in this guide, a restaurant must deliver on multiple fronts: service, ambience, décor, value, and of course, what’s on the plate. Creativity and consistency are valued in equal measure. From dégustation-only fine-diners to casual wine bars serving sensational snacks, this guide is not limited to a single style of dining. Every restaurant featured in this guide should be considered gold standard.

All of the restaurant reviews were visited anonymously between March and June 2024, with reviewers paying their own way.

PRICE GUIDE

Average cost per diner, not including drinks.

$ = under $100

$$ = $100 to $175

$$$ = 175 to $250

$$$$ = $250 to $325

$$$$$ = $325+

How the guide works