From food-court favourites to streets centred around one cuisine, Sydney is full of go-to dining strips for energising breakfasts, late-night eats and every mealtime in between.
May 2024 -
4
min readDixon Street and surrounds, Haymarket
Dixon Street is the vibrant centre of Sydney’s century-old Chinatown. Once a hub of the Cantonese community, the street and its side alleys now introduce travellers to a diverse mix of Chinese cuisines. Try salted duck and xiao long bao (soup dumplings) at Nanjing Dumpling, battle the queues for a spicy Sichuan feast at Spicy Joint or try a simple congee at old-school Cantonese diner Superbowl. In between feasts, duck into Market City and explore the labyrinth of produce stalls, bars and food carts underneath the mall at Hay St Market. On Friday evenings, the pedestrian street transforms into a night market with stalls offering knick-knacks, barbecued snacks, a roster of trendy desserts and dumplings.
Must try: congee and youtiao (fried dough stick) for breakfast at Mother Chu’s Taiwanese Gourmet.
Chinatown gates on Dixon Street, Sydney
Campbell Street and surrounds, Haymarket
The Haymarket end of Campbell Street is known as Thaitown, and your first stop here should be the grocer that started it all: Pontip Thai Market. Check the fridges for takeaway meals made by Thai home cooks, inspect the range of tropical fruits and nab an imported Thai snack. Then, head up the street for a papaya salad and barbecued chicken at Yod or duck into the arcade across the road for a full Thai feast at @Bangkok. If you’re a solo diner, Chon Siam and Yok Yor have both fiery and simple noodle options perfect for one. To finish, get a khanom buang (mini, crispy pancake) just a few doors down at Thai Dessert Corner.
If you’d prefer a guide, book a date with Local Sauce Tours to try its Secrets of Thaitown itinerary.
Must try: any of the desserts at Chat Thai.
Chat Thai Haymarket - Credit: Chat Thai
Illawarra Road and Marrickville Road, Marrickville
Few areas show off the diversity of Sydney dining like the intersection of Illawarra and Marrickville Roads. Avocado smoothies at Cafe Nho and scoops of sugarcane and jackfruit ice-cream at Kreamu Gelato the suburb’s ever changing Vietnamese heritage. Try northern Vietnamese cuisine at rice noodle roll specialists Banh Cuon Ba Oanh or opt for takeaway sticky rice at Alex 'N' Rolls (join the Facebook group to keep up-to-date with opening hours).
The area also has strong Greek roots, which you’ll find at Athena Cake Shop (ask for the spanakopita). You can stock up on olives and other pantry goods at the long-running Lamia Super Deli, and don’t overlook Corinthian Rotisserie – a relaxed family restaurant that’s been a local Greek institution for decades.
Must try: dinner at VN Street Foods, followed by dessert at Gelato Franco, a natural wine at Where’s Nick and a gig at music venues such as Camelot Lounge and Lazybones Lounge.
VN Street Foods, Marrickville - Credit: Jem Cresswell
Wigram Street, Harris Park
One of the best street food experiences in Sydney is the Little India district in Harris Park, next to Parramatta. You’ll find eateries operating in heritage-listed homes alongside pop-up stalls and restaurant side hustles. Ginger Indian Restaurant offers Mughlai cuisine with linen tablecloths and a white-picket fence setting, while a rainbow of frozen treats can be requested at Rocket Kulfi’s nearby cart. Order one of 20 different kinds of biryani at IndoChainese, grab samosas and other street snacks at Shri Refreshment Bar or share a south Indian feast with a gargantuan dosa at Dosa Hut.
Alternatively, get an insider’s perspective with a guide from Gourmet Safaris or Taste Cultural Food Tours.
Must try: the pav bhaji (vegetable curry served with a toasted, buttery bread roll) at Chatkazz.
Chatkazz, Harris Park - Credit: Leigh Griffiths
Crown Street and Bourke Street, Surry Hills
There aren't enough meals in the day to explore every acclaimed venue on these two trendy eat streets in Surry Hills. Nour serves up reimagined Middle Eastern classics in an Instagram-friendly dining room, Via Napoli bakes one-metre Neapolitan pizzas, while Arthur and its sister restaurant Jane offer modern Australian menus that incorporate saltbush, kangaroo and other native ingredients. Plus, just off the southern end of Crown in Wunderlich Lane, find a bustling precinct of dining options including a Gelato Messina, modern Greek taverna Olympus Dining, Southeast Asian at Island Radio, neighbourhood cocktail and wine bar Baptist Street Rec. Club, and more.
This district is home to many of Sydney’s best cafes too. Bills is famous for exporting avocado toast to the world, while Malika Bakehouse specialises in menemen (chilli scrambled eggs) and other Turkish breakfast staples. Cafe Tanja channels North Africa with its Algerian eggs and sizzling Tunisian tchouktchouka (poached eggs in spiced tomato sauce). Lode Pies attracts queues for its elaborate croissants, tarts and pies designed by a fine-dining chef.
Must try: any coffee at Artificer – it’s the only thing on the menu.
Scallop, meyer lemon and melon at Arthur Restaurant - Credit: Arthur Restaurant
King Street and Enmore Road, Newtown
The Newtown community takes pride in diversity, inclusion and accessibility, and you can see that through the street artwork, local fashion and menus of its eateries. Enmore Road brings in West African spice at Little Lagos, margaritas and michelada (spicy Mexican beer) at Maiz, plus several Vietnamese and Thai options (Hanoi on King is a great pick for northern Vietnamese noodle soups). Almost every restaurant in the area has good meat-free options but many of Sydney’s best vegan diners are here: gluten-free Japanese cafe Comeco and Neapolitan-style Gigi Pizzeria. For meals For a higher-end price point and more stylised interiors, look for a table at the dimly lit sake bar Ante or innovative Australian-Finnish restaurant Cafe Paci.
Must try: the koshari (a mix of pasta, rice, lentils and a rich tomato sauce), falafel and chips at Cairo Takeaway.
Cairo Takeaway, Enmore
Burwood Road, Burwood
While Dixon Street and its ceremonial paifang archways showcase Sydney’s oldest Chinatown, the miniature, neon-lit Burwood Chinatown arcade illuminates a newer side. The vibrant arcade and its night market stalls present everything from Guizhou sticky rice to Wuhan hot-dry noodles. Along Burwood Road’s main strip, you’ll find door-to-door quality examples of regional Chinese cuisines. Try fat, wide Shaanxi-style noodles at Xi’an Eatery; hearty Cantonese diner food at Hong Kong Bing Sutt; and barbecued lamb skewers at Xin Jiang Hui Min Hand Made Restaurant.
Must try: the crispy flatbread stuffed with lamb from Guo Kui Master.
Burwood Chinatown, Burwood
John Street, Cabramatta
A main street filled with pho and noodle restaurants, side alleys with grocers and lively coffee shops, and a bustling marketplace-feel make Cabramatta the epicentre of Sydney’s Vietnamese community. Drop into Tuong Lai for a late Vietnamese breakfast then tuck into crispy chicken at Tan Viet Noodle House. If you have more belly room, find Lao- and Thai-style sweets and snacks at Kaysone Sweets, and homemade, artisanal tofu at Hoa Hung Tofu, or get a banh mi to go from Viet Hoa Bread. For refreshing sips, detour off the main strip to nearby Thu Phung N for icy serves of sugarcane juice.
Gourmet Safaris and Taste Cultural Food Tours also offer tours of Cabramatta.
Must try: one of the ultra-fragrant soups at Cambodian restaurant, Battambang.
Outdoor dining options in Cabramatta - Credit: Jason Nichol Photography
The Boulevard, Strathfield
Strathfield, one of Sydney’s Korean hubs, is designed for big-group eating. Take the family or friends to Biwon and share a huge plate of jjajang myeon (black bean noodles), follow the smoky aroma to Korean barbecue Jang Ta Bal, or load up on fried chicken at Red Pepper, a lively bistro in the local sports club.
No crew? No problem. You can order a solo bowl of cold noodles or dumplings at The Mandoo, or ask for a laksa at, Ho Jiak Strathfield, a food court stall famous of Malaysian street food.
Must try: the ox bone soup at the very popular Hansang.
Haldon Street, Lakemba
Every year, for the month of Ramadan, Haldon Street becomes one of the busiest streets in the country. The road closes and the footpaths are covered in stalls selling everything from murtabak (roti packages stuffed with meat) to knafeh and tea. But outside the festival, the vibrancy and diversity remain with Cantonese, Lebanese, Malay, Yemeni, Bangladeshi, Pakistani and many more cultures calling this area home.
Near the station is the Bangladeshi hub. Try Khushboo Sweets and Restaurant for a mustardy fish curry or Dhaka Delight for a tea and a Bangladeshi sweet (fancy a cream toast?). For Middle Eastern flavours, go to the several-decades-old Lebanese haunt El Manara or Yemen Gate Restaurant for mandi (spiced rice with meat) and masoob (banana bread pudding).
Must try: satay skewers at Sydney’s only Cocos (Keeling) Island restaurant, Island Dreams Cafe.
Lakemba Nights during Ramadan, Lakemba
Joseph Street and John Street, Lidcombe
Korean diplomats have dined at Yeodongsik in Lidcombe – and even they couldn’t skip the queue for the tiny restaurant’s haejang-guk (hangover soups) and buckwheat noodles with perilla oil. That’s just one famous stop in the Korean hub.– with restaurants serving handmade dumplings, high quality barbecue, kimbap (Korean seaweed rice roll) and fried chicken. Head down to Joseph Street, and you can order black bean noodles from Wooden Bowl's Korean-Chinese menu. Nearby is Guk's Eedaero Gamjatang, which specialises in rich, spicy pork-bone soup.
Must try: Korean barbecue at Suliya Gogiya.
Rowe Street, Eastwood
Eastwood has two identities, one on either side of the station. To the east is where you’ll meet the Korean identity, with huge supermarket KMALL09, traditional family diners like Pu Ji Mi and Korean barbecues like 888 Gogi. To the west you’ll find Rowe Street and the Chinese side of Eastwood, with its Cantonese barbecue shops like BBQ One, 257 Home Kitchen and other lively dumplings restaurants, and Chinese bakeries like Tai Baan. Visit on a Saturday night and the east side also becomes a mix of multicultural snacks and sweets with the Eastwood Night Markets.
Must try: the Taiwanese sticky rice at Hungry Paulie.
Taiwanese fare at Hungry Paulie, Eastwood - Credit: Hungry Paulie
Macleay Street, Potts Point
If you were to put pins on a map for every restaurant that’s won an award, Potts Point would look like a pub dart board at the end of a night, and Macleay Street is its centre. If you can get a seat, Kisuke will do one of the best sushi courses you can get in the city; Yellow is the only all-vegetarian fine dining option in Sydney, and The Apollo is traditional Greek in a Sydney context.
But it’s not all high end, for a casual meal get a table and top it with Vietnamese noodles at Eat Fuh, or if you’re in early, Room Ten is the coffee spot of choice for local chefs and restaurateurs.
Must try: fresh pasta at Italian institution Fratelli Paradiso.
The Apollo, Potts Point - Credit: Nikki To
Anzac Parade, Kingsford
Just across from Moore Park’s sport district is one of the best-value eat streets in the inner city: Anzac Parade. Casual Sumatran-style Indonesian eateries like Pondok Buyung and Sedap Rasa mean you can get a plate of rice with saucy, spicy options for under $15. Chinese restaurants catering to the local student population, like Tasty Eating House, offer big plates of crispy-bottom dumplings and sweet and sour pork, while Mr. Xiaomian Noodle Bar delivers quick, good-value noodles. Wander just off the main strip for an Italian coffee and a ricotta-filled pastry at Bar Lucio.
Must try: the Indonesian grilled chicken at Ayam Goreng 99.
Ayam Goreng 99, Kingsford - Credit: Ayam Goreng 99
