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Affordable Fine Dining Sydney: Fancy Food for Under $100
With set menus and tasty dishes for less than $100, these fancy but affordable fine dining restaurants in Sydney deserve a visit.
When you think of fine dining restaurants, the first thoughts that spring to mind are fancy, formal and above all… expensive. But with Sydney’s new wave of humble fine diners, you can find mouth-watering menus, lavish tasting feasts and even hatted-degustation deals, without blowing your entire month’s wages. The best affordable fine dining in Sydney includes a $35 set lunch at Aalia Wine Room in the CBD, $30 Wednesday steak nights at ANA in Double Bay, and a $70 early-evening express menu at two-hatted Aalia. For a bigger weekend splurge, 20 Chapel in Marrickville pours bottomless prosecco through a $95 Saturday brunch, while Saint Peter Bar in Paddington serves Josh Niland’s seafood snacks to walk-ins.
These are our editors’ picks for hatted-level cooking without the hatted-level bill. Read on for your next fancy feast.
In This Guide:
Editor’s Pick
$90 Sharing Menu at Manzo Bisteccheria
Manzo Bisteccheria generated a lot of buzz for its $210 steak sandwich, but it has an equally delicious (and cost effective) way to try the menu. The $90pp MEAT Manzo sharing menu gives you an introduction to many of the venue’s greatest hits, and you’re guaranteed to leave full. Set inside Quay Quarter Tower, you can soak in generous views of the harbour bridge as the world whizzes by, and the dark and moody lighting makes it perfect for a date night. The set menu is more than generous, running from wagyu bolognese arancini and maccheroni osso buco through to a Victorian eye fillet with Barolo jus. Just when you think you couldn’t manage another morsel, a deconstructed cannolo arrives, rich with creamy ricotta and deep-fried cannoli shells. Don’t let the description fool you, it was pleasantly light. In a room where the headline item is a $210 sandwich, $90 gets you a full run of the Michelin-trained kitchen, from antipasto to dessert. This one feels like a fine dining cheat code!
Sitchu Tip: The eye fillet comes with an aged Barolo jus, so ask for a glass of Barolo to go with it. The cellar has over 750 bottles of Italian and French wine. The staff really know their stuff so you’ll always get a curated pairing!
Suburb: Circular Quay
Price Guide: $$
Cuisine: Italian
Best For: Date night, Special occasions, Group dinners
Need To Know: Aperitivo Hour runs Monday to Friday, 3pm to 6pm, with drinks from $8.
Affordable Fine Dining in Sydney Under $50
$28 Burger, Fries & Beer at The Charles Bar
We thrive on a splash of opulence, and a visit to The Charles Bar is always set to satisfy, even when we’re on a budget. Soak up old-world hospitality without the price tag with The Charles’ aged Wagyu cheeseburger. At $25, you’ll also score fries and your choice of beer or soft drink. If this isn’t living, we don’t know what is!
Sitchu Tip: If you’re channelling something fancier, The Charles also offers a $59 Prix Fixe menu, Monday to Friday, from 12pm to 1pm and 5pm to 6pm.
Suburb: CBD
Price Guide: $$
Cuisine: European
Best For: Budget-friendly, Quick bite, Locals
Need To Know: Burger deal runs 12pm to 6pm.
$35 Lunch at Aalia Wine Room
The newer, more relaxed sibling to the two-hatted Aalia has a lunch menu that deserves a spot on your radar. Split over two levels in the heart of the CBD, Aalia Wine Room is doing a $35 per person set lunch Tuesday to Friday. Start with Khorasan pita with labneh or spiced eggplant, followed by rump steak with Café de Cairo butter and ras el hanout chips. For the price, it’s a serious spread and great for a business lunch or a leisurely midweek catch-up with wine (if you needed an excuse).
Suburb: CBD
Price Guide: $$
Cuisine: Middle Eastern
Best For: Business lunch, Long lunch, Wine lovers
Need To Know: $35 set lunch runs Tuesday to Friday from 12pm.
Snacks at Saint Peter Bar
The legendary Saint Peter (now housed in the Grand National Hotel in Paddington) is one of Sydney’s most celebrated restaurants. If you can’t snag a booking for the two-hat dining room, head into the Saint Peter Bar for a walk-in taste of what Josh Niland does best. The bar serves a rotating à la carte menu of Niland’s boundary-pushing seafood snacks, including a swordfish bacon and yellowfin tuna cheeseburger, jammy scotch eggs, curried hapuka pie, preserved sea creatures from around Australia. Wash it all down with an Oyster Shell Martini. No bookings, just walk in.
Sitchu Tip: The yellowfin tuna burger has a cult following for a reason!
Suburb: Paddington
Price Guide: $$
Cuisine: Seafood
Best For: Cocktail lovers, Solo dining, Quick bite
Need To Know: No bookings, walk-ins only.
$30 Steak Nights at ANA
Hump day just got a whole lot better. For $30 at ANA on Wednesdays, you can dig into a juicy steak served with soft pitta bread and your choice of Brussels sprouts or fries (we’d pick the fries). This is exactly what your Wednesday ordered and a perfect excuse to treat yourself at Double Bay’s newest hotspot.
$30 per person, Wednesdays
Suburb: Double Bay
Price Guide: $$
Cuisine: South American, Lebanese
Best For: Budget-friendly, Locals, Solo dining
Need To Know: $30 steak nights run Wednesdays only.
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Affordable Fine Dining Sydney: Under $100
The Express Menu at Aalia
Head into two-hatted Aalia any day of the week between 5:30pm and 6:30pm and feast on executive chef Adam Wolfers’ divine Middle Eastern offering for $70 per person. The express menu covers a snack, shared entrée and shared main with sides, which is a genuinely extraordinary deal at one of Sydney’s best restaurants.
$70 per person
25 Martin Place, Sydney
$59 Lunch Break at Bar Tilda
Whether you’re treating yourself because you got through another Wednesday or heading off for a business lunch, Bar Tilda’s two-course express lunch will have you returning to the desk refreshed and refuelled. Kick things off with an elevated ploughman’s complete with A.P. Bakery sourdough and LP’s salami, and follow up with a fish, steak or pasta main.
Suburb: CBD
Price Guide: $$
Cuisine: Modern Australian
Best For: Business lunch, Quick bite, Solo dining
Need To Know: $59 two-course express lunch runs Monday to Friday, 12pm to 3pm.
Bottomless Brunch at 20 Chapel
20 Chapel’s bottomless brunch is one of the best value in Sydney, and the restaurant was just named in the World’s 101 Best Steak Restaurants 2025, so you know the quality is there. For $95, every Saturday from midday, you’ll work through a set menu of cult dishes including the legendary overnight-brined wagyu tallow potato wedges, raw fish kokoda with coconut and sago, Abrolhos Island scallops with harissa butter and the 20 Chapel wagyu cheeseburger, with all the prosecco, wine and beer you fancy.
Suburb: Marrickville
Price Guide: $$
Cuisine: Steakhouse
Best For: Brunch, Group dining, Weekend plans
Need To Know: Bottomless brunch runs Saturdays from midday. Prosecco, wine and beer are included in the $95 price.
Bistro George
One-hatted three years running, Bistro George at Jacksons on George is one of those rare CBD spots that actually deserves its reputation. Head chef Steven Sinclair’s European brasserie menu is thoughtful and seasonal, with Ora King salmon gravlax with treacle soda bread, clams casino and beautifully executed pastas. For the best value, the set menu starts at $80 for two courses and $100 for three.
Suburb: CBD
Price Guide: $$
Cuisine: Modern European
Best For: Business lunch, Special occasion, Wine lovers
Need To Know: Set menu is $80 for two courses or $100 for three.
Frequently Asked Questions about Affordable Fine Dining in Sydney
Some of Sydney’s best restaurants offer set menus and deals well under $100 per person. Aalia Wine Room in the CBD runs a $35 set lunch from Tuesday to Friday, while ANA in Double Bay serves $30 steak nights every Wednesday. At two-hatted Aalia on Martin Place, an express menu covering a snack, shared entrée, shared main and sides costs $70 per person between 5:30pm and 6:30pm. In Marrickville, 20 Chapel’s $95 Saturday bottomless brunch includes a set menu with prosecco, wine and beer.
Yes. Several hatted Sydney restaurants offer set menus or bar options at a fraction of their usual price. Two-hatted Aalia on Martin Place has a $70 express menu available every day between 5:30pm and 6:30pm, featuring executive chef Adam Wolfers’ Middle Eastern cooking. Bistro George at Jacksons on George, one-hatted three years running, offers two courses from $80. Saint Peter’s two-hatted dining room in Paddington is harder to book, but the adjoining Saint Peter Bar serves Josh Niland’s seafood snacks to walk-ins, with no booking required.
Sydney’s CBD has some of the best fine dining lunch deals in the city. Aalia Wine Room offers a $35 set lunch from Tuesday to Friday, with Khorasan pita, labneh and rump steak with ras el hanout chips. Bar Tilda at Sofitel Sydney Wentworth runs a $59 two-course express lunch on weekdays from 12pm to 3pm, starting with a ploughman’s plate and followed by a fish, steak or pasta main. The Charles Bar on King Street serves a Wagyu cheeseburger, fries and a drink, plus a $59 weekday prix fixe menu at lunch.
20 Chapel in Marrickville runs one of Sydney’s best-value bottomless brunches. It costs $95 per person every Saturday from midday. The set menu features the restaurant’s cult dishes, including overnight-brined Wagyu tallow potato wedges, raw fish kokoda with coconut and sago, Abrolhos Island scallops with harissa butter and the 20 Chapel Wagyu cheeseburger. Unlimited prosecco, wine and beer are included in the price. The restaurant has been recognised on an international list of the world’s best steak restaurants, so the cooking matches its reputation.
ANA in Double Bay runs $30 steak nights every Wednesday. The steak is served with soft pitta bread and a choice of Brussels sprouts or fries. For a weekday lunch, Aalia Wine Room’s $35 set menu includes rump steak with Café de Cairo butter and ras el hanout chips. Bar Tilda’s $59 express lunch offers steak as one of its main course options. For a weekend option, 20 Chapel in Marrickville includes its Wagyu cheeseburger and tallow potato wedges in a $95 bottomless brunch.
If you loved our round-up of the most affordable fine dining deals in Sydney, you might also like our edit of the best new restaurants in Sydney. Or, for when money’s not an object, check out the best degustation menus at Sydney’s finest fine dining spots.
