The 8 Best Prawn Dishes Across Sydney

It’s no secret that Sydney’s seafood scene is unparalleled in terms of range, quality and freshness. With such a high bar comes a calibre of cooking that would make even the most squeamish diner squirm with pleasure. Below are our favourite spots to indulge your crustacean addiction.

Mr Wong

While the dumplings at this institution are widely commended (how can you go past a king prawns and bamboo shoot dumpling?!) it’s the soft, pillowy prawn toast with foie gras and sesame that grabs our attention. Follow it up with the garlic butter prawns and you’ll be in good stead for the evening.

3 Bridge Street, Sydney

Spice Temple

Neil Perry’s modern Chinese restaurant offers two prawn dishes that we simply cannot choose between; the kung pao prawns with Sichuan peppercorns, heaven facing chillies and cashews as well as the stir-fried prawns with salted duck egg and four chillies that has been brined, dried, fermented and pickled. The two dishes are guaranteed to pack serious heat, and both deserve a place at your table.

10 Bligh Street, Sydney

Watsons Bay Boutique Hotel

If your idea of excellent prawns cannot be separated from a beachside location fear not, the hotel’s Beach Club specialises in uncompromisingly fresh seafood. If you have a group that needs feeding, opt for a bucket of Australian Tiger Prawns or a full seafood platter. On a steamy day, the Amalfi Prawn Salad with shaved fennel, radish, herbs, orange, olives and lemon jam dressing is perfect.

1 Military Road, Watsons Bay

Chin Chin

Sydneysiders have taken to Melbourne’s greatest export with flying colours. The flavour-laden, Thai-style menu boasts a ‘Barbecue & Rotisserie’ influence that’s exclusive to the Sydney venue, and while the rotisserie pork belly is hard to resist, it’s the stir fry prawn, bug tail and egg noodles that demands attention. Tossed with a ‘hellfire’ chilli oil and garlic chives, you’ll be desperate to come back for more of this addictive creation. 

69 Commonwealth Street, Surry Hills

Cirrus

One of the most elegant (and acclaimed) restaurants to join the Barangaroo precinct, Cirrus combines fresh, sustainably caught seafood with the finest seasonal produce. The Crustaceans section of the menu features roasted king prawns with koji butter and sea lettuce, and insist that someone on your table orders the grilled rock lobster with wakame and black pepper.

23 Barangaroo Avenue, Barangaroo

Ester

This award-winning wood-fired restaurant is helmed by Chef Mat Lindsay, and offers a carefully crafted menu that comes replete with king prawns in fermented shrimp butter and capers. The luxurious cauliflower with almond and mint and potato pasta with potato dashi and pepper leaf also come highly recommended.

46-52 Meagher Street, Chippendale

Icebergs Dining Room

Where else can you indulge in the complete luxury of Sydney’s seafood with the depth of regional Italian flavours? Icebergs orecchiette all’Amatriciana di Mare is our pick of the menu. It combines orecchiette with Crystal Bay Prawns, spicy Amatriciana sauce and pangrattato for an unbelievably satisfying meal.

1 Notts Avenue, Bondi Beach

Blue Fish

If you’re in the market for a smorgasbord of seafood, this chic Harbourside restaurant is just the ticket. Celebrating Australia’s seafood by purchasing sustainable produce from the Sydney Fish Markets, you’ll find a cornucopia of seafood dishes with the ‘Smok’n Jumbo Prawns’ an obvious standout. Served on smoking coals with tomato salsa and garlic butter, you can totally justify being selfish about sharing this dish.

287 Harbourside Promenade, Darling Harbour