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Introducing The Sitchu Awards 2025 Winners – New South Wales
The results are in and the winners of the very first Sitchu Awards have been crowned.
What Are the Sitchu Awards?
The inaugural Sitchu Awards set out to celebrate the places that shape the way we live, dine and play across New South Wales. From the bakery that starts your morning just right, to the neighbourhood bar that feels like a living room, these awards unearthed the tastemakers and local legends who turn everyday rituals into something worth celebrating.
And now, after thousands of nominations and votes from readers across NSW in 2025, the best of the best have been crowned.
Here’s how it worked: nominations opened, giving our community the chance to shine a light on the spots that truly matter to them. After nominations closed, Sitchu’s editors curated five finalists across each of the nine categories. Voting then re-opened, with thousands of reader votes determining the winners.
These aren’t our picks. They’re yours. Now, go forth and discover what NSW has to offer!
The Sitchu Awards 2025 Winning Categories
- Best Date Night Spot in Sydney 2025
- Best Deli or Sandwich Spot in Sydney 2025
- Best Bakery in Sydney 2025
- Best Neighbourhood Bar in Sydney 2025
- Best Region For a Weekend Escape in NSW 2025
- Best New Restaurant Opening in Sydney 2025
- Best Coffee Spot in Sydney 2025
- Best Small Local Business in Sydney 2025
- Best Foodie Suburb in Sydney 2025
- FAQs About the Sitchu Awards NSW 2025
The Categories & Winners
Best Date Night Spot in Sydney 2025
The restaurants, rooftop hideaways, or bars that set the stage for unforgettable evenings.
Winner: Pellegrino 2000
Tables at Pellegrino 2000 don’t always come easily, but they’re definitely worth the wait. The two-storey Surry Hills trattoria from chef Dan Pepperell is all about Roman and Florentine classics, and comes complete with a moody underground wine cellar. The prawn ravioli alone is worth the effort and we like to think Taylor Swift tried this hero dish when she dined there in 2024.
80 Campbell St, Surry Hills NSW 2010
Runner up: TOKI Bistro & Bar
TOKI in North Sydney is the kind of restaurant that makes a real occasion of dinner. Serving delicious French-Asian fusion, it’s also earned a Chef’s Hat for its efforts.
T23,24/100 Miller St, North Sydney NSW 2060
Best Deli or Sandwich Spot in Sydney 2025
Where the sandwiches are stacked high, the flavours bold, and tomorrow’s cravings are guaranteed.
Winner: Norma’s Deli
Norma’s Deli on Manly Corso wears a lot of different hats (and it looks good doing it). Operating as a Mediterranean diner, sourdough bakery, espresso bar, grocer and aperitivo bar, you can stop in at any point in the day and expect to find something delicious. From the team behind Rollers Bakehouse, it’s built its reputation on jam-packed sandwiches, traditional Greek cooking and family-style hospitality that keeps people coming back.
74-78 The Corso, Manly NSW 2095
Runner up: Duke’s Providore
Formerly known as Fred’s Providore, Duke’s in Cronulla does double duty as a gourmet deli and bakery by day and an intimate European bistro by night. The house-baked focaccia is reason enough to visit, but stay for the wine list after dark.
109 Cronulla St, Cronulla NSW 2230
Best Bakery in Sydney 2025
Those irresistible loaves, pastries, or cakes you’ll happily queue for.
Winner: Flour
Flour earned a double win in the 2025 Sitchu Awards, taking out both Best Bakery and Best Coffee Spot. The Caringbah South bakery is built around a glass-walled doughroom where you can watch pastry chefs roll out croissants and cruffins in real time. It’s hard to pick a favourite, but the cinnamon scrolls alone are worth the drive from anywhere in the city.
277 Willarong Rd, Caringbah South NSW 2229
Runner up: A.P Bakery
A.P Bakery grows its own heritage wheat varietals in regional NSW, mills them in-house daily and turns them into some of the best bread and pastry in Sydney (read: they take it seriously). They have a few outposts, but the rooftop Surry Hills location at Paramount House Hotel alone is a standout.
Various locations across Sydney
Best Neighbourhood Bar in Sydney 2025
A glass of local vino, a crafted cocktail, or the easy hum of your favourite haunt.
Winner: Bar Copains
Bar Copains is everything a neighbourhood bar should be, without even really trying. Chefs Nathan Sasi and Morgan McGlone have built something special in Surry Hills, with over 300 bottles on the list and a food offering that goes well beyond bar snacks.
67 Albion St, Surry Hills NSW 2010
Runner up: Dear Saint Eloise
Hidden down Llankelly Place in Potts Point, Dear Sainte Éloise has a 350-plus bottle wine list leaning heavily into organic and biodynamic drops, and a European menu that changes regularly.
5/29 Orwell St, Potts Point NSW 2011
Best Region For a Weekend Escape in NSW 2025
A close-to-home getaway with standout eats, scenic allure, and undeniable local character.
Winner: Hunter Valley
Though it may just be two hours from Sydney, the Hunter Valley somehow feels a world away. It’s beloved not only for the world-class wineries across the NSW region, but the fact there’s enough open space to actually switch off for a weekend.
Runner up: Blue Mountains
Boasting cool-weather eating, dramatic scenery and a town scene that keeps getting better, the Blue Mountains in NSW is always worth the drive from Sydney.
Best New Restaurant Opening in Sydney 2025
The newcomer already winning hearts and setting the bar high.
Winner: Olympus
Olympus arrived and almost immediately set a new benchmark for ambitious dining in Sydney. From the team behind The Apollo, the restaurant is built around a 50-year-old tree beneath a retractable glass roof in Redfern’s Wunderlich Lane, and the Greek charcoal cooking from chef Ozge Kalvo is truly something special.
Wunderlich Lane, 2 Baptist St, Redfern NSW 2016
Runner up: Neptune’s Grotto
From the same trio behind Pellegrino 2000, Neptune’s Grotto is a subterranean Northern Italian restaurant beneath Clam Bar in the CBD. It’s fun, moody and seafood heavy in the best way.
Loftus Lane & Young Street, 44 Bridge St, Sydney NSW 2000
Best Coffee Spot in Sydney 2025
From perfectly pulled espresso shots to artisan brews, the cafés that get it right every single time.
Winner: Flour
This second win for Flour! Their rotating specialty roasters and careful attention to flavour make it just as much a destination for coffee as it is for pastry.
277 Willarong Rd, Caringbah South NSW 2229
Runner up: Primary Coffee Roasters
Roasting in small batches and sourcing direct-trade beans, the ethos at Primary Coffee Roasters is all about doing one thing very well.
1/9 Ward Ave, Potts Point NSW 2011
Best Small Local Business in Sydney 2025
Lifestyle, Beauty, Fashion, Wellness — The boutique and independent spots that bring personality, purpose, and passion in spades.
Winner: Better Read Than Dead
Newtown’s beloved independent bookshop has been a community anchor for decades, and this win is a testament to that. The independent bookshop is known for its knowledgeable staff, handwritten shelf recommendations and regular author events that keep the neighbourhood engaged.
265 King St, Newtown NSW 2042
Runner up: Slow House
This subterranean bathhouse and wellness space has become one of Bondi’s most talked-about places to unwind. Blending contrast therapy and magnesium pools with a buzzy social atmosphere, it’s different from your standard day spa.
The Pacific Building, LEVEL B1/180 Campbell Parade, Bondi Beach NSW 2026
Best Foodie Suburb in Sydney 2025
The neighbourhoods that pack a serious punch, serving up big flavours from hidden cafés to local culinary gems.
Winner: Surry Hills
Surry Hills has long been Sydney’s most consistently excellent eating suburb, and this win cements its reputation. From cult bakeries and neighbourhood bars to destination restaurants and hole-in-the-wall gems, there is more good food per block here than almost anywhere else in the country. Every visit turns up something new.
Runner up: Newtown
Newtown has one of the most diverse eating streets around, with King Street alone covering pretty much every cuisine and price point you could want.
These 2025 winners capture our shared passion for local discovery and community spirit. We’re so pleased to shine a light on the incredible people and places that make New South Wales so special. Now, go forth and experience them!
FAQs About the Sitchu Awards NSW 2025
The Sitchu Awards are an annual reader-voted awards program celebrating the best venues, businesses and neighbourhood spots across Australia. Nominations and votes come directly from Sitchu readers, making the awards a genuine reflection of what locals love.
The awards are entirely reader-driven. Sitchu’s community nominates and votes for their favourite spots across each category — no editorial panel, no paid placements.
The inaugural awards in 2025 covered nine categories: Best Date Night Spot, Best Deli or Sandwich Spot, Best Bakery, Best Neighbourhood Bar, Best Region for a Weekend Escape, Best New Restaurant Opening, Best Coffee Spot, Best Small Local Business (covering lifestyle, beauty, fashion and wellness), and Best Foodie Suburb.
Most winners are based in Sydney, with standout venues across suburbs like Surry Hills, Newtown and Cronulla. The awards also recognise regional NSW, with the Hunter Valley taking out Best Region for a Weekend Escape.
Yes! Flour took home both Best Bakery and Best Coffee Spot, making it the standout double winner of the inaugural awards.
Each winner and runner-up is linked directly in the awards article so you can explore menus, book a table or plan a visit.
The Hunter Valley was voted the best region for a weekend escape in NSW for 2025, praised for its wineries, restaurants, and proximity to Sydney. The Blue Mountains was the runner-up.
Surry Hills was voted the best foodie suburb in Sydney by Sitchu readers in 2025, recognised for its exceptional concentration of restaurants, bars, bakeries and neighbourhood dining across every price point. Newtown was named runner-up.
According to Sitchu readers, Flour in Caringbah South is the best bakery in Sydney in 2025. It also won Best Coffee Spot, making it the standout double winner of the inaugural awards. A.P Bakery was named runner-up.
Olympus took out Sitchu’s Best New Restaurant Opening of 2025, and it’s easy to see why. From the team behind beloved Greek institution The Apollo, this striking Redfern venue blends dramatic design with exceptional Mediterranean cooking. Set beneath a soaring glass atrium wrapped around a 50-year-old tree, the menu celebrates bold Greek flavours and live-fire cooking, with charcoal-grilled meats, fresh seafood and vibrant share plates. Olympus quickly became one of the city’s hardest tables to book, and one of its most talked-about openings.
