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The Best Group Dining Venues in Sydney
Getting the gang together for a group dinner or a long, leisurely lunch? Check out our edit of the best group dining venues in Sydney.
Need to get the gang together for dinner or a long, leisurely lunch? You’ll need a place to fit your guests comfortably, allowing them to eat, drink, and chit-chat until their hearts (and bellies) are content.
Keep it intimate and opt for a private dining room, or, if you want something a little less formal (and where you’ll get more bang for your buck) we’ve whittled down the best restaurants in Sydney, from Darling Harbour to Potts Point, that don’t just accommodate groups; they thrive on them.
Rowdy or refined, casual or chic, large groups or small — you’ll find a spot to suit your vibe with our pick of the best group dining in Sydney.
Best Group Dining Venues in Sydney: For a Special Occasion
Mimi’s
Set over the waves, Mimi’s celebrates the coastline with both the menu and its views. Simplicity and constrained elegance permeate the food offering, with skilful craftsmanship underpinning the quality of seafood, meat, and vegetables served.
Amid the chic, calm interiors, diners can savour delicacies and choose a drop from the 600-strong wine list to ensure their meal is perfectly accompanied. Chablis, anyone?
130a Beach Street, Coogee
Bennelong
Bennelong‘s two hats and prime position under one of the iconic Sydney Opera House sails definitely have the special occasion credentials met. You’ll find endless attention to detail in both the furnishings and elegantly plated dishes which are served via set menus. Aged meats, wild-caught fish and specialty cuts are luxe without being loud. If you’re planning to host more than two dozen guests, you can book the Dress Circle for an intimate dining experience.
Sydney Opera House, Bennelong Point
Discover more of our favourite restaurants for a special occasion here.
Best Group Dining Venues in Sydney: Private Dining Rooms
Il Baretto
The comforting cuisine and laidback atmosphere of one of our favourite Italian restaurants — Il Baretto — make it the perfect spot for memorable get-togethers. Located at the back of Solotel’s Paddo Inn, this reincarnation retains that unpretentious, easy charm while serving their famed dishes — think pappardelle with duck ragu and hearty spaghetti alla carbonara.
The private dining room comfortably hosts 10 to 20 guests, with a set menu adaptable to dietary needs. While it’s a bummer they’re no longer BYO, the expanded drinks list featuring Italian and Australian wines is a bonus. Il Baretto stays true to its affordable, laid-back ethos, making it a diverse hub for all, just as it’s been for over two decades.
338 Oxford Street, Paddington
Mama Mulan
Mama Mulan in Chatswood puts a tastefully modern spin on the Chinese classics. Step into their chic, minimalist space, and with Yum Cha on the menu, you’re in for a tradition of sharing dim sum and tea with a big group of friends.
With three private dining rooms for 4-25 people, big groups are their specialty, catering to everything from corporate lunches to birthday dinners.
Level 1, The Concourse, Chatswood
NOMAD
Tucked away on the quieter side of Surry Hills, NOMAD stands out as a spacious gem for special celebrations with delicious food. The place beckons with a stunning Middle Eastern vibe and a layout that suits gatherings perfectly.
Book the private dining room for up to 24 guests, or grab a long table in their main dining area and dive into their Feast menu designed for sharing. NOMAD tells a tale of culinary inspiration from adventures across Spain, Morocco, and the Middle East, all cooked with fire and smoke. We guarantee you and your mates will leave full and happy.
16 Foster Street, Surry Hills
Harbord Hotel
The newest offering from this Freshwater icon is the Harbord Hotel Dining Room (formerly known as Balsa), and it knows how to deliver on every front. Good vibes? Tick. Premium location a stone’s throw from Freshwater Beach? Tick. An amazing tasting menu ideal for groups? You guessed it — big tick.
Located within the Harbord Hotel, the venue’s buzzing atmosphere means you can be as loud as you like and no one will look twice. After your meal (our top picks include the wood-fired calamari and the pork belly bites), you can mosey down to the pub’s courtyard, which is always popping off.
29 Moore Road, Freshwater
Discover more of our favourite private dining rooms in Sydney here.
Best Group Dining Venues in Sydney: Set Menus
Mille Vini
Located in the heart of Surry Hills on Crown Street, this Italian wine bar and restaurant is popular for a reason. Serving up a lavish five-course Italian feast for $110pp, Mille Vini was designed with big groups in mind. Plus, if you’re looking for a more intimate vibe, they also offer a private dining room for those extra special occasions.
397 Crown Street, Surry Hills
Homer Rogue Taverna
Inspired by the streets of Athens, Homer Rogue Taverna is loud, warm and rooted in tradition. Designed for sharing, Homer Rogue Taverna is serving up exquisite Greek food, pouring excellent wines and wants everyone to be welcome at the table.
Choose from two generous set menus boasting share plates, including signature house-made flatbreads, dips and souvlaki.
3/3 Surf Road, Cronulla
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Folly’s Bar & Bistro
Giving big neighbourhood-bar energy with an elevated twist, Folly’s is a hot contender for your next long lunch. Aside from a terrazzo-topped bar, maroon leather banquette seating and wine bottle-lined walls, you can expect to find a deliciously warm ambience at this Lower North Shore fave.
The menu boasts a little of everything, including our favourite, the conchiglioni alla vodka. Groups of 10 or more are treated to a generous set menu that provides plenty of bang for your buck, and a private dining room is available for special celebrations.
Love Tilly Group
Offering a stellar lineup of venues to suit just about any event and vibe, the team at Love Tilly Group know a thing or two about elevated group dining. Think intimate spaces doused in candlelight at Dear Sainte Eloise, cosy wine bar ambience at Love, Tilly Devine, Italian celebrations at Ragazzi Wine + Pasta and Palazzo Salato and hearty banquets to thrill even the fussiest foodies at Fabbrica.
Each venue brings a unique setting and menu, with options for sit-down meals, standing cocktail parties with roaming canapés, and, most importantly, drinks packages to ensure your lunch or dinner is filled with fabulous fun.
429 Miller Street, Cammeray
The Apollo
If you and your pals have a penchant for saganaki cheese and charred calamari (who doesn’t?), then The Apollo is the Greek restaurant you need to book. Their take on Mediterranean flavours (with a strong focus on Greek food) and a smattering of dishes cooked over wood and charcoal are out of this world. You’ll be left wishing you had a spare stomach.
To get the most out of your experience, book the Chef’s Table for you and 11 of your nearest and dearest to be seated away from the main dining room and treated to an intimate (and delicious) dining service.
44 Macleay Street, Potts Point
Chin Chin
With a hat to its name, Chin Chin provides the ultimate destination for lively group dinners. Everything in this trendy Asian fusion palace is intoxicating, and their inventive take on Thai cuisine is the icing on the cake.
The menu is extensive and full of hero dishes, so save time and money by ordering the ‘Feed Me’ banquet to indulge in Chin Chin’s standouts, including the massaman curry of braised brisket, which, in our books, is essential. And, in true Chin Chin fashion, it can all be enjoyed with a range of cool cocktails with disco tunes playing on a loop.
69 Commonwealth Street, Surry Hills
Golden Century
Golden Century was made for group dining. The expansive dining room, complete with harbour views, has multiple banquet menus on offer, including many of their legendary dishes, like pipis in XO sauce, Golden Century fried rice and dim sum platters.
Level 3, Crown Sydney
The Butler
One of the shining stars on Potts Point’s foodie scene, The Butler is the ultimate place to settle for the afternoon with your best mates. With high ceilings, original sandstone walls and indoor plants of every type and texture, the piece de resistance is its lush terrace, which offers a panoramic view of the Sydney skyline. The menu is small and large share plates your group can work through, and the cocktail list is impressive.
Our advice? Opt for a late lunch so you can watch the sun go down and snap some glowing golden-hour selfies with the girls while you’re at it.
123 Victoria Street, Potts Point
Lilymu
With a menu by Brendan Fong (Mr Wong) and a generous banquet option, it’s no surprise that Lilymu is fast becoming the go-to spot for special event group catch-ups in Parramatta.
The menu is designed to highlight the dynamic flavours of Chinese and Southeast Asian cuisines, and their popular banquet menu features kingfish ceviche, gyoza, banana leaf roasted barramundi, and curry. Be sure to check out their bottomless weekend menu too, which gives you 90 minutes of prosecco, rosé and Asahi Soukai, paired with share plates for the table.
153 Macquarie Street, Parramatta Square, Parramatta
Chiswick
Sydney’s most beautiful garden restaurant is a magnet for ladies’ lunches and family celebrations. Honestly, it’s hard to think of a better place to spend a sunny afternoon. Looks aside, the food is incredible.
Groups of four or more dine on the Chiswick’s Collective Group Menu ($99 per person), including seasonal plates and the signature slow-cooked lamb from Matt Moran’s family farm.
65 Ocean Street, Woollahra
Discover more of our favourite restaurants for set menus here.
Best Group Dining Venues in Sydney: Laidback
Hugos Manly
A Manly institution, a long lunch with your besties at Hugos is a guaranteed good time. Situated smack bang on the wharf and overlooking the harbour side of town, you can watch the sunset as you sip your margarita and tuck into your pizza.
The overwater deck is perfect for sunny long lunches, or a happy hour as the sun goes down. The menu is brimming with fresh Italian cuisine (think Sydney rock oysters, burrata and king prawns) that’s perfect for sharing.
Manly Wharf, 1 East Esplanade
Queen Chow
Queen Chow in Enmore is the perfect place to hit up for Sunday brunch (especially if you and your friends had a big one the night before). Nothing beats yum cha on the weekend and dumpling king Eric Koh serves Cantonese classics like scallop, prawn and wild mushroom dumplings, crystal pumpkin, lobster and asparagus. Chow down as many as you can, but be sure to leave room for the dim sum platter and duck spring rolls.
2/167 Enmore Road, Enmore
FAQs
It depends on the vibe you’re after. For a laidback celebration, NOMAD in Surry Hills can accommodate up to 24 guests in their private dining room. For something more special occasion, Bennelong at the Opera House is hard to top. If you want a fun, buzzy atmosphere with a set banquet menu, Chin Chin in Surry Hills is a crowd-pleaser.
Several venues on this list offer private dining rooms, including Il Baretto in Paddington (10–20 guests), Mama Mulan in Chatswood (4–25 guests across three rooms), NOMAD in Surry Hills (up to 24 guests), Folly’s Bar & Bistro in Cammeray, and the Harbord Hotel Dining Room in Freshwater.
Mille Vini on Crown Street in Surry Hills offers a five-course Italian feast at $110 per person, making it excellent value for groups. Chiswick in Woollahra has a Collective Group Menu for parties of four or more, and Homer Rogue Taverna in Cronulla offers two generous share-plate set menus with a Greek focus.
For a truly memorable meal, Mimi’s in Coogee is a stunning choice, with ocean views and an elegant seafood-led menu. Bennelong at the Sydney Opera House is equally impressive for milestone celebrations. If you’d prefer something intimate and Italian, Il Baretto in Paddington has a warm, unpretentious charm that’s perfect for birthdays and anniversaries.
Absolutely. Chiswick in Woollahra is a gorgeous option for sunny afternoon lunches, Hugos on Manly Wharf is a Manly institution with harbour views, and Lilymu in Parramatta is fast becoming a go-to for special occasions in the west, with a generous banquet menu and a bottomless weekend option.
For popular venues like Bennelong, Mimi’s or Chin Chin, booking at least two to four weeks in advance is advisable, particularly for weekends and public holidays. Private dining rooms tend to fill up quickly around the festive season, so for end-of-year events, booking a couple of months ahead is recommended.
Finished feasting with your besties at the best group dining venues in Sydney and want some dessert? Check out our edit of Sydney’s best ice cream and gelato joints. Or maybe you’re on the hunt for the best after-work happy hours in Sydney — we’ve got you covered!
