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Best Restaurants in Sydney CBD for 2026
From Circular Quay to Surry Hills, the best restaurants in Sydney's CBD and inner city right now.
The best restaurants in Sydney CBD right now include Aalia for Middle Eastern-inspired fine dining, Osteria Luna for theatrical underground Italian, and Grill Americano for Venetian-glamour. Looking for more options? This guide covers the city’s top picks for fine dining, Italian, steak, and the best spots for a long lunch.
Best Fine Dining Restaurants in the Sydney CBD
Aalia
Aalia draws inspiration from the Middle East and North Africa and highlights the best of each region. Start with elevated snacks and mezze before exploring the mains. Do not miss Aalia‘s dessert menu that features the likes of dates covered in caramelised chocolate, rice pudding ice cream and brown butter katifi.
Suburb: CBD
Price Guide: $$$
Cuisine: Middle Eastern
Best For: Date night, Special Occasion, Business lunch, Group dining
Oborozuki
Serene, intimate, old-world and new — you’ll find an amalgamation of fine dining delights at Oborozuk. Details are considered right down to the hot towels that signal the beginning of your meal. The menu, which gently fuses French and Japanese cuisine, subtly explores flavour in a way that won’t slap you in the face but that will leave you delighted at the way each delicate dish unfolds, each of which is impeccably plated and presented with care and respect by the knowledgeable staff. Add in floor-to-ceiling harbour views, and you’ll be hard-pressed to top a night here.
Sitchu Tip: Order a sake, and you’ll get to select a handcrafted class of your choice from a leather trunk that will be yours for the evening.
Suburb: Circular Quay
Price Guide: $$$
Cuisine: Japanese & French
Best For: Special Occasion, Date night, Group dining
Nobu
Nobu Sydney artfully combines Chef Nobuyuki Matsuhisa’s expertise with the local talents of Chef Harold Hurtada. Japanese tradition blends with locally sourced ingredients, offering imaginative dishes and global classics.
Suburb: Barangaroo
Price Guide: $$$
Cuisine: Japanese
Best For: Date night, Special occasion, Long lunch, Weekend plans
Discover more of our favourite fine dining restaurants in Sydney.
Best Italian Restaurants in the CBD
Osteria Luna
Tucked beneath The Charles Brasserie & Bar, Osteria Luna serves elevated Italian classics with a playful theatrical twist, from tableside caprese and Conchiglie al Forno to late-night pasta and a signature Italian meatball burger. By day, enjoy cult-style Muffalettas and frozen limoncello coupes rung in by silver bell, while evenings come alive with velvet-clad waiters, silver tray service and backing tracks of Italo disco and Rat Pack classics.
Suburb: CBD
Price Guide: $$
Cuisine: Italian
Best For: Date night, Wine lovers, Weekend plans
Palazzo Salato
Palazzo Salato is a 120-seat restaurant that serves up an exceptional array of handmade pasta with everything from agnolotti to mafaldine, and matching sauces. The glam dining room and a 500-strong wine list give big luxury vibes — the perfect place to indulge in a delicious bowl of the good stuff.
Suburb: CBD
Price Guide: $$
Cuisine: Italian
Best For: Date night, Solo dining, Long lunch, Wine lovers
Pellegrino 2000
This Surry Hills restaurant is one of the hottest places to be! Mixing things up with fresh new twists on old-school classics, Pellegrino 2000 is led by Daniel Pepperell and Michael Clift, the acclaimed duo behind Clam Bar.
Suburb: Surry Hills
Price Guide: $$
Cuisine: Italian
Best For: Date night, Locals, Weekend plans
Flaminia
Inspired by Italy’s bustling port towns, Flaminia‘s menu leans into seafood crudo, coastal pasta, Sardinian signatures and sun-drenched dolci; all served with that effortless, generous style the Pilu family is known for. The restaurant’s name honours the ship that first carried the Pilu family to Australia, and that sense of travel, connection and tradition runs through everything from the wine list to the gently Mediterranean interiors. Given its envious position, the venue is perfect for a harbour-side spritz or settling in for a long lunch that drifts into the evening.
Suburb: Circular Quay
Price Guide: $$
Cuisine: Italian
Best For: Waterfront, Group dining, Date night
Discover more of our favourite Italian restaurants in Sydney here.
Best Steak Restaurants in the CBD
Bistecca
Set below Sydney’s CBD, Bistecca is renowned for its world-class steak and award-winning wine list. Sourcing their beef from across southern New South Wales, their steak is served in traditional Italian fashion, drizzled in olive oil and well-seasoned with salt and pepper.
Also boasting an impressive cocktail bar with a selection of Negronis, you’ll want to linger.
Suburb: CBD
Price Guide: $$$
Cuisine: Steak house
Best For: Date night, Special occasion, Business lunch
Grill Americano
Grill Americano is a refined celebration of Italian hospitality, showcasing bold flavours and fine Australian produce, with Executive Chef Vincenzo Ursini at the helm.
The menu honours the signature dishes that made Grill Americano a Melbourne icon, while introducing new creations inspired by Sydney’s coastal energy. Expect showstoppers like prawn panzerotto with oscietra caviar, tuna ’nduja and anchovy crostini, Sicilian-style seafood risotto with saffron and chilli,and a raw seafood bar. And, of course, the restaurant’s famed bistecca program, featuring 15 premium cuts including the Bistecca Pepe e Verde Angus Chateaubriand and a 700g New York Cut Striploin of grappa-infused dry-aged Chauvel beef.
Suburb: CBD
Price Guide: $$$
Cuisine: Steak house
Best For: Special occasion, Date night, Group dining
The Gidley
In the heart of Sydney’s CBD, The Gidley is a hidden gem beneath the city’s surface. This American-style steakhouse exudes an intimate and inviting charm. Descend dimly lit stairs into the lounge, fitted with plush seating and cosy corners, where you can enjoy a well-crafted drink that’s garnished and finished right in front of you.
Following a dirty martini or two, you can begin to savour their specialty prime cuts of meat like the mouthwatering Riverine Black Angus ribeye prepared in various styles. If you’re looking to round out your spread, be sure to order their brick chicken and whole trout. The accompaniments are equally impressive and offer a symphony of flavours to complement the star of the menu.
Suburb: CBD
Price Guide: $$$
Cuisine: Steak house
Best For: Special Occasion, Date night, Long lunch
Discover more of our favourite steak restaurants in Sydney here.
Best Restaurants for a Long Lunch in the CBD
Chin Chin
A true interior design marvel, Chin Chin occupies the iconic Griffiths Tea building in Surry Hills, an aged beauty filled with modern charm. This Sydney CBD restaurant believes in relaxed and enjoyable dining. Their menu features a vibrant ensemble of Southeast Asian flavours with a Thai twist. The atmosphere fuses dining, music, and art, with Chin Chin actively shaping the local scene.
Suburb: Surry Hills
Price Guide: $$
Cuisine: South East Asian
Best For: Long lunch, Business lunch, Group dining, Weekend plans
White Horse
White Horse offers up a multitude of spaces, so take your pick from the public bar, garden terrace or restaurant and gear up for warm, neutral tones, reclaimed French oak tables, sling leather seats and textured walls.
The menu is modern Australian with a French twist that absolutely nails the brief. Think creamed warrigal greens, a beetroot mille-feuille with muntries and native thyme and veal tongue French toast. An exceptional curation of beverages completes the scene.
Suburb: Surry Hills
Price Guide: $$
Cuisine: Modern Australian
Best For: Date night, Group dining, Business lunch
Ester
Firmly cementing itself as a foodie institution, Ester is a destination restaurant drawing in diners from all over Sydney. Share plate style, the seasonal menu showcases masterful pairings of local produce. Seafood, meat and salad heavy, the dishes are exotic and full-flavoured while the fit-out is minimal and intimate. Every visit you’re treated to a new menu which means you can dine here time after time and be delighted anew.
Suburb: Chippendale
Price Guide: $$
Cuisine: Modern Australian
Best For: Weekend plans, Long lunch, Date night, Group dining, Wine lovers
Discover more of our favourite restaurants for a long lunch in Sydney.
FAQs
For a memorable night in the heart of the city, Aalia is the standout choice, drawing on Middle Eastern and North African flavours across an elevated mezze and mains menu, finished with a dessert list that includes dates in caramelised chocolate and brown butter katifi. For a more intimate, fine-dining alternative, Oborozuki’s French-Japanese tasting menu and floor-to-ceiling harbour views at Circular Quay make it equally suited to a celebration, particularly with its considered, ceremonial approach to service.
Sydney CBD has a strong run of dedicated steakhouses. Bistecca sources beef from across southern New South Wales and serves it in traditional Italian style, drizzled with olive oil. Grill Americano, the Sydney outpost of a celebrated Melbourne steakhouse, offers a 15-cut bistecca program including dry-aged Chauvel beef. The Gidley rounds out the options with an intimate, American-style steakhouse setting and prime cuts like Riverine Black Angus ribeye.
Osteria Luna stands out for its theatrical, old-school glamour beneath The Charles Brasserie & Bar, serving elevated Italian classics with tableside service. Palazzo Salato is the pick for committed pasta lovers, with handmade pasta varieties paired against a 500-strong wine list. Flaminia, from the Pilu team, brings a harbourside seafood-led Italian menu to Circular Quay for those after a long, relaxed lunch that drifts into evening.
Chin Chin in Surry Hills is a long-standing favourite for relaxed, share-style Southeast Asian dining with a Thai twist, set inside the Griffiths Tea building. White Horse offers a choice of public bar, garden terrace, or restaurant spaces with a modern Australian menu carrying French influence. Both suit a leisurely midday sitting that doesn’t feel rushed.
For waterfront dining with serious wow factor, Oborozuki in Circular Quay pairs its French Japanese tasting menu with floor to ceiling harbour views, making it one of the most atmospheric fine diners in the city. Nearby, Flaminia at Circular Quay leans into its harbourside position with seafood crudo and coastal pasta, ideal for a harbour-lit spritz or a long lunch that drifts into the evening. Both venues are in the CBD’s harbourside pocket rather than the inland laneways, so book ahead, especially for window or harbour-facing tables, as these seats go first on weekends and during peak dinner service.
Have you eaten your way through this edit of Sydney CBD’s best restaurants and still hungry for more? Take a look at our round-up of Sydney’s best dining deals. Once you’re done there, take a look at our comprehensive guide to eating out in Barangaroo.
