Restuarants in Sydney
 

I've looked at all the Sydney restaurant suggestions in that section of Fodors online but can't really tell enough about them to make a decision. If there was one place you would choose to have dinner at in Sydney, where would it be? I would like to go somewhere with a good view, and one that will not cost more than approx $100.00 (US) total (for two people). I'm hoping to make reservations (if accepted) before I depart...Any suggestions? Thanks so much! :)

I would suggest Rockpool - it has a splendid view and wonderful Australian cuisine....You shouldn't pay more than 100 dollars for two...

I was not impressed with Rockpool. Menu was too limited for me. We ate at Prime (steakhouse) which was very good. Also the chef at the Observatory resturant is VERY good. (He cooked us a private dinner one night for us) have a great trip.

xxx & Mark,<BR><BR>Thanks for your responses...Mark - where is Prime located? I LOVE steak and that sounds great to me - just wondering if it has a nice view as well? How much would you estimate dinner for two might be? (US)?<BR><BR>As far as Rockpool goes, is is a thing where you pay for the view/atmosphere rather than the food?<BR><BR>Thanks!

Hi Darin,<BR><BR>For views and not bad food you cannot go past the Sydney Tower Al-a-carte restaurant ( not the all you can eat buffet restaurant ). You will easily be under the $100.00US for two people.<BR><BR>I have eaten there many times and have always enjoyed the food and the views are amazing. It is a rotating restaurant so your views are constantly changing.<BR><BR>Cheers<BR><BR>Paul

Our big surprise was having dinner on the Matilda catarmaran. We went out in the early evening for a beautiful sail and the food was pretty good - and the price was too. We thoroughly enjoyed our Matilda sail and dinner.

For $100US you can eat anywhere you like - here a couple of choices.<BR><BR>41 on the 42nd floor of the Chifely building in the financial district. This restaurant rotates so you can see the bridge the opera house and a lot of other Syndney sites.<BR>The other place is the restaurant in the Opera House.<BR>Happy Eating<BR><BR>Lvl 41,2 Chifley Sq<BR>Sydney, NSW 2000 <BR> Phone: (02) 9221-2500 <BR>

err..am i going nuts, but when i ate at the Rockpool there was no view. It is on George Street in the Rocks, but as far as i can rememeber you cant see teh harbour...maybe i am mistaken...<BR><BR>anyway...i would suggest Quay for amazing food and cuisine.

You cant go past BAMBU on the northern side of Circular Quay (just before the start of the Rocks area).<BR>Simply beautiful food and a great location!

-Level 41 has great views and food. Should be able to eat for $100<BR>-A great favourite is The Bathers Pavilion at Balmoral Beach. Great food. It is located in the old bathing pavilion (hence the name) right on the beach. Balmoral is on the Harbour. You can get there by bus, taxi or a great alternative is water taxi.<BR>Enjoy

Hi,Phil again<BR>I nearly forgot. Mezzaluna at Potts Point (near Kings Cross) has great food and an amazing view back towards the city. Breathtaking views! Italian-Australian cuisine.

Thanks guys! You have all given wonderful suggestions! I was just wondering what kind of food "Bambu" is and what the view at "Mezzaluna" consists of? (Sorry Phil, but i have no sense of location/direction in Sydney as 've never been there and am having a really hard time finding an online map of the city....). And of course finally, for those of you who suggested 41, what type of food should we expect and how formal should we dress? Should I wear a suit and tie - my wife a dress etc? Thanks again for all of your help/suggestions!

Darin,<BR><BR>Prime is located in the Westin Hotel in the basement (or at least the ground floor) there are no windows/views, but it can be very romantic with the high booths. The bar is excellent as well. We also ate at Bel Mondo in the Rocks area (Argyle Stores) Beautiful Terrace overlooking the back of the Bridge and the observatory gardens. Good Italian food. Best of Luck

LVL 41 is neuveau Austrilian food. I like to call it California cuisine with Australian and Asian foods. The dress is nice casual to suits. I didn't bring a suit or jacket and I was fine wearing nice khakis and a nice silk short sleve shirt. my wife dressed in a nice casual dress that one would wear to a nice sunday brunch. I thought the food and service were excellent and wish that I had found the place before my last night there.

oztravel,<BR><BR>thanks for the dress code and additional info on 41!! it sounds like everyone has great things to say about it! has anyone been to aria or aqua luna? wondering if the atmosphere/food beats out 41 or any of the other aforementioned restaurants....

Hi - just saw your post sand had to add!!<BR>We ate at many really good restaurants while in Sydney. And actually we never had a bad meal while there (that says a lot, doesn't it)<BR>But of all, our favorite was an Italian restaurant up by Goldbourn and Elizabeth Sts (near Hyde Park) and it was called Mazzaros. The food, service and the price were all magnificient! I had scampi that was the size of a small lobster and the caffe latte was great. hope you get there!!

Thanks everyone for your ideas! Nikki, can you tell me a little bit more about the location of Mazzaro's? We love Italian food - but I'm having a hard time finding the exact location/address/phone number - is it a small place - any view? Sounds fantastic! :) -We have already decided to eat on one of our nights at "41" due to all the rave reviews here...now for the other couple of meals!!! Hope you all have an excellent weekend!

Hi Darin<BR>Mazzaro's, if I remember correctly. We were staying at the Southern Cross at the corner of Goldbourn and Elizabeth Sts. The street that ran up alongside of the hotel is where the restaurant was located and we walked across the street in front of the hotel and then up a slight hill for 1 1/2 blocks. The restaurant (Mazzaro's) was on the left. Max LOVES Clams in a red sauce over linguine and it was scrumptous. Sorry no view. We had that when we took the catamaran dinner cruise on the Matilda from Circular Quay. Food on that was tasty - not like I'd expect on a cruise on the Potomac or Chesapeake Bay here. We also ate at a restaurant on the quay near the Opera House and Quay Grand - that was good and had a view. Darin - we honestly had such a marvelous time in Sydney that we could go back tomorrow!! The first four days we stayed at the Quay West looking down at the Opera House and the Harbor bridge and then we we returned to Sydney we stayed 3 days at Southern Cross. We went to a performance at the Opera House and had lunch there. Go and have a ball and try Mazzaro's. Tell us all about it when you return - we'll be looking forward to it.... By the way - most everything is casual dress.

Nikki,<BR><BR>Thanks so much for the info - we can't wait to experience Sydney! So, here's another question for you (or anyone reading this!) - I've heard a lot about Doyle's - at Watson's Bay....apparently, one must take a ferry there....Can anyone tell me where you catch the ferry, how long it take's to get there and is it worth the trip?!?! Thanks again for all your help! :)

Hi Darin<BR><BR>We didn't go to Watson's Bay - instead we took the ferry out to Manly Beach. You can catch the ferry at Circular Quay (for certain) and probably at Darling Harbor. We used Circular Quay as we were staying in that area. The ferries are great to travel on - you get from one point to another quickly and the price is very inexpensive. There was a restaurant at the Manly harbor and the food there was also good (I doubt if you'd be disappointed anywhere) Again, we met really nice people on the ferries. We are definitely going back to that very nice country with a lot of new citizens. (Kind of like the states used to be)

We went to Doyle's on Watsons bay. There are actually two of them there. One right on the dock and the other on the beach. same food, different viewing angles of the Sydney skyline. Although I enjoyed the experience it's kind of overrated and more expensive then your typical aussie restaurant. we took a harbor cruise where you can stop at several locations - there are two main companies Matilda and Captain Cook that do these cruises but there are numerous water taxis and other companies that can get you there from just about anywhere. we went from circular quay. depending on the boat it can take 15-30 minutes. the view is nice but there is nothing else to do there but wait for your ferry to take you back. there's not even shopping! if it wasn't for the harbor cruise stopping there i wouldn't recommend the experience. the outdoor restaurants at circular quay are much better quality and less expensive.

Hi again Darin<BR><BR>Maybe it was good luck that I wound up going to Manly instead of Watsons Bay. We had a good time at Manly - the town has a boardwalk effect to it - lots of little shops up and down. We enjoyed popping in and out of different ones. We spent a couple hours there went back to the harbor and ate lunch there (a nice outdoor cafe with umbrellas and they mixed a great voda/tonic) Then we hopped the ferry to go back to Circular Quay. We've also eaten at one of the outdoor restaurants at Circular quay that is on the right as you walk out to the Opera House. I hope your trip is coming soon - you both will enjoy it immensely.

If you like Italian I highly recommend Beppi's. We went Monday night after catching a play at the Opera House. No view, but if you reserve a table in "the cellar" portion of the restaurant you won't be disappointed - it really is just that, a wine cellar, with amazing ambiance. VERY romantic! If you want to dress up you can, but it can be pretty casual, too.<BR><BR>It's on the corner of Yurong and Stanley Street, in East Sydney. Phone (02) 9360 4558 or book online at www.beppis.com.au (No, I don't work there, honest! Just loved it!).

FYI Beppi's is one of Sydneys very best restaurants and has outlived countless competitors - it is very highly thought of by the local community & therefore does not have to advertise - and has won many awards over a long period of time. They have just celebrated somthing like 20 years of continual service.

Just wanted to say Watsons Bay IS worth the trip. Yes, Doyles might be a bit over rated, so do what the locals do and get your fish and chips from the take away shop (you can't miss it - just on the roundabout) and picnic on the grass. Or sit in the beer garden of the Watsons Bay Hotel, right next door to Doyles. Can't get much more local than that - it's always packed on summer weekends. Make sure to walk up the hill (not far, just a few minutes) to the top of South Head for a spectaular view of the harbour and the ocean. There's walkways, go as far as you like, and you can wind your way to the lighthouse. If you don't want to wait for a ferry, hop on a bus which will take you all the way back into the city. Sit on the right hand side of the bus for more amazing views of the eastern suburbs bays, and see where the locals live.

Hi everyone,<BR><BR>just wanted to thank you all for your continuous suggestions and comments. kate, i'm glad you wrote in about watson's bay/doyle's as i had sort of reserved to not go from some of the previous postings....but perhaps i was too hasty to scratch it off the list?!?! who prefer's manly bay over watson's? i think we'll only have time for one or the other..... - also, i'm very interested in beppi's now from all the raves! ;) oh, and does anyone have any specifics on what kind of food we should expect or not pass up at "41"? hope you all have a great weekend! :)

Further to my earlier post with regard to Beppis - I would certainly aim to eat there at some stage of your trip. There won't be a view - but there will be superb food served with professionism - great atmosphere and you will be surrounded by Sydney locals rather than fellow tourists!