akclub1

We arrive in Sydney on April 11 for our long awaited family vacation to Australia. We will be spending the first 4 days in Sydney and would love suggestions on restaurants. We are staying at the Old Sydney Holiday Inn and our children are ages 11 and 8. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

crazymina

Do you like Thai food? Sailors Thai is right near your hotel, on George Street. The seating is very communal...long benches, picnic style. Seems like an informal place to eat that would be good with kids.

carolll

Beware: there are TWO Sailor Thais. We didn't see the one previously described but instead ate upstairs. Our meal, while quite delicious, broke the bank! Way overpriced...
Carol L

Decktime63

Arriving sydney on april 12th any good Italian Restaurants especially off the beaten path!

richardab

Arriving april 19th, any good Australian restaurants?

Jane_in_Sydney

IIRC where your hotel is, you are quite near the Italian Village which is a popular restaurant - maybe not wildly exciting but consistently good quality and there are often kids there (unlike many places in the inner city).

I also strongly recommend taking your kids to yum cha in Chinatown - we like the East Ocean, many prefer to huge ones which are Marigold and Kam Fook. You might also like to have a dinner or lunch at BBQ King (also in Chinatown) for delicious Chinese roast duck and pork. A true Sydney institution.

Otherwise, most Thai and Chinese restaurants in Sydney are OK and good places to eat with kids. (With Thai, if your kids can't cope with spicy, tell the waiter!).

I also recommend fish and chips on the beach at either Bondi or Manly for lunch or dinner one day.

There are lots of very upmarket restaurants in the Rocks too - a nice mid-range one is at the MCA, or for real $ try Quay or Rockpool.

Jane_in_Sydney

Go to Norton St, Leichhardt (a suburb in the inner west) for a huge rage of (mostly) authentic Italian places.

Neil_Oz

Richard, you'd have to define an "Australian restaurant". Until about the 1960s "Australian cooking" was British cooking, about the only escape being the ubiquitous Chinese restaurants. At about this time the Italians started to wield increasing influence, followed by successive waves of other ethnic persuasions.

More recently a unique Australian style has emerged, generally called "Mod Oz", a kind of fusion cuisine making use of SE Asian as well as European and sometimes Australian native ingredients and flavours.

I suggest you buy the Sydney Morning Herald's Good Food Guide on arrival - I'm sure there's a Melbourne equivalent (The Age?). You can also search on this forum for previous threads on restaurants.

richardab

Yes I was talking about "Modern Australian". I also like Thai, Chinese, Indian, French Bistro (especialy French Bistro), Italian and good old grub.

OK?

margo_oz

Edna's Table, in Clarence Street. SYdney, for seriously good Australian food - meaning bush-tucker and various Oz critters prepared gourmet style!

Not cheap, though - but very good!

I'm Angus, at Darling Harbour for great, properly cooked, kangaroo! Washed down with a glass of red - where else would you rather be?

alice13

Hi - if you mean just casual dining rather than a gourmet experience then there aren't too many choices around where you are staying. There is a pancake place very close by but never eaten there so no idea about the food, the price, or the vibe.

Many inner city suburbs have an "eat street" - Leichhardt has already been mentioned for Italian. Newtown, Balmain and Darlinghurst are eclectic - and Glebe too. Otherwise - at the top of George Street you'll find Chinatown. You could also go for lunch at the Fish Market in Pyrmont (fairly close to the Powerhouse Museum - bus 501). It's a bit further from the National Maritime Museum and a bit further still from the Aquarium - but a taxi would be cheap.

There is also a (relatively) cheap and cheerful on CQ close to pier 5. And fish & chips at Watson's Bay is a good one.

Sunnyboy

To Decktime63 - I had a fabulous Italian dinner at L'Incontro on Miller Street in North Sydney. It's located in an old mansion, excellent service, great food, terrific ambiance. You can find a write up about the restaurant on the following website - www.bestrestaurants.com.au/

guykb

For a great selection at very affordable prices, head to King Street Newtown, which is basically just a strip of restaurants and ecelctic shops. It's a ten minute bus ride from the CBD. Full of atmosphere.

toni

Just near Darling Harbour is a french bistro/Australian restaurant called The Little Snail. It is kid friendly and not too expensive.