Five star dining

Fast facts

• Sydney is one of the hottest cities for gourmet globe-trotters.
• Sydney is home to Tetsuya's, Quay and Marque, all listed in the 2010 San Pellegrino World's Best 50 Restaurants awards. 

Why eat here

While it has its share of classical and contemporary fine-diners that wouldn't be out of place in London or New York, the best Sydney dining has a flavour and a flair all its own.

It's a style characterised by a global outlook, but a very local taste for bright, airy and design-conscious spaces, casual-yet-switched-on service and food that puts a premium on freshness and a focus on the true flavours of the produce at hand.

The stars of dining

• Dine on Sydney Harbour at Aria, Quay, Guillaume at Bennelong, or any of the dozens of other top-flight restaurants, where the food really lives up to the view.
• Take a padded seat and enjoy a symphony of delicate courses at one of the city's elegant dining rooms such as Claude's in Paddington, est. in the city and Bilson's at the Raddison Plaza Hotel, Marque in Surry Hills, Becasse in the city.

Don't miss

• Tetsuya Wakuda's seamless integration of Japan, France and the produce of Australia at Tetsuya's.
• Neil Perry's Rockpool Bar + Grill, home to dazzling feats of culinary prowess on the cutting edge of modern Australian food. Or Spice Temple with all the sensuous flavours of modern Chinese cooking. 
• Sean Connolly's fine modern European cuisine is served with flair at Astral while 300 old and new wines will help you enjoy the Spanish flavours at Sean's Kitchen in Star City Casino.
• Authentic, flavoursome and simply delicious Italian fare at Otto Ristorante, in a prime waterside location on Woolloomooloo Wharf.
• The Mediterranean flavours and fabulous ocean setting of Icebergs Dining Room and Bar overlooking Bondi Beach.
• The aromatic flavours of Thailand served in the elegantly cool Longrain in Surry Hills. 
• The stunning riverside bush setting and modern Australian food of Dietmar Sawyere at Berowra Waters Inn, just north of Sydney.