sydney CBD

Brasserie 1930

Restaurant

Inside Sydney's Capella hotel, the team behind Bentley and Monopole are turning out modern Australian takes on classic brasserie dishes. There's an encyclopaedic wine list to match, which accesses all the rare drops stashed in the Bentley Group cellars.

Kitchen by Mike

Restaurant

Mike McEnearney trades out No.1 Bent Street with his all-day canteen where you’re encouraged to bring in your own Tupperware.

The Charles Grand Brasserie & Bar

Restaurant

Under soaring ceilings in an art deco building, The Charles evokes Europe’s grand brasseries with plenty of thoughtful touches – including a roaming dessert trolley, and tableside saucing and carving. Order the whole dry-aged duck for a show-stopping signature.

Slim’s Quality Burger Sydney

Restaurant

Serving up burgers under $10 and freshly churned thickshakes, this burger joint’s neon signs and sky-blue tiles are a vibrant ode to ’50s American diners.

Kiln

Restaurant

Helmed by genre-bending Sydney chef Mitch Orr, the Ace Hotel’s eighteenth-floor diner is all about native ingredients, fire-based cooking and flavours from across the globe. The space exudes the Ace’s signature cool, with a view that’s primed for the adventurous wine list by P&V’s Mike Bennie.

Cafe Sydney

Restaurant

A ritzy institution on the Customs House rooftop. An appropriate focus on seafood works a treat, given the jaw-dropping views of Sydney Harbour. Book ahead for the window seats.

Kahii

Cafe

A Japanese-inspired cafe with a menu that changes from week to week.

Industry Beans York Street

Cafe

One of Melbourne’s most celebrated coffee roasters' first Sydney outpost is in the CBD.

Picco Leo

Cafe

At this offshoot of CBD diner Restaurant Leo, it's all about pastries by day and aperitivi by night. Head into the laneway for innovative cocktails paired with oysters, anchovy-and-sage scrolls and parmesan custard.

Banksia Bakehouse

Cafe

A one-stop shop for celebration cakes, savoury lunch-time pastries and croissants made with a recipe that took 15 months to perfect. From the street, you can watch the team prepare all of the above inside the glass-encased kitchen.

Aqua S

Cafe

Come to this over-the-top ice creamery if you're into inventive flavours. Just take the bestselling flavour: blue sea salt ice-cream. Toppings include popping candy, flame-toasted marshmallow, caramel popcorn and fairy floss.

Joe Black X

Cafe

Hidden behind the heritage-listed Louis Vuitton building, this tiny espresso bar has no seats – just good coffee, pastries and ready-made paninis for a quick getaway.

Papa Gede's

Bar

Named after the voodoo spirit of lust and laughter, Papa Gede’s is the kind of bar where the energy is always high and your flaming tiki drink is still burning when it arrives at your table. Live DJs and soul bands are on regular rotation here.

Employees Only

Bar

Like visiting the Guggenheim, sipping a cocktail at Employees Only in the West Village is a quintessential New York experience. This is the plush Sydney outpost for that same bar – with the same impeccable service, late-night food menu, and yes, even a resident psychic who’ll tell you your fortune.

Mary’s Underground

Bar

The Mary's crew snagged the old Basement space in Circular Quay and continued its legacy as an inner-city hub for live music. They've also thrown in a burger joint with the Mary's signatures: 'burgs, fried chicken and natural vino.

The Doss House

Bar

A whisky bar in a former opium den/bootmaker’s workshop/doss house.

Apollonia

Bar

Francis Ford Coppola's landmark film *The Godfather* is the inspiration behind Apollonia, a dramatic basement bar beneath Hinchcliff House. A visit here involves Sicilian-style bar snacks, inventive house cocktails and a signature Negroni on tap.

Sky Bar

Bar

This luxe rooftop bar and open-air terrace is the cherry atop Shell House, combining sophisticated drinks and Mediterranean snacks with a statement-making design. Think *Mad Men*-era opulence combined with a 1930s Milanese speakeasy feel.

Wholegreen Bakery

Shop

Founded by a qualified nutritionist, Wholegreen has amassed a cult following in Sydney and overseas for its coeliac-friendly bread, pastries and pies. If you’re looking for the gold standard in gluten-free baking, look no further.

Fabbrica

Shop

A deli, wine store and by-the-gram pasta shop from the Love Tilly Group. You can also take a seat inside for a quick aperitif and sandwich.

Zini Contemporary Gelateria

Shop

A sleek gelateria and espresso bar that loves to push the envelope with its flavours. While pesto doesn't instantly come to mind when you think of gelato, a scoop of the signature blue vanilla is a must. It's traditionally flavoured but – coloured blue with butterfly pea flowers.

July Sydney

Shop

Chic, hyperfunctional luggage and accessories in eye-catching colours are what you get at this minimalist store from the popular online brand.

Books Kinokuniya

Shop

Sydney’s art-lovers, design geeks, illustrators and photography buffs practically live in Books Kinokuniya. Its range of niche titles is unparalleled – and that’s not to mention the incredible manga and comic book selection. As far as Sydney’s best book shops go, this one is vying for best-in-show.

Mecca Cosmetica The Strand

Shop

The Mecca Cosmetica flagship store is a personalised oasis.