Gone are the days when a meal at a shopping centre was something to avoid. Now they’re becoming hotspots for great dining and, with its newly revamped fresh food and dining offering, Chatswood Chase is a fine example. With over 30 dining spots and fresh food retailers – including favourites like Tong Li Supermarket for Asian groceries and Vic’s Meat for premium butchery – the newly revamped hub brings a mix of local and international flavours to Sydney’s North Shore.
Whether you’re picking up fresh ingredients in the morning, grabbing a delicious lunch, or looking for something special for dinner, Chatswood Chase has you covered from morning til night. Here are a few of the standout places worth a visit at any time of day.
Day
Yangga Korean Deli
Grab-and-go meals are made fresh daily at Yangga, including options like kimbap – hand-rolled behind the counter by the staff – along with handmade mandu, bibimbap, japchae, and soft and chewy tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes). While there, head to the open fridge packed with an impressive variety of house-made banchan, because no Korean meal is complete without these flavour-packed side dishes. You‘ll find kimchi, radish salad, and other delicacies like raw marinated crab and fermented squid. Before you leave, be sure to pick up pre-made meals to take home, such as a hearty beef short rib soup or braised chicken.
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SIGN UPDragon Pastry
Move over, French patisseries. New dessert store Dragon Pastry meticulously crafts fresh, sweet and savoury Chinese pastries that are so dainty, they’re almost too beautiful to eat. Choose from pastry options that look like miniature pineapples, bunches of grapes flavoured with milk and raisins, or a peach blossom filled with sweet red dates. Other desserts on offer include the store’s refreshing, fermented, green-grape mochi tofu pudding and a selection of bingsu (shaved ice).
Sandotichi
Sandoitchi was among the first shops in Sydney serving katsu sandos – six years later, the Japanese sandwiches are still a hit. Now with a second location in Chatswood, you can get the signature sando stacked with pickled carrots, cabbage, cucumber, American cheese, tonkatsu-flavoured mayo, and umami-rich kombu butter. Other fan favourites include the rich eggplant sando with yuzu-miso ranch and the prawn and sweet corn combo. Besides things between bread, Sandoitchi also serves a small selection of salad bowls, alongside housemade juices, smoothies, sodas, Single O coffee and matcha-based drinks.
Night
Al Aseel
Already a Sydney favourite, Lebanese restaurant group Al Aseel has finally come north-side. This means you won’t need to trek over the bridge for the restaurant’s signature garlic toum and smoky baba ganoush, or its skewer medley of juicy lamb kebabs, barbecue chicken and herb-infused kofta. The menu also features Sydney-inspired dishes like oven-baked Spring Creek barramundi with spicy pine nut rice and 12-hour slow-cooked lamb shoulder with roasted root vegetables. Can’t decide? Go for the full banquet experience, before finishing with a robust Lebanese coffee spiced with cardamom.
Abb Air
Ready to move on from pad thai and papaya salad? Then head over to Abb Air to try lesser-known Thai dishes such as the signature raadt naah, featuring beef and Chinese broccoli with gravy on a bed of crispy egg noodles; or yen ta fo, a glass noodle soup that’s slightly sweet, sour, salty and spicy. There’s also kradong, a typical lunchbox-style meal with three meats (such as beef jerky, grilled chicken thighs and sweet preserved pork), sticky rice and homemade Thai chilli paste. Of course, some classics are worth preserving – no Thai meal is complete without mango sticky rice for dessert.
Dopa Donburi and Milk Bar
Dopa takes pride in serving classic Japanese comfort food with finesse. This fast-casual, all-day eatery has been nourishing Sydneysiders since 2019 with its variety of donburi (rice bowls). The karaage chicken, crispy pork katsu, and tender unagi don are standout favourites, all crafted from regionally sourced, sustainable ingredients. For dessert, choose from beautifully presented options like the strawberry parfait and a selection of kakigori (shaved ice) that’s perfect for warmer weather.
This article is produced by Broadsheet in partnership with Chatswood Chase.