Olympus

With Olympus, owner Jonathan Barthelmess (The Apollo, Cho Cho San) wanted to recreate an Athenian taverna in the mountains, where you could visit five times a week and still get something different. To that end, his lavish diner at Redfern’s Wunderlich Lane precinct serves more than 40 dishes (around half of them share-style meze) and three set menus at different price points.

For your first visit here, Barthelmess recommends a set menu, where you’ll find classics such as taramasalata, chicken souvlaki and spanakopita. That’ll give you the lay of the land, so you can confidently go off-road on your next visit. Will you go for the milk-fed lamb with a rice pilafi and some seasonal vegetables? Get a large woodfired whole trout for the table and back it up with sides? Olympus gives you seemingly endless possibilities.

The Ouzo Colada and watermelon slushie are the stars of the cocktail menu, designed by renowned bartender Matt Whiley (Re, Little Cooler). There’s also a fun, extensive wine list that’s about one-third Greek, with the remainder devoted to wider Europe and Australia.

Olympus serves dishes and drinks that beg to be eaten outside – that’s where the retractable glass “oculus” ceiling steps in, which opens and shuts like an eyelid. So, regardless of what Sydney’s temperamental weather is doing, dining always feels alfresco. That glass roof, combined with modern Hellenic interiors and the beautiful bougainvillea tree that anchors the space, makes for one of the most impressive dining rooms in the city.