City Centre

Food Courts

All through the sydney cbd there are food halls where the city workers flock to get lunch. a sit down lunch at these food courts will cost between $5 and $15, and there is competition for business. there are many, but to whet your appetite, try one of the following: westfield in pitt st mall, also open weekends and thursday nights. under the gateway building or the amp building at circular quay alfred st, corner of loftus australia square the tall but round building at wynyard george st, at the corner of bond under the westpac building in wynyard between kent st and sussex st, by margaret, courtyard with a nice aspect. in the metcentre at wynyard george st, near the corner of margaret. hunter arcade specialises in se asian food. delicious thai for $6. hunter st, or go down the steps at wynyard station and continue on. opens mon-fri 11am-3pm only. prices reduces to around $5 after 2pm. mlc centre in martin place, corner of castlereagh.

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Australia Square the tall but round building at Wynyard George St, at the corner of Bond

Westfield in Pitt St Mall, also open weekends and Thursday nights.

Under the Gateway Building or the AMP building at Circular Quay Alfred St, corner of Loftus

Japanese food in an elegant but unpretentious restaurant, using the freshest ingredients. The menu revolves around kushiyaki, grilled food on skewers, and they also serve sushi and sashimi, wagyu beef etc. You can order a-la-carte, or choose one of two set menus for a taste of everything.

Ash St Cellar is a recently-opened Melbourne-style laneway bar just behind the Ivy complex. The food is Sydney style tapas influenced share plates, the wine and beer list is good and the atmosphere is great. No bookings and not open on weekends.

BBQ City

If you can't find Madang, and you're in the mood for Korean, there's always the Sydney institution, BBQ city, a big brightly-lit upstairs restaurant, with Korean pop stars dancing incessantly on tv screens around the room. It's quick, cheap, delicious, and open late.

A restaurant/wine bar open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The food is Italian-influenced but definitely 'Modern Australian'. Has a very interesting wine list with many available by the glass.

Sydney Madang

Tasty Korean barbeque, and inexpensive.

Nazimi

Authentic Japanese food, with different options on the menu to a lot of places. Customers are packed in, but the service is very friendly.

Famous Sydney pizza and pasta joint very conveniently located just next to Circular Quay. The owners used to own a very famous pizza restaurant on Oxford St in Paddington but have relocated here. Pizzas are not traditional Italian but very good nonetheless. Main courses $20-32, pizzas $24-32.

This is an outdoor vegetarian yum cha restaurant located just down the stairs from St Mary’s Cathedral over looking Cook and Phillip Park. It is a vegan restaurant and has a wide range of enticing and tasteful healthy yum cha options all vegan. Fantastic on a sunny day. Open on weekends too. Kids can run around safely in the park while you linger over coffee.

Makoto Sushi Bar

Decent sushi bar, higher quality than your standard sushi train. Makoto offers sushi, sashimi, along with a range of small cooked dishes. Open 7 days, with dinner starting from 6PM.

Part of the Neil Perry empire which also includes Rockpool at the Rocks, Spice Temple underneath the Bar and Grill and a bar and grill in Melbourne, this restaurant serves superb modern Australian cuisine in a spectacular art deco setting that reputedly cost $30 million+ to fit out. As you might expect, the steaks are the highlight but the wine list is also one of the best in Australia. For a more budget option, you can eat at the bar no reservations where the $22 wagyu beef burger is about as close to a bargain as you will get for food of this quality.

Cafe Sydney

Tucked away atop the Customs House right next to Circular Quay, Cafe Sydney sneaks under the radar of most casual visitors, but the outdoor seating here has some of the best Sydney Harbour views around and draws plenty of locals as well. The pricy but well-crafted food is Mod Oz, try the Bay Bug salad or the tarragon gnocchi and expect to pay around $100/head for a full meal. There's also a bar area with complicated cocktails but no views. Reserve several weeks in advance, especially on weekends.

The chef at Est, Peter Doyle, has had a 30-year stint as one of the top chefs in Australia. French-influenced modern Australian cuisine with an emphasis on using the best seasonal produce.

Summit Restaurant

Level 47, australia square, 264 george st., ☎+61 2 9247 9777, fax +61 2 9251 2539 (http://www.summitrestaura...). this revolving restaurant has excellent views of the city from the harbor to south sydney and completes a rotation every two hours. if you want to take a look at the view, but don't feel like paying for a meal, you can just go to the bar for a drink, and come back down again. drinks are pricey too, though.

Tetsuya's, which serves fusion Japanese and French style food, is one of Sydney's most famous and highly regarded restaurants, generally named in the top three year after year. You should be able to get a weeknight booking excluding Fridays three or four weeks in advance, for weekends you may need to book a month or more in advance.