Kings cross
Bootleg Bar and Italian Food
Good simple Italian food in cosy but trendy surrounds. Eat or just enjoy a drink or two at the bar.
Aperitif
Hidden away in a leafy corner of Kings Cross. With the kitchen open until 2AM most nights of the week, this is one of the few options in Sydney for a late night meal that doesn't involve standing and looking up while ordering. Spanish menu featuring tapas and other plates best for sharing.
Doma Bohemian Beer Cafe
(http://www.unasdoma.com.au), 29 orwell st potts point. bookings â +61 2 9331 0022. open 7 days m-s noon-midnight, sun, noon-10pm. their bohemian platter has large portions of central european cuisine. selection of european beers.
Haradokei - Brown Rice Organic Cafe
58a bayswater rd, rushcutters bay, â +61 2 9360 2342. open 6 days mon-fri 12pm-8:30pm, sat 12pm-9:30pm, sun closed. home style japanese cooking using organic ingredients. the restaurant is small and intimate, with a range of western and japanese journals to read while you wait. they offer the choice of brown gen-mai çç±³ or white rice.
Jimmy Liks
Modern Thai food and cocktails. They only accept bookings between 6PM-7PM and the communal tables can fill up fairly quickly after this, especially on weekends.
Lotus Bar and Bistro
Restaurant and cocktail bar located just off Macleay St towards the quieter end of Potts Point. The food is modern Australian style with a slight Asian influence.
Darlinghurst & east sydney
Bar Reggio
Popular East Sydney pizza and pasta restaurant from early evening until late at night. Can be very noisy, but lots of fun for larger groups.
The Bunker
Tiny cafe in the middle of Darlinghurst, coffee, snacks, breakfast and lunch.
Thada Thai Cuisine
Thai food that's always fresh, good and quick. Takeaway or eat in the casual and bustling restaurant. One of several Thai places in the immediate vicinity.
Bill and Toni's
One of the original restaurants of Little Italy on Stanley St. Pastas, but the schnitzel with cheese is a highlight. Have your post-prandial coffee and gelato or cake in the San Siro coffee lounge downstairs.
A Tavola
Italian pasta restaurant. Patrons sit at a huge communal table which dominates the room. Good food and service.
Tastevin
French-style bistro and wine bar. Selection of Australian and French wines.
Tigerbakers Cafe
Relaxed and welcoming. The walls and tables feature the work of local artists and are constantly changing.
Tropicana Caffe
A Sydney institution, with Ferrari-driving Eastern suburbs socialites rubbing shoulders with taxi drivers. Breakfasts, foccacias, salads, pastas, main dishes, cakes and coffee. The Tropfest short film festival started in this cafe in 1993. Decide what you want from the menu board first, spot a free table and tell the cashier your table number when you order and pay.
Surry hills
Toko Restaurant & Bar
A good local sushi restaurant. The dishes are light and tasty, but not particularly large. Beautifully fitted-out interior. They don't accept dinner bookings so arrive early or be prepared to spend up to 1 hr at the bar on busy nights.
Bills
Cafe renowned for its scrambled eggs, sweet corn fritters and ricotta hotcakes. A Sydney favourite when it comes to brunches. Also has branches in Darlinghurst 433 Liverpool St and Woollahra Queens Court, 118 Queen St
Bird Cow Fish
Modern Australian food in a bistro setting. The chef here is very creative.
Billy Kwong
The signature restaurant from TV chef Kylie Kwong, this is definitely a cut above most other Chinese restaurants. Produce is seasonal and mostly organic. No bookings, so get there at 5:45PM to line up or leave your mobile number and have a drink or two at the Dolphin hotel across the road.
There are a huge number of restaurants on Crown St between Oxford and Cleveland Sts and down some of the side/parallel streets like Foveaux St and Bourke St. Quality tends to be pretty good as rents are high and bad/unpopular places tend to close down quickly.
There are also a number cheap but tasty South Indian restaurants on Cleveland St between Bourke and Crown Sts.
Maya Sweet House
Delicious and cheap South Indian vegetarian restaurant that specialises in thalis, dosas, idlis and other treats. Also has a good range of Indian sweets such as gulab jamun and a range of burfis. There is a tandoori ie. non-vegetarian restaurant upstairs.
Woolloomooloo
The finger wharf at Woolloomooloo is home to some of the most exclusive and pricey restaurants in the district. Lunch on the wharf is a favourite of Sydney's high-flying banking and business types, as well as the occassional media or sporting celebrity. Beautiful views of the Sydney skyline and Woolloomooloo Bay.
Harry's Cafe de Wheels
A piece of Sydney history, right on the water at Woolloomooloo. Stand up against the van, and grab a pie, peas and mash. There are another couple of franchises open now, in Capitol Square and at the airport. Ignore them, this is the original, and it isn't about the pies. Open early, and late.
Oxford street & paddington
Perry Lane CafeArtStudio
20m from Oxford St. Suitable for a group lunch. 3 level courtyard cafe with wifi available. The ArtStudio hangings are rotated fortnightly. Largely caters for vegetarians.
It's also worth having a wander to the 'Paddo' Five Ways which is north of Oxford St in central Paddington. It's a loosely Parisian inspired collection of cafes and restaurants nestled among five corners which meet at one roundabout. Coffee at Heeley's is highly recommended.