Five Fantastic Food and Drink Hot Spots in Sydney

Australia is back in business! Early in 2022, their borders once again opened to international travellers, almost two full years after closing due to the pandemic. Joining us today to kickstart your dream Aussie vacation is Rohan, a Sydney guide and local for 34 years, and an ardent lover of the city’s incredible culinary scene.The Sydney I know and love has been transformed over the last decade to a much livelier foodie destination, thanks to recently completed unique urban renewal projects. The great news is there are even more of these projects currently underway and preparing to open in 2022 and beyond, so the future is looking exciting too!

Old working environments within the City of Sydney, often having been left in a state of dormant disrepair for decades, are being gifted new life via visionary architecture aimed at incorporating inner city residential living within an array of vibrant cafe, restaurant and bar precincts. Here are five fantastic new foodie destinations to explore on your trip to Sydney.

Like the rest of the world, Sydney too has been doing it tough during 2020/21 and as we return to some resemblance of normality, the local governments are promoting a more alfresco environment. A relaxation of rules and regulations are allowing and even encouraging the cafes, restaurants, bars and breweries to make more use of outdoor facilities in attracting clientele to their premises. And why not? With Sydney being blessed with a wonderful climate year-round, a more alfresco dining and drinking culture will definitely thrive!

Five New Foodie Destinations in Sydney

Central Park with its Spice Alley food precinct was once the city’s main large-scale working brewery throughout the 20th century. Sitting amongst a mixture of modern luxurious apartment complexes is an alley-way of old brewery worker’s cottages and warehouses that have been converted into an assortment of Asian eateries with accompanying bars. With its proximity to some of Sydney’s key universities and colleges, students converge on the alley-way daily and mix with the local residents vying for a vast range of foodie delights.Barangaroo was once a working maritime port facility on the fringes of the city’s Darling Harbour region. Today it is a combination of corporate office towers, affluent residential living and a hip district full of lively restaurants and bars servicing both city workers and residents alike. Modernised wharf facilities have allowed Barangaroo to also become a key boarding location for many of the boat cruises plying Sydney Harbour, adding to the high-spirited atmosphere of the area, day and night.Tramsheds, located in the inner-city suburb of Glebe, once housed the city’s working trams. With its unique sawtooth roof still prominent after major renovations, it has allowed natural light to continue to filter into and throughout a complex that today has evolved into a variety of trendy cafes, restaurants and a wonderful gelato bar that tempts local residents and visitors to stay that little bit longer.Circular Quay, the city terminal for Sydney’s much loved ferry services and the home of the Sydney Opera House, is currently undergoing its own urban renewal transformation. Dour office towers are being converted into striking architectural gems combining residential living with a plethora of new food and drink destinations at both street level and up on building rooftops. Transformation of the area will continue throughout 2022 with the Circular Quay precinct preparing itself to up the ante in challenging Barangaroo as the must-go-to foodie destination for city workers and residents.Already transformed from once being the home of railway holding yards and workshops servicing the city’s train engines and carriages, South Everleigh is now an area dedicated to 21st century media outlets and the creative arts industry. Add to that a mix of trendy food eateries and bars popping up within both old and new complexes of South Everleigh, this area is the newest star of Sydney’s inner city foodie scene. Plans have been drawn up to link Central Railway Station at the southern entrance of the city via a ‘green’ corridor to South Everleigh, meaning the area’s future will be even brighter in the years to come.

While all these wonderful new urban renewal projects have helped energise Sydney’s food scene and created amazing new destinations for locals and visitors to experience, thanks must be given to Sydney’s multi-cultural populations for the foundations that have been laid in providing such a variety for food cultures. Our residential suburbs have been enriched with food delicacies from all corners of the world since migration to Australia took off in the middle of the 20th century.

Whether it be the Italians of Five Dock, the Greeks of Marrackville, the Chinese of Chatswood, the Indians of Harris Park, the Portuguese of Petersham, the Middle Eastern influences from Auburn or the Vietnamese of Cabramatta to mention just a few, their influences on the Sydney food scene have been immeasurable and we Sydneysiders (along with our lucky visitors!) have reaped the rewards.

Whatever your passion is - coffee, food, wine or beer or just a fun time - Sydney has so much to offer the visitor, day or night, indoor and outdoor and both simple and sophisticated. There is a real buzz in the air here in our scintillating Sydney, so come and visit us and let me show you where it’s all happening. See you in 2022 and beyond.

Need any more inspiration? Curious about Aussie Rules football, or maybe a day trip to the Blue Mountains or Hunter Valley? Check out all of Rohan’s Sydney tours here: private Sydney Tours.