Diners' Choice: Modern Australian restaurants in Sydney

OpenTable

Updated 05 December 2024

Looking for restaurants with the best overall Modern Australian cuisine in Sydney? You’re in the right place. Each month OpenTable analyses more than 400,000 new diner reviews. We sort the results by category to help you discover new favourites. It's a great partnership: you reserve, eat, and review. We listen...and deliver the results for all to benefit. Enjoy!

Bellbird Dining and Bar

4.9

4.9 (110)

$41 to $100

Modern Australian

Casula

About the restaurant

For a unique and secluded dining experience in in the Liverpool area, look no further than Bellbird Dining and Bar, located within the Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre.

With a focus on sustainability, Head Chef Federico Rekowski’s menu focusses on sourcing seasonal ingredients to create dishes that deliver perfect flavour combinations – with a wine list to match, that will make you want to come back time and time again.

Bellbird Dining and Bar's staff are professional and friendly ensuring you can enjoy your lunch, dinner or event safe in the knowledge that the care and precision put into each dish in the kitchen is replicated by the staff serving you.

Top review

Kerry and Rodd

Dined 3 days ago

We love eating at Bellbird. Today the food was delicious and the service excellent. The staff really help make the experience enjoyable, including turning down the music a little. One of the reasons we like fining here is that we can comfortably chat with each other without having to worry about other noise. Look forward to being able to sit on the verandah again and also better light quality once the entrance is reopened.

Blaq

4.5

4.5 (643)

$41 to $100

Modern Australian

Blackheath

About the restaurant

Garden-to-plate is the philosophy of Executive Chef Miles Kelly. Hyper-local, seasonal & sustainable produce, that allows the best ingredients of the Blue Mountains to shine.
Sommelier Andres Aragon has curated a wine list that showcases the beauty, diversity & terroir of the iconic New South Wales wine regions. Highlighting organic, biodynamic or sustainable farming practices.
Blaq's cocktail list delivers a twist on old school favourites utilising native botanicals, spirits & liqueurs.
We hope that you take the time to kick back at Blaq!
Monday - Sunday we offer our Breakfast Grazing Table.

Top review

Christine

Dined today

8 of us had a lovely lunch at Blaq today, the food was excellent, the service was friendly and professional with great 'timing' and the ambience is modern, light and fresh. Good value too, well worth it. Rest of my group from Sydney kept congratulating me on a great choice of restaurant 😊 Thankyou Blaq! ❤️

CATALINA

4.8

4.8 (22)

$100 and over

Modern Australian

Rose Bay North

About the restaurant

Catalina is an iconic harbourside restaurant, family owned and operated since 1994. It is a light airy modern space with wonderful views, floor to ceiling glass, and outdoor balcony seating. The menu is Mediterranean-inspired and features sustainable seafood from the best producers Australia-wide, and grass fed and free range meat and poultry. The wine list is one of the best wine lists in Australia, featuring over 800 wines, and receiving a 3 Goblet rating every year in the Wine List of the Year Awards. The service is welcoming, friendly, informal and yet, professional. An ideal venue for all occasions: from everyday dining, to business lunches, to celebrations, to wedding receptions and events. We look forward to seeing you soon.

Top review

lizzieVIP

Dined 3 days ago

Still as fabulous as ever. Welcoming, fun with outstanding food and service. Thank you .

Margaret

4.7

4.7 (683)

$100 and over

Modern Australian

Double Bay

About the restaurant

Margaret is a neighbourhood restaurant at its core, but it’s also evolved into something more than that. It’s about comfort, generosity, and cosiness.
At Margaret, we work with the best quality produce that Australia has to offer. Chef Neil Perry AM has spent years developing relationships with some of the best suppliers in the country. We are predominantly a seafood restaurant and are very fortunate to receive our seafood direct from our fishermen, caught sustainably and dry filleted here onsite at Margaret, so we can ensure that all that love and care our wonderful fisherman have taken is seen all the way through. The menu at Margaret is diverse and inspired by all the flavours that Neil has been collecting over his 45+ years in the industry. Margaret

Top review

Ben

Dined 3 days ago

Great service throughout and fantastic meal. Highlights were the spicy Korean style tartare and the blue eye trevalla with mango, lime and crispy shallot salad, but all dishes were lovely. Highly recommend

Discover more

Experience

Semiprivate Dining Room - Deluxe Package

Experience

Semiprivate Dining Room - Premium Package

Bathers' Pavilion Restaurant

4.7

4.7 (39)

$40 and under

Modern Australian

Mosman

About the restaurant

Executive chef Aaron Ward (ex-Sixpenny and Shell House), recently awarded 2 two hats in the SMH Good Food, works closely with producers, farmers and fisherman that all have a great ethos on producing quality product for the guest.
For Ward, cooking is all about the guest experience and breaking down the barrier between the kitchen and the guests.

Top review

Mary

Dined 2 days ago

We had the most enjoyable Christmas Party lunch, the staff were incredible and the food sensational. Thank you for giving us a special day to remember.

Discover more

Experience

Group Menu 3 Courses $125pp

Experience

Tasting Menu - $190pp

Experience

Eastern Rock Lobster for 2

KOI Experiential

4.6

4.6 (86)

$100 and over

Modern Australian

Chippendale

About the restaurant

An imaginative tasting menu designed by Reynold is here, presenting an unmissable feast for the senses.

Top review

Louisa

Dined 6 days ago

Very happy with this collab KOI X Sebastian. Very happy with the kakigori and paired well with the mocktail. Plus point we got the best seats right at the center and served by Chef Reynold & Chef Sebastian. The Kakigoris taste so light and not overly sweet so we still have some room for KOI cake afterwards. Excellent!!

Discover more

Experience

Experiential Dining Menu $165pp (SYDNEY)

Teddy

4.6

4.6 (47)

$41 to $100

Modern Australian

Potts Point

About the restaurant

Teddy offers a fresh and approachable take on the modern Aussie bistro, filled with familiar favourites seen through fresh eyes. The menu is curated by widely acclaimed Chef Ben Sears (Melbourne), and the kitchen is overseen by Head Chef Nicole Coelho who brings her culinary flair to strike the right balance between old and new school favs.

Teddy is the perfect space for all season and all reasons. Gather the crew for the next big event or just drop in for a weeknight-wine on the way home from the daily grind.

Double Daily Happy Hour is from 4pm-6pm, 7 days a week (and it's well worth sneaking out of work early for!)

The Teddy courtyard offers a killer private event space and is the perfect area to book out for you up to 25 of your favourite peope.

Pour yourself into a bar stool, order some freshly shucked Sydney rocks with a glass of Aussie bubbles, tap your feet along with the back2back 80s bangers and settle in for some of the best people watching in the hood.

Top review

Matt

Dined 1 day ago

Consistently excellent hospitality - had the steak / asparagus with macadamia sauce - totally rocked.

Discover more

Experience

TEDDY SHARING MENU

The Fox and Hounds

4.6

4.6 (52)

$40 and under

Modern Australian

Wahroonga

About the restaurant

Searching for the perfect spot to settle in with some stunning food, amazing drinks and throwback décor?
The hunt is over! The Fox and Hounds is finally back in Wahroonga!!

With beverage in paw, from wine to frozen cocktail slushy, we invite you to gather the pack and relax in our rustic 1960s inspired habitat, sharing and enjoying our juxtaposing modern Australian cuisine that’s made from exceptional Australian organic/ non-organic produce that’s been sniffed out by our highly trained Hounds..!

(Yeah, nah. They’re actually selected by our head chef… who insists we call him “le Hound”)

Pups and Cubs welcome

Top review

Luke

Dined on 8 Dec 2024

Very happy with the service, food was excellent amazing steaks. Will be back there soon. Highly recommend.

The Apprentice - TAFE NSW

4.7

4.7 (273)

$40 and under

Modern Australian

Ultimo

About the restaurant

We have closed for the year and will reopen 25 February 2025 with our new students. Book from 10 February.

The Apprentice Restaurant Sydney is a TAFE NSW licensed training restaurant.
Lunch 12pm to 2pm: three courses (entrée, main & dessert) for $44 or you can select any two courses for $39.
Dinner 6pm to 8:30pm: three course menu for $44.
(Our prices are excluding beverages). Group beverage packages are available to pre-purchase for the whole group.
Our meals are usually served Table d’hôte (alternate drop) and portions are limited.

Bookings are highly recommended to avoid disappointment. For group bookings of 11 people or more please contact us by phone 02 7920 0909 (9am to 4pm) or email si.theapprentice@tafensw.edu.au. Payment in advance is required for group bookings.
We accept payment by EFTPOS, Visa or MasterCard. We do not accept cash or split bills. There is one bill per table.
Dietary requirements must be advised 24 hrs in advance.

Top review

Chris

Dined on 26 Nov 2024

We had another fantastic evening at The Apprentice. Just wonderful! There was a slight timing delay between entree and main, but the kitchen recovered quickly, and the teamwork was a credit to the students. Well done!

Squire’s Waterfront Restaurant

4.1

4.1 (1467)

$41 to $100

Modern Australian

Sydney CBD

About the restaurant

Squires Waterfront Restaurant is THE spot for a night out, a special occasion, or a casual hang with mates. Our menus marry unique modern Australian flavours, with inspiration from the legend himself, James Squire. Nestled on the Sydney Harbour, the waterfront views certainly enhance the ambiance of Squire's Waterfront Restaurant.

Bookings are available for the Restaurant. If you have 8 or more guests, a set menu and 10% gratuity apply. For non-exclusive parties of 8+ please enquire through our website. for our Brewhouse and Forecourt areas please contact our events team on 8014 5663

10% surcharge applies on Sundays. 15% surcharge applies on public holidays.
All Minors must be accompanied by a legal guardian or parent at all times across the whole venue.

Top review

PaulH

Dined 3 days ago

This was our wedding anniversary. Staff were helpful and friendly. Food was amazing. A bit of noise from the bar downstairs but not intrusive. Cruise ship was delayed and ended up parked outside our window. We were grateful that the restaurant refunded our booking fee. All in all a great night, very happy.

Discover more

Experience

Australia Day

Experience

Guarantee Yourself a Window Table!

Experience

First Mates Addition Menu

Explore Diners' Choice best of Sydney