For a city that’s surrounded by harbour and world-class beaches, it’s no surprise that Sydney over-delivers on seafood experiences. No need to fish around – we’ve reeled in the best seafood restaurants for everything from an upscale dinner to a casual lunch.
The seafood-focused arm of Paisano & Daughters’ new Australia Street hat-trick, Mister Grotto combines a little lighthearted nautical kitsch with seriously good Australian seafood. Start with fresh-shucked oysters, move onto the raw menu then swim straight into mains featuring line-caught produce from some of the country’s most fastidious fishers. 208 Australia Street, Newtown; paisanoanddaughters.com.au
You asked for seafood, you got it. After a move from its original Oxford Street digs to a much larger new home at The Grand National Hotel, Josh and Julie Niland’s seafood restaurant still puts its best fin forward, with an innovative menu that focuses on sustainable seafood and nose-to-scale cookery. At fine diner Saint Peter, that means you’ll become acquainted with the whole fish – think liver, roe, eyes, scales, right down to the testicles. The now-famous fish charcuterie serves up Murray cod chorizo and John Dory liver pâté, among other cured delights, while the salt & vinegar blue mackerel continues to swim its way towards Sydney culinary legend. In the front bar, more casual fare is available on a walk-in basis, including popular orders from the Nilands’ Fish Butchery project, such as the yellowfin tuna cheeseburger. 161 Underwood St, Paddington; saintpeter.com.au
The menu at The Grill revolves around two big-ticket items: steak and seafood. Tucked in behind Harry Seidler’s Martin Place ‘mushroom’, The Grill is the flagship restaurant of new three-level hospitality hub The International, by the expert team behind Shell House. The seafood credentials are hinted at the outset, with an ice trough brimming with seasonal catches at the door. From this, WA black marron is woodfire-grilled, the shell cracked by flame and the precious tail meat drizzled with spiced butter and crispy curry leaves. Lobster comes three ways: as retro favourite thermidor; with linguine, crustacean shell butter and fermented chilli; or grilled with potato bread for sopping. 25 Martin Place, Sydney; internationalsydney.com
When you have one of the most scenically gifted waterfront dining rooms in the country, it sets the bar high for what lands on the plate. Lucky, then, that the legacy of Icebergs is in the safe hands of culinary director Alex Prichard, who plates up an Italian-inspired menu showcasing produce supplied by the best Australian fishers; from Chris Bolton reef fish served with restraint and just a lick of olive oil and lemon, to southern bluefin tuna roasted over the coals and drizzled with a vivid salmoriglio. 1 Notts Ave, Bondi Beach; idrb.com
Alessandro Pavoni’s highly awarded Italian fine diner, Ormeggio at The Spit, is an easy breezy restaurant and gelato bar inspired by the Italian Riviera. The menu features fuss-free but effortlessly sophisticated share plates, like the mud crab risotto and a crumbed swordfish cotoletta. Save room for the coppa gelato, an Italian-style ice cream sundae which is whipped to order beside your table. ‘Barefoot and BYO’ sister restaurant Chiosco by Ormeggio next door is the Pavoni’s more casual answer to a seaside trattoria. D’Albora Marinas, Spit Rd, Mosman; ormeggio.com.au
Chippendale might not be the first place to spring to mind for a Sydney seafood lunch, but this restaurant and bar from the team behind now-closed Inner West favourite Hartsyard might change your mind. Longshore’s new summer menu revolves around premium Australian seafood such as Abrolhos Island scallops, Coffs Harbour tiger prawns and Sydney rock oysters, with executive chef Jarrod Walsh melding international influences and native flavours in dishes such as Fraser Island spanner crab on a crispy, crunchy hash brown, with the zing of indigenous desert lime and a kick of Aleppo pepper.5 Kensington Street, Chippendale; longshore.com.au
Discover the clams with a cult following so big they got their own restaurant. XOPP (pronounced X-O-P-P) is from the Golden Century clan, taking its name from the X-factor dish at the much-mourned Sussex Street restaurant. Spearheaded by second-generation restaurateur Billy Wong, son of original founders Eric and Linda Wong, the sleek venue sits above the booming Darling Square precinct in bird’s-nest-shaped The Exchange. Head up the stairs for 2kg servings of the cult XO pipis; abalone, giant oysters and lobster doused in still more house XO; and an array of seafood straight from the tanks in classic Cantonese and more maverick serving styles. 31/1 Little Pier Street, Haymarket; goldencentury.com.au/xopp
Originally intended as a six-month pop-up, North Bondi Fish is still going strong – and it’s easy to see why, between the crowd-pleasing plates by new head chef David Coumont and that view. There’s a new summer menu, too, but NBF fish taco fans needn’t worry – it’s looking as good as ever. Coumont combines casual, beachy bites – like a burger featuring monkfish from the hibachi grill – with a seasonal market menu, including a whole tuna, brought in weekly and broken down into a series of fresh, flavoursome dishes. The crunchy classic NBF taco now also has a lighter cousin in the kingfish taco, filled with a zesty ceviche. 120 Ramsgate Ave, North Bondi, northbondifish.com.au
Named for Banjo Paterson’s Australiana anthem, the headlining restaurant of the reborn Wentworth hotel is an ode to the best ingredients to come out of our sea-girt land, particularly seafood. It dominates every section of the menu, but particularly the grill section, which features a daily selection of varieties of Australian fish and seafood, cooked over charcoal and served filleted or on the bone. Plated simply with a lemon cheek, diners can choose from rich butter and shell-infused sauces for drizzling, but our pick is the vivid native green sauce. 61-101 Phillip St, Sydney, tilda.sydney
Fresh from a recent renovation, Spice Temple is looking good for its 15 years. The subterranean dining room has been given a makeover inspired by high tempo Chinese restaurants of the ’80s, and executive chef Andy Evans (who is also marking 15 years leading the Spice Temple kitchen) has integrated retro recipes such as prawn toast and prawn crackers into his exploration of Chinese regional cuisine. From the live seafood tanks, pipis and lobster are tossed with your choice of sauces such as olive and black bean or piquant XO; while the hot pot swims with Moreton Bay bugs, scallops, coral trout and more. Buckle in for a CBD power lunch, ’80s style. 10 Bligh St, Sydney, spicetemple.com.au
You could say Shimpei Hatanaka was fated to wield a sushi knife – the Tokyo-born chef grew up cooking alongside his father, who ran a Japanese restaurant in The Rocks. Hatanaka now leads the entire Saké group, but The Rocks flagship is still the best place to experience the exacting standards he is setting for seafood. Take your pick of snapper, kingfish, sea eel and more, as sashimi or draped on a nigiri; or settle in for the tasting menu for plates such as delicate pearl meat ceviche, bite-sized spanner crab tarts and slabs of glazed Glacier 51 toothfish. 12 Argyle St, The Rocks, sakerestaurant.com.au
A year after chef Aaron Ward took over the kitchens at Bathers’, this beauty on the Balmoral Beach foreshore is going swimmingly. There’s a seafood-heavy menu across the three in-house venues: relaxed Bathers’ Bistro, modern Thai Betel Leaf and fine-dining main affair Bathers’ Restaurant. At the latter, ex-Shell House and Sixpenny chef Ward revels in his maritime setting with lighter dishes such as cured snapper and kingfish crudo, dressed with crisp apple or the spicy bite of guindillas; and larger catches like Murray cod for sharing between two – all backed by those million-dollar Mosman views. 4 The Esplanade, Mosman; batherspavilion.com.au
When icon Golden Century closed its doors in 2021, there was a collective howl among Sydney’s night owls. But that was before Royal Palace Seafood swept in. The 600-seat, three-level Chinese restaurant keeps the live seafood tanks fully stocked and yum cha trolleys rolling. Pick your fresh seafood, then settle on the cooking method: be it whole lobster cooked Hong Kong-style with black pepper and warm spices; or coral trout steamed with aromatic garlic and dried tangerine peel. During yum cha service, flag down carts carrying prawn-stuffed cheung fun or delicate steamed scallop dumplings, and add a plate of salt and pepper calamari before you roll on out. 393-399 Sussex St, Haymarket; royalpalace.au
How is it that a Sydney restaurant can last for 30 years and somehow remain relevant? In the case of Sean Moran’s eponymous beachside gem, it’s a steady commitment to honest cooking that lets peak-season, farm-fresh produce do the talking. The daily chalkboard menu follows the entrée-main-dessert format, with options like Murray cod with potato rosti and chubby honey prawns. If there’s a better place in town for a long Sunday lunch, then it must be a well-kept secret. Don your finest linens, bring your own worthy bottle of wine and raise a glass to ageing gracefully. 270 Campbell Parade, North Bondi; seansbondi.com
If you prefer your seafood with sea views, St Siandra is for you. There are only a handful of red-meat dishes on the menu at this restaurant perched on The Spit, which overlooks a hidden strip of sand on the Mosman foreshore. Chef Sam McCallum intermingles Middle Eastern and Mediterranean flavours on the plate, but the seafood is all-Australian, from the Sydney rock oysters dressed with Yarra Valley caviar to the half rock lobster finishing off the statement-making surf and turf with an 800g striploin steak. Parriwi Road, Mosman; stsiandra.com
