In a town obsessed with real estate, there are some good restaurant views and there are great restaurant views.

And then there is the vista from Café Sydney — the 18-year-old fine diner nestled at the top of Customs House in Circular Quay, which overlooks Sydney Harbour and everything else around it.

The Opera House and Harbour Bridge are chief among the eye candy at the restaurant, which is glorious at lunch and even more spectacular at night as Sydney twinkles.

The food, while pricey, is equally captivating. Head chef James Kidman offers a suitably seafood-heavy menu of things like Coffin Bay octopus with chorizo, eggplant, chickpea, lemon parsley and Moroccan spices, as well as a main of tandoori roasted salmon. There’s classic cold seafood — prawns, crab or Moreton Bay bugs — simply served with lemon and mayo, and Pacific or Sydney rock oysters on ice with eschalot, chive and pinot grigio vinegar.

Desserts, from pastry maestro John DeGuzman, are worth a visit in their own right, and a finely curated wine list keeps Café Sydney firmly among the best in the city.

Must eat: The seafood platter