The Iglu Guide | Blog
The best food in Sydney
Sydney’s wide variety of food and drink options is great – but if you’re not familiar with an area it can be hard to know what is good.
Luckily Iglu is here to help! Check it out – we’ve listed the best of each area for cheap and delicious food and drink.
East Sydney
Food Not only does Sydney’s east offer an array of enticing food options and good views, these are also some of the best spots to dine cheaply in the city.
Bondi is your best choice for a wide variety of choices – avoid the tourist traps of the restaurants lining the beach strip and walk down the side streets to find something a little easier on the hip pocket, like the fun Bondi Beach Burrito Company, or the always busy Hurricanes’ Grill.
Closer to the city, Darlinghurst is a go-to for quirky eats – duck into the Vietnamese tuckshop-style Misschu’s for great food under $10, or try out Don Dons Japanese on Oxford Street.
Nightlife If you are by the ocean in Bondi, soak up the view by indulging in a drink or dance at The Bucket List, a nautical-styled, relaxed venue right by the beach.
For live music, make a visit to Bondi’s Beach Road Hotel, which features great beers on tap and a gig or DJ every night! Closer to the city, head to dance and live music hotspot Oxford Art Factory to dance the night away or to the Gaslight Inn for a good spot to catch up with friends before a night out.
CBD
Food Avoid the constant temptation of fast food in the CBD by heading to Chinatown for some of the best food that this city has to offer! Don’t just expect Chinese cuisine, either – this is the area for Malaysian, Japanese, Taiwanese and more.
The best dumpling houses can be found tucked away in arcades – Chinese Noodle Restaurant on Quay St is a particular highlight.
Nightlife Don’t be put off by the bars lining George St in the City, instead, check out the alleyways, back doors and hidden entries of the CBD – thanks to a small bar revival, with a little investigation you can find amazing bars tucked away in the CBD.
Highlights include Clarence St’s Grandma’s Bar, a replica of your grandmother’s lounge room tucked under a guitar store that serves cocktails in cute teacups, the Baxter Inn, a specialised whiskey bar that would soothe even Faulkner (the Baxter can be found on York St) and Good God, an underground ‘danceteria’ in the Spanish Quarter, with DJs every night of the week and cocktails named after Chevy Chase!
North Sydney
Food The north of Sydney is lucky enough to have a food option that stays open 24 hours – and has good food! Maisys’ Cafe on Military Road in Neutral Bay is the perfect option for late night dining. If you’re keeping more regular hours, check out the North Sydney Hotel for some of the best bistro food (and prices!) on the north side of the bridge.
Nightlife North Sydney’s nightlife, long a bit of a deadzone, has recently taken off with venues like Hugo’s Manly, Newport Arms Hotel and the Rag and Famish stepping up their game to offer bars and nightspots to rival Sydney’s inner city.
Inner West Sydney
Food If you are in the mood for Thai, Newtown’s King St will answer your prayers. Almost every second shopfront is home to a Thai restaurant. The tricky part is finding your favourite – Iglu recommends Newtown Thai II and Thai La Ong.
If Thai won’t hit the spot check out the more unusual cuisines on offer – Kathmandu on King St serves up amazing Nepalese, while Na Zdrowie on Glebe Point Road offers amazing Polish food (with more potato dishes than you’ve probably ever seen before!)
Nightlife The Inner West’s nightlife is dominated by pubs. Newtown’s Courthouse, Enmore’s Sly Fox and Glebe’s AB Hotel are consistently popular and serve good cold beer for reasonable prices. If you are after something a bit fancier, check out one of the many new small bars – from Corridor in Newtown, to Enmore’s Midnight Special and Glebe’s The Little Guy.
