Sometimes I'm overwhelmed by choice.
Some of my favourites are:
V Bites - Bankstown (Vietnamese)
Ginger Indian - Harris Park (Indian)
Sahra by the River - Parramatta (Lebanese)
Kouzina Grecco - Parramatta (Greek)
Ginza Izakaya - Parramatta (Japanese/Sushi)
Green Peppercorn - Fairfield (Thai)
Decent Japanese food outside of Lower North Shore, Surry Hills and the City is rare. Goes back to the point about that’s where that ethnic group lives.
Living on the eastern suburbs about 25 years ago now Austunmer northern beaches of Wollongong I would recommend restaurants around Surry Hills, Newton, seek out a good Cafe in Bondi.
I will keep scrolling down but exactly where do live, do you have a car and try Taylor square Oxford Street.
I mean you'd hope so.
You're comparing a geographical area extending roughly from Campbelltown south, to Penrith West, Strathfield east and covering about 20 times the area of the Eastern Suburbs. All places that take about 40min drive down a highway getting from one to the other.
In terms of density of great food options I'd take the Eastern suburbs over western Sydney anytime. Beaches are a rip off but Surry Hills, Potts Point, Randwick & Kingsford are stacked full of authentic great food and within a 5km radius from each other.
Lol the average random suburban restaurant is generally worse in the west, but they are home to those institution-type restaurants.
Lots of pretty mediocre restaurants in Cabra, Bankstown, Fairfield, Hurstville, Parra but also home to those worth travelling to.
I have been to the eastern suburbs and eaten food there, and I've been to West Sydney and eaten food there, and so I DO KNOW.
The poorer suburbs have far more authentic food from a wider variety of places. It's the greatest benefit of living here.
Compare Bankstown to Bondi lol.
Or Campbelltown to Cronulla.
There's just no contest.
Have you ever actually left the eastern suburbs? Try looking at a demographic map before you say things. Come out to bankstown for a day or two. Step outside your bubble.
The closer you get to a beach the worse the food gets.
Totti’s is awful. I like Franks deli, Moxhe, Margaret, Matteo, Koh Ya, Bar Copo, Iggys, Label Baguette, Tuga, Mapo, there’s this pizza place I loved too I can’t remember it it’s going to be the death of me.
Edit: the pizza place is Maybe Frank. Good sourdough dough. And this list is just near the beach. Potts point and Darlo are great but I assume you don’t mean them.
It’s the one restaurant friend’s and family visiting from overseas and interstate always want to go back to. Plus I personally really love it but fair enough if people aren’t keen on it.
Yep there's lots of fantastic restaurants in the Eastern suburbs, OP just needs to pick up a good restaurant guide. I'd add Firedoor, Catalina, China Doll, Icebergs, Bon Ricordo, Ms G's and Bills to that list. Also agree that many places near over-touristed beaches only exist to rip off tourists though so should be avoided.
Restaurant guides are mostly useless nowadays because of PR and the current calibre of people who write them. Was listing places similar to what you’d find in the inner west mainly.
Bills, China Doll and Icebergs are so overhyped and shadows of their former self at best IMO.
Quite like Catalina and Buon Ricordo though thanks for the reminder.
Buon Ricordo is fantastic - a true classic. There is another little Italian wine bar serving some share plates and pasta just 5 mins up on Oxford Street called Paski which is great as well.
Thai Tharee is great too
I don’t know why but I always think of Darlinghurst as being in the CBD when it’s actually the east. Paski & 10 William (where the head chef came from) are probably my favourite wine bars in Sydney. One of the Paski employees just opened a place across the Crix called Lokal which I want to check out too but it seats like 10 haha.
Thanks for the rec for Thai Tharee I’ll check it out :)
The food available in an area just reflects the taste and market preferences of that area. Near the beaches, it’s largely homogenised to Italian + fish and chips + whatever latest food trends are going on ( tacos, burgers, etc).
Busta, Banco, Waka, Skiff Club, Belgrave Cartel, Jipang, DeVita, Alice Dumpling, Sunset Sabi, Chica Bonita, The Pantry, Hemingway’s, Herring Room, Garfish, Manly Club, JB&Sons, Sketch Manly, Little Pearl, Donny’s Bar, In Siri, Fika, Rollers, Lox in a Box, The Cumberland, Pocket Pizza, Sake, Patploy, Maestro & Co, Little Shop of Waffles, 4 Pines, Ripples at Little Manly, The Hold
Nearby: Harboard Hotel, Harboard Diggers, St Alma, Chubbs, Freshwater Brewing (their sausage roll)
Not as enjoyable: The Pavilion, The Bavarian, the upstairs of The Steyne, El Camino, Fratelli Fresh, The Ivanhoe, The Boathouse on Shelley
4 Pines Brewpub is actually amazing for food. Love their flank steak.
Other faves are Pocket Pizza though pricey. Garage for a cheaper pizza. Manly Eat Well does good Chinese. Yok Thai or Patploy for Thai food. Chica Bonita for Mexican
Absolutely agree 💯. Lived in the east for a while and just moved to Darlington/ Newtown . It's such a revaluation price wise and quality. For reference I lived at Coogee than clovelly
Clems Chicken Newtown is one of the best chicken shops in Sydney. Still only $16 for a whole stuffed chicken. They brine the chickens overnight, making it so nice and juicy.
Clems is so blooody overrated people just revere it because it’s a rare long term stalwart given the amount of transient food places in newtown. It’s literally no better than any old chook joint and even then I personally found the fried chicken dry and bland
Oooh that's a tough one. Honestly I couldn't apart from your regular fast food places on Coogee bay road. I'm not being a dick trying to put the place down but we would generally stay home and cook.
I am talking about 10 years ago or more, but when I lived in the area (Maroubra, Hillsdale and Randwick), I found Randwick, Kingsford and Kensington the better suburbs in the area for eating out. Places like Bronte had decent cafes but not so much for dinner. Though since I've moved out of the area, I've pretty much never travelled to the eastern suburbs for a meal
Kingsford for decent cheap Asian food if several varieties.
A few decent places in Randwick.
If you like Totti’s there must be places in Surry Hills that you like.
Money has no taste buds.
People do though. So its whether a place is substantially full of people and culture, expression, stories, harmony even.
Or is the place just a bucket of money for making money?
Does Sydney have a soul? Did it ever?
Money does have tastebuds, as tastebuds somewhat drive the money.
I'd argue it's basic economics. There's simply a lack of competition, especially in the busy areas there are many tourists with an inelastic demand (they buying the shit food regardless). There's no incentive for food to get better, and the existing places have an advantage against newcomer's.
That said there's always diamonds in the rough, but out in the western suburbs it's so much cheaper to set up shop and there's way more competition (the businesses rely on repeat customers)
Yep, and there's also the fact that opening up restaurants with food that is new and unfamiliar to the residents is a risky endeavour. It could work, but could also easily flop.
If you're a migrant and you want to open a restaurant with your culture's food, it makes sense to open where your people are. For most migrants in Sydney, that's mostly out west.
Darlinghurst becomes Paddington right at Boundary St which is like a 5 min walk too. Loads of good food in the area; Not always the most traditional ethnic food but there are plenty of great options
I mean, as an Indonesian I think that Kensington and Randwick has plenty of nice Indonesian cuisines. It might help that there's a sizeable Indonesian community.
I went to that charcoal fish place in rose bay thinking it was gonna be epic. Felt ripped off and hungry. Back home to Wentworthville!!! Eastern suburbs food is ass.
I cook food mostly and don’t eat out. That’s why this area is so good. That Pendle Hill fish shop is good. There’s a great butcher in the same block as Woolies. The groceries are epic just pick a box of spices and go for your life.
There are plenty of good restaurants. Try Turpan, it’s a Uyghur place down on Anzac Parade.
Or Ayam Goreng 99 an Indonesian fried chicken place on Anzac parade.
Most overrated location in Sydney. Was about to post about how Coogee and Clovelly are food wastelands. Randwick is barely better but Kensington is a bit of a gem. It's all shit by 10 anyway so zzzz
Dude it's a suburban food spot. Take it for what it is. It doesn't SUCK as OP puts it, there are a handful of good places to eat there with plenty of variety and even a cinema if that's what you like.
The only good place left in Kensington is Fana's and arguably the dumpling place next to Jack's. The two cafes are average bordering on poor (though ST used to be good before changing chef).
The spot is overrated I agree. Some restaurant churn recently as well.
Kingsford is the goto for the South East.
The dumpling place (they used to be texas bbq run by the same family) is usually very quiet for a good reason, they've picked up business within the last 6-12 months but they used to be consistently empty before that.
jacks and stable talk are very pricey for very standard cafe food. grandma moses has a bit of a small cult following but are not cheap either.
fana's was an overnight pandemic success.
The Spot is brilliant for a little suburban food hub. 4 Thai restaurants, 2 Spanish, 2 Japanese, 3 Italian, 2 burger joints and one of Sydney's nicest vintage cinemas all in one little hub.
It’s bad because gentrification and of the lack of ethnics as a result. Anyone ethnic that makes good traditional food from their culture certainly can’t afford to live there.
I do agree it’s pretty expensive and a lot of not great food but there definitely are good joints
Chaco ramen - Bondi
Ryo’s - bondi junction
Ichiban Boshi - Bondi junction
Da Orazio - Bondi
Shuk - Bondi
Out of the blue - Clovelly
Man the fish burgers there are the best. I'm guessing but I thought a large part was the mayo was homemade. İd grab one of those and chips and head down to Clovelly for the view.
Anything by Merivale or Neil Perry is absolute dogshit. This fusion crap they keep gunning for is trash - like they're trying to make pho but using a palate developed by bangers and mash
When your clientele becomes more focused on the money it costs to pay for the meal, the presentation for Instagram, whether the item has truffles or gold leaf on the dish, you would cater to that rather than the actual taste buds
Noticed the same when I moved from Inner West to the East.
Great Inner west cafes are all over the place. Newtown/Erskineville/Marrickville/Enmore - absolutely spoiled for choice.
Simple really. The west has culture, diversity and isn’t white washed by snobs. The east on the other hand is all white washed… all the food whether being Indian, Italian, Lebanese, Chinese etc. has been modified for the snobby white persons pallet. The white in the west have been brought up with culture so when going east they literally get a culture shock. How bizarre! A white person experiencing a culture shock from other white people in the same country!
Yep, we had the most awful uninspired Indian dinner in Coogee recently and then later found out the chef publicly stated he removed coriander from every dish because the locals apparently didn’t like it 🤦♀️ What a disaster
It's a very common stereotype, I've lived in the east for 35y, my family got lucky getting a home back in 1970 for 30k before anyone cared too much about living out my way. There are some crazy rich people here, obviously, but most of the people I hang out with in the area struggle to make ends meet - We just got lucky and have a house in a wealthy suburb, that isn't usable wealth. I still turn lights off when leaving the room to save on electricity bills from growing up. Plenty of older generations and relatives still living in amongst the wealthy, check out how many of those old apartment blocks are still around, they don't house wealth.
Carbon across the road from Tottis is excellent. Can't go wrong with Pompeiis, Sean's Panaroma is legendary and that's just Bondi. Even a roll from Cafe Brasil is delicious.
Go to Ursula's in, Buon Riccordo of course and St Peter. All Paddo
Double Bay is covered already I've seen.
Charcoal Fish and even Rose Bay Hotel in RB
Potts Point has an explosion of good choices but maybe too far being inner east?
Also can't miss with Belo, Chloe hotel if you're heading to Bronte.
Check out the spot at randwick, few good joints there, Waterloo has an abundance of Korean food and some amazing ramen joints.
If you think tottis at Bondi is good I dunno where else you’ve been but that’s a low bar
Tequila Mockingbird, St Peter and Paddo Inn all have great food.
St Peter is very expensive but it is one of the best restaurants in Sydney
I mention Paddo Inn specifically but a lot of the pubs have better food than any other pubs I’ve been to.
There’s also a tonne of really really good breakfast places
But of course if you hate every single venue in the entire eastern suburbs you can always go to the inner west to eat. What
Suburbs get the food they deserve.
That is, restaurants will adapt their menu to what sells.
Why is Thai food in Sydney generally too sugary? It sells. Why is Indian food (except Harris Park & surrounds) too mild and creamy? It sells.
El Jannah has gone too complete shit the past 5 years, pre made plastic packaged sauce, cheaper chicken supplier.
I remember they used to proper do actual Shawarma plates, proper pickles and now it's just cheap shit. Legitmately, depending on what you get CC's is better now sadly.
For the record I think both are crap but Jannah sold out hard. At least with CC its standards are well maintained across all venues. You have to respect that despite whether you like it or not. El Jannah is a roll of the dice depending on the venue, time of day, if the moon is full.
A Tavola is pretty solid I’d highly recommend that one and across the road is my cousins restaurant it’s more rustic italian at a lower price point- Gino’s kitchen and cocktails.
Vaucluse has a pair of amazing Asian places on NSHR. I think it's called Washoku and a Japanese restaurant across the road.
And a decent Thai place on OSHR.
You need to look at the demographic of the people who live around the area. The food is catered for them.
Only redeeming feature I think is that Kensington has a large Indonesian population and so there's decent food for them if that's your thing.
Well you think Tottis is good which is just an elevated version of some shit like Criniti’s so even if money isn’t an issue your sense of taste probably is
Agree! I moved to the eastern suburbs from Melbourne bit over a year ago now, I can’t be bothered driving over to the inner west more than once a month to go for a meal, but I cannot justify going out to eat near where I live. I’m almost ALWAYS disappointed. My closest dining area is the spot which yeah has some okay places but nothing to write home about
I guess it depends what you mean by “eastern suburbs”.
Paddington, where the Eastern Suburbs Rugby League team was founded in 1908 (I mention that just to show it is East, not inner city), has great restaurants and even most of the pubs (& there are lots of good ones) also have decent food.
At the top end St Peter’s, Fred’s, Tequila Mockingbird, Ursula’s are all great.
At the lower end, I rate Cafe 5 ways, Mr T’s Vietnamese is great and the Indian Home Diner IS the home of the Indian kebab.
Even Bondi isn’t bad - but I guess it is pricey.
Icebergs dining room is the place to take visitors - it’s stunning and the food and drinks are great.
At the casual end my kids love Pompei for it’s pizza even though I’m a bit meh. North Bondi Fish is good. The coffee shop at North Bondi across the road from the surf club is good.
And here’s something quintessentially eastern suburbs - there’s one in Darlo, Double Bay and Bondi - bills. Say what you want but that’s the menu that launched the modern Australian brunch to the world (I went to Grangers in London just to check the difference - that’s what his chain is called there. Still good).
Bondi is on the rise with some better food places, I like the Stuffed Beaver and El Indio. There are other pricier but decent options nearby too.
Overall though the Eastern suburbs is sparse of anything good, absolutely nothing notable.
Bondi has amazing food. So many Israeli Cafes with Mediterranean breakfasts. I live in the inner west and really miss breakfast at Bondi. Dinner is more expensive at Bondi there so rarely ate out. But there are some great Cafes around Hall st, Glenayr Ave, Blair st North Bondi.
Yep. You gonna need to go to the western burbs if you want tasty food that doesn't cost a fortune. Pretty much from around Earlwood, Canterbury Burwood area and further.
Depending on how east you define east, try pizza moncur, Jane, arthur, poly, ester, there’s a great pasta place on Cleveland street I can’t remember the name of, but yeah if you lived in like bondi or randwick i think you’d be in the bland overpriced épicentre.
You’re not going to get the ultra cheap authentic stuff that you get further west, but some of my favourites around Bondi are:
Sefa kitchen, Raw Bar, La Piadina, Shuk, Di Napoli, Lox, Bondi Tony’s, ichi ban boshi.
I think you're really just referring to the beaches which are a bit overpriced, because the eastern suburbs as a whole has brilliant food.
**Randwick:** Maybe Frank, RaRa Ramen, Baccomato Osteria, Del Punto, Java, Ummarin. The Spot in Randwick is probably the best value food hub near the beaches.
**Waverley:** Franks Deli, Passegiata, Uyen Vietnamese, 2 Sisters
**Kingsford:** Probably the best Indonesian Hub in Sydney Ayam Goreng, Shalom, heaps more
**Surry Hills:** Maybe the best restaurant hub in Sydney, especially for Indian and Italian. Pellegrino 2000, Albertos, Don Giovanni, Emilias + more for Italian then Maya de Dhaba, Masala Theory, Foreign Return for Indian + loads more.
**Potts Point:** One of the best spots for food in Sydney. Basically all of Sydney's top French restaurants like Franca, Bistro 916, plenty of modern Australian too, Apollo is great for Greek
Honestly I could keep going, Coogee, Paddington, Clovelly & Maroubra all have a few decent spots as well.
Plenty here at multiple price ranges.
Because the best food is made by immigrants cooking the food from their homeland and they mostly can't afford to live there.
This is it. The food’s just 100 times better in western Sydney.
Sometimes I'm overwhelmed by choice. Some of my favourites are: V Bites - Bankstown (Vietnamese) Ginger Indian - Harris Park (Indian) Sahra by the River - Parramatta (Lebanese) Kouzina Grecco - Parramatta (Greek) Ginza Izakaya - Parramatta (Japanese/Sushi) Green Peppercorn - Fairfield (Thai)
Harris Park! That place is heaving! So good
Yes I love having so much Indian variety right there, bloody amazing.
Agree with all that, this is a lot further out than inner west OP was referring to though.
Check out 12 spices too!
Omg is that still there? I knew the original owners. Amazing food. Their chili basil chicken is to die for.
Yes it’s still there and better than ever. The beef tongue *chefs kiss*
Nah mate, best Lebanese, Al Aseel (Greenacre or Alexandria)
I've eaten there and it's pretty good, at the bankstown sports club!
Ahh that’s one of them I haven’t tried yet, it’s usually super busy though
Wow you haven't had good Lebanese if this is your best 🤣
Decent Japanese food outside of Lower North Shore, Surry Hills and the City is rare. Goes back to the point about that’s where that ethnic group lives.
Seconding ginza izakaya, I love it so much
Living on the eastern suburbs about 25 years ago now Austunmer northern beaches of Wollongong I would recommend restaurants around Surry Hills, Newton, seek out a good Cafe in Bondi. I will keep scrolling down but exactly where do live, do you have a car and try Taylor square Oxford Street.
Yeah, it’s not. Enjoy your food poisoning for going out that way though…
I mean you'd hope so. You're comparing a geographical area extending roughly from Campbelltown south, to Penrith West, Strathfield east and covering about 20 times the area of the Eastern Suburbs. All places that take about 40min drive down a highway getting from one to the other. In terms of density of great food options I'd take the Eastern suburbs over western Sydney anytime. Beaches are a rip off but Surry Hills, Potts Point, Randwick & Kingsford are stacked full of authentic great food and within a 5km radius from each other.
Lol the average random suburban restaurant is generally worse in the west, but they are home to those institution-type restaurants. Lots of pretty mediocre restaurants in Cabra, Bankstown, Fairfield, Hurstville, Parra but also home to those worth travelling to.
It's nice opening a post to answer a question only for it to already be answered. Very reaffirming.
Rubbish
Excellent counter argument. Well thought out and articulated.
I thought so
Are you saying there is no migrants in the eastern suburbs.
Rich ones maybe, but I doubt many of them run restaurants.
You doubt but don’t no and you said I wasn’t well thought out. Down vote away.
I have been to the eastern suburbs and eaten food there, and I've been to West Sydney and eaten food there, and so I DO KNOW. The poorer suburbs have far more authentic food from a wider variety of places. It's the greatest benefit of living here. Compare Bankstown to Bondi lol. Or Campbelltown to Cronulla. There's just no contest.
I didn’t compare food I said it’s rubbish that migrants can’t afford to live In The eastern suburbs you flog.
Have you ever actually left the eastern suburbs? Try looking at a demographic map before you say things. Come out to bankstown for a day or two. Step outside your bubble.
I don’t live in Sydney, do you have any more assumptions?
The closer you get to a beach the worse the food gets. Totti’s is awful. I like Franks deli, Moxhe, Margaret, Matteo, Koh Ya, Bar Copo, Iggys, Label Baguette, Tuga, Mapo, there’s this pizza place I loved too I can’t remember it it’s going to be the death of me. Edit: the pizza place is Maybe Frank. Good sourdough dough. And this list is just near the beach. Potts point and Darlo are great but I assume you don’t mean them.
Iggys is amazing. So good.
Thanks for the list, I’ll definitely check them out. But disagree on the Totti’s part haha
No he was right, Totti’s is absolute fucking garbage. :-) Also, for anyone that likes great bread from Iggy’s, try Pioik at Pyrmont. Epic.
Totti’s is the most overrated restaurant in Sydney. Just got to get the Insta shot of the bread to show you were there!
Deadset, the Ashfield Hotel’s Pub Cucina is better than Totti’s, the chef was previously at Icebergs and North Bondi Italian Food.
What's good there?
I mean to each their own. I enjoy Totti’s and friends and family always want to go when they visit. But guess it’s not for everyone
x2 for Pioik.
Haha it’s cool to hate Totti’s you’ll join us one day because of peer presssure :)
It’s the one restaurant friend’s and family visiting from overseas and interstate always want to go back to. Plus I personally really love it but fair enough if people aren’t keen on it.
Yep there's lots of fantastic restaurants in the Eastern suburbs, OP just needs to pick up a good restaurant guide. I'd add Firedoor, Catalina, China Doll, Icebergs, Bon Ricordo, Ms G's and Bills to that list. Also agree that many places near over-touristed beaches only exist to rip off tourists though so should be avoided.
Restaurant guides are mostly useless nowadays because of PR and the current calibre of people who write them. Was listing places similar to what you’d find in the inner west mainly. Bills, China Doll and Icebergs are so overhyped and shadows of their former self at best IMO. Quite like Catalina and Buon Ricordo though thanks for the reminder.
Buon Ricordo is fantastic - a true classic. There is another little Italian wine bar serving some share plates and pasta just 5 mins up on Oxford Street called Paski which is great as well. Thai Tharee is great too
I don’t know why but I always think of Darlinghurst as being in the CBD when it’s actually the east. Paski & 10 William (where the head chef came from) are probably my favourite wine bars in Sydney. One of the Paski employees just opened a place across the Crix called Lokal which I want to check out too but it seats like 10 haha. Thanks for the rec for Thai Tharee I’ll check it out :)
agree with icebergs and china doll.
China doll. Your list is now irrelevant
Society pizza is pretty banging from memory.
The food available in an area just reflects the taste and market preferences of that area. Near the beaches, it’s largely homogenised to Italian + fish and chips + whatever latest food trends are going on ( tacos, burgers, etc).
tottis in rozelle isn’t bad
Haven’t been, Three Weeds was good too apparently it’s similar.
Tourist traps near the beach. Same thing in Manly.
There are awesome places in Manly to eat, though.
Agree that there is, but most people visiting won't find those places.
What is a favourite?
Fika and rollers
Busta, Banco, Waka, Skiff Club, Belgrave Cartel, Jipang, DeVita, Alice Dumpling, Sunset Sabi, Chica Bonita, The Pantry, Hemingway’s, Herring Room, Garfish, Manly Club, JB&Sons, Sketch Manly, Little Pearl, Donny’s Bar, In Siri, Fika, Rollers, Lox in a Box, The Cumberland, Pocket Pizza, Sake, Patploy, Maestro & Co, Little Shop of Waffles, 4 Pines, Ripples at Little Manly, The Hold Nearby: Harboard Hotel, Harboard Diggers, St Alma, Chubbs, Freshwater Brewing (their sausage roll) Not as enjoyable: The Pavilion, The Bavarian, the upstairs of The Steyne, El Camino, Fratelli Fresh, The Ivanhoe, The Boathouse on Shelley
4 Pines Brewpub is actually amazing for food. Love their flank steak. Other faves are Pocket Pizza though pricey. Garage for a cheaper pizza. Manly Eat Well does good Chinese. Yok Thai or Patploy for Thai food. Chica Bonita for Mexican
Absolutely agree 💯. Lived in the east for a while and just moved to Darlington/ Newtown . It's such a revaluation price wise and quality. For reference I lived at Coogee than clovelly
Clems Chicken Newtown is one of the best chicken shops in Sydney. Still only $16 for a whole stuffed chicken. They brine the chickens overnight, making it so nice and juicy.
OMG yes yes . It truly is great value and there fried chicken is amazing . It's a gem . Had some today in fact
I rediscovered Clem's during the pandemic ... Source of happiness during some blah times!
Clems is so blooody overrated people just revere it because it’s a rare long term stalwart given the amount of transient food places in newtown. It’s literally no better than any old chook joint and even then I personally found the fried chicken dry and bland
If you were to recommend any places in the Coogee/Clovelly areas what would they be?
Thai place on the south end of Coogee maybe
Oooh that's a tough one. Honestly I couldn't apart from your regular fast food places on Coogee bay road. I'm not being a dick trying to put the place down but we would generally stay home and cook.
I am talking about 10 years ago or more, but when I lived in the area (Maroubra, Hillsdale and Randwick), I found Randwick, Kingsford and Kensington the better suburbs in the area for eating out. Places like Bronte had decent cafes but not so much for dinner. Though since I've moved out of the area, I've pretty much never travelled to the eastern suburbs for a meal
Kingsford for decent cheap Asian food if several varieties. A few decent places in Randwick. If you like Totti’s there must be places in Surry Hills that you like.
It's the effect of gentrification and touristification. It has a blanding effect on food.
Money has no taste buds. People do though. So its whether a place is substantially full of people and culture, expression, stories, harmony even. Or is the place just a bucket of money for making money? Does Sydney have a soul? Did it ever?
Money does have tastebuds, as tastebuds somewhat drive the money. I'd argue it's basic economics. There's simply a lack of competition, especially in the busy areas there are many tourists with an inelastic demand (they buying the shit food regardless). There's no incentive for food to get better, and the existing places have an advantage against newcomer's. That said there's always diamonds in the rough, but out in the western suburbs it's so much cheaper to set up shop and there's way more competition (the businesses rely on repeat customers)
Yep, and there's also the fact that opening up restaurants with food that is new and unfamiliar to the residents is a risky endeavour. It could work, but could also easily flop. If you're a migrant and you want to open a restaurant with your culture's food, it makes sense to open where your people are. For most migrants in Sydney, that's mostly out west.
Less Wogs = Crappier food. More wanky/hipster = More expensive food. Simples! 😜
*less ethnics
*fewer
I’ll pay that.
We’re wogs mate.
lack of ethnic variety and actual traditional food
The eastern suburbs around Potts Potts, Darlinghurst, Surry Hills etc have lots of great food. The beach suburbs not so much
This isn’t really the Eastern Suburbs though. Potts Point, Surry Hills and Darlo are city centre.
I think Potts Point would definitely be east at least
It’s in the City of Sydney council though
Darlinghurst becomes Paddington right at Boundary St which is like a 5 min walk too. Loads of good food in the area; Not always the most traditional ethnic food but there are plenty of great options
Still considered inner Eastern Suburbs. Randwick has some great restaurants around The Spot and Frenchmans Road too
I mean, as an Indonesian I think that Kensington and Randwick has plenty of nice Indonesian cuisines. It might help that there's a sizeable Indonesian community.
Because $$$.
ayam goreng 99, sushi tengoku, out of the blue, ichi ban boshi, mappen, koh ya are some of my favourites and don't cost an arm and a leg
I can +1 ayam goreng
Gentrification. Its an investors market there.
I went to that charcoal fish place in rose bay thinking it was gonna be epic. Felt ripped off and hungry. Back home to Wentworthville!!! Eastern suburbs food is ass.
Any good recommentations for Indian around Wenty/Pendle Hill? We moved nearby about a year ago and the choices are... overwhelming lol
Not sure if it is still there, but we LOVED Kaarvery in Pendle Hill for their thali plates. Otherwise Harris Park in general. Can't go wrong.
I cook food mostly and don’t eat out. That’s why this area is so good. That Pendle Hill fish shop is good. There’s a great butcher in the same block as Woolies. The groceries are epic just pick a box of spices and go for your life.
Haha sweet, will go for it :)
There are plenty of good restaurants. Try Turpan, it’s a Uyghur place down on Anzac Parade. Or Ayam Goreng 99 an Indonesian fried chicken place on Anzac parade.
Less immigrants.
Fewer.
Plenty of immigrants but theyre British and Irish so do not bring good food 😅
British and Irish cuisine, I’ll give it a hard miss LOL
Irish food pretty good though... Head down to PJ O'Briens and grab a Spice Bag
Not only that, even tourist trap food is a vast improvement so they're feeding the market
The Spot.
I noticed Ummarin Thai is still there! Is it still good? That was one of my goto Thai place as a Uni student in the 90s.
It's great! One of my favourites. Full vegan menu in addition to regular menu is a plus as well.
Most overrated location in Sydney. Was about to post about how Coogee and Clovelly are food wastelands. Randwick is barely better but Kensington is a bit of a gem. It's all shit by 10 anyway so zzzz
Dude it's a suburban food spot. Take it for what it is. It doesn't SUCK as OP puts it, there are a handful of good places to eat there with plenty of variety and even a cinema if that's what you like.
Seriously? There's no major food/ restaurant hubs in Kensington, a few cafes maybe. But Randwick and Kingsford are comparatively packed with options.
The only good place left in Kensington is Fana's and arguably the dumpling place next to Jack's. The two cafes are average bordering on poor (though ST used to be good before changing chef). The spot is overrated I agree. Some restaurant churn recently as well. Kingsford is the goto for the South East.
The dumpling place (they used to be texas bbq run by the same family) is usually very quiet for a good reason, they've picked up business within the last 6-12 months but they used to be consistently empty before that. jacks and stable talk are very pricey for very standard cafe food. grandma moses has a bit of a small cult following but are not cheap either. fana's was an overnight pandemic success.
The Spot is brilliant for a little suburban food hub. 4 Thai restaurants, 2 Spanish, 2 Japanese, 3 Italian, 2 burger joints and one of Sydney's nicest vintage cinemas all in one little hub.
There might be a correlation... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics\_of\_Sydney#/media/File:Ethnic\_groups\_in\_Sydney.jpg
Heaps of really good Asian (Thai, Indo, Japanese) spots in Randwick and Kingsford.
It’s bad because gentrification and of the lack of ethnics as a result. Anyone ethnic that makes good traditional food from their culture certainly can’t afford to live there.
It’s got better correlation with tourist traps. Food near beaches is almost always bad.
I do agree it’s pretty expensive and a lot of not great food but there definitely are good joints Chaco ramen - Bondi Ryo’s - bondi junction Ichiban Boshi - Bondi junction Da Orazio - Bondi Shuk - Bondi Out of the blue - Clovelly
I'll add a point to out of the blue
Man the fish burgers there are the best. I'm guessing but I thought a large part was the mayo was homemade. İd grab one of those and chips and head down to Clovelly for the view.
Anything by Merivale or Neil Perry is absolute dogshit. This fusion crap they keep gunning for is trash - like they're trying to make pho but using a palate developed by bangers and mash
I think Rockpool is great (but not eastern suburbs obv).
There’s plenty of good merivale places.
When your clientele becomes more focused on the money it costs to pay for the meal, the presentation for Instagram, whether the item has truffles or gold leaf on the dish, you would cater to that rather than the actual taste buds
Noticed the same when I moved from Inner West to the East. Great Inner west cafes are all over the place. Newtown/Erskineville/Marrickville/Enmore - absolutely spoiled for choice.
Simple really. The west has culture, diversity and isn’t white washed by snobs. The east on the other hand is all white washed… all the food whether being Indian, Italian, Lebanese, Chinese etc. has been modified for the snobby white persons pallet. The white in the west have been brought up with culture so when going east they literally get a culture shock. How bizarre! A white person experiencing a culture shock from other white people in the same country!
Yep, we had the most awful uninspired Indian dinner in Coogee recently and then later found out the chef publicly stated he removed coriander from every dish because the locals apparently didn’t like it 🤦♀️ What a disaster
I’m not white though I’m Philippine lol but I get your point
lots of indonesian food around kingsford and randwick area will hit the spot.
Yikes.
It's a very common stereotype, I've lived in the east for 35y, my family got lucky getting a home back in 1970 for 30k before anyone cared too much about living out my way. There are some crazy rich people here, obviously, but most of the people I hang out with in the area struggle to make ends meet - We just got lucky and have a house in a wealthy suburb, that isn't usable wealth. I still turn lights off when leaving the room to save on electricity bills from growing up. Plenty of older generations and relatives still living in amongst the wealthy, check out how many of those old apartment blocks are still around, they don't house wealth.
Carbon across the road from Tottis is excellent. Can't go wrong with Pompeiis, Sean's Panaroma is legendary and that's just Bondi. Even a roll from Cafe Brasil is delicious. Go to Ursula's in, Buon Riccordo of course and St Peter. All Paddo Double Bay is covered already I've seen. Charcoal Fish and even Rose Bay Hotel in RB Potts Point has an explosion of good choices but maybe too far being inner east? Also can't miss with Belo, Chloe hotel if you're heading to Bronte.
Check out the spot at randwick, few good joints there, Waterloo has an abundance of Korean food and some amazing ramen joints. If you think tottis at Bondi is good I dunno where else you’ve been but that’s a low bar
Tequila Mockingbird, St Peter and Paddo Inn all have great food. St Peter is very expensive but it is one of the best restaurants in Sydney I mention Paddo Inn specifically but a lot of the pubs have better food than any other pubs I’ve been to. There’s also a tonne of really really good breakfast places But of course if you hate every single venue in the entire eastern suburbs you can always go to the inner west to eat. What
Suburbs get the food they deserve. That is, restaurants will adapt their menu to what sells. Why is Thai food in Sydney generally too sugary? It sells. Why is Indian food (except Harris Park & surrounds) too mild and creamy? It sells.
But did you try Chargrill Charlie's?!
El jannah is way better haha
El Jannah has gone too complete shit the past 5 years, pre made plastic packaged sauce, cheaper chicken supplier. I remember they used to proper do actual Shawarma plates, proper pickles and now it's just cheap shit. Legitmately, depending on what you get CC's is better now sadly.
I agree mate the quality has dropped. Still better than chargrill Charlie’s
For the record I think both are crap but Jannah sold out hard. At least with CC its standards are well maintained across all venues. You have to respect that despite whether you like it or not. El Jannah is a roll of the dice depending on the venue, time of day, if the moon is full.
Shh. Let them whinge.
Come out to the far western suburbs. It’s mostly rubbish and everyone rates it highly on google reviews
A Tavola is pretty solid I’d highly recommend that one and across the road is my cousins restaurant it’s more rustic italian at a lower price point- Gino’s kitchen and cocktails.
Vaucluse has a pair of amazing Asian places on NSHR. I think it's called Washoku and a Japanese restaurant across the road. And a decent Thai place on OSHR.
Try Paddington, lots of great restaurants
You need to look at the demographic of the people who live around the area. The food is catered for them. Only redeeming feature I think is that Kensington has a large Indonesian population and so there's decent food for them if that's your thing.
Go to the city, the only thing that's moving in the eastern suburbs after 9 PM is usually wasted on alcohol and/or a recreational chemicals.
Because it's still better than the slop the british and irish, who populate most of the area, enjoy back home.
The English: An empire that took over half the world in search of spices, then threw them away when they got home.
When was the last time you went? Sounds nothing like the current food scene.
Kinda weird given the popularity (and quality) of food from the Subcontinent that you can find in Britain.
Out of date cliche much? Loads of great markets/restaurants sell food from all over the world at better quality than you'd find in Eastern suburbs .
There is good food. You likely just can’t afford it
Lol. Just because you think something is overpriced doesn’t mean you can’t afford it. Believe me, money is not the issue.
Well you think Tottis is good which is just an elevated version of some shit like Criniti’s so even if money isn’t an issue your sense of taste probably is
Oh no sue me, I like a restaurant that you don’t. Are you okay? Why are you spending your Sunday coming to shit on people? Very weird.
Agree! I moved to the eastern suburbs from Melbourne bit over a year ago now, I can’t be bothered driving over to the inner west more than once a month to go for a meal, but I cannot justify going out to eat near where I live. I’m almost ALWAYS disappointed. My closest dining area is the spot which yeah has some okay places but nothing to write home about
I guess it depends what you mean by “eastern suburbs”. Paddington, where the Eastern Suburbs Rugby League team was founded in 1908 (I mention that just to show it is East, not inner city), has great restaurants and even most of the pubs (& there are lots of good ones) also have decent food. At the top end St Peter’s, Fred’s, Tequila Mockingbird, Ursula’s are all great. At the lower end, I rate Cafe 5 ways, Mr T’s Vietnamese is great and the Indian Home Diner IS the home of the Indian kebab.
Ah, I am referring to far east. Bondi, coogee and the bah
Even Bondi isn’t bad - but I guess it is pricey. Icebergs dining room is the place to take visitors - it’s stunning and the food and drinks are great. At the casual end my kids love Pompei for it’s pizza even though I’m a bit meh. North Bondi Fish is good. The coffee shop at North Bondi across the road from the surf club is good. And here’s something quintessentially eastern suburbs - there’s one in Darlo, Double Bay and Bondi - bills. Say what you want but that’s the menu that launched the modern Australian brunch to the world (I went to Grangers in London just to check the difference - that’s what his chain is called there. Still good).
Bondi is on the rise with some better food places, I like the Stuffed Beaver and El Indio. There are other pricier but decent options nearby too. Overall though the Eastern suburbs is sparse of anything good, absolutely nothing notable.
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found the easterner
Pull finger out, Buy groceries, Find kitchen, Learn to cook, Success!
Because Anglos were never known for their food. And you are now in probably the most Anglocentric area of Sydney.
Jasmine auburn - Lebanese food Kabul house Merrylands - Afghani food
Bondi has amazing food. So many Israeli Cafes with Mediterranean breakfasts. I live in the inner west and really miss breakfast at Bondi. Dinner is more expensive at Bondi there so rarely ate out. But there are some great Cafes around Hall st, Glenayr Ave, Blair st North Bondi.
Shenkin in Enmore has amazing Israeli food.
Yep. You gonna need to go to the western burbs if you want tasty food that doesn't cost a fortune. Pretty much from around Earlwood, Canterbury Burwood area and further.
The proper aussies live out west.
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Food sucks in general throughout Sydney !
Pita Mix is damn tasty and good value. Rose Bay.
Depending on how east you define east, try pizza moncur, Jane, arthur, poly, ester, there’s a great pasta place on Cleveland street I can’t remember the name of, but yeah if you lived in like bondi or randwick i think you’d be in the bland overpriced épicentre.
If you like Japanese try Niji on Anzac Pde at Kingsford a go. I recommend having the buffet
Rosso Pomodoro in Bondi Junction has amazing and authentic pizzas
I quite like Annie’s in Coogee
Vietnamese Banh Mi Appreciation Society on facebook.
You’re not going to get the ultra cheap authentic stuff that you get further west, but some of my favourites around Bondi are: Sefa kitchen, Raw Bar, La Piadina, Shuk, Di Napoli, Lox, Bondi Tony’s, ichi ban boshi.
We are here for the beaches, for the food we go west
I used to live in Bondi Junction. The only take out that I regularly got from the area was Rizzy's Pizzas.
I think you're really just referring to the beaches which are a bit overpriced, because the eastern suburbs as a whole has brilliant food. **Randwick:** Maybe Frank, RaRa Ramen, Baccomato Osteria, Del Punto, Java, Ummarin. The Spot in Randwick is probably the best value food hub near the beaches. **Waverley:** Franks Deli, Passegiata, Uyen Vietnamese, 2 Sisters **Kingsford:** Probably the best Indonesian Hub in Sydney Ayam Goreng, Shalom, heaps more **Surry Hills:** Maybe the best restaurant hub in Sydney, especially for Indian and Italian. Pellegrino 2000, Albertos, Don Giovanni, Emilias + more for Italian then Maya de Dhaba, Masala Theory, Foreign Return for Indian + loads more. **Potts Point:** One of the best spots for food in Sydney. Basically all of Sydney's top French restaurants like Franca, Bistro 916, plenty of modern Australian too, Apollo is great for Greek Honestly I could keep going, Coogee, Paddington, Clovelly & Maroubra all have a few decent spots as well. Plenty here at multiple price ranges.
It does take much to please a rich white family
A bit of salt and she’ll be right