Diners' Choice: Neighborhood gem restaurants in Sydney

OpenTable

Updated December 05, 2024

Looking for the best restaurants that are the best neighborhood gems in Sydney? You’re in the right place. Each month, OpenTable analyzes nearly 2 million global diner reviews from the past four months. We sort the results by location and category to help you discover new favorite restaurants. It's a great partnership: you reserve, eat, and review. We listen...and deliver the results for all to benefit. Enjoy!

Mezepotamia Restaurant & Bar

4.9

4.9 (59)

$41 to $100

Turkish

Redfern

About the restaurant

At Mezepotamia, we take you on a delicious journey through Turkey and the Middle East with a spread of vibrant mezzes, perfectly paired with wines and crafted cocktails. Our mezzes are packed with rich flavours and a nod to tradition, all served with a warm smile in the heart of Redfern. So grab your friends, bring your appetite, and join us for a laid-back, unforgettable experience!

Top review

Rachael

Dined 3 days ago

Excellent service, delicious food and great cocktails

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Experience

Mezepotamia Feast

Braci Osteria + Pizzeria

4.9

4.9 (67)

$41 to $100

Italian

Willoughby

About the restaurant

Braci Osteria + Pizzeria brings the fiery passions of Italy and Australia to Sydney's lower North Shore. Slide up to the bar to enjoy spuntini accompanied by wines and cocktails, or enjoy pizza and pasta with good company in the dining room or on the terrace.

Braci is an experience to be shared with friends and family. The flavours of Braci have been developed with the heart and soul of our experienced kitchen team and can accommodate to appetites of all sizes. The bar features a carefully curated and exclusive wines, spirits, and beers to accompany your culinary journey.

Elegant simplicity is at the heart of everything we do. Eat well + eat often.

Top review

Angela

Dined 3 days ago

Always lovely food. And the best service. I left the suburb almost a year ago and haven’t been back in that time. The standard is still really high!! Thank you for a great night.

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Experience

Best of Braci

Osteria di Russo & Russo

4.8

4.8 (1190)

$41 to $100

Contemporary Italian

Enmore

About the restaurant

Enmore's Osteria di Russo & Russo is a favorite among locals and visitors alike for its modern take on classic Italian flavours, served in its warm and charming restaurant. As snacks to start, the fiore di zucchini fried zucchini flower with goat's milk ricotta and lemon aspen and the cannolo filled with a duck liver parfait, date and hazelnuts are sensational selections.

Some of Osteria di Russo & Russo's specialty dishes include the saltbush gnocchi with pork sausage ragu and pecorino, the chargrilled beef flank with green garlic, nasturtium and smoked eggplant and the slow cooked freemantle octopus with chickpea, salsa rossa and native bush tomato, as well as vegetarian dishes.

Osteria di Russo & Russo's strawberry sorbet, davidson plum meringue and limoncello custard is the perfect dessert with which to finish your meal.

Top review

Jessica

Dined 3 days ago

ambience service ease of booking excellent. some of the dishes excellent. some dishes average. we had the paired wines. some was excellent some tasted as though it had been open for a while. The experience is delightful the food varies. Overall a great place to celebrate.

Kokoroya Japanese Sushi Dining

4.8

4.8 (640)

$40 and under

Japanese

Maroubra

About the restaurant

Welcome to Kokoroya We serve a variety of authentic Japanese food made with fresh ingredients that everyone can love! Being fully licensed, we also offer a selection of Japanese beer, sake, wine and cocktails, as child-size soft drinks.

Top review

Mon

Dined on Dec 7, 2024

Fantastic experience, as usual. The food is always so incredibly fresh, flavoursome, and beautifully presented. Thank you Kokoroya for making our evening so delightful!

Iluka on Baywater Wentworth Point

4.8

4.8 (75)

$40 and under

Café

Wentworth Point

About the restaurant

Beautiful cafe on the water in Wentworth Point. Supporting local produce and business.

Top review

PatrickVIP

Dined on Dec 13, 2024

Iluka on the Bay – Our Weekend Spot Iluka on the Bay is hands down our go-to spot for breakfast on the weekends. The coffee is always consistently good, and the staff are really friendly. There’s plenty of great food to choose from, whether you’re after something hearty or a healthier option like their Acai bowl (which is amazing, by the way). It’s pet-friendly too, so it’s perfect if you want to bring your pup along for the ride. Add in the beautiful views over Homebush Bay, and it’s pretty much the perfect way to start the day. Highly recommend! Pat, Kass & Family

BART Jr.

4.7

4.7 (101)

$40 and under

Australian

Redfern

About the restaurant

About Bart Jr.
Bart Jr. is the love child of local lethario and legend Bart, a frisky ginger tomcat, it's also your new favourite neighbourhood bar.

We are passionate about good booze, good food and good times.

TUESDAY - Bart FAMILY Night.
A Pasta & Glass of Wine for $35/hd

WEDNESDAY - Bart CHEF's Menu.
A carefully selected $45/hd menu of all our Fave things.
Our usual delicious Menu also available to order as you like!

THURSDAY - Steak Frites!
Our usual delicious Menu also available to order as you like.

FRIDAY/SATURDAY - Lunch & Dinner.
Good vibes all weekend, regular menu and specials!

SEATING
Standard seating is inside the venue on a stool or chair, Outside seating is under cover on the 'Bart Patio'.
We are a small bar and require flexibility in seating arrangements.

GROUPS
Groups of 7+ Attract a 10% Service Charge and are required to go on a $69/head Set Menu.

Top review

Gayle

Dined 2 days ago

Always a great experience! Love that it is our local.

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Experience

WEDNESDAY's at Bart.

Experience

TUESDAY @ Bart - Family Night

East Village Hotel Balmain

4.6

4.6 (30)

$40 and under

Australian

Balmain

About the restaurant

Affectionately nicknamed ‘The EVH’ by our locals, we are proudly ‘pokie free’, dog friendly, and the only remaining hotel in East Balmain. Super conveniently located, only 100m from the East Balmain Ferry (or 2 minute's walk), we are also only one ferry ride from Barangaroo!

Top review

Sue

Dined on Dec 7, 2024

We were a group of 7 with kids aged from 10 to 13 with a dog coming to a busy Saturday dinner service. The atmosphere was busy and buzzy. We were allocated the perfect long table in between the busy bar and the restaurant. The service was faultless! So friendly and nothing was too hard. Highly recommend for a family friendly dinner.

H2O Cafe Restaurant

4.6

4.6 (42)

$40 and under

Café

Narrabeen

About the restaurant

Welcome to our restaurant! The regular menu is filled with delicious options that are sure to satisfy. Don't forget our constantly changing "Specials" for some exciting new dishes. And if you have a sweet tooth, be sure to try our homemade cakes and almond croissants - they're to die for!

Located on the tranquil shores of Narrabeen Lake- the perfect location for breakfast & lunch, a relaxing morning / afternoon tea or your SPECIAL CELEBRATION.

Top review

David

Dined on Dec 12, 2024

H20 is a regular destination for myself and my old school friends. The location is excellent - especially today on a warm, sunny, blue-skied day - but even on a cold winter's day it is great. The staff are friendly and helpful and the food is always good. Very good value for money! We will undoubtedly continue to come back.

Karoo & Co The Old School

4.5

4.5 (400)

$41 to $100

Italian

St Ives

About the restaurant

Karoo & Co The Old school is located in the heritage-listed old St Ives Public School. Lovingly renovated to bring out its old school charm, makes this a perfect place to come together and enjoy the warmth of our good food and hospitality.
Using select premium ingredients our team has created a seasonal menu of wines, cocktails, and food that draws inspiration from all corners of the world,
Come on in and & enjoy what our old school charm has to offer!

Top review

Alison

Dined 4 days ago

Lovely atmosphere and food, staff were attentive, helpful, polite and friendly. Desserts were rather overpriced compared to the rest of the menu. Overall, highly recommend and will definitely be returning. 😍

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Experience

$100pp feast menu | groups of 12+

Experience

$55pp menu | groups of 12+

Experience

$65pp menu | groups of 12+

Belrose Hotel

4.3

4.3 (723)

$40 and under

Pub

Belrose

About the restaurant

Welcome to The Belrose Hotel!

One of the northern beaches’ largest hotels and the family-friendly go-to pub for the local community.

Boasting Sydney’s largest indoor playground, and a spacious bistro serving a lengthy menu of upmarket pub-fare, as well as a comfortable lounge area with lofty bar, The Belrose Hotel is the perfect venue for whatever you’re planning!

Brunch: 10am – 11am
Lunch: 11am – 2.30pm
Dinner: 5pm-9pm.

Bar Menu: Mon-Thu; 11am-9pm

All Day Menu: Fri, Sat & Sun; 11am-9pm

Top review

Rebecca

Dined on Dec 8, 2024

The most accommodating venue around. Staff are awesome, kids mess…no sweat! Good value, great food x

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