15 Hatted Restaurants in Sydney to Book a Table At

For foodies with their finger on the pulse, the annual release of the Good Food Guide’s Chef Hats is a pretty big deal. For chefs and restaurants, getting a ‘hat’ is the highest honour. To score a hat, a restaurant needs to tick all the boxes with considerations including ingredients, taste, presentation, technique, value, and consistency. As for two or three hats, the competition is stiff. 

Not sure where to start? For food with all the frills, tip your hat to this edit of our favourite award-winning, hatted restaurants in Sydney – which ones will you be booking? 

Oncore by Clare Smyth

Set 26 levels above Sydney Harbour, with one of the best views in the city, Oncore is a world-class restaurant from Clare Smyth, the only British female chef with three Michelin stars. It's little wonder this year Oncore has maintained its three hats! Oncore, Smyth's first international restaurant, pays homage to Core, Smyth’s UK restaurant, and highlights sustainable ingredients. Whilst the seasonal tasting menu is worth saving your pennies for, Oncore has recently introduced a 3 course à la carte menu for something a little more approachable. 

Level 26, Crown Sydney, 1 Barangaroo Avenue, Barangaroo

Sixpenny

Helmed by Daniel Puskas and Anthony Schifilliti, Sixpenny has been awarded three Chef Hats for five years in a row, thanks to its ever-changing modern Australian menu. Housed on a corner terrace near Stanmore station, Sixpenny oozes elegant dining with a cosy venue and innovative dishes. The ever-changing menu plays on seasonal produce, which keeps diners constantly intrigued. Enjoy masterful creations like potatoes with oysters and raw mushrooms or lamb rump with leek and caramelised pumpkin juice. 

83 Percival Road, Stanmore

Quay

Situated in one of the city’s most impressive locations, Quay has held onto its three Chef’s Hats for the 23rd year in a row, making it one of the most-hatted restaurants in Sydney. Executive Chef Peter Gilmore’s nature-based menu has been the recipient of many accolades, and a quick Instagram trawl of Quay’s masterfully plated imaginings will give you a clear demonstration of why - every dish is a work of art.

Overseas Passenger Terminal, Hickson Road, The Rocks

Saint Peter

With new digs in Paddington and a move from two hats to three, Saint Peter is going from strength to strength - so book a table (if you can)! Having also taken out Good Food's Restaurant of the Year Award, this ocean-centric fine diner is a must-try for any Sydney foodie. Owner and chef Josh Niland and his team let the produce speak for itself. You can dine a la carte but we recommend the tasting menu which will encourage you to try dishes you might not otherwise order. 

Sitchu Tip: If you're struggling to find a booking that works, consider popping into the bar for a Yellowfin tuna cheeseburger, some oysters and a very swish wine list. 

362 Oxford Street, Paddington

Aalia (Image Credit: Jason Loucas)

Aalia 

Prepare for your experience of Middle Eastern food to be forever altered. The flavours coming from this unassuming two-hatted restaurant are nothing short of impeccable. Located in the centre of Martin Place, the experience at Aalia is a breeze from the get-go with a relaxed, modern and elegant dining room that fuses indoors with out.

Executive Chef Paul Farag's (winner of this year's best chef award) menu incorporates flavours from his travels in the Middle East and North Africa resulting in dishes you won't find elsewhere. Start with a handful of raw dishes, move into mezze, mains and sides and do not leave without dessert. To top it off, the staff here are exceptionally well-informed and friendly to boot. 

25 Martin Place, Sydney 

Ester

With polished concrete arches and lights hanging from the ceiling, Ester is the perfect backdrop for a flavoursome feast. Ester's fare is honest and wholesome but that doesn't mean it lacks complexity. Seasonal Australian flavours and unique international influences are woven throughout the menu with ingredients like finger lime, black garlic, macadamia and sake making regular appearances. The woodfire oven is also in frequent use which adds a further element to the layers of intrigue within each dish. And it's not just chef hats that Ester has deservedly come by.  

46-52 Meagher Street, Chippendale 

Aria

This two-hatted stalwart delivers ‘haute cuisine’ with gastronomic artistry rarely matched in Australia. Just steps away from the Opera House, Aria champions local produce and in every dish, expect full flavour and impeccable presentation.

1 Macquarie Street, Sydney

Bennelong

Celebrated Australian chef, Peter Gilmore (from the three-hatted stunner, Quay) is also at the helm of Bennelong, one of Sydney’s most picturesque fine dining experiences. It’s set within the iconic sails of the Sydney Opera House, taking full advantage of its multi-level layout ensuring that every patron takes in a full view. Much like its landmark surroundings, the menu is aptly Australian, championing local produce and wine throughout. 

Bennelong Point, Sydney Opera House, Sydney

Brasserie 1930  

We know we're starting to sound like a broken record but 2023 and 2024 have seen some incredible openings across Sydney. A third restaurant jumping straight from opening to two hats (and maintaining them) is Brasserie 1930. Traditional brasserie meets contemporary Australian fare – it’s a match made in heaven. The Bentley Group (Monopole, Cirrus, Yellow) has wowed diners with Brasserie 1930’s unique menu, designed to share, utilizing a range of cooking methods from curing and smoking to charcoal grilling and fermenting. Your journey begins upon your entrance to Sydney’s historic sandstone precinct and culminates in the restaurant’s sophisticated dining room. Australian produce is championed throughout with finger lime, Murray Cod and local oysters set to grace diner’s plates.  

Capella Sydney, 2-4 Farrer Place, Sydney  

White Horse

Easily one of our favourite openings of 2024, White Horse has secured the recognition it deserves with a fresh new hat as well as the Service Excellence Award thanks to Maureen Err.

Somehow managing the near impossible feat of creating a multi-space venue (we're talking public bar, garden terrace and restaurant) that feels intimate and warm, this restaurant nails a luxe for less approach. The modern Aussie menu with a French twist covers off all manner of creative dishes including creamed warrigal greens, a beetroot mille-feuille with muntries and native thyme and veal tongue French toast. The same theme can be found woven throughout the deceptively simple yet incredibly delicious cocktail menu. A 100-strong wine list rounds out the offering for the oenophiles.

381 Crown Street, Surry Hills

Oborozuki 

Oborozuki is the kind of dining experience that leaves you feeling pleasantly full (but not too full) and sated in a sense that surpasses appetite. Serene, intimate, old-world and new - you'll find an amalgamation of fine dining delights here. Details are considered right down to the hot towels that signal the beginning of your meal. The menu, which gently fuses French and Japanese cuisine, subtly explores flavour in a way that won't slap you in the face but that will leave you delighted at the way each delicate dish unfolds, each of which is impeccably plated and presented with care and respect by the knowledgeable staff. Add in floor-to-ceiling harbour views and you'll be hard-pressed to top a night here. 

Sitchu Tip: Order a sake and you'll get to select a handcrafted class of your choice from a leather trunk that will be yours for the evening. An extra special detail! 

71 Macquarie Street, Sydney 

Itō (Image Credit: Jiwon Kim) 

Itō

After just six months on the Sydney scene Surry Hills favourite, Itō, has scored its very first hat. Head Chef Erik Ortolani has combined his Italian heritage and passion for Japanese cooking to craft something truly unique. Dishes like yellowfin tuna served on bonito bread with shaved bottarga and Wagyu mafaldine paired with white shimeji and miso grace the menu and will give you a whole new appreciation for fusion cuisine. 

Key to the Itō experience is the drinks menu which features Japanese inspired classic cocktails, a quirky selection of wines from Japan and an extensive sake selection. The pared back interiors with fun pops of colour set the scene for the perfect night out. One of our favourites! 

413-415 Crown Street, Surry Hill

Restaurant Ka 

Every now and then you stumble across a restaurant that has you feeling like a regular from your first visit. Restaurant Ka is just that! Ka means family and that's how you're treated from the moment you walk in the door and sit yourself at the 10-seater bar. The casual yet elegant dining experience is not one you're going to forget anytime soon. Chef Zac regularly rotating menu blends modern Australian, Cantonese and Japanese cuisine seamlessly and crafts dishes that are as unsuspecting as they are delicious. Even the palate cleanser and cheese course will catch you by surprise in the very best way. It's little wonder they've maintained a hat since their first year of trading! 

13B Burton Street, Darlinghurst 

Poetica 

A refined and light-filled restaurant and bar, Poetica is a 120-seat space with a 700-bottle wine wall, dry-ageing cabinets and a 15-metre-long open kitchen. Stone, copper, wood and burnt honey upholstery contribute to the relaxed yet luxurious aesthetic. 

Head Chef Connor Hartley-Simpson's menu champions local produce as well as cooking methods that have stood the test of time - from pickling and fermenting to wood-fire and charcoal. You can expect to see dry aged swordfish cooking over the fire before being caramelised on the hot grill whilst leek tops are charred in the Josper. As for the wine list, vintage gems and beloved classics make up the 450-strong offering. One for the bucket list! 

Mezzanine Level, 1 Dennison Street, North Sydney

Palazzo Salato 

A new opening from the good people who brought us Love Tilly Devine and Ragazzi, Palazzo Salato is a fab pick if you're channelling an Italian feast. The 120-seat venue is brimming with kitchen space which means an even wider variety of unique hand-shaped pasta, grilled meats and more. Diners have the choice of the walk-in-only bar and the dining room, with interiors inspired by traditional Italian trattorias (that’s a relaxed Italian eatery to you and I). A 500-strong wine list rounds out the offering.  

201/203 Clarence Street, Sydney  

Bagged yourself a table at one of these hatted restaurants in Sydney and looking for something a little more lowkey? From edgy Chinese restaurants and unbeatable Italian eateries to group dining favourites and BYO gems, there are so many cool restaurants in Sydney to visit.