#shuutravels Sydney Food Guide

By Shu - 00:26

I've recently concluded my second ever trip to Australia, and this time my wanderlust has brought me to Sydney, one of Australia's biggest cities. There are, honestly, very few 'tourist-y' things to do in downtown Sydney besides hanging out at the bay areas, but I would seriously rank spending time exploring Sydney's amazing food high up in 'things you must do in Sydney' list. Quaint cafes, posh restaurants and busy Asian food joints stand side by side all over Sydney, which made for an exhilarating food trail.

So, I'll try to keep this short... but here's my guide (in no order of preference) on food you should NOT miss if you ever find yourself down under... in Sydney :)

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1. The Grounds of Alexandria
7A, 2 Huntley St, Alexandria NSW 2015

You must have heard of this one by now. Set in a former industrial ground, this massive premise packs a cafe, restaurant, florist, dry food market all in one. While this is a 20min bus ride from downtown, trust me when I say the travel is worth it.

Featuring brick walls, sunny outdoor seating, a lush kitchen garden and even a farm (hello piggy), this cafe boasts an unbeatable ambience. I spent a good 3 hours wandering around the premise and helped myself to some delicious brunch - the rose inflused lemonade (while pricey at $5) is lovely, and the Picnic set I ordered at the cafe (grilled veg and feta sandwich, gruyere cheese, hummus, smoked salmon) tasted all fresh and yummy. Also, do not miss the pastry stand - just look at the display!!! #drool

The florist tucked inside the Grounds of Alexandria was also seriously breathtaking. Look! Marbled roses and rainbow roses! They're real!!!! Boyfriends and husbands, beware...

I also spent a significant amount of time exploring the Salts Meat Cheese dried food market. The truffled mushroom sauce pictured below is heavenly. I wish I bought more than a bottle. They also stock a huge variety of flavoured pasta - I got the basil one, but honestly it looks better than it tastes (it pretty much tastes like normal wheat pasta to me...)

2. Hurricane Grill @ Darling Harbour

Harbourside Shopping Centre, 433-436 Darling Drive, Sydney NSW 2000

Everyone was raving about this steak and ribs house in Sydney, so I had to give this a shot. Honestly (and probably because I went in with such high expectations), I don't think the ribs are the best I've ever had, but perhaps it was just a bad (and very busy) restaurant night, and since everyone raves about this place you should give it a try too. I also ordered their crackling pork belly, but meh, give it a miss. The crackling is rock hard. Anyway, make sure to reserve, or go before 6.30pm or there will be a looonnnnggg queue.

3. Reuben Hills
61 Albion Street, Surry Hills NSW 2010

Reuben Hills sure knows how to stand out from the mass of generic brunch serving cafes by offering South American inspired breakfast food. This must be one of the cutest and yummiest brunch cafes I've ever visited. We tried the Albondingas bowl (Mexican meatballs, fried egg, jalapeno mojo atop a tortilla) and the scrambled eggs on rye with bacon and lime & cumin salt, both of which were amazing. The people beside us kept raving about the porridge (with raisin syrup and banana milo crumbs) too, so I guess that too is worth a try!

4. The Little Kitchen
275 Arden St, Coogee NSW 2034

This isn't really in Sydney, but who goes to Sydney without hitting the beach! We stopped by the Little Kitchen for lunch on the way to Bondi (we did the very lovely Coogee-Bondi hike) and had a great time. It is a tiny rustic cafe serving modern Australian food, and while the buckwheat pancakes with raspberries and pistachio shavings didn't quite do it for me (it was a little on the dry side), the kedgeree with smoked cod and a soft boiled egg (bottom picture) was marvelous.

5. Chur Burger
48 Albion Street, Surry Hills

A funky burger chain serving AMAZING sweet potato fries with garlic and lime, AMAZING milkshakes (I tried the salted caramel, YUMMEH), mindblowingly loud retro indie music, and decent burgers. But I would go back in a heartbeat for their SALTED POTATO FRIES AND SALTED CARAMEL MILKSHAKE. #dreaming #mademypoint

6. Gelato Messina

389 Crown Street, Surry Hills NSW 2010

What better way to top off all the binging by indulging in a cup of gelato. They say Gelato Messina scoops the best gelato in Australia, and I fully agree. Try their salted caramel with white chocolate (crowd fave), and their rosewater and pistachio (ice cream flavour OTP). Mmmmm.

That's it from me folks! Hope you enjoyed my take on the best places to eat in Sydney in my humble opinion. Of course this list is not exhaustive and I'm hoping I get a chance to revisit Sydney and add on to this list hehe (and go back for my sweet potato fries and milkshake. Oh Chur Burger, you have my heart...)

Till the next update xx