May’s Sydney Restaurant Openings, Plus Two Closures

One year in, this banh mi shop is considered one of the city’s best (including by a top chef). • Buoy Kiosk feels like a holiday, with bacon subs, cheesy “mousetraps” and an exceptional on-the-water view. • Some of the best Ethiopian food in NSW is found in a suburban living room. Each month, a handful of guests gather to tear injera bread and tuck into delicious stews. • First look: a Japanese wine bar with a Michelin-credentialled chef hits Surry Hills. Slink in for

potato mochi topped with “mountain caviar” and, soon, a chef’s table experience. • Surry Hills brisket favourite MLK Deli has hit The Rocks with the same standout sandwich list. There’s the saucy Afghan meatballs number and grilled haloumi, too – plus, a new morning bun with MLK brisket, a fried egg, cheese and house-made maple sauce. • Specialty coffee house Dutch Smuggler expands to Bridge Street, delivering its hit mie goreng toasties and brews made on house-roasted Indonesian beans – bringing the team’s location count

to six. • Sydney lands a second outpost for Michelin-recommended Mensho Tokyo. The newcomer opens on Thursday May 28, with its signature soup and house-made noodles – plus a venue-exclusive bowl. • First look: “Japanese Starbucks” arrives in Haymarket, with slow-brewed matcha, extravagant parfaits and a lengthy menu of savoury dishes. • First look: a beloved Nigerian pop-up finally finds a permanent location in Darlinghurst. Head in soon for jollof rice, grilled suya and palm wine. • At Tommy Panini, sandwiches arrive like laundry –

a trend we’re seeing take off around Sydney. The Brookvale-born joint just opened in the CBD, adding a snacky happy hour to the mix too. • Quay’s dining room returns as part of a multi-level hospitality precinct – with dining spaces spanning beer garden, pub and restaurant. • First look: Bangkok’s famous beef noodle soup is hidden in a Haymarket tunnel. Broadsheet visited and found a soup “like no other” and a riff on a decades-old Hat Yai fried chicken recipe. • First look: Irish

stout, live music and spice bags revamp an underground space by the beach. • Bar Bruno hits the CBD with house-made pasta and radicchio spritzes. Plus, there’s a daily aperitivo hour and a late-night Daiquiri bar next door. • The first Aussie outpost of a world-famous Tokyo pizzeria opens in Sydney – marking the lauded pizzaiolo’s largest location, too. • First look: the chefs behind a standout northern beaches bakery open a pastry club – with crème brûlée doughnuts and croissant-infused iced lattes – closer

to the city. • First look: live jazz and vinyl DJs set the mood at Meadow Music Room, Cronulla’s newest bar. • Chat Thai’s Palisa Anderson adds a rice-powered Thai lunch counter to her corner of The Galeries’ food court. You’ll find bowls like bright blue butterfly-pea jasmine rice topped with poached chicken and nam jim jaew. Plus, coconut-milk soft serve. Closures • The Lox in a Box team closes its “bustling” Bondi bistro six months after opening. “This is not about the performance of

the Bistro,” owner Candy Berger shared. • Celebrated fine diner Bentley to close after two decades of service – for now. Additional reporting by Howard Chen, Lucy Christopher, Ben Hansen, Lee Tran Lam and Pilar Mitchell.

Sydney restaurants, Mensho Tokyo, Japanese wine bar, MLK Deli, Dutch Smuggler, Haymarket openings, Darlinghurst opening, Tommy Panini, Quay dining room returns, Chart Thai Palisa Anderson, closures