Sydney’s Best New Casual Spots of 2026 (So Far)

Keep it casual, Sydney – you know you want to. There are lines out the door at many of these new Sydney eateries, mostly because they’re exceptional at what they do. We want their cooking on our lunch breaks and our weekend city trips, for our affordable post-work dinners with mates, and when we need to stock the freezer with packets of handmade dumplings. Riceface, CBD Chat Thai’s Palisa Anderson knows good rice. A “triple-A grade” grain, only harvested in the most recent season, is

what underpins the menu at her just-opened food court counter. Visit at lunchtime to find a crowd of people, tickets in hand. Those tickets are exchanged for bowls of blue butterfly pea rice topped with stewed tofu and greens. Or maybe golden turmeric rice topped with grilled chicken revved up by the chilli kick of nam jim jaew and a herby side salad. What makes it truly special is the veggies travel directly from Anderson’s Northern Rivers farm to Riceface: the mustard greens and water

spinach, fiery chillies and aromatics, like ginger, galangal and peppercorns. Departing from what you might expect of a kiosk in the CBD, everything’s made in the on-site kitchen and your food arrives in a proper bowl. “It makes me feel really happy to see people here,” Anderson told us after opening. Us too. – Grace MacKenzie, Sydney food and drink editor Ratchawat Beef Noodle, Ultimo Bangkok’s historic Nakhon Chai Si Road is a noodle soup lover’s paradise, and now the beefy Thai Chinese flavours of

that paradise are in Sydney. Traditional Ratchawat-style beef noodle broth plays by its own rules, building flavour from sheer beef power, tendon, brisket and shin simmered with Thai herbs and spices for six hours, before being cooked thermally for another three. The result is intensely beefy, exceptionally comforting. Slurp the signature broth with its house-made beef balls and tender brisket, and add on the impossibly crisp, ultra juicy Hat Yai-style fried chicken showered in fried shallots and best paired with sticky rice made from a

secret recipe sourced in Thailand. – Howard Chen, freelance writer Kim’s Korean Deli, Darlinghurst Protein bowls, slop bowls, Fishbowls. The lunchtime “bowl” is a divisive topic – I haven’t really come down on one side of the debate. But I can say with my full chest that I am 100 per cent in favour of the Korean barbeque bowls at Kim’s Korean Deli. The Darlinghurst diner is run by couple Janice and Kevin Kim who – with their 10-month-old daughter Gabi – are in-store to

welcome art school students, city workers and Darlo dwellers alike. First you pick your protein – pork belly, chicken, Wagyu or tofu, each marinated for two days – before it’s flame-grilled and served with veggies. It’s nourishing, moreish and leaves you feeling full. To drink there’s Ona Coffee and a short edit of teas, but the best is Kim’s house-made sodas. It’s a lunchtime winner that keeps us coming back again and again. – Lucy Bell Bird, national assistant editor Happy Shop, Haberfield How do

you solve a problem like popularity? For Happyfield’s Chris Theodosi and Jesse Orleans, you snap up a neighbouring heritage shop, completely gut the place and turn it into Sydney’s most delicious waiting room. Happy Shop is technically just that – a place to stuff yourself silly with chopped cheese sandwiches and beignets if the extended wait times at Happyfield are making you sad. My question is, what will they do now that both spots are completely rammed at the same time? We’re gonna need another

waiting room. – Dan Cunningham, national food and drink editor Itadakimasu, Darlinghurst Slowly but surely, Sydney is waking up to onigiri in the morning. Then ordering it again for lunch. And again for dinner. Itadakimasu is yet another entry in a growing list of eateries focused on the iconic Japanese comfort food. Even better, this one from the Sandoitchi team brings something new to the table. We love the Okinawan taco-rice onigiri, the elegant lunch sets and – we really love this – the wine

bar licence and forthcoming evening trade. – Dan Cunningham, national food and drink editor Pacho’s Burger Truck, Rozelle This patty-smashing joint is run by a brother-sister duo who parked near a Rozelle petrol station and started sizzling. When food writer Lee Tran Lam visited in April, she reported the pair had been inundated with orders since they opened. The people wanted the juicy onion-heavy patties in the Oklahoma signature, tucked inside a soft white bun. But that’s it – just meat, cheese, bread. These puppies

arrive completely sauce-less, letting that charred, smoky-sweet onion flavour sing. That signature competes with the monthly specials, though; on opening there was a kofta smash with a zippy citrussy tahini and a shock of pink pickled turnips that nodded to the team’s Afghani heritage. Whatever you choose, the ideal accompaniment is a scoop of cheese-topped potato gems. – Grace MacKenzie, Sydney food and drink editor Bonjuk, Haymarket If you read the our best dishes of the year (so far) list, you’ll know a steaming-hot bowl

of Korean rice porridge (juk) won my heart. Yes, for its silky, soupy texture, and its salty, veggie-laden flavours. Yes, for the crunch and savouriness delivered by a crown of seaweed and toasted sesame seeds. And especially yes for the collection of banchan haloing the bowl: fresh kimchi, a vinegary chilli paste, soy-braised beef and a pastel-pink, palate-cleansing pickled radish soup. All that goodness is found at Bonjuk, alongside the signature jeonbokjuk – the “king of porridges” – which includes abalone meat simmered in sesame

oil till tender. The South Korean chain started as a single shop in Seoul’s Daehangno district in 2002, dedicated to juk. There are now more than 2000 outposts across across 15 countries. Haymarket marks the Aussie debut, and there are already more on the way. We can see exactly why it’s taking off so hard. – Grace MacKenzie, Sydney food and drink editor Temu Kangen, Haymarket Across Indonesia, to celebrate birthdays, anniversaries and happy events, people come together to feast on nasi kuning. Sunny yellow

rice – fragrant with coconut milk and lemongrass, fittingly wearing a banana leaf “party hat” – is hedged with sambal-topped eggs, grilled beef ribs and a scoop of stir-fried tempeh. The dish is the star attraction at Medan Ciak’s new dining room 850 metres up the road. The cone-shaped pile is like mountains, head chef Harjo shared in March. “The goal is, you can get as high as the mountain.” And, while celebrating with that little cone of rice is special, it really is a

winner any time you want to eat it. A visit here is enough of a reason to celebrate. – Grace MacKenzie, Sydney food and drink editor Australia Street Sandwich, Newtown How good’s a sanga? If you whack a few slices of nice bread around something cheesy or salad-y or meaty, you’re more than likely in for a good time. But, it’s undeniable, some are simply better than others. The sandwiches at the Tokyo Lamington team’s ASS – an acronym it’s owning, as per the raunchy

“eat some ASS” catchphrase – are better than many. They’re stuffed full, they’re a bit cheffy, they have structural integrity. Take the rainbow-hued salad number. Bright purple beetroot against the leafy green lettuce, a muddle of cucumber and carrot matchsticks and a healthy amount of pickles. There are sprouts, too, and the tang of feta. All on your choice of bread: flatbread, focaccia or sliced sourdough. But food writer Lee Tran Lam comes through with the power play: create your own Australia Street Happy Meal.

First a sandwich here, then next door for a Tokyo Lamington drink, then around the corner for a Macca’s-inspired sundae from the team’s Everyday Creamery. – Grace MacKenzie, Sydney food and drink editor Dumps, Glebe Dee Zhang is seriously impressive. She first got into her dumpling groove during lockdown, folding and filling more than 10,000 “dumps” from her one-bedroom apartment, then delivering them all over Sydney. Now those little parcels, in flavours that span cultures and embrace creativity, are in their first permanent home. Shop

classics like a family-recipe pork and cabbage, a winning mushroom and ricotta number, and a funky chicken parmie riff, plus convenient heat-and-eat noodles, sauces and post-partum meals. The dumpling grocery is pretty too, designed by Like Minds with glossy red tiles on the walls and timber shelves laden with arty pieces to take home. With Galluzzo next door, it’s a convenient stop. – Grace MacKenzie, Sydney food and drink editor Appizza, Darlinghurst Pizza has popped off in Sydney this year. No, really. The scene was

already looking healthy, but we’ve just copped newcomers from cult Japanese chains and more than one iconic Sydney chef. But where slices are concerned, AP Bakery and Cicerone boss Stefano De Caro’s foray into the genre is as hot as it gets. Jumbo slices – inspired by American New Haven style – and spicy Margs are wedged into one of Sydney’s best people-watching corners. More like a slice of heaven. – Dan Cunningham, national food and drink editor Bronte Road Fish, Bronte Out goes the

bistro, in comes the Fish – and Bronte locals are happy about it. Stop in here for super-soft buns sandwiching the crunch of panko-crumbed fish and fresh iceberg lettuce, plus pickles and American cheese, or go for the tuna smash. Bluefin tuna – half ground, half chopped – is mashed with barbequed onions, shaped into patties, then smashed onto the hot plate, flipped and topped with cheese. Once they’ve sizzled, they hit that same bun with tomato relish. The “ultimate” potato scallops are hefty: thick

slices of Sebago potatoes soaked in shio koji for three hours before being slicked in a light tempura-style batter and fried. A funky wine list, local tinnies and Ester Spirit cocktails keep this cheffy fish’n’chipper a cut above. – Grace MacKenzie, Sydney food and drink editor

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