A ritzy institution on the Customs House rooftop. An appropriate focus on seafood works a treat, given the jaw-dropping views of Sydney Harbour. Book ahead for the window seats.

The old-school Italian with the iconic green door has been kicking hard since 1987 with honest Napoli-style fare including hand-made pastas, fish and beautifully prepared meat courses. The tablecloths are white, the upholstery is floral and the service is pitch-perfect.

This is the godfather of Italian dining in Sydney. Beppi’s has been ticking-over with the same consistency, fit-out and leather-bound menus – hand-carved by the late Beppi Polese himself – since 1956. Immortal dishes include clams and mussels with garlic, olive oil, white vino and tomato; and zucchini flowers stuffed with ricotta, basil and mushrooms.

At one time, the breakfasts at Bill Granger’s sun-drenched cafe were the yardstick by which all the city’s cafes were measured. This blonde-wood institution still hits with avo on Iggy’s bread, poached eggs with elevated sides and ricotta hotcakes.

Gloria’s is the reason they call Petersham Little Portugal. Come for taberna-style charm and huge huge and hearty serves of provincial Portuguese food. Think red-bean, pork, beef and chorizo stew with rice, or fried pork with clams, capsicum and coriander on a bed of cubed potatoes. Don’t leave without trying the Portuguese tart.

Whale Beach’s own elegant fine diner and hotel lives inside a wartime-era coach house. The menu has an Italian edge, with wild-caught fish and a couple pastas starring. If that's not enough to lure you in, the dining room has priceless ocean views to match the superlative food.

This elevated vantage of Bondi’s sloshing surf is one of Australia’s great views – one a less conscientious restaurateur might easily lean on. Not Maurice Terzini, who’s been pushing his resplendent Italian diner to greater and greater heights since 2002.

A North Indian-style diner plating up Punjabi specialties. Before Harris Park ever claimed Little India status, Billu’s was the first on the ground with its now-famous tandoori chicken. It’s marinated for 24 hours in yoghurt and spices, then wood-fired in the tandoor. It’s a fine entry-point, but be sure to venture towards the regional dishes you won’t find elsewhere.

Curbside dining, Sopranos-style, since 1965. The buzzy dining room upstairs is a good alternative though, where you’ll find generous bowls of pasta and super-sized schnitzels with cheese and veg. Hair-raisingly robust espresso from 6am until midnight.

This German restaurant, which opened in 1961, has a 4000-bottle cellar-slash-dining area you have to see to believe. There’s seven sorts of schnitzel and a killer pork knuckle too, plus a smattering of Dutch-Indonesian dishes. And with 48 hours notice, chef Max Dietz will oblige any special request for an off-menu German dish.

This slamming Thai institution has all the classics you know. Plus, a hardcore Thai following to rival the corporates and students dropping in for an affordable lunch and dinner.

An institution among Laksa addicts. Today the name has two locations under its banner, but the original, now-closed Hunter Street shop was ladling bowls of piping hot laksa all the way back in 1987 – long before most of the CBD’s other Asian restaurants joined the party.

Set over two storeys in an iconic Paddington terrace, Sydney’s most experimental wine bar has Italian swagger in spades. Come for pastas that are anything but traditional, and a pretzel with whipped bottarga that’s so spectacular it’s never left the menu. The wine list changes so frequently, you could visit three times in a week and never get bored.

This “rickety-chic” institution has been winning over Sydneysiders with its ever-changing seasonal menu since 1993. It’s packed with ultra-fresh produce from the restaurant’s own farm in the Blue Mountains – check the restaurant chalkboard details. Cheerfully charming and dangerously good.

Cultish popularity and loads of sambal. Expats, students and food explorers make the pilgrimage to Anzac Parade for the Indonesian fare at this institution. Visit for outrageously tender chicken (choose from charcoal or deep-fried options), street-style satays and nasi goreng.

This underrated fine diner has been going strong since the 1950s. It sits on the edge of Cowan Creek, one of several waterways feeding directly into the Hawkesbury River near Mooney Mooney. Expect elegant waterside dining at its best, with beautifully-plated European dishes and a progressive wine list.

There’s charcoal chicken joints, then there’s El Jannah. The Granville original put the Western Sydney suburb on the culinary map with its tender birds, addictively punchy garlic sauce and neon-pink radishes. These days it’s a well-oiled chicken machine, with sister locations across town.

This is the show-stopping star of Matt Moran’s culinary empire. The artfully-plated dishes warrant the lofty price-tags, but those generous harbour views do a lot to offset the sting. This is one of Sydney’s great try-before-you-die restaurants – a pillar of modern Australian dining.

Come here for hawker-style laksas by way of KL and Penang. There’s also a Borneo-specific style heavy on the shrimp and spice, plus a myriad of chicken and pork dishes. It’s all supported by deep-fried Malaysian bites. There are two relentlessly-busy locations in Kingsford and Campsie.

Picture a baguette loaded with meat, carrot, pickled daikon, liver pate and coriander stalks. Now add birds-eye chillies so intense they’ll make your eyes water. Now picture a line of banh mi addicts wrapping around the block, hankering for Sydney's most famous banh mi. That’s Marickville Pork Roll.

A cornerstone of south-west Sydney’s Cantonese-speaking community. Its suited-up service and low-key decor have remained unchanged since 1980. And you can expect the same consistency from the extensive menu. Equally primed for one-person lunch or a banquet for many.

Sleek and informal Asian dining at the Cowper Street Wharf. The menu is a knock-out homage to the best of Chinese and south-east Asian cuisines. Try tenured dishes such as tea-smoked duck with tamarind and plum, or the pork belly with chilli caramel and *nam pla phrik* (sweet-and-sour sauce). White tablecloths and city skylines included.

Sydney's oldest continuously trading hotel is a craft beer holy ground. Sipping a pint of Three Sheets Pale Ale is a rite of passage here, and goes rather well with a warming curry from the flash bistro menu.

Whether you’re stopping in for that iconic lasagnette bolognaise or just a snack, Frat Paz nails it every time. Its groundbreaking wine list introduced the city to many minimal-intervention styles we're now obsessed with.

Some fanatics call this the best pasticceria in Sydney. Five Dock’s Italian community certainly seems to think of. In any case, the quality of Tamborrino’s Roman-style biscuits, cannoli and cream-filled pastries is evident. For a quick breafkast, go for an Italian-style croissant and a strong espresso.

Enmore Road’s perennial late-night Pakistani joint. Newtown kids gravitate towards the excellent tandoori, but past midnight, the taxi driver set fuel up with flash-fried Lahore-style curries and stews ordered off the special menu (the staff write it in biro on the back of a docket).

Visit this slamming Maltese eatery for big bowls of pasta and flaky, addictive pastizzi (savoury pastries). After moving from its original South King Street digs, it’s now three times the size – but remains an essential Newtown venue.

Hungarian treats have been front and centre at this bagelry and pretzel-maker ever since it opened in 1979. Here you'll find exquisitely layered chocolate cakes and strudels, plus bagels good enough to stand up to any of Sydney’s flashy new-school bagelries.