Every year it seems more and more impossible to top the kind of restaurant calibre that exists in Sydney already, and every year the city bristles with excitement at a slew of new openings – late-night underground bars, harbourside eateries and fine dining precincts – that reinvigorate our love for food all over again.
While we're only a little ways into the year of 2026, there are already a bunch of new openings to be excited about that you might have missed over December. Luckily, we miss nothing. And we've rounded up the best new restaurants opening in Sydney this year, below.
1. Osteria Luna (CBD)
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Opened: early December 2025
Velvety vodka sauce, underground Italian and marble-topped tables with moody lighting. If you're lingering in the city after work or on a weekend, we'll be heading to this new spot underground at The Charles Brasserie & Bar. Housed in a 1938 Art Deco building, the menu is equally as classic: caprese salads (made tableside), bolognese, ravioli plates with brown butter and kingfish crudo. If you're looking for a boozy lunch, don't miss out on ordering their Sicilian-meets-New Orleans muffuletta. Yours with a drink for $25 on weekdays from 12pm.
2. Flaminia (CBD)
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Opened: early December 2025
The ideal summertime lunch or dinner is one spent overlooking the Sydney harbour – and Flaminia on Macquarie Street in the city does just that.The menu focuses on Italian fares from port cities like Venice, Palermo and Naples – with plenty of seafood, pasta and an entire crudo bar on site. There's a gorgeously appointed private dining room upstairs for larger groups and events, but honestly there isn't a bad seat in the house with a view like theirs.
3. Sakura House (CBD)
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Opened: mid-November 2025
A walk-ins only basement Izakaya in the heart of Sydney's CBD is exactly the kind of restaurant description that gets our hearts racing. They're open till 4am, serving up wagyu sandwiches, chicken karaage, gyoza, and an ample range of whiskies.
4. Ard Bakery (Stanmore)
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Opening: 28 January 2026
You may know Christiana from her cake-making adventures over on @ardsydney_ – but the baker has recently soft-launched her own outpost in Stanmore (set to officially open on 28 January). Here, you'll find freshly whisked matchas and baked treats from cakes and cookies to cinnamon buns. And of course, it's entirely plant-based, so your vegan friends can enjoy them too.
5. Aambra (Rose Bay)
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Opened: late November 2025
Rose Bay's latest jewel is Aambra, a Levantine-inspired fine dining precinct housed in a deconsecrated church on Old South Head Road. The stained-glass windows, alfresco dining options and vaulted ceilings make for an unforgettably dramatic dining experience – but the food measures up as well. Spanner crab laban (or noodles), Moreton Bay Bug borek, and plenty of smoky meats round out a menu of Turkish, Lebanese and Cyprian reimagined classics.
6. Rick Stein (Coogee Beach)
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Opened: 1 December 2025
Cornish-style fish and chips, fish pies and ocean views are the highlights at the legendary British chef’s most recent Aussie restaurant. Located at the bottom of the newly opened InterContinental Sydney Coogee Beach hotel, it comes complete with an ice bar, displaying Pambula, Port Stephens and Merimbula rock oysters.
7. South End (Newtown)
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Opened: October 2025
One of the most exciting openings in the Inner West is South End – aptly named for its location on the southern end of King Street, near St Peters station. The abandoned corner block has come back to life as a bistro-style restaurant, complete with a Euro-inspired menu, white-clothed tables and sweet window dressings. Simplicity is at the heart of their ethos – herby broad beans, chilled Spanish soup and brothy Port Lincoln Mussels.
8. Cafe Lewi (Lewisham)
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Opened: November 2025
Granola, focaccia, milk buns and hashbrowns make the breakfast staples at newly opened Lewi. Helmed by two chefs, it's now open for breakfast and brunch seven days a week. And on NYE, they trialled their first aperitivo and pasta night, which they'll be rolling out weekly soon.
