Sydney Summer Food Guide 2026/27: Restaurants and Events

Sydney spends summer outside, and its restaurants follow. Terraces reopen, beach venues stay open later, and menus move to seafood, salads and cold drinks.

This guide covers where to eat and drink in Sydney this summer, from beachside tables at Coogee and Manly to rooftop bars, food events worth booking and easy day trips to the Central Coast. We’ll keep adding to it as new summer menus and events are announced.

Looking for somewhere that’s just opened? See our new Sydney restaurants guide, updated every month.

Note: Summer menus, hours and events change often. Check with the venue before you go.

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One Night Only and Limited Events

These one-off and short-run events tend to book out, so lock them in early.

Greek Long Lunch with Jimmy’s Kitchen at Harbourfront Seafood

Jimmy’s Kitchen, the Greek taverna in The Rocks, is taking over Harbourfront Seafood Restaurant for one afternoon of food, music and plate smashing.

You start with a Greek margarita or cucumber spritz. Then comes a shared feast of chargrilled pita and dips, saganaki haloumi with honey, lamb souvlaki, baked king prawns with feta and slow-baked lamb kleftiko. Dessert is bougatsa custard pie or the cake of the day.

There’s live bouzouki from Gregory Bouzouki, DJ sets from Filoxenia Band, Greek dancing and napkin spinning. Bookings are for groups of four or more adults.

When: Sunday 1 November 2026, 12pm to 4pm
Where: Harbourfront Seafood Restaurant, 7-27 Circular Quay West, The Rocks
Cost: $135 adults, $30 children

Lychee Festival at Above 319

This rooftop bar at Vibe Hotel Sydney Darling Harbour is giving lychees a whole weekend.

There are four classic cocktails with a lychee twist: a lychee martini, lychee rosé spritz, lychee chilli margarita and lychee mojito. There are mocktails too, and a lychee frozen dessert.

When: Friday 6 to Sunday 8 November 2026
Where: Above 319, Vibe Hotel Sydney Darling Harbour, 319-325 Sussex Street, Sydney
Cost: Prices not given; walk-ins welcome

Tommy Pham Takes Over Delta Rue

MasterChef favourite Tommy Pham is cooking at Delta Rue and Wentworth Bar for a whole month, bringing his Vietnamese flavours to the French-Vietnamese kitchen.

It opens with Tommy’s Seafood Social on 29 October, with whole tamarind mud crab, lobster rice paper rolls and claypot crab fried rice. Through November there are Saturday long lunches with lobster siu mai and prawn toast with caviar, plus Vietnamese charcoal grilling on the Wentworth Bar terrace.

When: 29 October to end of November 2026; long lunches on Saturdays
Where: Delta Rue and Wentworth Bar, Sofitel Sydney Wentworth, 101 Phillip Street, Sydney
Cost: Prices not given; book through Delta Rue

Gozney Local: A Week of Pizza Pop-Ups

Pizza oven brand Gozney has teamed up with Sydney chefs and venues for a week of one-off pizza events across Potts Point, Darlinghurst, Paddington and Marrickville. The guest menus finish when the week does.

• Slice of the Point (Wednesday 4 November): PIÑA, Dear Sainte Eloise and Room Ten fire up pizza ovens along Llankelly Place, Potts Point. Your ticket gets you into all three.
• Run for APPIZZA (Wednesday 4 November): a 5km night run around Centennial Park with AP Run Club. It finishes at APPIZZA Taylor Square with free slices and DJs.
• The Next Slice (Thursday 5 and Friday 6 November): Oltra Pizza hands its menu to up-and-coming pizza makers Calzonezone and Pirlos Pizza, at City Oltra and Poor Toms Oltra.
• Sunday Service (Sunday 8 November): Emlyn Bilbie, known as “Pizza Lorrd”, makes pizzas for one day in the L’Avant Cave courtyard, including Porcine’s mussels on toast reimagined as a pizza.
• Paradise Sunset Slices (Sunday 8 November): Potts Point wine bar Paradise opens on a Sunday for the first time, with Italian slices and natural wine from the afternoon until late.

When: Monday 2 to Sunday 8 November 2026
Where: Venues across Potts Point, Darlinghurst, Paddington and Marrickville
Cost: Varies by event; see au.gozney.com for tickets

Special Summer Dining Experiences in Sydney

Italian High Tea at Vista’Mare, Crown Sydney

The team behind two-hatted a’Mare has given the British high tea an Italian twist, served on weekends with harbour views.

Savouries include a spanner crab maritozzo, prosciutto croquettes and King salmon vol-au-vents. Sweets follow: Brontë pistachio bignè, Piedmont hazelnut Baci di Dama, Amalfi lemon tart and warm scones with whipped cream and jam.

When: Saturdays and Sundays, 11am to 3:30pm, from 17 October 2026
Where: Vista’Mare, Crown Sydney, 1 Barangaroo Avenue, Barangaroo
Cost: $79pp with Dilmah tea; $99pp with Col Vetoraz Prosecco; $109pp with Moët & Chandon

The Terrace Opens at Rick Stein, Coogee Beach

Rick Stein’s Coogee restaurant has opened an outdoor terrace above Arden Street, looking over the beach. It seats 90 at shared tables under umbrellas, and there are no bookings and no minimum spend.

The menu is lighter than inside: oysters, prawns on ice, calamari and chips, a Coogee fish burger and Rick’s beef dripping chips with curry sauce. Weekend happy hour runs from 2pm to 4pm.

When: Open seven days over summer from 12pm
Where: 242 Arden Street, Coogee
Deals: Weekend happy hour schooners $10, house wine $9

Sydney’s Best Summer Drinks and Rooftop Bars

When it’s warm out, these bars are worth the trip for the view, the drinks list or both.

Harper Rooftop Bar Is Back for Summer

The open-air bar on Level 7 of Kimpton Margot has reopened for the warm months, and your dog is welcome too.

Luke Mangan has written a new snack menu with a tropical lean: hot honey popcorn, Sydney rock oysters with pineapple mignonette, and Cajun prawns with chipotle and pineapple salsa.

There’s a dedicated daiquiri bar, frozen cocktails, frosé and boozy sorbet pops.

Each day has its own deal:

• Golden Hours (Wednesday to Friday, 4pm to 6pm): $15 spritzes, sashimi plates from $15 and $40 buckets of Balter Cerveza.
• Rosé All Saturday (from 12pm): $15 rosé by the glass and $15 frosé slushies.
• Spritzy Sundays (from 12pm): $18 signature Four Pillars spritzes, plus classic Aperol, Sarti Rosa and elderflower spritzes.

DJs play Thursdays and Fridays from 5pm to 9pm, and Sundays from 2pm to 6pm.

When: Wednesday to Friday 4pm to 11pm; Saturday and Sunday 12pm to 11pm
Where: Harper Rooftop Bar, Level 7, 339 Pitt Street, Sydney
Cost: $15 spritzes during Golden Hours; walk-ins welcome

A New Menu at Henry Deane Rooftop Bar

The rooftop bar above the heritage Hotel Palisade in Millers Point has a new sharing menu for the warmer months, with harbour and city views and lounge seating.

New dishes are built for passing around the table: seared prawn tails with house harissa, grilled marinated spatchcock, triple-cooked spuds and pickled mussels. There’s a long wine and cocktail list to go with them, and live music on Sunday afternoons.

When: Check the venue for opening hours
Where: Henry Deane, Hotel Palisade, Millers Point

Stanley, Manly Wharf

Chef Louis Tikaram is back cooking in Sydney, with a Cantonese restaurant on the Manly waterfront inspired by Hong Kong’s seaside Stanley Bay.

The seafood tanks change with what’s best on the day. At the moment that means Lennox Head pipis with XO sauce, North Queensland coral trout, Southern Rock lobster and Northern Territory mud crab. Peking duck comes with pancakes or “imperial style”, with half carved at the table and the rest returned as san choy bao.

For a harbour afternoon, the cocktail list includes a Tom Yum Margarita and Stan’s Lychee Martini. The private dining room seats 36, and the east end of the restaurant takes cocktail functions of up to 140.

When: Wednesday to Friday 12pm until late; Saturday and Sunday 11am until late
Where: Manly Wharf, East Esplanade, Manly

Street Food and Summer Markets

From December to February, markets and precinct programmes run across the city. We’ve noted family‑friendly options and transport so you can make a day of it.

North Sydney Twilight Food Fair

This weekly Friday evening food fair brings the community together with food vendors, live entertainment and sunset views over Ted Mack Civic Park. Expect diverse food trucks and stalls, a family-friendly atmosphere, and a relaxed evening vibe perfect for after-work catch-ups or weekend dinners.

When: Fridays 4:30pm–8:30pm. November–December 2025: 21 Nov, 28 Nov, 5 Dec, 12 Dec (Christmas event). January–March 2026: 30 Jan, 13 Feb, 27 Feb, 6 Mar.
Where: Ted Mack Civic Park, North Sydney.
Transport: Victoria Cross Metro (Miller Street North exit directly across the road); North Sydney Station; buses to Neutral Bay and North Sydney interchanges.

See a list of our favourite markets in Sydney for more ideas

Eat Drink Nights by Cambridge Markets

These night markets bring street food stalls, drinks and live music to suburbs across Sydney, with themed nights for the festive season.

• Bankstown: 14 November and 12 December
• Wentworth Point: 21 November and 19 December
• Cronulla: 4 and 5 December, by the beach

When: Selected nights, November and December 2026
Where: Bankstown, Wentworth Point and Cronulla
Cost: Free entry

Summer is the perfect time for cherry picking

Summer Cooking Classes in Sydney

Learn by doing: seafood BBQs, pasta and gelato, oyster shucking and cheese making. We include session length and what’s typically covered to help you plan.

Summer Seafood Sashimi Express Class (Sydney Fish Market)

What it is: A 2-hour express class focusing on sashimi and Asian flavours — part of the “Summer of Seafood” series. Beginner-friendly, 2-hour duration. Work in shared groups of 4-6.

What you’ll cook: Yuzu sake kingfish; Asian coleslaw.

What’s included: Welcome drinks, expert demonstration, cooking at fully equipped stations, dining time, plus a copy of “A Fish for All Seasons” cookbook (RRP $59.95) and recipe booklet to take home.

When: Regular classes throughout summer
Where: Sydney Seafood School , Sydney Fish Market
Cost: $165pp l Group size: 10-40 guests

Summer Seafood BBQ Masterclass (Sydney Fish Market)

What it is: A 3-hour BBQ seafood class covering whole fish, prawns and summer salads. Beginner-friendly; work in shared groups of 4-6.

What you’ll cook: Whole barbecued Murray cod with salsa verde; king prawns with gochujang butter and fresh herbs; lentil herb salad; grilled cabbage with chilli garlic butter.

What’s included: Expert demonstration in tiered theatre, fully equipped cooking stations, dining time, Sydney Seafood School apron and recipe booklet to take home.

When: Regular classes throughout summer
Where: Sydney Seafood School, 25 Bank St, Pyrmont NSW (Sydney Fish Market)
Cost: $180pp l Group size: 10-40 guests

Seafood BBQ Cooking Class in Centennial Park

What it is: A 3-hour outdoor seafood BBQ workshop in Centennial Park with BBQ School. Learn marinating techniques, rubs and accompaniments.

What you’ll cook: BBQ king prawns with tandoori and seasoned banana sambal; BBQ squid with citrus and fennel salad; BBQ hot-smoked Huon salmon with orange and honey; BBQ whole snapper with soy, ginger and crunchy Thai salad.

What’s included: All food, equipment, aprons and reference material provided. Light snacks to start, then enjoy your seafood feast with classmates.

When: Regular classes (book soon — limited dates left)
Where: Fairland Pavilion, Grand Drive, Centennial Park NSW
Cost: $160pp (Afterpay available) Group size: 1-30 guests

Plan Your Summer

Summer menus and events change quickly, and many of the one-off dinners and long lunches above sell out. Book early, and check the venue’s website or social meFdia for the latest details before you go.

Quick links to help you plan:

• Dining deals and lunch specials
• New restaurants and bars in Sydney
• Sydney’s best happy hours
• Christmas Day lunch in Sydney
• Where to book New Year’s Eve dinner
• Outdoor cinemas this summer
• Best beaches by public transport
• Top picnic spots in Sydney
• November and December events in Sydney

Main image: Pier Dining