Sydney Spring Food Guide: From Rooftop Gardens to Long Lunches

Spring in Sydney means outdoor dining, food festivals and an excuse to explore the city’s evolving food scene. We’ve rounded up the best food experiences across the city this season, from casual street food festivals to unique dining events.

This guide focuses on events and experiences that showcase local producers and authentic food experiences, helping you discover something new while supporting local businesses.

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Special Dining Experiences this Spring

Spring in Sydney means restaurants are updating menus with seasonal produce and moving outdoors where they can. These experiences showcase what’s in season and what local producers have on offer.

Nour Marks Ten Years with ‘Decade of Dishes’

Nour in Surry Hills turns ten this September, and the one-hatted Middle Eastern restaurant is marking it with a limited menu that pulls together dishes from every chef who has led its kitchen since 2016.

Highlights include the falafel crumpet with tahini and pickled onion, camel and olive sambousek, and a twice-cooked duck mishwe. The run closes with a bottomless brunch on 13 September, with a limited-edition knafeh and live Lebanese music. On 22 and 23 September, executive chef Ibrahim Kasif teams up with Michelin-starred chef Alan Geaam for a one-off French-Lebanese collaboration dinner, with wine pairing available.

When: 3 to 13 September (menu); bottomless brunch Sunday 13 September; chef collaboration dinner 22–23 September
Where: Nour, 3/490 Crown St, Surry Hills

Bridgey & Barrel Wine Dinners at The Bridgeview Hotel

The Bridgeview Hotel in Willoughby launches a monthly wine dinner series pairing Australian wines with three-course menus by Chef Rob. Each month features a different winery or wine expert hosting the evening, so you get the story behind the wines while you eat.

The series runs through December with confirmed dates featuring Tyrrell’s Wines (September), First Ridge (October), Audrey Wilkinson (November), and Clonakilla (December).

When: Every second Thursday at 7pm
Where: The Bridgeview Hotel, 580 Willoughby Rd, Willoughby
Cost: $89 per person l Bookings: Essential. September bookings now open

Sydney’s Best Spring Drinks

Spring brings longer days and more reasons to linger over a drink. These spots offer something different, whether that’s cocktails with a view or a late-night bar experience.

World Sake Day at Prefecture 48

Sydney’s Japanese hospitality precinct opens its courtyard for World Sake Day, with tasting stations covering eight regions of Japan and a live tuna-cutting ceremony.

The celebration then runs for ten days, with the precinct’s five venues serving new spring menus and limited sake flights.

When: Opening night Thursday 1 October from 5pm; celebrations continue 2–10 October
Where: Prefecture 48, 230 Sussex St, Sydney
Cost: Opening night access requires a dining reservation at Prefecture 48 between 1–10 October,

Suntory House at Sakura House

Suntory’s bar residency is back for its third year, this time taking over Sakura House in the CBD. From late July through early October, the basement izakaya transforms into Suntory House, bringing Tokyo’s after-work drinking culture to Sydney.

The focus is on Japanese drinking traditions rather than formal structure. Order Suntory cocktails and highballs, beers on tap, and izakaya-style snacks like fried chicken with smoked bonito cream, salmon temaki, and katsu sandos. The space features a vending machine stocked with Japanese snacks, merch and surprise prizes.

When: 31 July to 3 October 2026, Monday to Saturday 5pm til late (Sunday closed)
Where: Sakura House, Basement, 82-88 Elizabeth St, Sydney
Bookings: Walk-ins only

The Time Machine Menu at Dean & Nancy on 22

Dean & Nancy on 22, the sky-high bar at A by Adina, has a year-long cocktail menu built around the 1950s and 60s golden era of hotel bars, with 14 drinks each tied to a moment from that time.

The standout is the 2001 Space Odyssey, made with Glenfiddich 21, apple, pear, cacao, cinnamon, Calvados and Paragon Timur Berry, and served from a metallic pouch. Other picks include the Road Runner ‘Beep Beep’, a tequila cocktail served in a 3D-printed dynamite vessel, and Instant Camera, a vodka highball that comes with a Polaroid-style photo as a keepsake. The menu was developed with the team from Maybe Sammy, and the bar was a Top 10 Honoree for Best International Hotel Bar (APAC) at the 2026 Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Awards.

When: Bar and dining daily 4:30pm until late
Where: Dean & Nancy on 22, Level 22, 2 Hunter St, Sydney

Negroni Season at The Dry Dock

The Dry Dock in Balmain is running six takes on the negroni through September, from the drink’s 1860s Milan original to its more modern versions.

On the list: Milano-Torino, Americano, Classic Negroni, Boulevardier, Negroni Sbagliato and High & Dry. There’s also an Italian-inspired DJ set every Thursday night in September, with resident DJ Chris Arnott spinning Italo disco and lounge from 6pm.

When: 3–30 September, Thursday DJ sets from 6pm until late
Where: The Dry Dock, 22 Cameron St, Balmain
Cost: $19–$24 per cocktail

One Night Only

Here are the best one-off dining events happening this spring.

Vin-Cenzo’s Turns One with a Block Party

Darlinghurst Italian restaurant Vin-Cenzo’s marks its first birthday with a collaboration lunch and a free block party on Liverpool Street.

Melbourne’s Tipo 00 joins the kitchen for a shared menu that includes vitello tonnato and veal saltimbocca, with sommelier Giorgio De Maria pouring matching wines. Lunch runs 12:30pm to 3pm, then the party moves onto the street from 3pm, open to everyone with no bookings needed.

When: Sunday 20 September, lunch 12:30pm–3pm, block party from 3pm
Where: Vin-Cenzo’s, 174 Liverpool St, Darlinghurst
Cost: $140pp for lunch (via SevenRooms); block party free, no ticket needed

Oktoberfest in the Gardens

Sydney’s Domain transforms into a slice of Bavaria this October as Australia’s largest Oktoberfest celebration returns.

The event features massive beer halls pouring imported German beers and ciders, alongside traditional food stalls serving Bavarian specialties. Entertainment includes multiple performance stages, roving acts, carnival rides, and a silent disco.

Visitors are encouraged to dress in traditional Bavarian attire for this celebration of German food, drink and culture. Previous years have sold out, so early booking is recommended.

When: 31 October 2026
Where: The Domain
Cost: $80 approx l More: oktoberfestinthegardens.com.au

The Mama Breakfast Club

The Botanica Vaucluse hosts a one-off Sunday breakfast for mums looking to meet new people over food, rather than the usual playground catch-up.

Breakfast starts with a Mama Mocktail, granola, and a choice of dish from The Botanica’s gluten-free kitchen. Mama Société has also teamed up with Midnight Mischief on limited-edition pyjamas for the $150 package, and $5 from every ticket goes to The Pyjama Foundation.

When: Sunday 27 September, 10am–11:30am
Where: The Botanica Vaucluse, 2 Laguna St, Vaucluse
Cost: $69 (breakfast) or $150 (breakfast + PJs)

Chophouse Wine Dinners

Chophouse Sydney’s Wine Dinner Series continues with Canberra winery Clonakilla, hosted by winemaker Tim Kirk.

The evening pairs a three-course menu from Head Chef Steve Jacomos with a selection of current and museum-release Clonakilla Shiraz.

When: Monday 2 November
Where: Chophouse Sydney, 25 Bligh St, Sydney
Cost: $170pp; bookings open in October

New Openings & New Menus

Stanley Opens at Manly Wharf

Chef Louis Tikaram is back in Sydney after six years in Los Angeles and a stint in Brisbane, with a new Cantonese restaurant on the Manly waterfront.

The 248-seat venue has three live seafood tanks and a custom duck oven, so you can watch your seafood picked out and your Peking duck carved at the table. The dim sum menu runs from Moreton Bay bug spring rolls to lobster and truffle dumplings, and the barbecue section covers everything from mud crab to MB9+ wagyu. Until the end of September, Manly and Northern Beaches locals get a free glass of wine or beer with their meal.

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

Bennelong’s New Chapter Under Rob Cockerill

Rob Cockerill has taken over as Executive Head Chef at Bennelong, following Peter Gilmore’s decade leading the kitchen. Cockerill spent 11 years as Head Chef at Bennelong and 20-plus years working in the same kitchens under Gilmore, so he knows the restaurant and its philosophy inside out.

His new menu keeps beloved signatures like the Bennelong Pavlova (inspired by the Opera House sails), Western Australian Marron with finger lime and ume, and Roasted Wollemi Duck with preserved cherries. New dishes include Coral Trout with braised leek and bergamot emulsion, chestnut and ricotta raviolo with black garlic, and pure bred Black Angus with parsley and Maitake mushrooms.

When: Lunch Friday-Sunday 12pm-2pm; Dinner Sunday-Thursday 5.30pm-8.45pm, Friday-Saturday 5.30pm-9.15pm; Bennelong Bar open Monday-Thursday 5.30pm till late, Friday-Sunday 12pm till late
Where: Sydney Opera House, Bennelong Point
Cost: Dining Room from $235 per person; Bennelong Bar in 45 at $50 per person
Bookings: Essential for Dining Room; bar walk-ins welcome

Spring High Tea Experiences

New high tea options this spring offer different takes on the traditional afternoon tea experience.

The Grand Afternoon Tea at The Fullerton Hotel Sydney

The Fullerton Hotel is offering a limited high tea menu through September featuring lobster, caviar, and truffle across nine pieces. Head Pastry Chef Jessica Timpano designed the menu to balance luxury ingredients with refinement.

Highlights include a lobster and capsicum brioche topped with caviar, roast beef with truffle and caviar, truffle mille feuille, and desserts like tonka and caramel sable. Vanilla and truffle scones come with whipped honey and jam.

You can pair the tea with TWG Tea or Vittoria Coffee, or add a flute of Chandon or Veuve Clicquot champagne.

When: Daily 12pm-4pm
Where: The Bar, The Fullerton Hotel Sydney, 1 Martin Place, Sydney
Cost: $90 per person (with tea or coffee), $102 per person (with Chandon), $112 per person (with Veuve Clicquot) Bookings: Essential

Street Food & Markets

Cambridge Markets Eat Drink Nights is Cambridge Markets’ season-long night market series running across five Sydney locations this spring and summer. Street food vendors, craft drinks, and live atmosphere are the format, with themed nights at some venues tied to seasonal celebrations.

• Kirrawee (4-5 September): The season opens here with spring energy and local crowds.
• Bankstown (12 September, 10 October, 14 November, 12 December): Four dates in Sydney’s most food-focused neighbourhood, with foot traffic that builds through the season and peaks at the December finale.
• Wentworth Point (19 September, 17 October, 21 November, 19 December): Themed nights tied to the Moon Festival, Diwali, November celebration, and Christmas Twilight, with festival-level crowds in a community setting.
• Engadine (2-3 October): A weekend takeover of the town centre where the local community turns out for both nights.
• Cronulla (4-5 December): The beachside finale with summer holiday crowds and salt-air atmosphere, historically one of the fastest sell-outs.

Cooking Classes and Experiences

Want to learn something new? These hands-on food experiences provide more than just a meal.

Plan Your Spring

From community festivals to wine events this season’s food events stretch well beyond the city centre. Whether you’re after a free street festival, a $75 cooking class or a special occasion dinner on the Harbour Bridge, there’s something for every budget. As always, check venue websites or social media for the latest details and booking information.

For more Sydney dining inspiration, check out our monthly dining deals, happy hour guide, and October, November and December event pages.

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