From Southeast Asian grills to Chinese tasting menus and Middle Eastern tapas, Sydney's 2026 restaurant intake is the strongest in years.
Dining Desk is a contributing writer covering eat-drink and public affairs for The Sydney Times.
Sydney's restaurant intake in 2026 has been the strongest in years, with Southeast Asian grills, Chinese tasting menus, Middle Eastern tapas and Japanese omakase all arriving within months of each other across the CBD and inner city.
Brent Savage and Nick Hildebrandt's Bentley Restaurant Group opened Ashe in Angel Place as a Southeast Asian grill inspired by the flavours of Vietnam, Thailand and Malaysia, combined with native Australian ingredients that have become central to executive chef Khanh Nguyen's cooking. The dining room sits under street level with a palette of deep green, blue and brass, glimpses of bamboo plants, hanging metal pendants and the kitchen in full view. A clay oven and grill drive most of the menu, with menu highlights including grilled pipis topped with lemongrass sate, blood lime and peanut, and oysters dressed in smoked coconut vinaigrette, native curry oil and karkalla. Fried parcels of braised oxtail are served with smoked marrow bone and fermented chilli sauce, and the Barnsley chop comes with muntrie glaze, green garlic and warrigal greens. Ashe is open for lunch and dinner seven days.
Andy Tyson, Dan Pepperell and Michael Clift opened Grandfather's in the former Long Chim site in Angel Place, creating a Chinese restaurant and cocktail bar that leans towards the flavours of Guangdong and Sichuan. Clift credits his own Chinese grandfather for his career as a chef. On the menu, oysters are dressed with Chinese celery vinegar, a Sichuan husband-and-wife salad combines veal tongue and crispy tripe, and a daily assortment of steamed dumplings sits alongside prawn toast and scallop spring rolls. Proteins include classic crispy-skinned birds, wok-fried pork jowl in doubanjiang, and red emperor poached in a fragrant broth with green Sichuan peppercorn. Tyson's wine selection stars riesling, with a by-the-glass listing of huge global names, plus on-theme reimaginings of classic cocktails like a sesame Sazerac, yuzu Colada and Martini made dirty with MSG and Shaoxing wine.
Toshihiko Oe relocated his six-seat Cammeray omakase restaurant Sushi Oe to the Sydney Fish Market, upsizing from six to eight diners per seating. The elegant, charcoal-hued space is decked out with ceramic details from his home in Fukui prefecture. Oe offers around 30 impeccable dishes at $350 per person. Guests previously had to text Oe direct in the hope of nabbing a seat; the system has now moved online, though you can still expect a wait of up to two years.
Morgan McGlone and Sali and Nathan Sasi opened Vin-Cenzo's at the former Bar Vincent site in Darlinghurst, offering Italian cooking inspired by France, Spain and even America's take on Italian cuisine. Menu standouts include grilled scampi with chilli, garlic and Sicilian oregano, a veal T-bone with Marsala and shimeji mushrooms, and pastas including pumpkin and pecorino quadrati, a thick square spaghetti, or rigatoni with tripe and sweetbread ragu. The dessert menu includes an Italian biscuit selection served in a vintage tin inspired by Nathan's Sicilian godmother, plus coffee granita with whipped mascarpone and a pig fat cannolo with Sicilian almonds. Wines mostly cover Italian, French and Australian makers, including some rare vintages from McGlone's personal cellar.
Caness opened in Paddington's main thoroughfare in a former grocery store, drawing on tapas-style dining across 60 seats. The menu includes saganaki prawns in a tomato and feta sauce, grilled octopus with a caper-studded dressing, and a soft brandade of salted cod and potatoes. There is a take on a sabich with fried eggplant, hard-boiled eggs and tahini atop pita, a beef tartare charged with pimentón and harissa, and a vegetarian shawarma crafted with mushrooms and celeriac. The 80-strong wine list is approachable and a great fit for weeknight sips or a long Saturday lunch, while the cocktail menu features a Figroni and a tomato water-spiked tipple that riffs on gazpacho.
The concentration of quality openings across Sydney's CBD and inner city in 2026 suggests the market is absorbing new supply rather than cannibalising existing venues. Each restaurant targets a different demographic and price point, from the $350 omakase experience at Sushi Oe to the casual tapas format at Caness. For more on Sydney dining and nightlife, see Eat & Drink.
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