21 Best Restaurants in New South Wales, Australia

Dining at Arajilla Retreat at least once during a stay on Lord Howe Island is a must. The cuisine, which changes daily, uses fish straight from the ocean and lovely homegrown vegetables. Begin with a drink at the cozy bar, decked out just a little like a gentlemen's club with leather armchairs, and then take a seat at the restaurant with its white walls and one dramatic burgundy-color feature wall. The three-course menu changes weekly, based on what is fresh and in season. Desserts are irresistible and may include black sticky rice with lychee sorbet, toasted coconut, and kaffir lime.

In-house guests take precedent over those not staying at the resort, so bookings are essential.

With windows overlooking the Opera House and Harbour Bridge, Aria could easily rest on the laurels of its location. Instead, celebrity chef Matthew Moran creates a menu of extraordinary dishes that may be your best meal Down Under. It doesn't come cheap but fine fare rarely does, especially in Australia. This foodie favorite enjoyed a recent multimillion-dollar refurbishment, with the restaurant now being one of the most stylish in Sydney.

One of Australia's most renowned chefs, Peter Gilmore, oversees the kitchen at possibly the most superbly situated dining room in town. Tucked into the side of the Opera House, the restaurant affords views of Sydney Harbour Bridge and the city lights. Gilmore's creations are as special as the view and showcase the best of Australia's produce with a focus on terroir. Whatever you do, leave room for dessert, with the cherry jam lamington, a clever interpretation of an Australian classic, which has been a constant on the menu for almost a decade. It's that good. Pretheater dining is available if you are going to a performance in the Opera House.

In this century-old farmhouse with distant views of Byron Bay the draw is upmarket Mod Oz cuisine blending Asian and Mediterranean flavors. Produce fresh from the owners' farm is featured on the lunch platter menu. Each platter is themed like "From The Hills," with a whole free range chicken "spatchcock" cooked in lemon and thyme, with a side of roasted potatoes and cauliflower. As the name suggests, the restaurant also has accommodations: the Dairy and the Sunrise House, two cottages with wonderful views, can both sleep up to eight people; prices are from A$600 a night in the holiday season of Christmas, January and Easter with a minimum stay of three nights. The restaurant and rooms are 5 km (3 miles) inland from Byron Bay at Ewingsdale.

Set in the remarkable Paperbark Camp glamping spot filled with high-end tree houses that are available for two-night minimum stays on the weekend, this restaurant is a romantic and warmly lit tree house for grown-ups. The menu is a set, three-course affair (A$80) featuring meats in the autumn months and light zesty fish and seafood in the summer. The desserts are light and packed full of flavor.

Quay has been Sydney’s top restaurant for 30 years and it's still going strong with chef Peter Gilmore's experimental Mod Oz cuisine created with seasonal, local produce. The menu has carefully created seafood dishes, like greenlip abalone. But it’s the White Coral dessert, which is what Quay has become known. It's a white chocolate ganache shell filled with feijoa ice cream and coconut cream. Add in the sweeping vista of the Opera House and the sparkling harbor, and it's perhaps no surprise that prebooking is essential.

A meal at Rockpool is a crash course in what Mod Oz cooking is all about, conducted in a glamorous, long dining room with a catwalk-like ramp. Chefs Neil Perry and Corey Costelloe weave Thai, Chinese, Mediterranean, and Middle Eastern influences into their repertoire with effortless flair and originality. The menu is extensive, with caviar from around the world to start. The Wagyu beef is butchered on-site, with the premium oyster blade cut costing A$125; the spanner crab with semolina noodles is equally satisfying. Don't miss the date tart for dessert—it's been a Rockpool favorite since 1984.

Thanks to its Sydney-standard food, wine, and service, Silk's still rates as one of the finest Blue Mountains restaurants after more than 20 years. The restaurant is housed in a Federation-era building, and in colder months a log fire warms the century-old simple but elegant interior, where yellow ocher walls reach from black-and-white checkerboard floor to sky-high ceiling. The menu here changes seasonally, with a minimum three courses dinner that costs A$75 on a Friday and A$85 on a Saturday. Only open for lunch on a Sunday, with a three course minimum costing A$75.

A bright, intimate star in Newcastle's dining scene, Subo is one of the hottest spots in town and is often booked out weeks ahead. A stylish bistro in the central business district, Subo serves a A$100 five-course tasting plate that changes every six weeks and might include prawn carpaccio and foie gras, confit of chicken wings with blackened corn, Wagyu beef with smoked leeks, and chocolate-orange mousse with rum-and–orange syrup cake. There's also a vegetarian five-course meal available.

It's worth getting on the waiting list—there's always a waiting list—to sample the unique blend of Western and Japanese-French flavors crafted by Sydney's most applauded chef, Tetsuya Wakuda. The serene, expansive dining room's unobtrusive Japanese aesthetic leaves the food as the true highlight. Confit of ocean trout served with unpasteurized ocean-trout roe is a signature item on the set 11-course degustation menu, while other dishes may include New Zealand Scampi with chicken liver parfait, or roasted breast of quail with quail leg rillettes. Views of a Japanese garden—complete with bonsai and a waterfall—make this place feel miles from the city center. It's open for dinner from Tuesday to Saturday, and lunch on Saturday only.

The lure of this decadent restaurant high above Sydney Harbour on the 36th floor of the luxurious Shangri-La Hotel, is the view through the floor-to-ceiling windows, but the Mod Oz dishes presented with a strong European influence are equally impressive. The produce hails from local farmers. For a special occasion, gather a dozen friends to dine in the opulent, egg-shape private dining room, or indulge in the seven-course degustation with matching wines. On weekends the adjoining bar can be a little noisy as the night wears on, so it might be a good idea to beat it early or join in the fun.

Tucked beneath the Sydney Harbour Bridge with views of the harbor and Sydney Olympic Pool, this is a popular restaurant for both lunch and dinner. And it is open seven days a week for both. The menu features a lot of fresh seafood, which you can pair with a choice of over 300 Australian wines. Reserve a balcony seat at sunset for a truly unforgettable experience.

With wide verandas providing tranquil views over the gardens, the sound of birdsong filling the air, and a menu created by celebrated chef Luke Nguyen, Botanic House is a top choice for a long lunch or a sunset dinner.  The menu is modern Asian, leaning more toward Vietnamese, with dumplings, bao, and grilled meats usually on the menu. The restaurant is within the Royal Botanic Gardens; it can be accessed from either the Palace Gate on Macquarie Street or from Lion Gate on Mrs. Macquarie's Road.

This restaurant in grapevine-covered, 1876-built Pepper Tree Cottage wins the ambience award hands down. The seasonal Mod Oz menu draws inspiration from regional recipes of France and Italy and applies it to local game, seafood, beef, and lamb. A good choice is the chef specialty cherry glazed duck breast or the curry myrtle smoke emu fillet. Lunch is set at a three courses costing A$110. The cozy fireside lounge is perfect for enjoying after-dinner liqueurs, or another wine from the extensive wine list.

Found in Lilianfels Blue Mountains Resort & Spa, Darley's focuses on fine dining in a sophisticated setting that exudes old-school charm, with the walls covered in framed photos showing how the Blue Mountains have transformed over the years. The menu always features seafood, a meaty main, and caters to plant-based diets, with the likes of beetroot pastrami to start. There's a fixed three-course dinner menu costing A$135.

This elegant, pillared dining room is the perfect setting for showing off chef Peter Doyle's modern, light touch with Mod Oz cuisine. Menu highlights include the prawn tartare and the aged pork loin with rhubarb, mostarda, and cabbage. Finish off with a dessert of intriguing tastes—Earl Grey ice cream with blood orange citrus curd doughnuts and blood orange sorbet. There's also a four-course chef's menu (A$160) and various two-, three-, and four-course lunch options, but no à la carte menu.

Housed inside the Hotel Mountain Heritage, the restaurant's large bay windows and balcony allows for the best views of the Blue Mountains mountain range and Jamison Valley. The menu is compact, with just three starters and three mains that change seasonally. But each dish is packed with flavor, with an eye on using local produce. There's a comprehensive selection of quality Australian wines available. Open for breakfast daily. Dinner is only served on Friday and Saturday, with a two course minimum costing A$59. Three courses at A$69.

A rustic boathouse-style café with a deck that projects over a fish-stocked dam and a lovely garden, this is the place to savor delicious seafood with an Asian twist, and share antipasto dishes. Fish comes straight from farm to plate, and wines are from local vineyards. You could start with the roasted Harvery Bay scallops or the soft shell crap with Singaporean chilli. Those who are not fans of seafood can tuck into the crispy chicken cutlets roasted in harissa. Desserts from the specials board might include steamed fig and ginger pudding. Reservations are recommended, especially on weekends, and it's a two-course minimum (A$68) at both lunch and dinner. There is also boathouse-style accommodation on the property, ideal for couples.

Located at the entrance to Pokolbin, this award-winning European-style restaurant is found in the picturesque Keith Tulloch Wines courtyard. The menu is focused on Hunter Valley’s finest local produce. The restaurant’s crisp-white exterior is complemented by views of the nearby mountain ranges. Three course minimum for lunch.

For four generations Pinetrees has been opening its doors to visitors, and staff have certainly honed the art of hospitality. Pop into the lagoon-front lodge for a buffet lunch of assorted salads with the dish of the day, or drop in for dinner; the local kingfish is always a highlight. Don't miss the signature "fish fry " buffet with kingfish sashimi and sushi followed by a battered kingfish and chips. The five-course menu changes daily, but you can usually expect sushi, soup, fresh fish, lamb, and beef prepared with homegrown herbs and vegetables, followed by delicious desserts. Afternoon tea is also available.

Head chef Adam Shaw creates a brand-new menu every day, focusing on what produce is available from nearby farms. There's a set 6- or 10-course degustation menu, featuring meaty dishes like pork belly or slow-cooked lamb. And on Saturday, you can match the six-course degustation menu with bottomless bubbles for A$100. The outside courtyard is idyllic and the atmosphere inside is truly romantic.