The Sydney Morning Herald logo
Advertisement

The best places to eat in Sydney on Australia Day 2016

Amanda Copp

Surf and turf plate at Watsons Bay Hotel
Surf and turf plate at Watsons Bay Hotel Supplied

Australia Day menus are popping up all over Sydney. From barbecues to lamingtons, here are our top choices.

Big breakfasts

Start the day northside with the annual Big Breakfast at Dee Why beach. Starting at 7am, the biggest event north of the Spit Bridge sees thousands of people clamouring for a hot breakfast of pancakes, bacon, sausage and egg rolls, along with camel rides and traditional Australian thong-throwing competitions.

Kangaroo, emu and crocodile pizzas at The Australian Heritage Hotel
Kangaroo, emu and crocodile pizzas at The Australian Heritage HotelSupplied
Advertisement

There are similar breakfasts at Berry Reserve in Narrabeen and Newport Beach.

Dee Why Beach, Dee Why, 02 9942 2502, warringah.nsw.gov.au

Out to lunch

Lobster halves at Sydney Fish Markets
Lobster halves at Sydney Fish MarketsJames Horan

Get your Australia Day celebrations into full swing at the The Australian Heritage Hotel in The Rocks. There's a backyard barbecue theme including a VB bar, giant lamington display, and Australia-shaped pizzas that come in kangaroo, emu and crocodile varieties. Down the road is the The Glenmore Hotel​, which has the perfect view of Sydney's Australia Day Ferrython.

Advertisement

Head to the inner west for the ultimate Aussie Burger and VB combo ($24) at The Royal in Leichhardt. Follow the sounds of Triple J's Hottest 100 floating down from the rooftop terrace at The Tudor in Redfern. 'Kanga Bangas and Roo Burgers' will be served all day long, accompanied by good old Aussie tinnies for $5. Enter a true blue pie-eating competition​ at The Forresters in Surry Hills, or simply observe the mess with a cheap tinny in hand and an Aussie burger special.

To help you relax by the water, Watsons Bay Hotel is offering a $45 Beach Club barbecue complete with Aussie favourites down by the bay. If you're feeling for seafood, the Sydney Fish Market will have all its retailers open on this public holiday, dishing up fresh catches of the day. Enjoy prawns, oysters and all sorts of fish, accompanied by a live band from noon until 3pm. There will also be face painting for the kids.

Jugs of Pimms and Carlton Draught at The Glenmore
Jugs of Pimms and Carlton Draught at The GlenmoreSupplied

Out west is the The Jamison Hotel with seafood, steaks and all your favourite pub grub. Dig in while watching the day's events: a woodchopping battle from 10.30am, a pie-eating comp, and a throng-throwing contest.

The Australian Heritage Hotel, 100 Cumberland Street, The Rocks, 02 9247 2229, 10am–12am, australianheritagehotel.com

Advertisement

The Glenmore Hotel, 96 Cumberland Street, The Rocks, 02 9247 4794, 11am–midnight, theglenmore.com.au

Grilled chicken wings at The Big BBQ in Parramatta Park
Grilled chicken wings at The Big BBQ in Parramatta ParkLINDA HOANG

The Royal, 156 Norton Street, Leichhardt, 02 9569 2638, theroyalleichhardt.com.au

The Tudor, 90 Pitt Street, Redfern, 02 9310 4314, tudorhotel.com.au

The Forresters, 336 Riley St, Cnr of Foveaux and Riley Sts, Surry Hills, 02 9212 3035, forresters.com.au

Advertisement
Lamingtons at Flour and Stone
Lamingtons at Flour and StoneSupplied

Watsons Bay Hotel, 1 Military Road (corner of Marine Parade) Watsons Bay, 02 9337 5444, watsonsbayhotel.com.au

Sydney Fish Market, Bank St & Pyrmont Bridge Road, Pyrmont, 02 9004 1100, sydneyfishmarket.com.au

The Jamison Hotel, 186 Smith St Penrith, 02 4721 5764, jamisonhotel.com.au

Barbecues

Advertisement

Australia is known for the great outdoors, so why not celebrate Sydney's hopefully hurricane-free weather with a barbecue in the local park? If you're not frying your own prawns on the barbie, try The Big BBQ hitting at Parramatta Park. This won't just be about lounging about, as grilling enthusiasts go head to head for this battle hosted by the Australasian Barbecue Alliance. Get there early for the hot-air balloon display kicking off at 6am.

Or enjoy the sea breeze at Manly Wharf Hotel and work out how to feel about the venue's specialty cheese and Vegemite pizzas (alarm, intrigue?) before a barbecue on the jetty in the Sydney sun.

Hosting a barbie at home? Why not make it a Big Red BBQ in support of Kidney Health Australia? Get a red theme going in your venue and donate the proceeds towards Australians affected by kidney disease.

Parramatta Park, Parramatta, ausdayparramatta.com.au

Big Red BBQ, bigredbbq.com.au

Advertisement

Manly Wharf Hotel, Manly Wharf, East Esplanade, Manly, 02 9977 1266, manlywharfhotel.com.au

Lamb

Looking for a lamb-appropriate place to tuck in? Colin Fassnidge at Paddington's Four in Hand will be sizzling up a 12 hour braised lamb shoulder just for you on Australia Day.

Or try out The Greens in North Sydney, where there will be wattle-smoked lamb sandwiches along with a barbecue of Queensland tiger prawns and sausage sangas. There will also be patriotic desserts like "timtammisu", lamington donuts and passionfruit pavlova. Lamb sandwiches are all the range this year with Vic's Meat Market at Sydney Fish Market whipping up "Lambwiches" complete with seven hour slow-cooked Australian lamb shoulder with a cumin and paprika rub alongside herb slaw, minced onion, lemon juice and beetroot mayo.

Four in Hand, 105 Sutherland Street, Paddington NSW 2021, 02 9362 1999, fourinhand.com.au

Advertisement

The Greens, 50 Ridge Street, North Sydney, 02 9245 3099, thegreensnorthsydney.com.au

Vic's Meat Market at Sydney Fish Market, 50-60 Bank St, Pyrmont , 02 8570 8570, vicsmeatmarket.com.au

Parks and festivals

Continue the outdoor festivities with a picnic at one of Sydney's many parks. Nestle yourself on the water at Shark Island and get the best view of the Ferrython and sailing regatta on the harbour. Make sure to pack a picnic lunch then catch a ferry out there and back for $49 for adults and $25 for the kids (5-14 years). On the other side of the harbour, head to the secluded Chinese Garden's of Friendship for a picnic in the CBD. Stick around and you can also catch the Darling Harbour fireworks at 8.45pm. Around the corner, The Rocks Markets will be in full swing where you can get your hands on market-food flavours from around the world. Further down George Street, the city is throwing a street party, and you'd better have those mallets and scoreboards ready with croquet happening at The Rocks from 12.30pm onwards.

If you've never been to Manly Dam, Australia Day is your perfect excuse. This beautiful area on the northern beaches is perfect for water skiing, bushwalking and, of course, picnics. You can even book a picnic table to make sure you get a spot. $47 will score you one under the sun and $68 for one undercover.

Advertisement

Olympic Park, as the name suggests, is full of wide open spaces for picnics and endless rounds of cricket. There will be food stalls brimming with gourmet delights if you haven't packed your own Australia Day picnic. There will also be free entertainment throughout the day plus fireworks at 8.50pm. Penrith Lakes Regional Park is the perfect place to picnic in Sydney's west. Australian Idol's Shannon Noll will provide the soundtrack when he joins the party at 6pm.

Shark Island, captaincook.com.au

Chinese Garden of Friendship, 1 Exhibition Place, Darling Harbour, 02 9240 8888, darlingharbour.com

The Rocks Markets, George Street, The Rocks, 02 9240 8717, therocks.com

Sydney International Regatta Centre, Old Castlereagh Road, Cranebrook, 1300 736 836, regattacentre.nsw.gov.au

Advertisement

Cathy Freeman Park, Sydney Olympic Park, 02 9714 7888, sydneyolympicpark.com.au

Manly Dam, 112 King Street, Manly Vale, 02 9942 2545, warringah.nsw.gov.au

Royal National Park, Farnell Avenue, Audley, 02 9542 0648, nationalparks.nsw.gov.au

Always room for dessert

After a day of barbecues and savoury treats, it's time to start making use of that extra dessert stomach. Lamingtons and pavlova are what Australians do best (despite controversy over their not-so-Australian origins). LusciousKiki at Brookvale are arguably the lamington specialists of Sydney. Its Australia Day menu includes $3.50 slices of chocolate coma, salted caramel and other varieties. While the store is closed on Australia Day, you can order a whole slab of 14 in the days leading up to the public holiday for $51. Gluten- and dairy-free options are also available.

Advertisement

Bourke Street Bakery is delivering the goods this year with giant lamingtons served up especially for Australia Day. They're made of layered genoise sponge, glued together with berry jam, raspberry puree blend, and Belgian chocolate, topped off with desiccated coconut. For $25, these cake-sized monsters are made for sharing. Can't get enough lamingtons? Try out the panna cotta version at Flour and Stone in Woolloomooloo.

Pavlova can be a bit of chore to make, so if you're out west, why not pick one up from Helen's Pavlova Palace in Yagoona? If you feel like splurging, try out the pricier (but totally worth it) passionfruit pav at Rockpool Bar & Grill for $21.

LusciousKiki, 16 Sydenham Road, Brookvale, 0417 499 022, lusciouskikicakes.wix.com/lusciouskikicakes

Bourke Street Bakery, 633 Bourke Street, Surry Hills, 02 9699 1011, bourkestreetbakery.com.au

Flour and Stone, 53 Riley Street, Woolloomooloo, 02 8068 8818, flourandstone.com.au

Advertisement

Helen's Pavlova Palace, 302 Hume Hwy, Liverpool, 02 9708 3885, facebook.com/pages/Helens-Pavalova-Palace

Rockpool Bar & Grill, 66 Hunter St, Sydney CBD, 02 8078 1900, rockpool.com

Restaurant reviews, news and the hottest openings served to your inbox.

Sign up

From our partners

Advertisement
Advertisement