Why the top end of Newtown is one of Sydney's hottest food hubs

After a few years of vacant shops and "for lease" signs, the top end of Newtown's King Street has bounced back from COVID-19 livelier than ever before, with people flocking to enjoy many of Sydney's best new restaurants.

"Everyone that lives around here gets behind every new building," says Cam Fairbairn, restaurant manager of Cafe Paci near Missenden Road. "It has that magnetic pull of buzz and nightlife. It's nice to see some of the [city's energy] gravitating towards here."

Quality food and drink has defined King Street's resurgence, particularly the zone between Dendy Cinemas and Elizabeth Street. Restaurant owners suggest that the dining appeal for locals and visitors is the wide variety of food options and bars.

"We focus on fresh, handmade pasta," says Fabio Stefanelli, owner of La Favola, "but every five metres there is some different type of cuisine."

Ben Cleary-Corradini is the co-founder of Gnocchi Gnocchi Brothers, a dedicated gnocchi restaurant which opened during lockdown in July. He agrees that the variety of cuisines was a key factor in the area's success.

"Bella Brutta does the best pizzas in town, Mapo is one of the best gelato places, Cafe Paci is one of the best wine bars and Gnocchi Brothers does one dish really well," he says. "To do well, you need to concentrate on one thing."

To do well, you need to concentrate on one thing.

Ben Cleary-Corradini, Gnocchi Gnocchi Brothers

One of the most anticipated new offerings at the top end of King Street is Ante, helmed by sake expert and importer Matt Young of Black Market Sake.

The 35-seat bar opposite The Marlborough Hotel opens this month and will pair more than 60 different sakes with a menu designed by former Pinbone chef Jemma Whiteman.

"Our focus is on our sake which comes directly from the makers," says Young. "We love Newtown, it's always been one of my favourite places in Sydney."

Young believes King Street's comeback is largely thanks to the local owners who have built up a strong food culture in the area.

"Pasi [Petanen of Cafe Paci] has been a legend, coming in every week to offer support, advice and suggestions," he says. "Bella Brutta as well. There's a nice little community here."

Cleary-Corradini agrees that the camaraderie between owners has made the street thrive.

"In our first week, we asked Pastizzi Cafe for 10 kilos of parmesan cheese. They just gave it to us which we will be forever grateful for.

"In other areas, you can't really ask your neighbours for favours. The reputation of Sydney is a dog-eat-dog environment. We've found it's the absolute opposite."

Rob Kilby, co-owner of True Romance Newtown, which pairs Indian bar food with cocktails, says that owners have a shared goal to reinvigorate the local area.

"We don't look at each other as competition. We're very much in the same industry and trying to bring better nightlife into the area."

Although lockdowns stifled Sydney's bar culture, King Street venues are attempting to attract younger customers, often for the first time.

"Because of COVID, there are so many young people who have never set foot into a licensed venue before," says James Thorpe, owner of Odd Culture bar and restaurant, which opened in the old Happy Chef site five weeks ago and serves modern Australian food, natural wine and wild-ferment ales.

"These people have had two years of pub experience taken away from them. We're giving them a place that doesn't take itself too seriously ... fine dining without the stuffiness."

Black Market Sake's Young expects the buzz will only continue to grow.

"There's a lot of opportunity on King," says Young. "It can definitely make a stamp on the dining scene in Sydney if not the rest of the world."

Five of Newtown's best restaurants from The Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide 2022

Bella Brutta

Ambience abounds at this freewheeling pizza joint, where the banquette seating hosts boisterous groups splitting bottles of sangiovese alongside the house favourite – a dangerously addictive pizza loaded with fermented chilli, garlic and clams (pictured right).

135 King Street, 02 9922 5941, bellabrutta.com.au

Cafe Paci

Nobody cooks quite like Pasi Petanen. The Finnish-born chef brings a wild sense of creative freedom to his buzzy Newtown diner, supported by strong technique, deep flavours and a Scandinavian sense of clarity.

131 King Street, 02 9550 6196, cafepaci.com.au

Hartsyard

This Newtown mainstay doesn't offer bells, whistles or jazz hands (although the marron with buttery bisque sauce and preserved lemon will hush the table) but it is turning out intriguing and tasty food you'll want to eat often. More nuanced than its old fried-chicken reputation, if you haven't been for a while, it's time.

33 Enmore Road, 02 8068 1473, hartsyard.com.au

Rising Sun Workshop

Starting as a motorcycle workshop and cafe in 2016, Rising Sun's focus on quality still shines through, offering a Japanese-influenced breakfast and lunch – think varieties of ramen, bacon or mushroom Hokkaido milk buns and gyoza – as well as a dinner and booze menu heavy on local legends.

1C Whateley Street, 02 9550 3891, risingsunworkshop.com

Sydney Cebu Lechon

Of all the 7000-plus islands that make up The Philippines, none is more famous for its roast pork than Cebu. And of all the restaurants in Sydney, no one does it better than Cebu, the suckling pork fragrant with garlic and bay; the skin crisp and golden.

Shop 4/80-80A Enmore Road, 0481 205 589, sydneycebulechon.com.au.

The Good Food Guide 2022 magazine, with 350 reviews of NSW's best restaurants, bars and cafes for summer, is on sale in newsagents and supermarkets from Tuesday December 7, $9.95.