Let the good times roll: A taste of the places that will make Sydney hot this summer

Sure, summer officially begins in December, but given all the disruptions Sydney has experienced over the past two years, we're happy to say the season for sipping fruity cocktails under umbrellas is officially on.

The party hasn't stopped since venues reopened in October, to be honest, and weekend tables anywhere within coo-ee of a beach are seemingly booked out until Christmas.

However, a huge new selection of venues now open for champagne lunches and summer-friendly snacks means Sydney has never been a better place to party. Here's to letting the good times roll through to February and beyond. We made it!

For casual outdoor catch-ups

The most anticipated Rozelle eatery in years is upon us. Totti's third outpost is set to welcome guests at 3 Weeds before the end of November and punters can expect chef Mike Eggert's Italian-ish fan favourites such as house-made antipasto, puff-ball bread and wood-roasted fish. Totti's Rozelle will also include the restaurant brand's first dessert bar featuring traditional gelato and sundaes with a maraschino cherry on top.

Merivale's other big summer launch is at The Alexandria Hotel. With renovations still under way in the watering hole's dining room, Backyard at The Alex launches this month at the pub instead. The family and dog-friendly beer garden space will host local musicians and some of Sydney's best food trucks, including grilled-stick specialist Firepop. Don't miss the Blackmore wagyu skewers.

A few suburbs over, Philter Brewing has opened Marrickville Springs, a swish new rooftop bar vibing Californian holidays with pastels, palm trees and prawn cocktails. Come for the cold sour ales, stay for the – double checks notes – beer slushie.

Meanwhile, hot Baretto Nights are back at the casual offshoot of Pilu at Freshwater. By day, Pilu Baretto is all about breakfast pastries and a wonderful roast suckling pig panini, but the evening service steps things up with negroni-appropriate cured meats and calamari fritti. With a billion-dollar beach view, this is one of the best options for a post-swim spritz in Sydney.

For a long lunch

There sure are a lot of eastern suburbs restaurants named after strong women and family members. All of them perfect for a gold standard lunch, too – the kind of afternoon that starts with champagne, finishes strong with espresso, and includes many oysters and hours in between.

Fine-dining fans cheered when former Rockpool chef Phil Wood announced he was returning from Victoria to Sydney to cook a menu of quietly stunning dishes at Ursula's, which he has opened with wife, Lis Davies, in Paddington (Ursula is Lis's mother's middle name). Classic Australian cuisine is expressed through elegant technique in dishes such as snapper sharpened by a Keen's curry powder-flavoured vinaigrette, and marbled Margra lamb rump with mint sauce. Peach Melba rules the dessert carte, but we also love the idea of golden syrup dumplings with rum, raisin and malt cream.

Meanwhile, Wood's old boss has opened his own family-run restaurant to much acclaim. Neil Perry's Margaret (named after his mum) features a comfy leather banquette for chardonnay swirling, cantilevered windows for a fresh Double Bay breeze, and produce-proud dishes that invite sharing as much as calls for "hands off, this crisp-skinned wood-rotisserie chicken is mine".

Closer to the ocean, Lola's Level 1 launched in mid-October and is attracting Bondi's jet set like moths to a Lee Broom light. With hospitality veterans Marco Ambrosino and Manny Spinola involved, the stucco-walled dining room is open daily from noon for beach views and Mediterranean-style goodness a la plancha. Hanger steak with chimichurri and blistered bullhorn peppers is the smart order, but not before a few marcona almonds and a starting-line vermouth.

For afternoon cocktails in the city

The northern end of the CBD is the place for cocktails this summer. Heck, it was the place for cocktails last summer too, with Maybe Sammy, Double Deuce, Bistecca, Kittyhawk and Restaurant Hubert all within strolling distance of each other and rocking beaut drinks with a dry shake and a smile.

About Time is one of the newest bars to open near Wynyard station, helmed by a supergroup of drinks industry mates including Ben Hickey and Naomi Palmer, owners of The Roosevelt in Potts Point. There are boozy slushies (it's a thing), coal-roasted lamb sangers to scoff al fresco, and a daiquiri riff shaken with Zooper Dooper ice-block flavours. Fun weekends and brain freeze, ahoy.

Five minute's walk east of Wynyard are Shell House and Menzies Bar & Bistro, the latest project from the owners of The Dolphin in Surry Hills. We're eagerly awaiting the Shell House dining room and sky bar, which open later this month (that beautifully restored clock tower requires a Manhattan to be consumed in its presence), but the Menzies will more than suffice for after-work martinis in the meantime. A light-filled space evokes European grandeur, but it's not all dark spirits and marble surfaces, although certainly there are plenty of both. The Sicilian margarita is textbook spring drinking, starring tequila, limoncello and a kick of Sichuan pepper. Also note the limited run of lobster rolls from 4pm daily.

Dean and Nancy on 22 is a short jump over George Street and has been serving some of Sydney's best cocktails with skyline views since launching in May. You could almost hit the Shell House clock with an olive pit.

But the biggest drawcard to the top end of the town is Le Foote, opened this month by Swillhouse Group, the fine people behind The Baxter Inn and Hubert. Housed in the former site of ye olde Phillip's Foote in The Rocks, the new-look Foote is a warren of outdoor boozing spaces and private corners, seemingly engineered 180 years ago with its current form in mind – a ripping cobblestoned party palace wth Euro-style snack plates and thirst-quenching booze. Le Foote will run as a wine bar over summer until the new owners begin respectful renovations for a permanent restaurant. (Les doigts are crossed for a Swillhouse steakhouse.)

For a limited time only

Sydney loves a spring pop-up like Brisbane loves fireworks. Staying close to Circular Quay for a moment, Marriott Hotel is hosting Gin Laneway on November 26. Taking over Bulletin Place laneway for an evening, the $25 event includes cocktails from distilleries such as Manly Spirits Co, Four Pillars and Archie Rose.

If you haven't reached peak picnic (as if that's even possible), Fellr hard seltzer has set up shop near Victoria Lodge in the Royal Botanic Garden. The Fellr Garden of Fizz runs Thursday to Sunday until late March with picnic snacks and boozy sparkling waters flavoured with lime and watermelon. No need to pack a cooler for your next Mrs Mac's chair mission. Handy!

On the other side of the pond, North Sydney rooftop restaurant Green Moustache has been transformed into a garden full of pink cherry blossoms and Japanese-inspired cocktails. The garden is in bloom until December. Eastside, Watsons Bay Boutique Hotel launches its Bells by the Bay menu next week for anyone keen on an early Christmas celebration. The $178 festive feast includes tiger prawns, tomato salad, porchetta and a drinks package, and it's available for lunch and dinner daily.

We're also super pumped for Sugar Republic in The Rocks. More or less a real-life Wonka factory (without the questionable workplace safety), the immersive art exhibition opened yesterday and honours iconic Australian sweets with a scratch-and-sniff lolly wall, giant marshmallow pool and Bubble O' Bill's. Sweet as this summer in Sydney.