The Top 10 Restaurants In Darling Harbour Sydney

From sizzling steakhouses to cool contemporary cuisine, you’re never far from a great restaurant in Sydney — and the busy tourist precinct of Darling Harbour is no exception. Check out the top 10 places to sit back with a delicious meal with a side serving of sparkling water views.

1. The Malaya

Restaurant, Asian

This upscale South-East Asian eatery was founded in 1963 by merchant seaman Wong Tia See after he migrated to Australia in the 1940s. Five decades later, The Malaya continues to combine many of those time-honoured recipes with cutting-edge contemporary seafood dishes that echo the waterfront location on King St Wharf.

2. Braza

Hotel Restaurant, Brazilian

The best Brazilian barbecue — or churrascaria — in Sydney, serving skewers of mouth-watering meat in a beach house style restaurant. Wash down the steak with a refreshing cocktail made with cachaça, a Brazilian spirit made of fermented sugarcane juice, and a samba show on Saturday nights.

3. Sepia

Restaurant, Contemporary

An upscale art-deco space serving sophisticated contemporary Australian cuisine with a strong Japanese streak. The five-course ($210pp) and nine-course ($235pp) tasting menu evolves every week and the price is reflected in the quality — Sepia’s long list of awards include being named the Sydney Morning Herald’s Good Food Guide Restaurant of the Year in 2015.

5. Waterfront Grill

Restaurant, Australian

Meals don’t get much more Australian than tucking into one half of the national coat of arms, and that’s exactly what the Waterfront Grill offers: a marinated kangaroo strip loin with spinach pesto mash, wild rocket and red wine jus, plus a sweeping vista of Darling Harbour.

6. The Little Snail

Restaurant, French

This modern restaurant has been serving authentic French cuisine to Sydney-siders since 1966, including their signature dish: a dozen escargot marinated in herb-infused court bouillon then oven-baked in garlic butter.

7. Pancakes on the Rocks

Cafe, Restaurant, Fast Food

The Darling Harbour branch of this uber-popular Sydney institution dishes up delectable all-day breakfasts that shoehorn fluffy pancakes alongside savoury breakfast classics, as well as gourmet pizzas, steaks and salads later in the day.

8. Hurricane’s Grill

Bar, Restaurant, Australian

A lively steakhouse serving melt-in-your-mouth meat, meat, meat and more meat basted in Hurricane’s famously sticky sauce. The rack of ribs with sweet potato fries — with a side serving of of the Sydney skyline — is the house specialty.

9. Hunter & Barrel

Restaurant, Australian

The ethos of this atmospheric Cockle Bay Wharf eatery? To celebrate the day’s hunt around a roaring fire with a drink straight from the barrel. Think smoked meat in crackling coal pits, barrel-aged beverages, a hearty menu of stews, pies, soups and slow-cooked meat, and a rustic dining room that’s half hunting lodge, half treehouse.

10. Cafe Del Mar

Restaurant, Bar, Cafe, Mediterranean

The original Cafe Del Mar in Ibiza is the most popular place to watch the sunset on the iconic resort island, but the rooftop terrace of the Sydney incarnation might just give the Spanish version a run for its money, serving modern Mediterranean meals and sexy cocktails with the best water views in Darling Harbour as its backdrop.

Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.

Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.

Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.

Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.

We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.