Seafood$$bondi
Beach-side seafood diner above North Bondi's Ramsgate Avenue, Sydney. Fish and chips, oysters, salt-and-pepper squid, walk-in courtyard tables most days.
Signature: Fish and chips, Salt-and-pepper squid, Whole grilled snapper
Order: The fish and chips with North Bondi's chip-shop slaw.
Tip: No bookings; the upstairs terrace is the prize at sunset.
Thai$$$surry-hills
Modern Thai institution on Commonwealth Street, Surry Hills, Sydney. The caramelised pork hock has stayed on the menu for more than two decades.
Signature: Caramelised pork hock, Eggnet salad, Crispy fish salad
Order: Caramelised pork hock with five-spice and chilli.
Tip: Communal long-table seating; bookings recommended on weekends.
Japanese$$newtown
Japanese izakaya on King Street, Newtown, Sydney. Yakitori from binchotan, tonkotsu ramen, sake-and-highball list, late-night walk-in tables.
Signature: Yakitori skewers, Tonkotsu ramen, Karaage chicken
Order: Yakitori chef's selection and tonkotsu ramen.
Tip: Open till midnight Fridays and Saturdays.
Lebanese$$lakemba
Long-running Lebanese family-run restaurant on Haldon Street, Lakemba, Sydney. Mezze, mixed grills, halal-certified, generous family-style service.
Signature: Mixed grill, Hummus with lamb, Tabouleh
Order: Mixed grill platter for the table and the hummus.
Tip: Cash-friendly; the Ramadan late-night service is famous in Sydney.
Lebanese$granville
Sydney's canonical charcoal chicken shop on South Street, Granville. Whole chickens, garlic toum that defines the Sydney garlic-on-chicken canon.
Signature: Charcoal chicken, Garlic toum, Tabouleh
Order: Whole chicken, large toum, family-size chips.
Tip: Open late; takeaway queue moves faster than the dine-in line.
Italian$$$manly
Italian neighbourhood room on Belgrave Street, Manly, Sydney. House-made pasta, Italian wood-fired pizza, the kind of beachside trattoria Manly was missing.
Signature: Pasta alla Norma, Wood-fired pizza, Tiramisu
Order: Pasta alla Norma and an Etna red.
Tip: Book ahead on summer weekends; the terrace is the trophy seat.