This small pasta and wine spot is centrally located in a buzzy corner of the city, and it’s perfect for a glass of wine, pre-theater pasta, or just a break from the hustle of Sydney’s CBD. On the regularly changing menu, you’ll find handmade pasta paired with its perfect sauce, like cavatelli with squid ink, urchin, and chickpeas, gigli with pork and fennel sausage and chicory, or a classic bowl of spaghetti cacio e pepe.

Alberto’s Lounge—which works just as well for a quick cocktail as it does for an all-night date—feels unique. Located between two city laneways, the leather banquette seating and close quarters ooze with ‘70s cool, but what really makes this place special is the Australian-influenced Italian menu. Kingfish crudo might come with fermented tomato, rainbow trout gets served up with pippies, and it all goes well with a wine list of of local and Italian options.

If there’s one place in this city to go for ramen, it’s Gogyo. The Surry Hills location is known for the charred kogashi style, or burnt miso ramen, which is a dark, clear soup, and the best thing here. They also serve the more traditional tonkotsu ramen, and a chilli shoyu with habanero pork mince and tomato (another favorite of ours), all of which are best with a pint of Asahi on draft.

Pizza is a big deal in Sydney, and it’s not unusual to get into a heated debate over the best spot, the best crust style, and whether blotting is sacrilegious. But you’ll be far too distracted by how good the food is at Bella Brutta to comment on the way your friends fold their slices. This Newtown spot serves thin, wood-fired pizzas with toppings like mortadella, fior di latte, and clams and has a wine list full of local, natural wines.

Lankan Filling Station opened in 2018 in a narrow converted garage and there’s never been a better reason to hang out in a space where they used to change tires. The menu at this Sri Lankan spot is made up of traditional dishes like sambols and curries, along with creative starters like devilled cashews and crab cutlets. It gets pretty lively, so come here with a group (make a reservation), order a bunch of colorful dishes to share, and soak it all up with rice and hoppers (rice-flour crepes).

Chaco is a yakitori joint in Potts Point with long communal high tables, a cocktail bar, and a few seats up to the island kitchen. The a la carte menu (served during the week) has small plates, Fukuoka-style skewers, and many things cooked over charcoal, including the Horumon Yaki of chicken hearts, giblets, and soft bones. On weekends they serve a $95 seven-course tasting menu of greatest hits, but whenever you’re here, definitely dive into the sake and shōchū menu.

Sure, rooftop bars are pretty great, but AP Bakery is something even better: a rooftop bakery. On top of the Paramount House Hotel in Surry Hills, you’ll find trays filled with freshly baked baguettes and bagels, flaky pies, focaccia, buttermilk croissants, buckwheat dark chocolate croissants, cream-filled donuts, and sweet fruit danishes. It’s the perfect place to enjoy one of Sydney’s (almost always) sunny mornings, with a coffee (Reuben Hills supplies the beans) and city views.

Owned by a father and his sons, Shenkin is a true Sydney mainstay. This casual Israeli cafe started small and has grown to three locations with full kitchens. Even with all that expansion, each location has kept the warmth of the original, with a true local feel and the family still running the show. Shenkin’s menu includes things like flaky pastries filled with cheese, meat, and spinach, green and red shakshuka, and large plates of housemade dips with flatbread.

There are a few things you must do when you come to Sydney: see the Opera House, lie out on Bondi Beach, and, if you’d like to spend a lot of money to be semi-terrified, climb the Harbour Bridge. Eating a lamington—cube of sponge cake dipped in chocolate and covered in coconut—should also be on that list, and Flour and Stone’s version (they soak theirs in panna cotta) is the best one in the city.

The cafe culture in Australia is unique: these places are fast, fresh, and often very serious about their coffee. Cornersmith in Annandale is a relaxed, seasonally-focused option that’s entirely vegetarian. If it’s a nice day, there are a few small tables outside, or Cornersmith offers DIY picnic boxes, and they’ll even let you borrow a picnic blanket to take to the small park right across the street.