Sydney's top 10 restaurants with a view

By Ute Junker

There are two things Sydneysiders love above all else: a superb meal and a stunning view. So you can imagine how excited they get about a restaurant with an amazing outlook. At these much-loved eateries, the view is just as appetising as what’s on the plate.

Where: Upper Level Overseas Passenger Terminal, The Rocks

Perched on the western side of Circular Quay, Quay is not just Australia’s most awarded restaurant, it also has the best harbour views in Sydney. Chef Peter Gilmore has built tasting menus that delight the senses with beautiful texture, flavour and harmony. Finish your meal with the "White Coral” dish of a light white chocolate ganache that is aerated under vacuum and then frozen with liquid nitrogen, creating a porous structure resembling white coral.

Icebergs Dining Room & Bar

Where: 1 Notts Ave, Bondi Beach

If there were an award for Sydney's sexiest dining room, Icebergs would win hands down. Settle in at your table with one of Icebergs' signature cocktails and let yourself be mesmerised by the endless rows of waves rolling in to the beach. The Italian-influenced menu has plenty of appetising options; start with one of the superb pasta dishes, such as fresh fusilli with a ragu of suckling pig.

Bennelong

Where: Sydney Opera House, Bennelong Point, Sydney

Bennelong delivers the whole package: superb food, wonderful service, and a gorgeous view of the city and the harbour. All this, and you also get to dine inside one of the Opera House sails. The set menus serve up the very best of Australian produce (think shaved southern squid and pasture-raised duck), showcasing the diversity of Australian dining inside one of the country's most iconic venues.

Cottage Point Inn

Where: 2 Anderson Pl, Cottage Point

It doesn't get more romantic than this gorgeous waterside restaurant. Just 50 minutes from Sydney by car (or 20 minutes by seaplane) and surrounded by national park, Cottage Point Inn is a place where kookaburras show up at lunchtime to feed on kitchen scraps. The sophisticated menu includes inventive dishes such as raw snapper teamed with strawberry vierge, finger lime and basil; and veal tartare supercharged with oyster and lemon dressing.

The Butler

Where: 123 Victoria St, Potts Point

Check out a different side to Sydney at The Butler, a sleek diner tucked away in the trendy neighbourhood of Potts Point. Come early evening to see the Manhattan-style skyline views at their best, with city lights twinkling against a blazing sunset backdrop. The French-Caribbean menu gives a bit of spice and a whole lot of sophistication.

Catalina

Where: Lyne Park, Rose Bay, Sydney

Some diners arrive at Catalina, set on a gently curving bay in Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs, by ferry; others come by seaplane. Most restaurants would find it hard to live up to such an entrance. Fortunately, this Sydney stalwart fires on all fronts, from the superb seafood to the extensive wine list. Top tip: save room for the lemon tart, which is justly famous.

Jonah's

Where: 69 Bynya Rd, Palm Beach

It's an hour by car from the centre of Sydney to Whale Beach (or 25 minutes by seaplane), and Jonah's is worth the journey. The seasonal menus hold their own against the glorious sea views. Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, you can enjoy seaside meals any time of day. Can't bear to leave? Don't worry, Jonah's has stunning coastal accommodation onsite.

Aria

Where: 1 Macquarie St, Sydney

Aria is known both for its gobsmacking views of the Sydney Opera House, Sydney Harbour Bridge and Sydney Harbour, and for its flexible menu. If you don't feel like a degustation dinner, you can mix and match plates of various sizes, from shelled Pacific oysters with keriberry and beach banana, to Iberico jamon with white beetroot, macadamia and salt bush.

Ormeggio at the Spit

Where: D’Albora Marinas, Spit Rd, Mosman

Tucked into the D'Albora Marina at The Spit (20 minutes north from the city centre by car), Ormeggio is surrounded on three sides by bobbing yachts. This friendly fine diner serves up some of the best Italian food in Sydney. Chef Alessandro Pavoni excels at everything from bottoni (tiny buttons of pasta) filled with eggplant parmigiana to the textures of pumpkin dessert. 

Doyle's on the Beach

Where: 11 Marine Parade, Watsons Bay

Take the ferry to Watsons Bay and send the children off to play on the sand while you settle in for a long lunch at this family favourite – Doyle's. As you admire the magnificent water views back across to the city, feast on oysters, scallops and prawns, or – if you are feeling hungry – the seafood platter, laden with mussels, calamari, prawns and more.