Quay Credit: Nikki To
Quay is the creation of leading Australian restaurant group, Fink, and Executive Chef Peter Gilmore.
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With landmark restaurants serving world-class culinary creativity and iconic views, fine dining in Sydney is a feast for every sense. Here, 10 standout eateries where legendary chefs, choice local ingredients and picturesque panoramas come together to serve the ultimate feel-new dining experience on the harbour.
Bennelong, Sydney Opera House
With its gleaming pearly sails, few places inspire like the Opera House – and Bennelong offers an insider’s perspective of its stately chambers, along with the best front-on view of the Harbour Bridge. Taste the city’s timeless rhythm as Executive Chef Peter Gilmore celebrates the Aboriginal cultural significance of the restaurant’s location with an award-winning three-course à la carte menu, and the very best Australian wine.
Quay
Revel in the exclusive atmosphere as your frameable Opera House view is enhanced by the picturesque procession of ferries pulling into Circular Quay. Indulge in the legendary eight-course degustation which highlights local delicacies like black-lipped abalone, paired with a standout selection of prestige wines expertly curated by Head Sommelier, Wilem Powell.
Aria
Your palate sings as you savour Aria’s seasonal flavours – all enhanced by the art-filled dining room’s sweeping vistas of the Opera House and Harbour Bridge. One of Australia’s most awarded restaurants, Aria’s signature tasting menu is helmed by executive chef Tom Gorringe and showcases the finest local ingredients, including Gundagai lamb and Wollemi duck.
Café Sydney
Be energised as Circular Quay’s bustle and colour add an extra layer of sparkle to this legendary eatery’s extensive views of all the harbour’s icons. Located atop Customs House with a spectacular outdoor terrace and sophisticated dining room, Café Sydney is renowned for its seafood, fine-dining vegan menu and Nipanit Intraroon’s playful desserts – keep an eye out for the Passionfruit Lemon Tart and the Black Sesame Chocolate Cremeux.
Aster, InterContinental Sydney
Feel on top of the world as you gaze across the harbour’s icons all the way to the open ocean and the Blue Mountains: Aster offers decadent 32nd floor views, elevated styling and a tasty selection of sharing plates, wines and famously creative cocktails. Don’t miss the Higher Ground: a zingy, memorable blend of Don Julio Blanco Tequila, Grapefruit and Saint Felix Bitter Aperitivo that perfectly complements the lofty views.
Bennelong Restaurant, Sydney Credit: Destination NSW
Couples enjoying an evening out at Bennelong Restaurant, Sydney Opera House.
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Bennelong Restaurant, Sydney Credit: Destination NSW
Couples enjoying an evening out at Bennelong Restaurant, Sydney Opera House.
Aster Bar Credit: InterContinental Sydney
Aster Bar, InterContinental Sydney
#feelnewsydney #ilovesydney
Aster Bar Credit: InterContinental Sydney
Aster Bar, InterContinental Sydney
Ploós
Nestled within the Heritage-listed warehouses of Campbell’s Cove in the historic Rocks, Ploós nourishes body and soul with imaginatively remixed classic Grecian dishes, mesmerising views of the harbour, and expansive alfresco dining areas mere steps from the water’s edge. Linger over a long lunch at the outdoor bar, feasting on chef Peter Conistis’ award-winning meze plates and breathing in the postcard-worthy scenery from the luxurious lounges.
Sails on Lavender Bay
Renew your view across the bridge in North Sydney. This sun-drenched eatery has prime position near the McMahons Point wharf, offering Modern Australian fare and an awe-inspiring perspective of the city skyline. Saro Derderyan’s seven-course degustation stars Sydney Rock Oysters, Smoked Grimaud Duck Breast and Aquna Murray Cod, plus, there’s a sumptuous a’la carte menu and an award-winning wine list – all just a ferry ride from Circular Quay.
Opera Bar
Backed by the architectural magnificence of the Opera House, this is the ultimate alfresco spot to clink glasses and watch the sun slink down behind the bridge. Refresh your palate with their standout Cold Seafood Platter, savouring just-caught salmon, kingfish and tuna sashimi, local oysters, prawns, and blue swimmer crab. Or choose a light snack to enjoy with the bar’s signature Sydney Sling cocktail which features craft gin distilled nearby in the Rocks.
Oncore by Clare Smyth, Crown Sydney
Feel inspired by world-class creativity as Clare Smyth’s first international restaurant soars above the city in ultramodern Barangaroo – showcasing sustainable local ingredients, rare wines and epic views. Don’t miss Smyth’s globally acclaimed signature dish, Potato and Roe – a memorable melange of seaweed beurre blanc, herring and trout roe that demonstrates her incomparable ability to transform humble ingredients into culinary art.
Henry Deane, Hotel Palisade
Surrounded by the charming colonial terraces of Millers Point, this plush cocktail lounge boasts uninterrupted views in every direction. Cian Mulholland’s elevated menu is designed to be shared, with highlights including White Sturgeon Sterling Caviar, Sydney Pipis and Abalone Potato. Charge your glasses with a host of rare blends from across Australia, Lebanon, France, Chile and beyond while you soak up the views of the harbour at golden hour.
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The Fall Guy Credit: Universal & UPI Media
The Fall Guy in Sydney with a spectacular Glebe Island Silo Stunt
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Action-comedy film The Fall Guy explodes onto Australian screens on 24 April, and along with Hollywood superstars Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt, Sydney also plays a starring role. But the city isn’t just a backdrop to many of the action-packed scenes in the film, it also offers real-life action experiences to get your heart pumping. Here’s our guide to high-octane experiences in Sydney.
On-the-water adrenaline
Just like Ryan Gosling blasting around Sydney Harbour in a high-speed boat chase, you too can feel the wind in your hair, the sea spray on your face and your heart in your mouth on an Oz Jet Boating experience. These bright red, shark-faced jetboats fish-tail, spin and slide under the Sydney Harbour Bridge, past Dawes Point Park (where we meet Jean Claude the kelpie in the film) and the iconic Sydney Opera House, leaving you breathless and somewhat damp. Turn it down a notch with a two-, three- or five-day course from EastSail, with classes on the calm shores of Rushcutters Bay, or go five-star by hiring your very own superyacht from the fleet at Sydney Harbour Luxe Charters – Ghost II was featured in the film.
Get locked in an escape room
A bolted door, a countdown clock and a series of fiendish puzzles – outsmart the bad guys and challenge your friends in one of Sydney’s best escape rooms. Award-winning The Cipher Room, with locations in Newtown and St Peters, offers immersive, expertly designed rooms. Choose from a film noir-style hotel, a mysterious abandoned toy shop or a dystopian French bunker. Entermission Sydney has virtual-reality rooms, with themes like Alice in Wonderland, a pirate ship or space station. While not strictly an escape room, the one-of-a-kind Hijinx Hotel is a fun escape-like challenge set inside a quirky 15-room hotel.
Hickson Road Reserve, Dawes Point Credit: Destination NSW
Friends walking along Sydney Harbour in the morning.
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Hickson Road Reserve, Dawes Point Credit: Destination NSW
Friends walking along Sydney Harbour in the morning.
Oz Jet Boating, Sydney Harbour Credit: Destination NSW
Experience the incredible speed of the red shark boats as they blast across Sydney harbour at high speed with Oz Jet Boating.
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Oz Jet Boating, Sydney Harbour Credit: Destination NSW
Experience the incredible speed of the red shark boats as they blast across Sydney harbour at high speed with Oz Jet Boating.
Find your need for speed
It’s not an action movie without a car chase, and while you can’t speed through the CBD streets like Ryan Gosling and Jean Claude, you can still challenge your friends to race via go kart at Hyper Karting Moore Park. At the 410-metre indoor track, the electric cars offer plenty of exhilarating straights and corners, with a high-speed function to help you overtake your mates. True petrol heads should make a pitstop at Luddenham Raceway in southwest Sydney, where the go karts are fuelled and the 600m outdoor pro circuit offers 12 high-speed corners and even nighttime drives. Want to do the real thing? Trackschool has half-day passenger or driving experiences in a Porsche 911 Carrera also at the raceway.
Have an adventure up high
A high-stakes, sky-high chopper scene is an action flick essential; recreate the experience (minus the stress) on a flight with Sydney HeliTours. The 20- or 30-minute tours take in jaw-dropping views of harbour icons like the Sydney Opera House, Taronga Zoo, Bondi Beach and the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Or live out your Hollywood star dreams onboard the luxury Sydney Seaplanes. If free-falling from the sky like Ryan Gosling does jumping from a multi-story building is the heart race you crave, get the thrills without the spills at iFly Downunder: fully accessible, all-ages indoor skydiving that will make you feel like a superhero. Or take a day trip to the Blue Mountains for a ride on Scenic World’s 270m-high glass-cased Beyond Skyway for that soaring feeling while safely enclosed in a cable car.
Luddenham Raceway, Luddenham Credit: Destination NSW
Track Day at Luddenham Raceway Motorsport Park, Luddenham.
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Luddenham Raceway, Luddenham Credit: Destination NSW
Track Day at Luddenham Raceway Motorsport Park, Luddenham.
Sydney Seaplanes, Rose Bay Credit: Destination NSW
Couple ready to enjoy a Sydney Seaplanes flight from Rose Bay, Sydney.
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Sydney Seaplanes, Rose Bay Credit: Destination NSW
Couple ready to enjoy a Sydney Seaplanes flight from Rose Bay, Sydney.
Scale walls and cliffs
Action heroes need to be agile and spider-like; flex your skills scaling rock walls at one of Sydney’s top indoor rock-climbing centres. Climb Fit in St Leonards has beginner and high-tech climbs using augmented reality, while Ledge is a smaller centre in Camperdown perfect for beginners, and BlocHaus in Marrickville focuses solely on bouldering. If you prefer to climb surrounded by waterfalls and forests, make the extra leap to the Blue Mountains, and challenge yourself on an abseil or rock-climb under the expert guidance of the Blue Mountains Adventure Company.
Spots to refuel
After all that adventuring, you’re going to need a spot to refuel and cheers to a big day. Make it a meal with a view at Aster Bar on top of the InterContinental Sydney – with uninterrupted views of the harbour. The rooftop bar featured in the film is the Ivy – which is a local favourite for big nights out. Partake in Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt’s love for spicy margaritas at Centro 86, a new underground tequila bar in the CBD, or taste award-winning cocktails at Dean and Nancy on 22. Finish up with a feast at one of the restaurants located around Jones Bay Wharf (you’ll spot this area in the film as Ryan Gosling hides on his boat from the bad guys) or snack in the late-night dining havens in Chinatown: try Japanese izakaya Nakano Darling, xiao long bao from Nanjing Dumpling or Mamak’s legendary roti.
Rest your head
Even heroes need their beauty sleep. Rest up like an A-lister at the Kimpton Margot, a recently opened CBD hotel with Art Deco touches, and featured in the movie (ask Kevin for the fruit plate). Compact yet comfortable, the Little National Hotel is located in the heart of the city near Wynyard (also a major filming locale for The Fall Guy). And for a boutique hotel suitable for everyone from film stars to stunt crew, stay in the Ace Hotel in Surry Hills, with unique in-room features like guitars, record players and locally made custom robes.
Sydney Adventure Tours, Katoomba Credit: Destination NSW
Sydney Adventure Tours offers private tours to the Blue Mountains. With an experienced tour guide, take a bushwalk through nature and experience the rainforests.
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Sydney Adventure Tours, Katoomba Credit: Destination NSW
Sydney Adventure Tours offers private tours to the Blue Mountains. With an experienced tour guide, take a bushwalk through nature and experience the rainforests.
Little National Hotel, Sydney Credit: Little National Hotel
The rooftop lounge at the Little National, in Wynyard in Sydney.
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Little National Hotel, Sydney Credit: Little National Hotel
The rooftop lounge at the Little National, in Wynyard in Sydney.