Lansdowne Hotel, ChippendaleCredit: Destination NSW
Exterior view of the Landsdowne Hotel, Chippendale.
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The co-founder of Mary’s Group, which operates a string of popular burger joints around Sydney, Jake Smyth, grew up around bands (including his little brother’s) and going to gigs. Now with two live music venues, Liberty Hall at the Entertainment Quarter in Moore Park, in the city’s eastern suburbs, and Mary’s Underground at Circular Quay in the heart of the city centre, alongside the restaurants, Smyth and Mary’s co-founder Kenny Graham also play host to an eclectic mix of local and touring musicians. Here, Smyth shares his favourite places to catch bands, as well as his pick of local musical artists.
Fuel up for a big night
Starting out in 2013 with the first Mary’s burgers-and-beers outlet in the inner-west suburb of Newtown, Mary’s Group has since opened more eateries in inner Sydney as well as Castle Hill, in the Sydney’s northwest. Spurred on by the imminent closure of an iconic venue, the Lansdowne Hotel in inner-city Chippendale, Smyth and Graham took over the space in 2017 and transformed the pub into one of the busiest live music venues in the country.
Going from burgers to bands was a natural progression for Mary’s, says Smyth: “Our particular style of mayhem is deeply rooted in both music and the creative hospitality scene. Music has been really deep in both my and Kenny’s worlds – when people walked through the door of Mary’s, music was part of the experience. We made the decision to take over the Lansdowne in a period of Sydney’s cultural life where stages and spaces were being shut.”
By the time Mary’s left the Lansdowne in 2022, they’d “given the local punk and rock-and-roll scene a heavy injection of love and attention and been really well received. I think that helped change the tide – the city is bustling with venues, there are spaces opening all the time, and that’s a fantastic result for Sydney.”
Now, Smyth and Graham run Mary’s Underground as a landmark world-class live music venue in the middle of the city, with an upstairs burger bar and a basement space ideal for electronic artists and DJs as well as indie rock-and-roll – and the annual Vivid Sydney Supper Club cabaret lounge. “We’ve got the wonderful Sydney Opera House down the road and City Recital Hall up the road and the State Theatre … but what we saw the market needing was another proper city venue for local artists to play ticketed shows.”
The pair have since opened the 1,200-capacity Liberty Hall in the Entertainment Quarter, after first opening a Mary’s burger outlet in the leisure precinct. “We’re trying to create a space for artists and for young entrepreneurial promoters to have a shot and provide a pathway for these artists to actually play and perform and find a crowd,” says Smyth.
Vivid Sydney 2019 Credit: Destination NSW
Audience in attendance for a Vivid Ideas Game Changer event at City Recital Hall.
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Vivid Sydney 2019 Credit: Destination NSW
Audience in attendance for a Vivid Ideas Game Changer event at City Recital Hall.
Vivid Sydney 2022 Credit: Destination NSW
State Theatre during Vivid Sydney 2022.
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Vivid Sydney 2022 Credit: Destination NSW
State Theatre during Vivid Sydney 2022.
Seek out Sydney’s other stages
Beyond the Mary’s venues, Smyth is a fan of the Hordern Pavilion, across the road from Liberty Hall at Moore Park. “It’s such an icon, it’s so well run, and the programming there is brilliant. We’ve become quite good pals with them now. The history and the artists that venue has seen is really, really special.”
He also admires the Abercrombie, a former corner pub turned techno club in Chippendale: “I think Abercrombie’s doing a great job of marketing itself as a premier electronic music space, and they’re doing a brilliant job with their programming. You’re seeing lines of kids out in front of there most weekends waiting to get in.”
Crowbar, an independent venue in the inner-west suburb of Leichhardt that hosts more than 800 bands a year, is another favourite of Smyth’s. “They’re also doing such a great job; their aesthetic is really rock-and-roll. They put on heavy metal and punk and it’s raucous and it looks and feels like that when you walk through the front door.”
There’s plenty happening in Newtown, too: “All up and down King Street has exploded; the Vanguard has always been brilliant, and particularly at the moment, they’re programmed really solidly. Then there’s Lazybones Lounge down in Marrickville – they have great jazz-focused programming.”
“And if you’re wanting to fold music into your evening, places like Ramblin Rascal in the city have great music programming in their bar, which is a lot of fun, to be able to go have a couple of cracking cocktails or a beer and have some blues happening in the background.
“Restaurant Hubert in the city has really beautiful jazz every night of the week – it’s fabulous to have a fancy French dinner and have some soft jazz playing in the corner. I think they’ve really nailed that.”
Amy Shark performing at Crowbar, Leichhardt Credit: ARIA
Amy Shark performing at Crowbar, Leichhardt
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Amy Shark performing at Crowbar, Leichhardt Credit: ARIA
Amy Shark performing at Crowbar, Leichhardt
The Vanguard, Newtown Credit: Destination NSW
Bartender creating a cocktail at The Vanguard, Newtown in Sydney's inner west.
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The Vanguard, Newtown Credit: Destination NSW
Bartender creating a cocktail at The Vanguard, Newtown in Sydney's inner west.
Discover some local artists
Smyth is a passionate backer of the next generation of Sydney musicians and performers: “We have a ‘Support the supports’ deal at Mary’s Underground and Liberty Hall, with cheaper beers and cheaper food at the venues when the support bands are playing. We’ll go out of our way to choose our favourite support band of the week; we’ll write a little blurb or do an interview and it goes up in our socials.
“It’s about being invested in what’s happening underneath the headline shows – they are the future headlines. The youngest band in Sydney has as good a shot as any of being the next Presets or the next Silverchair. We aren’t artist management or a label; it’s just about being interested and committed to keeping the space open for them.”
As for Smyth’s current favourite Sydney bands, recommends seeking out Kerfew. “They’re a collective of Sydney electronic artists, and they’re just really fun. I love that style; they’re blending in a subcontinental influence; there’s this real Bollywood influence in the DJing. Along with young artists like Moktar, they’re putting a real emphasis on their personal traditions and bringing their diasporic story from subcontinental Asia.
“There’s also a new jazz thing that’s been happening in Sydney in the last little while, with acts like Pyjama Sundayz. Saxophone-drum duo Party Dozen is another one of my absolute favourites.”
Mary's Newtown, Newtown Credit: Destination NSW
Diners enjoying food and drink at Mary's Newtown, Newtown.
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Mary's Newtown, Newtown Credit: Destination NSW
Diners enjoying food and drink at Mary's Newtown, Newtown.
Vivid Sydney 2022 Credit: Destination NSW
An intimate cabaret lounge where lovable uber-diva from jazz and soul to acoustic alt-rock and ultra-glam drag.
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Vivid Sydney 2022 Credit: Destination NSW
An intimate cabaret lounge where lovable uber-diva from jazz and soul to acoustic alt-rock and ultra-glam drag.
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Canvas Restaurant, Sydney Credit: Museum of Contemporary Art Australia (MCA)
Canvas brings a bold new dining concept to the MCA, with a newly transformed space, stunning harbour views and a seasonal Chef-in-Residence.
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Sydney
Canvas Restaurant
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Song Bird
Australian culinary icon Neil Perry’s newest restaurant is a grand, 200+ seat Double Bay take on Cantonese food. Rather than the traditional cooking found in Sydney’s Cantonese hubs, at Songbird you can expect a new iteration based on induction cooking and the premium Australian produce Perry has celebrated throughout his career. Before (or after) you settle in for a feast of roast duck, dumplings, and ginger and shallot coral trout, head downstairs to Bobbie’s, a bar run in collaboration with the owners of 2019 World’s Best Bar winner Dante in New York City.
Allta
A restaurant with two Good Food Guide hats and a chef who’s most recent posting was Michelin-starred Seoul restaurant Jungsik is going to book out quickly regardless of how big it is, and this CBD restaurant is only 12 seats. If you can get one, a seat at Allta’s long U-shaped bar ensures a 15-course journey into Korean cuisine that is sometimes delicate and sometimes bold, but always creative. But, instead of the stereotypical fine dining service, Allta presents its artistic dishes with a friendly, casual service.
Firepop
Alina Van and Raymond Hou might be the only restauranteurs in NSW who have gone from opening a Chinatown food stall to the 2025 Good Food Guide’s Best New Restaurant in under a year. Their plaudits are a result of their unique, Chinese-influenced take on modern Australian cuisine that sees skewers of live-flame barbecued meat peppered with anything from kiwi fruit to cumin dukkah and chilli. That menu, plus a plush, velvety dining room and a “joy, discovery, and deliciousness”-driven drinks list that combines classics and new age makers, make this Newtown restaurant one of the most exciting openings in the state.
Ammos Brighton
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Canvas Restaurant, Sydney Credit: Museum of Contemporary Art Australia (MCA)
Canvas brings a bold new dining concept to the MCA, with a newly transformed space, stunning harbour views and a seasonal Chef-in-Residence.
#feelnewsydney
Canvas Restaurant, Sydney Credit: Museum of Contemporary Art Australia (MCA)
Canvas brings a bold new dining concept to the MCA, with a newly transformed space, stunning harbour views and a seasonal Chef-in-Residence.
Murray Rose Pool, Double Bay Credit: Destination NSW
Harbour views from Murray Rose Pool, Double Bay in Sydney's eastern suburbs.
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Murray Rose Pool, Double Bay Credit: Destination NSW
Harbour views from Murray Rose Pool, Double Bay in Sydney's eastern suburbs.
King Clarence
Brent Savage and Nick Hildebrandt have a culinary Midas touch. After opening award-winners Brasserie 1930, Yellow and Bentley Restaurant and Bar, their latest city-centre restaurant, King Clarence, invites innovative Melbourne chef Khanh Nguyen to explore the cuisine of East Asia with the most premium produce Australia has on offer. The broad, bold menu serving everything from reimagined fish fingers to dry-aged duck served with native Davidson plum, plus the exhaustive drinks list and level of service to match, saw the restaurant bring in Gourmet Traveller’s new restaurant of the year.
Saint Peter at The Grand National Hotel
Josh Niland is already one of the most famous chefs in the country but, until this year, one title evaded him: the award of three hats in the Good Food Guide. The coveted honour was distributed to only four restaurants across the state this year, with Saint Peter being the only newcomer. The Paddington restaurant is the most evolved version of Niland’s signature sustainability and head-to-tail seafood cookery but this time in the beautiful, restored dining room of a historic Paddington pub.
Neptune’s Grotto
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Joji
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Golden Century
When Golden Century closed in 2021, the hospitality industry mourned their post-service hang out, the Cantonese community mourned a three-decade-old institution, and the dining public mourned the death of one of the great Sydney restaurants. In early 2025 the legend returns, opening on the third floor of Crown Sydney with an updated dining room but the same menu of classics featuring live seafood tanks, yum cha and, of course, the famous XO pippies.
Barangaroo, Sydney Credit: Destination NSW
Sun rising over Barangaroo and Pyrmont Bay, Sydney.
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Barangaroo, Sydney Credit: Destination NSW
Sun rising over Barangaroo and Pyrmont Bay, Sydney.
Harkham Restaurant, Hunter Valley Credit: Nikki To
Much-loved Hunter Valley winery Harkham's restaurant on their grounds to sit alongside their cellar door
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Harkham Restaurant, Hunter Valley Credit: Nikki To
Much-loved Hunter Valley winery Harkham's restaurant on their grounds to sit alongside their cellar door
NSW
Harkham Restaurant
At Harkam, the views are bucolic, but the menu is approachable – homemade pastas, pizzas, a ripper steak and a family tiramisu recipe (you can also splash out with picks from the caviar cart), but what makes this restaurant such a desirable Hunter Valley spot is the experience. The restaurant trades on atmosphere, designing their menu, experience and dining room to make an evening by the fire or a lunch looking out onto the vineyard green as relaxed and convivial as possible. Of course, Harkham’s minimal-intervention wines are on the menu but so are a range of other international and local natural drops.
Rowlee Dining and Bar
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Umi-ko
Walking into Umi-ko is like a portal to central Japan, the place of head chef Kaoru Ito’s birth, but still with a local touch – the South Coast charm, pace and personalities. The Merimbula opening, designed with the izakaya atmosphere and menu in mind, comes from Jamie Sverdrupsen and Brett Kryskow, two locals who learnt their trade in big-name Sydney venues. Although there are classic ramens and snacks on the menu, it’s not all traditional (find a kimchi poke bowl with sashimi added-in, furikake fries, and a vegan ramen with corn and bamboo) but improvisation and creativity are within the spirit of the izakaya.
Fire Kitchen
In 2022, Osborn House, Bundanoon’s heritage luxury lodge launched Fire Feast, a weekly, outdoor lunch inspired by the asado barbecues of South America. Its popularity convinced the Osborn House team to ditch the acclaimed restaurant they already had and make Fire Feast a permanent fixture. At Fire Kitchen, you start with empanadas, ceviche and slow-cooked chorizo, move onto the South American barbecue – maybe a rack of ribs or a whole barbecued lamb shoulder – order a glass of Argentinian red to match and finish up with a flan while looking onto Morton National Park.
Harkham Restaurant, Hunter Valley Credit: Nikki To
Much-loved Hunter Valley winery Harkham's restaurant on their grounds to sit alongside their cellar door
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Harkham Restaurant, Hunter Valley Credit: Nikki To
Much-loved Hunter Valley winery Harkham's restaurant on their grounds to sit alongside their cellar door
Rowlee Wines & Guesthouse, Orange Credit: Destination NSW
Rowlee Cellar Door is located in Mt Canobolas, 950 metres above sea level - exposed to the cool climate and unique topography of the Orange Wine Region. The picturesque location provides the ideal way to enjoy Rowlee's handcrafted wines.
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Rowlee Wines & Guesthouse, Orange Credit: Destination NSW
Rowlee Cellar Door is located in Mt Canobolas, 950 metres above sea level - exposed to the cool climate and unique topography of the Orange Wine Region. The picturesque location provides the ideal way to enjoy Rowlee's handcrafted wines.
Byron Bay Oyster Bar and Seafood Restaurant
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Byron Bay Oyster Bar and Seafood Restaurant, Byron Bay Credit: Ethan Smart for Buffet Digital
Located at 4 Marvell St, Byron Bay Oyster Bar & Seafood Restaurant is an approachable yet refined dining offering with a focus on the very best oysters and seafood from across Australia.
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Byron Bay Oyster Bar and Seafood Restaurant, Byron Bay Credit: Ethan Smart for Buffet Digital
Located at 4 Marvell St, Byron Bay Oyster Bar & Seafood Restaurant is an approachable yet refined dining offering with a focus on the very best oysters and seafood from across Australia.