It’s looking like a decidedly delicious winter in Sydney with new restaurant openings, high profile collaborations and exciting refurbs. Discover food that warms the soul, restaurants that evoke afternoons in Paris, pastries worth queuing for and cafes with a purpose. 

Kinhboy goes to Barangaroo 
Redfern favourite Kinhboy is popping up on the Barangaroo waterfront this winter, taking over the lunch service at Sama Sama with their signature blend of Vietnamese soul food. Diners can cosy up with a steaming hot bowl of pho or make the most of winter sunshine with fresh rice paper rolls, vermicelli noodle salads, mud crab dumplings and bo luc lac (shaking beef). The Kinhboy x Sama Sama collab will run until 31 August, serving lunch from 12pm-3pm Tuesday to Friday. 

New flavours for North Bondi 
Award-winning chef Michael Rantissi is heading east to take over the kitchen of the famed North Bondi Fish. He will be bringing the modern Israeli menu from his Redfern café Kepos Street Kitchen to Bondi for the winter, partnering with restaurant owner and celebrity chef Matt Moran to create North Bondi Kepos. Diners can choose from mezze share plates, raw seafood, grilled meats, and Middle Eastern classics like slow-roasted lamb shoulder and spanakopita, all served alongside a special cocktail list with a Tel Aviv twist.  

Old is new at QBF 
History meets modern dining at Pyrmont favourite Quick Brown Fox after a revamp of its interiors and menu. Set inside a stone cottage from the 1800s, the new design (from Sydney stylist Nicola Stillone) makes a feature of exposed brickwork and stone alongside modern neon pink signage. The most exciting news is on the plate, thanks to the arrival of new head chef Daniel Grey from Sydney venues Apollo, Aalia and Devon. The varied brunch menu ranges from Japanese koshihikari rice congee to banoffee waffles with golden syrup ice cream or buffalo ricotta gnudi. 

A.P Bakery finds a home 
After gaining near-cult status during Sydney’s lockdowns, A.P Bakery is expanding again with its first standalone venue, A.P Town in Newtown. Tucked down one of the suburb’s winding laneways, the bakery is serving up A.P’s much-loved bread and mouthwatering pastries alongside pies, toasties and soup, washed down with Rueben Hills coffee. It’s open from Wednesday to Sunday 8am-2.30pm (though they often sell out by midday) and hungry patrons can check the A.P Bread Instagram page to see what’s on the menu.  

Bonjour Manon 
French flair comes to the Queen Victoria Building (QVB) with the launch of Manon Brasserie bringing brunch in the sun, just-shucked oysters and creative cocktails at the grand entrance to the QVB, just beside the famous statue of Queen Victoria. Manon is an all-day eatery from the pair behind 10 William St and Fratelli Paradiso. Head chef Thomas Boisselier has come straight from a three-Michelin-star kitchen in France, and his menu shows, featuring omelettes, salad niçoise, steak frites and a lengthy French wine list. 

Two Good to taste 
Known for its toiletries, homewares and pantry staples that fund employment programs for women at risk of homelessness, philanthropic enterprise Two Good Co is branching out into the world of hospitality, opening a cafe at their Yirranma Place headquarters in Darlinghurst. In their light-filled heritage space, the menus showcase local makers, seasonal produce and other social enterprises like The Bread & Butter Project, Kua Coffee, T Totaler teas and Blak Cede. It’s food that will warm both belly and heart. 

Come home to Karu 
Hidden away in The Devil’s Wilderness, part of the Hawkesbury, Karu Distillery has been making award-winning small-batch spirits since 2017. While their spirits have been savoured at home, aficionados can now get a taste of their rugged birthplace at the on-site tasting room and cocktail bar, House of Spirits. Open Wednesday to Sunday, it’s a place to sample the full range of botanical-infused gin and spicy chipotle vodka or let the talented bar staff whip up a custom cocktail. House of Spirits will also host special events, like pizza pop ups and local’s nights.  

Neighbourhood dining goes luxe 
Two ex-Merivale chefs have teamed up to open levelled up neighbourhood bistro S’more in Castlecrag on Sydney’s lower North Shore. “Big” Sam Young (ex Mr Wong, Totti’s and Lotus 2.0) and partner Grace Chen (ex Est, Queen Chow and Poly) are the pair behind venue, where the emphasis is on indulgence – think oysters, truffles, Wagyu beef, live lobsters and $200 tins of Siberian caviar. The small menu changes frequently to take advantage of fresh produce, and diners can look forward to sea urchin in August. 

An authentic taste of Turkey 
Turkish Chef Efe Topuzlu is bringing memories of his teenage years spent in his family ocakbasi (fireside) restaurant in Istanbul right here to Sydney. Diners can take a seat at the new Izgara in Potts Point to immerse themselves in this unique style of dining, where chefs cook in front of them and serve straight to the table. The word ‘izgara’ means grill, so expect plenty of responsibly sourced Australian meat on the menu as well as smoked eggplant, house-made bread, freshly shucked oysters and caviar.