Woollahra Hotel in WoollahraCredit: Destination NSW
Upstairs, a lush vertical garden has been installed in the open rooftop terrace and is the perfect inner-city oasis. The Front Bar downstairs is a well-preserved art deco setting – your perfect local pub for a cold beer and a meal.
Where to eat before the Lions matches in Sydney
Woollahra Hotel in Woollahra Credit: Destination NSW
Before you head to the stadium to watch the British and Irish Lions take on the New South Wales Waratahs and the Wallabies in Sydney, you’ll want to find somewhere to eat and drink. With buzzy dining precincts bordering Allianz Stadium, you’ll be spoilt for choice of restaurants and watering holes to enjoy before the Waratahs game in July. And when the Lions take on the Wallabies at Accor Stadium in August, you can either eat when you get to the Sydney Olympic Park precinct or take advantage of Western Sydney’s incredible array of global cuisine to stop for dinner on your way there.
Eating around Allianz Stadium
The Lions will play the NSW Waratahs at Allianz Stadium in the inner Sydney suburb of Moore Park on Saturday, 5 July. You’ll find plenty of places near the stadium to eat and drink before the game, from Surry Hills to Paddington as well as Moore Park’s Entertainment Quarter and at the stadium itself.
Like its next-door neighbour the Sydney Cricket Ground, Allianz Stadium’s food offering is brought to you by Merivale, the hospitality group behind some of Sydney’s leading restaurants. So eating at the stadium can be an easy, delicious option – expect elevated fare inspired by Merivale eateries such as Italian favourite Totti’s as well as street-food staples from the likes of Jimmy’s Falafel.
To kick off the evening with a full stomach, head to the Entertainment Quarter bordering Allianz Stadium for some of Sydney’s best burgers at Mary’s Entertainment Quarter, cheerful Mexican at El Camino Cantina or chicken wings at Wing Haus.
Dig into classic pub grub and wholesome feasts at one of the many hotels in nearby Paddington, from the Imperial, Paddo Inn and The Paddington on Oxford Street to traditional neighbourhood pubs in the back streets such as The London and the Four in Hand. Head into Woollahra and pre-game with Bistro Moncur's $65 two-course menu available throughout the tour or pop into the Woollahra Hotel which has plenty of space both upstairs and downstairs to grab a drink.
Coming from Central Station? Check out the pubs and restaurants lining the streets of Surry Hills on your way to the stadium. From the Eddy Avenue end of Central Station, head up Foveaux Street for a steak at the Keg & Brew, fill up on the daily roast served inside a giant Yorkshire pudding at Forrester’s, or stop in at The Clock Hotel on Crown Street for the perfect pasture-fed scotch fillet.
From the Prince Alfred Park end of Central Station, walk up Devonshire Street to The Strawberry neighbourhood pub for panko chicken schnitzel, warm up with the all-weekend beef or lamb roast and a craft beer at the Dove & Olive, or savour a beef-and-Guinness pot pie at the sports bar at the Trinity Irish pub.
Bistro Moncur in Woollahra Credit: Destination NSW
A French dining institution in the heart of Sydney’s Woollahra, heralding over 30 years of unparalleled service.
Bistro Moncur in Woollahra Credit: Destination NSW
A French dining institution in the heart of Sydney’s Woollahra, heralding over 30 years of unparalleled service.
Forrester’s in Surry Hills Credit: Destination NSW
A community hub for connection and celebration. Forrester’s is a historic tavern where people have been drinking, eating and gathering for over 100 years.
Forrester’s in Surry Hills Credit: Destination NSW
A community hub for connection and celebration. Forrester’s is a historic tavern where people have been drinking, eating and gathering for over 100 years.
Eating around Accor Stadium
The Lions play the Wallabies at Accor Stadium at Sydney Olympic Park on Saturday, August 2. You’ll find plenty of places to eat around Olympic Park Station, across the road from Accor Stadium.
Pop into Novotel Sydney Olympic Park for burgers or schnitzels at the hotel’s Brewery Bar + Kitchen. Get messy with flame-grilled ribs at Ribs and Rump Sydney Olympic Park, fuel up with pub classics at The Locker Room sports bar, sip cocktails and graze on tapas at Derive Cocktail Bar, or enjoy elevated fare made with sustainable local ingredients at Pullman Hotel Sydney Olympic Park’s Bacar Restaurant and Bar.
If you’re travelling by train to Sydney Olympic Park from the city, you can always head out early and hop off at one of the multicultural dining hot-spots along the way. Get off the train at Burwood to choose from the 50-plus hawker-style eateries in the Burwood Chinatown precinct – there are plenty more regional Chinese and north Asian restaurants to choose from in the surrounding streets.
Or stay on the train a little longer before getting out at Strathfield to explore its dizzying array of Korean restaurants. Start with savoury pancakes before warming up with a hotpot at Hansang Strathfield, or fill up on Korean barbecue at Stra BBQ or the Strathfield outlet of the famed Butchers Buffet chain.
You’ll find another mini Koreatown just down the tracks from Strathfield at Lidcombe, a five-minute train ride from Olympic Park Station. Head to Manseok Lidcombe for classic Korean street food, Sutbul Chicken for charcoal chicken, Suliya Gogiya for authentic Korean barbecue, or Tonight for Korean bistro fare washed down with an ice-cold slushy beer.
More Inspirational Stories
Wallabies fans, Allianz Stadium, SydneyCredit: Destination NSW
Wallabies fans enjoy the game at Allianz Stadium, Sydney. DESTINATION NSW USAGE ONLY
Sydney’s sporting scene heats up this spring, with the NRL and NRWL grand finals at Sydney Olympic Park, the Wallabies in action in a Rugby Championship Test match, high-octane, high-stakes motor racing and the BMX national championship. Here’s when and where to see some world-class sporting events across the city over the spring months.
World Time Attack Challenge Sydney | 5–6 September
The Yokohama World Time Attack Challenge takes over Sydney Motorsport Park in Western Sydney’s Eastern Creek for a two-day celebration of unbridled speed racing. Unlike other motorsports categories such as Formula One, the Time Attack Challenge rules and regulations allow almost unlimited modifications to race cars. In fact, the safety of the drivers, support teams and spectators are the only practical restrictions to what competitors can do to modify their cars.
So, get ready for some seriously spectacular driving as competitors race against the clock to record the fastest single lap across four classes: Clubsprint, Open, Pro Am and Pro. The fastest five drivers in each class get another shot at registering the fastest lap in the Superlap Shootout bonus round at the end of the second day.
Your ticket to the World Time Attack Challenge includes access to the Garrett International Drifting Cup, where local and international ‘drifters’ take over Sydney Motorsport Park each evening and battle one-on-one to advance from their pool to the elimination finals.
Wallabies versus Argentina Test Match | 13 September
The Australian men’s rugby team will be out to avenge last year’s devastating 67–27 loss to Argentina and capture vital 2025 Rugby Championship points as the South American team’s Australian tour concludes with the Wallabies versus Argentina Test Match at Allianz Stadium in Moore Park.
After conceding 50 points in the second half of the Test match against Los Pumas in Argentina’s Santa Fe last September, the Wallabies will be looking to put on a vastly improved defensive performance. Expect a much more potent attack as well, and a lively crowd taking advantage of their last chance to barrack for the Wallabies in Sydney this year.
World Time Attack Challenge Credit: Destination NSW
World Time Attack Challenge Sydney is a two-day motorsport festival with record-breaking cars, heart-stopping stunts, international stars and non-stop action on and off the track.
World Time Attack Challenge Credit: Destination NSW
World Time Attack Challenge Sydney is a two-day motorsport festival with record-breaking cars, heart-stopping stunts, international stars and non-stop action on and off the track.
NRL & NRLW Grand Final | 5 October
The 2025 NRL and NRLW seasons culminate with premiership-deciding matches played out in front of packed crowds at Sydney Olympic Park’s Accor Stadium on the first Sunday in October. Will the Penrith Panthers come from last place on the ladder mid-season to win the men’s grand final for an incredible fifth time in a row? Can the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs maintain their momentum to make it to the decider on at their home stadium? Or can the Canberra Raiders make the most of an expected top-four finish to go all the way?
While it’s yet to be determined which teams make their way through the preliminary finals to have their shot at the big prize, what’s certain is that the matches will be hard-fought and impossible to look away from.
Grand final day kicks off with the NRL State Championship Grand Final, pitting the winners of the reserve-grade New South Wales Cup and the Queensland Cup against each other. Watch some of best female rugby league players in the country put on big shots and dazzling plays in the NRLW Telstra Premiership Grand Final. Then draw energy from the buzz that grows ever louder as the pre-game entertainers strut their stuff, the teams enter the arena to sing along to the national anthem, and the referee blows his whistle to signal the start of 80 minutes of frenzied action that will decide the 2025 NRL Telstra Premiership.
BMX Racing National Championships| 9–12 October
The country’s most talented BMX riders gather in the Western Sydney town of Camden for a week of thrills and spills as they compete in AusCycling’s 2025 GWM BMX Racing National Championships.
Official practice sessions for competitors in the 20-inch, Cruiser, Elite, Juniors, Masters and Adaptive (Para) categories get underway at Camden’s Macarthur BMX Club on Monday, 6 October, before the racing beings in earnest on Thursday afternoon.
After the dust settles and this year’s champions celebrate their wins on the weekend, stick around to watch riders compress and extend their bodies, rather than pedal, to propel their bikes around the track in the 2025 AusCycling Pump Track National Championships on Sunday, 12 October.
Australian Supercross Championship | 15 November
Settle into your seats for a Saturday night to remember as round three of the 2025 Boost Mobile Australian Supercross Championshipis hotly contested. Thrill to the roar and crackle of finely tuned motocross bikes as the country’s best supercross riders compete against international stars on a challenging track purpose-built for the event.
In between the races, look on in awe as daring riders perform freestyle motocross stunts, and enjoy family-friendly entertainment, live music, giveaways and games during the action-packed evening.
Keep up to date with events in Sydney and New South Wales by visiting the Media Centre Events page here.
