Great Meal with Great View in Sydney

[parker6]

We're looking to go out one night for a really nice evening meal in Sydney pre-cruise. Somewhere with a great view..any suggestions?

[Katana_Geldar]

Centrepoint has a great view and has several restaurants that revolve. As does Australia Square and my favourite place to eat, Aria.

[cjm66]

Originally Posted by parker6

We're looking to go out one night for a really nice evening meal in Sydney pre-cruise. Somewhere with a great view..any suggestions?

You specified evening, which means lights and hopefully sunsets rather than sunlight sparkling on water - some of the best views are at lunchtime! But for evening...... Check these three out on google. All have web sites and menus for checking prices and booking ahead is essential. ARIA will give you sunset lighting behind the bridge, a view of the Opera House and the lights on the busy harbour - possibly of a ship docked at the OPT. The food is good enough to be a distraction. Book well ahead - months even. THE SUMMIT - a revolving restaurant. Views excellent - book for just before sunset so you get the variation as the lights come on across the city. The food does not always live up to the view. Be wary and check that your booking will not run out time wise after one revolution. ALTITUDE @ The Shangrila. Harbour view from on high. Have not been recently. High end Sydney prices and Mod Oz food. Also try googling Sydney dining or restaurants with a view for some more options. Enjoy. PS Katana you got in ahead of me!

[Globaliser]

Originally Posted by parker6

We're looking to go out one night for a really nice evening meal in Sydney pre-cruise. Somewhere with a great view..any suggestions?

Two more:-

• Quay
• Aqua Dining

NB: The Summit is no more. The space is now a place called O Bar and Dining.

[cjm66]

Originally Posted by Globaliser

Two more:-

• Quay
• Aqua Dining

NB: The Summit is no more. The space is now a place called O Bar and Dining.

Thanks Globaliser. We were there in March with some visitors who wanted to see the skyline and collect revolving restaurants. The refurbishment has a different vibe - same view I gather.

[cassamanda]

Try Cafe Sydney at Customs House. Nice view with moderate prices.
http://www.cafesydney.com/

[Flipper133]

I'll endorse the Altitude on the top of hotel Shangri-la.

Will not disappoint with food, and views

cheers

[parker6]

Thanks everybody!

[cjm66]

Coincidentally the O bar and dining was reviewed last week. Check it out unless you have decided on Altitude.

http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/...028-28d78.html

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

[Katana_Geldar]

Just remember, places in restaurants can fill up fast. Like Aria where you need to book a month in advance. Fortunately, you can book online. December is also the busiest time to eat out, so book before you go!

[Karennella]

I have just bought the 2013 edition of the Good Food Guide, being fed up with trying to wade through online reviews. They list Top Ten Views, and those around the harbour are Bar at the End of the Wharf,Hickson Rd Walsh Bay; Flying Fish, Pyrmont; Guillaume at Bennelong, which is in the Opera House ( I didn't think it had much of a view but maybe I am wrong) and Manta at Woolloomooloo.
I would be checking the menus on-line of wherever you are considering. Some of the top places have very unusual ingredients and are very expensive eg Quay is $165 a head without drinks. It is three star rated and probably worth it if you like that sort of food.

[PurpleJet]

Jumping on the band wagon here

but how about cheap places to eat around sydney? any suggestions welcome! We are in our 30s and on somewhat of a budget.

[fairbourne]

Hi Purplejet - we've just returned from Australia and let me tell you there is nowhere "cheap" to eat in Sydney or the rest of Australia for that matter! We found Australia very expensive and eating out in Sydney, think London prices and then some!

Depends on where you are staying but we did find a lovely pub just around the corner from the Shangri-la hotel called Harts Pub. We had a lovely pub supper and the onion rings are to die for! hartspub.com/hartspub/Home.htm And if you wander around the Rocks area, there are similar places there.

If you want a great view, just go to the Blu Bar at the top of the Shangri-la for a cocktail, take your time drinking and enjoy the floor to ceiling windows and the view at sunset is glorious. But get there just as they open to get a great seat.

There are great restaurants at Woolloomooloo - we ate at Mantra, and Otto and dining outside of course for us Scots, was a novelty as we don't get the chance much here! ;-) And people watching there is wonderful, especially for Sunday lunch. Don't worry about sitting outside in any of these restaurants as they all have patio heaters and Cafe Sydney had blankets as well to keep you warm if necessary! But then we were there in August and it was cool in the evening.

But take a deep breath as $200 for two was not unusual and that was with maybe only one glass of wine or a beer for the DH.

Our favourite dinner was at Cafe Sydney - fabulous seafood, but again quite expensive and if you want the best view in the house overlooking the Bridge, book an outside table. We were recommended by our Sydney tour guide and so booked about 6 months ahead as they do get booked up. The restaurant is located on the top of the old Custom House and it's quite an experience just going through the building. Was it worth it, yes the seafood was exquisite and although I'm not the greatest fan of seafood, even I enjoyed it and if you get offered Morton Bay Bugs - they taste much better than they sound so much so I can taste them now, delicious!

On a separate topic if you want a different tour experience of Sydney try Richard at www.mysydneydetour.com/ - we had a great afternoon with him if you want to see the parts of Sydney that the main tours don't get to!

[annenic]

Hi PurpleJet,

Here's an article in the SMH about cheap eats with a list at the bottom of the best cheap eats around Sydney.

Chat Thai is particularly good and very economical.....suggest you catch a ferry from The Quay over to Manly - you go past the Opera House and the trip is lovely. Manly Wharf has a Chat Thai and then you can explore Manly Corso through to the ocean beach, go for a swim if you like, hire a couple of bikes to ride the bike paths etc. That would be a very relaxed and lovely day out

[Globaliser]

A couple more articles here:-

• Time Out Sydney: Cheap Eats
• SMH: Where to tuck in but not fork out

Also, worth trying to get hold of a copy of this book when you arrive: Cheap Eats Sydney

[annenic]

Originally Posted by annenic

Hi PurpleJet,

Here's an article in the SMH about cheap eats with a list at the bottom of the best cheap eats around Sydney.

Chat Thai is particularly good and very economical.....suggest you catch a ferry from The Quay over to Manly - you go past the Opera House and the trip is lovely. Manly Wharf has a Chat Thai and then you can explore Manly Corso through to the ocean beach, go for a swim if you like, hire a couple of bikes to ride the bike paths etc. That would be a very relaxed and lovely day out

Ha ha, just realised I forgot to attach the link....

...but no worries, Globaliser has done it for me. The one I was referring to was the SMH: Where to tuck in but not fork out.

[cassamanda]

Originally Posted by fairbourne

Hi Purplejet - we've just returned from Australia and let me tell you there is nowhere "cheap" to eat in Sydney or the rest of Australia for that matter! We found Australia very expensive and eating out in Sydney, think London prices and then some!

Don't necessarily agree with you on this as it just depends on where you eat. We only ever eat out in the City for a special treat, otherwise we would not spend more than $40 ea eating out in the suburbs at a reasonable restaurant.
Yes Australia is relatively expensive at the present because of our strong economy but only a few years ago the reverse was the case.

The OP was more interested in finding a place with a great meal and view. In Sydney this does come at a cost but it doesn't need to be $200

There are plenty of cheap places to eat and there are several discussions such as at http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1699429
During week days in the city you can't go past one of the many office tower food halls or shopping centre food halls. $10-15 will buy you a substantial lunch.

[fairbourne]

Originally Posted by cassamanda

Don't necessarily agree with you on this as it just depends on where you eat. We only ever eat out in the City for a special treat, otherwise we would not spend more than $40 ea eating out in the suburbs at a reasonable restaurant.
Yes Australia is relatively expensive at the present because of our strong economy but only a few years ago the reverse was the case.

The OP was more interested in finding a place with a great meal and view. In Sydney this does come at a cost but it doesn't need to be $200

There are plenty of cheap places to eat and there are several discussions such as at http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1699429
During week days in the city you can't go past one of the many office tower food halls or shopping centre food halls. $10-15 will buy you a substantial lunch.

I think as the Aussie dollar is so strong against most other currencies, it does make it expensive for visitors. I have no doubt there are cheaper places to eat and as locals you will know where they are, as we do at home. I have to admit we were celebrating a big birthday, so we were looking for special places to go. The driver who collected us on arrival at SYD told us that they had noticed a downturn in the number of tourists coming in this year.

I was responding to Purplejet as coming from the UK, there is no question that she will find Australia expensive! But I'm glad others have posted links to other dining options for her.

[Karennella]

We have just returned from London, where our daughter lives, and I did not find it much cheaper than here in Sydney. Supermarkets, definitely yes, but eating out was often very much what we would pay here. Because of the exchange rate, salaries are much higher here than England and I would think locals would find eating out in London very pricey.
But in Sydney, if you want cheaper, get away from Circular Quay. Go to Chinatown, or to Newtown, or to the Kirribilli Club, which has a great view.
We are light drinkers and have never ever paid as much as $100 a head for a meal in Sydney. It is often people on expense accounts who do that.

[lynsteve]

Watsons Bay hotel at Watsons Bay.Check out the view

http://www.watsonsbayhotel.com.au/

http://www.watsonsbayhotel.com.au/as...ts/harbour.jpg

Stevo