Sydney’s top 10 cosy critic-approved restaurants from the Good Food Guide

Yorkshire puddings. Matzo ball soup. That extra bit of pork crackling on the side. “Cosy” can be applied to so many things; no wonder it’s the most overused word in food and travel writing every winter. But sometimes there’s no other way to describe a long-simmered ox-bone broth, apple strudel, or eating cheddar on the couch and watching Patriot Games for Harrison Ford’s knitwear. In terms of Sydney dining, cosy is these 10 restaurants from the Good Food Guide.

Porcine, Paddington

From the cheesy gougere puffs roofed with pork belly to the aged pork chop with choucroute, chef Nik Hill flies the flag for classic French technique. There are always oysters – perhaps with smoked-eel mignonette – and masterful charcuterie, such as a gutsy galantine de canard Rossini with a heart of foie gras. The food is rich, rococo and rewarding, whether it’s garlicky mussels on toast, an artful composition of the season’s finest vegetables, or a dreamy “floating island” of meringue and Sauternes custard. If Escoffier ran a pub, it would be Porcine.

268 Oxford Street, Paddington, porcine.com.au

Mister Grotto, Newtown

There’s a bit going on here. Fishing rods. Hand-reels. Antique lures. Vintage navy plaques adorned with a penguin, platypus and waterhen. Not that we expected anything less from the Continental Deli team and their Newtown expansion. (See Osteria Mucca and Joe’s Tavern for more cosy dining action.) Mister Grotto’s kitchen sends out clever flavour-packed dishes such as grilled calamari teamed with ink sauce and chestnut mushrooms, and pipis served in a froth of vermouth and samphire with steaming, pull-apart cornbread.

208 Australia Street, Newtown, mistergrotto.com.au

The Dry Dock, Balmain

What a difference turfing the pokies makes, huh? Not to mention a multimillion dollar renovation in 2023 that turned Balmain’s oldest pub from a run-down drinker’s den into a sizable split-use hotel of aged brass, leather and dark timber. The Dry Dock doesn’t feel too slick for its own good either, largely thanks to an engaged floor team, dog-friendly attitude and a public bar that’s comfortably full most nights. A seat by the fireplace is one of the most sought-after spots on the Peninsula in winter – and all the better with a glass of Barbaresco from the terrific wine list.

22 Cameron Street, Balmain, thedrydock.com.au

Yeodongsik, Eastwood

Clean lines, tight dimensions, framed menus hung on the walls, a temperature-controlled kimchi fridge, warm cups of barley tea handed out to the queue. Yeodongsik sure cares about the details, but it’s those details that make this tiny restaurant stand out among many and varied Korean diners, and draw crowds from all over Sydney. Order the headline ppyeodagwi haejangguk and it’s a steadying claypot of beef and pork broth to slowly sink into; pick the sundae gukbap and it’s cloudy and mild, filled with jiggly glass noodle-stuffed Korean blood sausage and textural cuts of pork.

15 Railway Parade, Eastwood, instagram.com/yeo.dong.sik

Chaco Ramen, Darlinghurst

Cloudy with chicken fat and unapologetically rich, the not-quite-traditional fat soy ramen remains the go-to at Keita Abe’s original Chaco outlet, a snug space on a quiet stretch of Crown Street. Since the pandemic, he’s offered an enticing DIY kit to go – a means of avoiding the sad, soggy fate of the takeaway noodle. But that would mean skipping the camaraderie of the communal table, the warm sake and the scent of roasted sesame that hangs over those deep bowls of sprightly noodles and jammy eggs. Chaco also serves beef marrow with a cinnamon-flecked curry (more fiery and less sweet than you might expect). It’s good, but there’s a reason everyone else is heads down in that chashu-studded pork-and-chicken broth.

238 Crown Street, Darlinghurst, chacoramen.com.au

Corner 75, Randwick

Matzo ball soup ripples with schmaltz; meaty Sommerlad-breed chicken is roasted till the skin is deeply golden and dressed in creamy paprika sauce; a fat orange-red sausage is inspired by Hungary’s Debrecen snag; and breaded Borrowdale pork schnitzel is so puffed-up it looks like a set of freshly rumpled sheets. Corner 75 isn’t just one of the hottest restaurant tickets in town, it’s also one Sydney’s most singular and nurturing dining experiences.

75 Frenchmans Road, Randwick, corner75.com.au

Fishboy Kitchen, Telopea

Tony and Jessie Peng are the husband-and-wife owners of the restaurant, which started as an online business selling mackerel-based fish balls. A photograph-heavy binder menu is crammed with Hong Kong classics (hello, curry beef brisket and those fish balls) but there are less-famous gems too, such as pan-fried lotus root cake. Word to the wise: don’t skip the soups, including a version of “Buddha jumps over the wall” that’s a riot of abalone, sea cucumber, scallop and longan fruit, with a broth that is its own savoury wonder.

51 Adderton Road, Telopea, fishboykitchen.com.au

Where’s Nick, Marrickville

If the wines aren’t enough to charm you at Where’s Nick, then the relaxed and unaffected manner of service sure will. Staff keep things low-key, but will explain the difference between a cattarato and “cala Ìancu”, or a red from Tassie and another from Rioja with the best of them, then give you a steer to something eye-opening from the blackboard. Drinks are the focus here, and the menu knows it, with a short suite of dishes primed to play support. Anchovy crostini oozing enticingly with preserved-lemon butter and blanketed in chives is a step up from regular anchovy toast, and the ideal match for a glass of mineral-driven white.

236 Marrickville Road, Marrickville, wheresnick.com.au

Braci Osteria and Pizzeria, North Willoughby

Before you even sit down at Braci, the scent of wood-fired dough announces that you’re on to a good thing. You’ll notice crisp, blistered crusts on every table in the snug dining room, which is almost always full of couples and families of all generations. The Robinito pizza features a colourful splash of peppery rocket and meltingly soft San Daniele prosciutto, while a slice of the “Killa Beez” stars hot sopressa and honey in a delicious battle of heat and sweetness.

Shop 5, 183-191 High Street, North Willoughby, braci.com.au

Austrian Club, Frenchs Forest

For the past 45 years, this community hall-style venue has been a place of jaegerschnitzels, live music and cherry schnapps, plus an excellent apple strudel with an unhealthy amount of cream. And yes, you absolutely should order a Vienna-style pork schnitzel, which is much juicier than its pounded, wrinkled shape suggests. It comes with deliciously tangy potato salad – proudly mayonnaise-free – although you may want a boat of the fork-sticking gravy too.

20 Grattan Crescent, Frenchs Forest, austrianclubrestaurant.com.au

Good Food reviews are booked anonymously and paid independently. A restaurant can’t pay for a review or inclusion in the Good Food Guide.