Burwood/concord
Thai Style
Great Thai food at great local prices, eat in, book a party or get takeaway.
Fuji Teppanyaki Japanese restaurant, 246 Burwood Rd, Burwood, ☎ +61 2 9745 3188. Not only do they serve the usual sushi and sashimi, their specialty is hot-plate style cooking show teppanyaki, which the chef cooks and serve all the fresh produce in front of you.
If you are not in the mode for Asian cuisine there are also a range of cafes in Burwood towards the northern Westfield Shopping Center end. Or alternatively Concord, has a small italian quarter, where you can find a range of Italian restaurants serving wood oven fired pizza and home made pasta. Best of all the gelato shops runs all year round, serving home made desserts. Take bus 464, 466 from opposite side of Burwood train station.
Leichhardt
Braza Churrascaria
Popular Brazilian BBQ restaurant in Leichhardt - all you can eat for $42 and rising. Extremely busy on weekends, so bookings are advised. Not recommended for vegetarians!
Bar Italia
A Leichhardt institution renowned for their award winning gelato - which attracts lines that go out the door on Friday and Saturday nights and constantly increases the price. Bar Italia also have a strict rule of nothing but regular milk in your coffee - so if you want soy or skim get your coffee elsewhere. Staff can sometimes be abrupt and rude, but it's well worth it for the gelato.
La Disfida
Excellent authentic Italian pizza. In Haberfield, which is down the street from Leichhardt. A bus from Norton St or Marion St can get you there in about 5 minutes.
Pasticceria Papa
This place is famous for their ricotta cheesecake, but they also serve hot foods such as foccacia, arancini, etc.
Ocean Foods
Some people claim including the shop that this is the best fish and chips around. Prepare for a queue if you come on a Friday night or the weekend.
Norton Street is Sydney-speak for Italian, although the food here is generally pricey and mass-prepared. As a rule, avoid restaurants in the Italian Forum as they're generally touristy. Thai, Brazilian and Lebanese restaurants have also recently opened in Leichhardt. For more Italian options go to nearby Haberfield.
Martini
This place sells the typical woodfired pizza and pasta, but go here for the movie meal deals where you get a pizza or pasta and a movie ticket for around $15 - almost the price of an adult movie ticket.
Glebe
Badde Manors
Cozy vegetarian cafe with great desserts.
Inferno
One of a small chain of family friendly gourmet wood-fired pizza joints. Favourites include the Inferno pizza and the Rising Sun pizza. They have a nice brucshetta too. Keep an eye on them when they open wine for you: they're a bit cavalier about the cork. Mains $15-$20.
Saigon Saigon
Vietnamese restaurant with a nice low-key atmosphere and soft lighting. Try the salt and pepper squid.
Newtown
Crispy Inn Bakery
Across the road from yet another 7-11, and much more interesting. They're always baking, so there's always something fresh. They have a variety of pies, cakes, rolls, and loaves.
Rowda Ya Habibi
This dingy looking store is far and away the best place for a take away doner kebab in Newtown. Unlike other Newtown kebab stores, which seem to largely cater to drunk people stumbling out of pubs, Ya Habibi's kebabs are fairly authentic the tabouleh and sauces are made by the owners, and they include a very tasty pickled red cabbage, and at $5.50 for a falafel roll or $6.50 for chicken or lamb, are actually a little cheaper. Also worth checking out are their dolmas $1.50 each and their large, soft and delicious pieces of turkish delight 80 cents each or $5 for a box, but most of the time the box is worse value.
Linda's on King St
"Contemporary cuisine giving classic dishes a modern twist." Not many tables so be sure to make a reservation. Top quality for Newtown.
Izote
Nice Mexican food, down the Sydney Uni end of King St. One of the only places in Sydney where you can get ceviche, and they also serve a decent chicken mole.
Guzzle Tandoori
Excellent authentic Pakastani meals, typically about $15/person. Save some room for the dessert naan, delicious!
Thai Pothong
One of Sydney's premier Thai Restaurants with understated black and white decor and awesome but relatively pricey food. This place won Thai Restaurant of the Year for several years running many years ago, and one taste of the food will show you why. It has since expanded three times and incorporates a Thai gift shop.
Green Gourmet
A specialist 100% vegan Chinese restaurant and grocer. They do an all vegan buffet - but beware, they charge according to the weight of food on your plate and include the very heavy plate's weight.
Thai La-ong
Thai La-ong has some of the spicier dishes among Newtown's many Thai restaurants. Their yellow curry and pad see eiw are worth a special mention. The restaurant is not air-conditioned and can be a bit uncomfortable on hot Sydney summer nights. Mains approx $10, but daily lunch specials include a plethora of generous mains for $6.
Sumalee Thai @ The Bank Hotel
This institution of Newtown was completely rebuilt in 2006. Its secret beer garden - Sumalee Thai - has probably the best Thai in Sydney, although some dishes are very spicy. The menu looks expensive but each dish will be enough for two people. Finish the night at the cocktail bar upstairs see listing in "Drink".
The King Street strip is a cheap eats paradise, with food from all corners of the globe, including a strong Thai presence. Try also the Portuguese bakeries of nearby Petersham for their famed custard tarts.
Rosso Pomodoro
This is a bit further out of Balmain in a more residential area, but they serve excellent authentic Italian pizzas.
The Inner West is really a great place to eat, with a choice of "Eat Streets", where you can get to, and stroll along and do some menu inspecting before you choose your favourite.