Ester, a hidden gem nestled between the streets of Chippendale, is easy to walk past and overlook from the outside. The inside, on the other hand, offers an elegant fine dining experience that would certainly rival Gordon Ramsay's.

Ester becomes a stage for Mat Lindsay, the incredibly talented chef, to show off his amazing innovation. From the soft light reflecting off the dark oak timber tables, which offer an intimate dining experience, to the elegantly prepared dishes that make deciding what to eat almost difficult, Ester would easily impress even the most pedantic Michelin inspector.

Ester's award list is too long to list here, but it features fine dining food with Eastern and Western influences. Their set menu, which includes Sydney rock oysters dressed in chicken jus, wood-fired bone marrow with sesame sambal, and Norway lobsters drizzled with shellfish butter, is cleverly designed to take your palate on a journey. Ester, which is open for lunch and dinner, is a great dining experience you won't soon forget.

Address: 46-52 Meagher St, Chippendale, NSW 2008

Website: https://www.ester-restaurant.com.au/

Directions

Quay restaurant, located at the Sydney Cove Passenger Terminal, has been named to the prestigious World's 50 Best Restaurants list nine times, proudly showing its chest along Sydney Harbour.

Peter Gilmore, the executive chef, specializes not only in serving contemporary Australian fine dining cuisine but also in creating an atmosphere that wraps customers in a personalized dining experience. Intimate table arrangements, a color palette that reflects the Australian forest, and controlled lighting that changes throughout the meal help to achieve this.

Gilmore's close relationship with local farmers and vegetable suppliers is vital to Quay's unrivaled quality of cuisine, offering a culinary experience with an unmatched flavor profile. Quay's 8-course set menu exemplifies this, with slow-cooked pig jowl resting on shiitake custard, smoked eel sprinkled with sea cucumber crackling, and Maremma quail served with orach and purple corn. Quay is a great dining restaurant that you must visit at least once in your life, whether for lunch or dinner.

Address: Upper-Level Overseas Passenger Terminal, The Rocks NSW 2000

Website: https://www.quay.com.au/

Directions

Tetsuya Wakuda owns both Tetsuya's and Waku Ghin, which has two Michelin stars in Singapore; it's only natural that Tetsuya's deserves a Michelin star for its Sydney restaurant.

Tetsuya's stunning fine dining restaurant has a minimalist interior design that pays tribute to its traditional Japanese traditions, as well as numerous private dining rooms, a 10-seater chef's table, and a bar area to unwind after your meal.

Tetsuya's heritage-listed building welcomes you with a stunning Japanese garden as the focal point. Tetsuya's 5- or 8-course set menu has poached foie gras floating in mushroom broth, sashimi of South Australian hiramasa (yellowtail kingfish), and Patagonian toothfish with smoked pil-pil. This is a Michelin-starred Japanese restaurant that truly deserves it.

Address: 529 Kent St, Sydney NSW 2000

Website: https://www.tetsuyas.com/

Directions

Yellow is a Michelin star-worthy restaurant located approximately a 10-minute walk from Kings Cross Station. Yellow is the only vegan and vegetarian fine dining restaurant on this list, and its long list of awards speaks for itself.

Yellow, with its large yellow skyscraper, stands out as you go along Macleay Street. Chef Brent Savage offers a delectable 5- or 7-course vegan tasting menu whether you dine outside or inside the rustic décor.

Watermelon radish with wild fennel, Puy lentil with cauliflower, and leek tart with Australian butter pumpkin are among the delights on hand. Yellow gives the same level of attention to detail to their award-winning wine list, which is carefully selected to complement their food and precisely balance each course.

Address: 57 Macleay St, Potts Point NSW 2011

Website: https://www.yellowsydney.com.au/

Directions

Executive chef Peter Gilmore comes to this list with Bennelong, which has a unique blend of remarkable architectural design, Australian heritage, and a cooking style that allows the fresh ingredients' flavors to shine.

Diners are given a stunning view of the Sydney Harbour Bridge through the restaurant's large glass windows that stretch from floor to ceiling, all from their lantern-lit table, which is nestled within one of the Sydney Opera House's famous sails. The cuisine at Bennelong is meticulously designed to highlight the best qualities of the Australian ingredients they use.

Hand-shelled mud crab drenched in brown butter, wagyu beef fillet topped with wasabi emulsion, and shredded southern squid afloat in a ginger-scented milk custard are among the unforgettable dishes. Dining at Bennelong is something that everyone should do at least once in their lives.

Address: Bennelong Point, Sydney, NSW 2000

Website: https://www.bennelong.com.au/

Directions

Take a stroll along Crown Street to find Nour, a fine-dining restaurant that specializes in Middle Eastern food. Nour is built on a dream of presenting classic Lebanese flavors in a fresh, exciting way.

Nour tempts you in with its contemporary and unique interior design, then captures you with a creative menu that will satisfy your appetite. With its open kitchen and wood-fired oven (which roasts bread, pumpkins, tender short ribs, and more), the pastel-hued area is also one of the city's nicest places to dine, especially during the day.

Wood-fired eggplant with fulfilling chouma, yellowfin tuna nayeh with caramelized kishk, and charcoal Moreton Bay bug brushed with zhug butter will take your taste buds to the Middle East. By taking an unrestricted approach to cooking, Nour allows its creative dishes to reach their full potential, earning them a Michelin star and a spot on the list.

Address: 3/490 Crown St, Surry Hills, NSW 2010

Website: https://noursydney.com/

Directions

Nomad is tucked away on the sloping Foster Street. With a full-glass exterior, all you have to do is take a quick peek inside to see why Nomad has become such a success in Surry Hills.

Nomad creates an elegant yet rustic selection of dishes with Middle Eastern, Moroccan, and Spanish influences, inspired by the classic style of cooking with smoke and fire. During dinner service, the classic-style decor comes alive, with gentle shadows falling down tall, solid wood columns and melting into a darkly lit ambiance.

Though the food is what draws visitors to Nomad, with a set menu that includes BBQ baby octopus with crumbled smoked hazelnut, zucchini flowers drizzled in truffle honey, and vanella burrata paired with fennel jam to cleanse the palate, This Michelin-starred restaurant will make a lasting impression, whether you visit for lunch or dinner.

Address: 16 Foster St, Surry Hills, NSW 2010

Website: https://nomad.sydney/

Directions

Firedoor is one of Sydney's most unique fine dining restaurants, run and owned by rebel chef Lennox Hastie (you may know him from his episode on Netflix's Chef's Table BBQ). No gas or electricity is used in the preparation of their Michelin star-worthy dishes, which are centered around the idea of simple cooking with fire.

The elegant and rustic decor of Firedoor incorporates light oak timber and dark grey that reflect coal and fire, two tools that Hastie has mastered throughout his culinary career. With an open kitchen, you'll be able to see how Hastie and his staff control hot coals and fan raging flames to create a dining experience, unlike any other fine dining restaurant. Firedoor has a five-course menu that varies daily (the easiest way to see what's on the menu is to follow Firedoor on Instagram). This allows them to highlight only the best ingredients of the day that satisfy their criteria.

Address: 23-33 Mary St, Surry Hills NSW 2010

Website: https://www.firedoor.com.au/

Directions

The City Mutual Building stands out among the hustle and bustle of Sydney's CBD as an exquisite example of classic Art Deco design. Rockpool Bar & Grill is located inside, and it was originally owned and operated by Neil Perry, one of the most well-known chefs in the world.

With towering marble pillars stretching into its beautiful ceiling motif as if it were straight out of a Mad Men episode, its theatrical design gives a luxurious fine dining experience—and that's just the dining room. The Rockpool Bar & Grill is particularly concerned about the quality of its ingredients, including dry-aging their beef on-site.

The cuisine reflects their passion and dedication, with dishes like Maremma duck grilled over fire, steak tartare topped with 24-month Pyengana cheddar shavings, and house-smoked Berkshire leg ham wrapped in onion cream. Private dining is available at Rockpool Bar & Grill, which also has an impressive wine list with over 3,000 varieties.

Address: 66 Hunter St, Sydney, NSW 2000

Website: https://rockpoolbarandgrill.com.au/

Directions

Let's round up this list with LuMi Bar and Dining, a fine dining restaurant that has perfected the art of modern Italian cuisine with a uniquely Japanese twist. This Michelin star-worthy restaurant with stunning views of King Street Wharf is noted for its excellent presentation and culinary expertise.

LuMi Bar and Dining offers an elegant and romantic atmosphere, great for surprising your partner, with rows of small pendant lights hanging overhead and the Sydney CBD glittering in the backdrop. Federico Zanellato, the owner and chef, offers an unrivaled tasting menu that like Firedoor's, is entirely dependent on the seasonal ingredients used.

Zanellato's 'Italian sushi,' which is made with stracciatella cheese and koshihikari rice as the base, a top layer of sea urchin roe, and a meticulously placed crown of Osetra caviar, is a signature dish. It would be an understatement to say that LuMi Bar and Dining is the pinnacle of excellent dining.

Address: 56 Pirrama Rd, Pyrmont NSW 2009

Website: https://www.lumidining.com/

Directions