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Sydney · Open Monday · 2026 Edition

Best Restaurants Open on Monday in Sydney 2026

Monday is the hardest night to book a serious dinner in Sydney, because most of the destination kitchens close. Quay no longer trades at all, and the tasting rooms and weekend-driven harbour diners keep a Tuesday-to-Sunday week. What stays open is the city that feeds the working week: the CBD steak rooms, the big-group Cantonese dining halls, and the wharf institutions at Woolloomooloo. Five confirm Monday hours below, ranked by what each is for, in Australian dollars.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons. Sydney Harbour at night, where Monday dining means the CBD and the wharves.

Sydney's tasting rooms close Monday. Book Rockpool Bar & Grill in the CBD or a harbour table at China Doll instead.

Why a Monday list matters in Sydney

Sydney's best restaurants cluster around the harbour and the weekend, so Monday thins the field fast. The fine-dining rooms that draw visitors, and several harbour-view diners, treat Monday as a rest day. The kitchens that stay open are the ones built for a business city: the CBD steak-and-seafood rooms near the financial district, the Merivale dining halls that trade seven days, and the steak houses on the Woolloomooloo wharf. A Monday in Sydney is a steak-or-Cantonese night more than a degustation one.

The order leads with the CBD steak room that anchors the city's business dinners, then the two big Asian dining halls, the wharf steakhouse and a Greek room in Potts Point. Sydney adds a public-holiday surcharge on some Mondays, and tipping is not expected, though rounding up is welcome. Hours are checked against each restaurant's published schedule, and every name links to its full review. For the rest of the week, start with the Sydney dining guide.

The Monday list

1

Rockpool Bar & Grill

Steak & seafood · CBD · A$120–200 per head

Monday hours: Monday, 12:00–3:00pm and 6:00–11:00pm

Rockpool Bar & Grill occupies a grand art-deco banking hall on Hunter Street in the CBD, the room that set the template for the Sydney business dinner. The dry-aged, full-blood Wagyu from David Blackmore and the wood-fired grill are the order, for around A$120 to A$200 a head, and it sits on the World's 101 Best Steak list. Monday is a full service, lunch and dinner until eleven. It is the city's most reliable serious Monday table.

2

Mr Wong

Cantonese · CBD · A$70–120 per head

Monday hours: Monday, lunch 12:00–3:00 and dinner 5:30–11:00

Mr Wong is Merivale's vast Cantonese dining hall down a laneway off Bridge Lane in the CBD, a two-floor room that seats hundreds and still books out. The roast Peking duck, the dim sum and the wok classics are the order, for about A$70 to A$120 a head. It trades seven days, with Monday lunch and dinner until eleven. It is the Sydney Monday for a big, lively table that does not need a reservation made weeks out.

3

China Doll

Modern Asian · Woolloomooloo · A$80–130 per head

Monday hours: Monday, lunch 12:00–3:00 and dinner 6:00–10:30

China Doll sits on the Woolloomooloo Finger Wharf with a terrace over the marina and the harbour beyond, one of the better Monday views in the city. The pan-Asian menu spans Cantonese, Thai and Vietnamese, and the crispy duck and the chilli prawns are the markers, for around A$80 to A$130 a head. Monday runs lunch and dinner until half past ten. It is the Sydney Monday for a harbour-side dinner that still feels like an occasion.

4

Kingsleys

Steak & seafood · Woolloomooloo · A$70–130 per head

Monday hours: Monday, 12:00–10:00pm

Kingsleys shares the Woolloomooloo wharf with China Doll, an Australian steak-and-seafood room that runs every day of the week. The grain-fed and grass-fed steaks, the seafood platters and the wharf-side tables are the draw, for about A$70 to A$130 a head, and it sits on the World's 101 Best Steak list. Monday trades right through, noon to ten. It is the easy, no-fuss Monday steak on the harbour, with parking on the wharf and a relaxed room.

5

The Apollo

Modern Greek · Potts Point · A$60–100 per head

Monday hours: Monday, dinner from 5:30pm

Jonathan Barthelmess cooks modern Greek at this concrete-and-timber room on Macleay Street in Potts Point, a perennial Sydney favourite. The saganaki finished with honey and oregano, the slow-roasted lamb shoulder and the taramasalata are the order, for around A$60 to A$100 a head. Monday is a dinner service from 5:30pm. It is the Monday for a younger, livelier night than the steak rooms, and the lamb, carved for the table, is one of the best group dishes in the city.

How to book a Monday table in Sydney

Monday thins the field, so book the rooms that trade seven days. Rockpool Bar & Grill takes Monday bookings and holds same-week tables, the move to close a deal in Sydney over Wagyu. Mr Wong and China Doll seat large groups and rarely require weeks of notice on a Monday, ideal for a Sydney team dinner. Kingsleys on the wharf is the relaxed walk-in steak, and The Apollo in Potts Point is the livelier choice and an easy Sydney first date. Watch for a public-holiday surcharge on long-weekend Mondays, and remember that tipping is optional in Australia. Avoid the harbour tasting rooms on a Monday; most are closed.

Frequently asked questions

Why are so many Sydney restaurants closed on Monday?

Sydney dining is built around the harbour and the weekend, so the destination kitchens and many view diners take Monday off to rest. The flagship Quay has stopped trading, and most tasting rooms keep a Tuesday-to-Sunday week. The restaurants that stay open are the ones built for the working week: CBD steak rooms, the Merivale dining halls, and the Woolloomooloo wharf steakhouses, all of which trade on a Monday.

Which Sydney fine-dining restaurants are open on Monday?

The most reliable serious Monday table is Rockpool Bar & Grill in the CBD, open for lunch and dinner. Beyond it, Mr Wong and China Doll run their full menus on Monday, Kingsleys serves steak on the Woolloomooloo wharf, and The Apollo opens for dinner in Potts Point. These five trade seven days or close to it, where most of the city's tasting rooms do not.

Is Rockpool Bar & Grill open on Monday?

Yes. Rockpool Bar & Grill on Hunter Street serves both lunch, noon to three, and dinner, six to eleven, on a Monday. The dry-aged Wagyu and the wood-fired grill run around A$120 to A$200 a head, and the room sits on the World's 101 Best Steak list. It is the city's go-to serious Monday dinner, and same-week Monday bookings are usually available on its website or by phone.

Where can I eat near Sydney Harbour on a Monday night?

The Woolloomooloo Finger Wharf is the answer. China Doll serves modern Asian with a terrace over the marina, open Monday for lunch and dinner, and Kingsleys runs steak and seafood on the same wharf right through Monday from noon to ten. Both have harbour-side tables and on-site parking. For a CBD view of the working harbour, Rockpool Bar & Grill is a short walk from Circular Quay.

Do Sydney restaurants charge a surcharge on Monday?

Not for being a Monday, but Australia adds a public-holiday surcharge, often ten to fifteen percent, when a Monday falls on a long weekend. It is shown on the menu and the bill. Tipping is not expected in Australia, so the surcharge is the only extra to watch. On an ordinary Monday, the rooms on this list charge their standard prices with no service charge added.

Keep reading

Plan the rest of the week with the full Sydney dining guide, or by occasion: close a deal in Sydney and a Sydney team dinner. By cuisine, see the best steakhouses worldwide and the best Chinese restaurants worldwide. Travelling on through Australia? Compare with the Melbourne dining guide and the Brisbane dining guide. For the global view, read where to eat well on a Sunday or Monday.

Hours verified against each restaurant's published schedule as of June 2026; confirm directly before travelling. Restaurants for Kings is editorial, not sponsored. Some reservation links may earn an affiliate commission, which never affects a ranking or a score.