Best Restaurants Open Sunday in Sydney 2026

Why a Sunday list matters in Sydney

Sydney has no Michelin guide. Australia is graded instead by chef's hats in the Good Food Guide, and the best hatted kitchens keep a six-day week, closing Sunday or Monday to rest the brigade. The casualty list is real: Quay served its last harbourfront dinner in February 2026, Tetsuya's runs Tuesday to Saturday, and Firedoor and Rockpool Bar & Grill both close Sunday. A visitor landing on a Sunday faces a thinner field than the harbour's reputation suggests, and hotel concierges tend to default to room service or a buffet.

What follows are rooms that buck the pattern, with hours checked against each restaurant's published schedule. The order leads with the harbourfront dining rooms you must plan around and closes with the long Sunday lunch and the value pick. Sydney's Sunday culture runs to a late, lingering lunch with a water view rather than a formal dinner, which is why three of the six here are lunch-led. Every name links to its full review with the score and the booking mechanics. For the wider week, start with the Sydney dining guide.

The Sunday list

Aria

Modern Australian · Circular Quay, Sydney · A$190 four-course

Sunday hours: Sunday, 17:30–22:00 (dinner)

Matt Moran's dining room sits at the foot of the Opera House steps on Macquarie Street, with the sails filling the windows across the cove. The four-course menu runs about A$190; the roasted duck and the dark-chocolate delice are the dishes that have outlasted every rewrite. Aria has carried Good Food Guide hats for two decades. Sunday is dinner only from 5:30, and the early sitting catches the harbour at golden hour, which makes it the room to book for an anniversary you want photographed.

Bennelong

Modern Australian · Sydney Opera House · A$195 three-course

Sunday hours: Sunday, lunch 12:00–14:00 and dinner 17:30–21:00

Peter Gilmore cooks inside the Opera House sails, under the white tiles of the smallest shell. The Cherry Jam Lamington is the signature, a dessert that has survived a dozen menu changes, and the Sydney rock oysters open most meals. Three courses run about A$195. Bennelong is the rare three-hatted room that serves Sunday lunch as well as dinner, so the noon sitting is the most striking way to eat Gilmore's cooking with the harbour in full daylight.

Icebergs Dining Room

Italian · Bondi Beach, Sydney · A$130–180 per head

Sunday hours: Sunday, 12:00–22:00

Maurice Terzini's white-cloth Italian room hangs over the Bondi Icebergs pool at 1 Notts Avenue, with the surf line across the glass. The hand-cut pasta and the crudo are the order, and a meal lands between A$130 and A$180 a head before wine. A Bondi fixture since 2002, it runs the longest Sunday service on this list, noon to ten, which makes it the pick for a late lunch that drifts into the afternoon over a bottle of Italian white.

Mr Wong

Cantonese · CBD, Sydney · A$70–110 per head

Sunday hours: Sunday, yum cha 10:30–15:00 and dinner 17:30–22:00

Dan Hong's three-level Cantonese room for the Merivale group is tucked down Bridge Lane in the CBD, and on Sunday it does what no tasting menu can: yum cha from 10:30, trolleys of dumplings under low light. The roast Peking duck and the har gow are the markers, and a full meal sits around A$70 to A$110 a head. Sunday lunch is the move for a group; the evening shift suits a date who likes noise and neon.

Sokyo

Japanese · Pyrmont, Sydney · A$185 omakase

Sunday hours: Sunday, 17:00–22:00 (dinner)

Chase Kojima runs the Japanese kitchen on the ground floor of The Star at 80 Pyrmont Street, where the omakase counter is the seat worth booking. The Sokyo dragon roll and the miso-marinated wagyu are the calling cards; the omakase sits around A$185, with the a la carte lower. A hatted Good Food Guide fixture, it opens Sunday for dinner from five, and a single counter stool is the easiest Sunday seat in the building for a solo diner who wants the knife work up close.

Cafe Sydney

Modern Australian seafood · Circular Quay, Sydney · A$90–130 per head

Sunday hours: Sunday, 12:00–17:00 (lunch)

The fifth-floor terrace at Customs House, 31 Alfred Street, is where Sydney has eaten Sunday lunch for a generation, the Harbour Bridge framed off the balcony. The wood-roasted snapper and the Sydney rock oysters are the order, and lunch runs about A$90 to A$130 a head. A Circular Quay fixture since 2000, it opens Sunday for lunch only, noon to five, with live music from two. Book the terrace rather than the dining room, and go late to catch the afternoon light.

How to book a Sunday table in Sydney

Sunday is the slack night in Sydney, which works in your favour. Aria and Bennelong both clear Sunday seats faster than a Friday, so a fortnight's notice usually lands a harbour table; for the noon Bennelong lunch, book the moment the month opens. Icebergs and Cafe Sydney are lunch institutions, so the early afternoon fills first and the 2pm slot is the one to chase. Mr Wong does not take yum cha bookings for small groups before noon, so arrive at 10:30 or after 1:30. For the Sokyo counter, ask for a single stool rather than a pair, which is part of why a Sunday counter is a strong solo-dining move. Entertaining a client over the weekend? Aria is the safest room to impress a client in Sydney; for a weekend group, Mr Wong seats a dozen at a round table for a Sydney team dinner.

Frequently asked questions

Which top Sydney restaurants are open on Sunday?

Six upscale rooms confirm Sunday service: Aria and Bennelong on the harbour, Icebergs at Bondi, Mr Wong in the CBD, Sokyo at Pyrmont, and Cafe Sydney at Customs House. Aria and Sokyo are Sunday dinner; Icebergs runs all day; Bennelong does both lunch and dinner; and Mr Wong, Cafe Sydney and Icebergs all serve a full Sunday lunch with a harbour or beach view.

Is Aria open on Sunday in Sydney?

Yes. Aria serves dinner on Sunday from 5:30pm to 10pm at its Macquarie Street room beside the Opera House. Sunday is dinner only, with no lunch service, and the early sitting catches the harbour at golden hour. Matt Moran's four-course menu runs about A$190. A Sunday table tends to clear faster than a weekend prime-time slot, so a fortnight's notice is usually enough.

Where can I get Sunday lunch with a harbour view in Sydney?

Cafe Sydney on the Customs House terrace is the classic Sunday lunch, open noon to five with the Harbour Bridge off the balcony and live music from two. Bennelong serves Sunday lunch from noon inside the Opera House sails, and Icebergs runs lunch over the Bondi pool from noon. Book the terrace at Cafe Sydney rather than the indoor dining room.

Is Quay restaurant still open in Sydney?

No. Quay served its final dinner on its Overseas Passenger Terminal site in February 2026 after 37 years. Its sister rooms in the same group, Bennelong at the Opera House and OTTO Ristorante at Woolloomooloo, both continue, and Bennelong takes Sunday bookings for lunch and dinner. For a comparable harbourfront Sunday dinner, Aria at Circular Quay is the closest substitute.

What is the best-value upscale restaurant open Sunday in Sydney?

Mr Wong on Bridge Lane. Dan Hong's Cantonese room runs Sunday yum cha from 10:30, with most meals landing between A$70 and A$110 a head before drinks, well under half the cost of the harbour dining rooms. Order the roast Peking duck and a round of har gow, sit downstairs near the open kitchen, and you have the most relaxed upscale Sunday in the city for the money.

Hours verified against each restaurant's published schedule as of May 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.