Top 10 restaurant-bars with a view in Sydney

Sydney has tried to establish itself on the global menu when it comes to best restaurants. The city is infatuated with food: celebrity chefs are glamorized and dining spots are a fashionable conversation.

But the emerald city has one natural asset that has little to do with its recipes. Built around a harbor and along the coast, diners can opt for a table with a view to indulge in cocktails with culinary couplings. 

Whether in a revolving restaurant in the city center, overlooking Bondi Beach or dining at a harborside secret, there’s always more to the experience in Sydney.

10. Summit Restaurant

Revolving restaurants are often a tourist trap and frowned upon by locals, but this 360-degree, 47-story-high view of the city skyline is enjoyed by everyone.

There is a variety of modern Australian dishes throughout the $85 two-course menu. The twice-cooked crisp skin pork belly with a sweet apple vanilla marmalade is worthy of the view. But also, there’s a tapas night if you’re with a group of friends.

An adjacent cocktail bar, the Orbit Bar, serves unique concoctions that match an ever-changing view as you slowly take in Australia Square.

Summit Restaurant, Level 47, Australia Square, 264 George St., open Lunch Monday-Friday noon-3 p.m., dinner Monday-Sunday: from 6 p.m., bar open until late, +61 (0)2  9247 9777, www.summitrestaurant.com.au

9. Blu Bar on 36

Want to know what a million-dollar view looks like? Go up to the 36^th floor of the harborside Shangri-La hotel and order a cocktail, arguably the city’s best, then pull up at the windows that look out onto Sydney Harbour. The Opera House and Harbour Bridge are right there in front of you.

Blu’s unsurpassed views are reason enough to visit. But the bar also has delicious cocktails. And if you’re feeling flush, there’s a $10,000 martini on the menu that comes complete with a one-carat diamond, which makes for a suggestive romantic rendezvous.

Other cocktails are reasonably priced, though, considering the seductive and modern ambiance.

Blu Bar on 36, Level 36, 176 Cumberland St., open Monday-Thursday 5 p.m.-late, Friday-Saturday 5 p.m.-1 a.m., Sunday 5 p.m.-11 p.m., +61 (0)2 9250 6013, www.shangri-la.com

8. Doyles on the Beach

A fifth-generation family-run business, Doyles has established a reputation for serving up fresh, local seafood to locals and tourists alike since first opening its doors in 1885.

Set on the foreshore of Watsons Bay, right by the ferry wharf, it’s near the South Head entrance to the harbor. Looking westward, it’s a top spot to catch the sun set over the city.

Diners have a choice between the al fresco dining area, or old-fashioned fish and chips that you can take away and eat on the beachside parkland, equipped with wooden huts.

Doyles on the Beach, 11 Marine Parade, Watsons Bay, Sydney, Monday-Friday midday-3 p.m., 6 p.m.-9 p.m., Saturday-Sunday noon-4 p.m. and 5.30 p.m.-9 p.m., +61 (0)2 9337 2007, www.doyles.com.au.

7. North Bondi Italian Food

This is the place to be seen in North Bondi -- packed with the local, eye-catching clientele; there’s rarely room to move in the bar area (giving intimate a new meaning) and an hour’s wait for a table is not only expected, it’s gladly accepted.

Some of the best Italian food steers away from traditional renditions such as pizzas. The restaurant has gourmet cuisine such as arancini and crab spaghetti.

Right on the Bondi waterfront, the full panorama of the beach –- as well as that eye-catching clientele once more –- could see weekend lunches evolve into evening drinks.

North Bondi Italian Food, 120 Ramsgate Ave., North Bondi, +61 (0)2 9300 4400, open daily 6 p.m.-11 p.m., lunch Friday-Sunday noon-4 p.m., www.idrb.com/northbondi

6. Jonah’s

Although it's a 45-minute drive north of Sydney, locals have been heading to this restaurant high up on the cliffs of Whale Beach since 1929.

A modern menu with French influences is served in a pristine clean dining area. It overlooks the sands and surrounding cliffs thanks to floor-to-ceiling glass windows. Don’t feel foolish if you still haven’t looked at the menu 15 minutes after being seated –- the view is mesmerizing.

Local produce is given a stylish twist: the slow-roasted duck with root vegetables and a sweet pomegranate-infused glaze plays into Jonah’s special feel.

For customers who really want to go all out, a seaplane from Rose Bay direct to Jonah’s is a grand experience.

Jonah’s, 69 Bynya Road, Whale Beach, +61 (0)2 9974 5599, www.jonahs.com.au