The Grounds of Alexandria

  • Located in a former industrial precinct from the 1920s, the Grounds of Alexandria is a landmark coffee roastery, café, sustainable garden, and one of Instagram’s most tagged foodie destinations
  • As it's such a popular breakfast, lunch and dinner destination, bookings are recommended. However, in the event you are unable to book, get in early, put your name on the list, and pass the time wandering the artisan market for delicious treats or cute succulents/flowers until your table is ready
  • Alternatively, try Alexandria’s younger, CBD-based sibling, the Grounds of the City
  • Parking is available

Bill's Sydney

  • Bills is one of Sydney’s most iconic restaurant and eateries, as it nails the Modern Australian cuisine with a good coffee for breakfast, brunch, lunch or dinner  

  • Bill’s has many locations around Sydney (Bondi, Surry Hills and Darlinghurst), however, the Bondi location is a winner, as the Bondi to Bronte scenic walk is right at your feet; perfect for an after Sunday brunch activity with your friends and family

  • Bill’s is famous for the corn fritters which are definitely the thing to order for first timers or foreigners

Icebergs

  • Icebergs is a great Sydney staple because it overlooks the whole of Bondi Beach and has always been and still remains a classy establishment for those bougie lunches you can treat yourself to

  • With an ever evolving menu focused on modern Italian cuisine and celebrating seasonal flavours, the intimate and elegant Dining Room is the beating heart of Icebergs Dining Room and Bar. Arranged to take in the famous view of Bondi, by day or night, it makes an unforgettable backdrop to a menu inspired by Maurice Terzini’s Italian heritage 

  • The menu is designed to give you a seasonally changing opportunity to sample dishes that reflect the depth of Italian cuisine, created with the best produce that Australia has to offer, including sustainable seafood, artisanal produce and the occasional hint of native Australia

Coogee Pavilion

  • The Coogee Pavilion is owned by the Merivale Group and is one of the most perfect food and drink venues around Sydney. It was recently refurbished and is now a very pleasant venue whereby the menu was made for sharing; from lobster rolls, sashimi and freshly shucked oysters, to the wood-fired pizza and kids’ meals
  • The ground floor is perfect for family get-togethers and casual dining
  • The nostalgic games arena contain giant magnetic scrabble, ping pong and an in-house theatrette to keep the kids entertained for hours
  • The rooftop upstairs is an adults-only destination with four indoor and outdoor bars, a huge wrap-around balcony with the best sea views, and a mouth-watering Mediterranean menu

Acme

  • Acme is the kind of restaurant that serves up something you never knew you needed: Italian with an Asian twist. Here linguine comes with black garlic and burnt chili, and a melon salad is bedecked in black sesame and Thai basil. There’s also a baloney sandwich that bears no resemblance to sad school lunch fare, and a tightly curated list of cocktails sure to impress on date night

  • Located in Rushcutters Bay whereby a walk down to Rushcutters Park or acquainting yourself with the Kings Cross area is bound to have you in for a good time

  • Although the menu is limited, the items that are offered are sure to blow you away with their uniqueness and modern twist in a fusion of different cuisines

Mary's

  • The owners of Mary's wanted to create a venue they’d like hanging out in but apparently loud, dark pubs playing metal, pouring local beers and serving fried chicken and cheeseburgers styled on America’s popular fast food chains didn’t really exist in Sydney
  • The owners retained the original floorboards, added a mezzanine level and built tables using old railway sleepers, and added the final touches of homemade Jack Daniel’s light fittings and a timber feature wall that adds plenty of character to a 100 year old building
  • The short menu is styled on American fast food, but it’s far from it in production. The all-important patties actually use some of the best beef in Australia (O’Connor grass-fed)

The Newport

  • The Newport’s waterfront location and stunning Pittwater views have made it a northern beaches go-to for decades. With a marketplace feel, you can choose your own adventure within a variety of food outlets and sit in the huge communal deck surrounded by gardens
  • Food can range from a simple breakfast menu, smoothies, juices, fresh-baked bakery delights, and coffee from Will & Co at the kiosk cafe to burgers, fish and chips, calamari and salads from the Shack
  • Pizza from Vinnie's pizza and some of Sydney's finest seafood from the Seafood Market is also available 
  • One of the best places in the Northern Beaches for a morning coffee, a leisurely lunch and relaxing on the deck with a mix of live entertainment and top-rated DJs

Chiswick

  • Overlooking Chiswick's lush gardens with a glass of rosé in one hand and a spoonful of delicious food in the other is pretty much Sydney-heaven. Plus, there are loads of big tables if there's a big group involved, and it's the perfect window to order the famous Moran family lamb 

  • Again, another classy place to take yourselves to have lunch for a special occasion 

  • Instead of beach views, you get to eat your lunch or dinner overlooking a beautiful garden in the centre of one of Sydney’s finest suburbs

The Boathouse

  • The Boathouse is well worth the kilometres in the car to Palm Beach but if you're coming from the city, make sure you leave Sydney early, because by 9am, there’ll likely be a full house in this charming beachside cafe at the original Barrenjoey Boathouse

  • There’s indoor seating too, but the place to be is out on the timber deck overlooking Station Beach

  • You can order lots of dishes ranging from bowls of bircher piled high with peaches, passionfruit and yoghurt to a saucy bacon and egg roll or avocado on toast layered with heirloom tomatoes and bacon for breakfast

  • Lunch includes bowls of prawns, burgers and fish and chips with tartare sauce with more seafood available

  • Definitely, don't miss the milkshakes, smoothies and dessert

North Bondi Fish

  • Located a few short steps from the sand and surf of one of the world's most famous beaches; Bondi

  • The restaurant is a relaxed space, which personifies beach-side chic and is the perfect spot for lunch, dinner and everything in between. Head chef Jesse Mctavish uses only the best produce and works with local suppliers to create the menu

  • The menu truly capitalises on some of Australia’s best seafood

  • The Bondi to Bronte beach walk is right at your feet, just like it is at Bill's 

Three Blue Ducks

  • A bustling beachside cafe by day that transforms into a charming, smart-casual restaurant by night

  • The Three Blue Ducks also strives to make every area of their restaurant sustainable. This can be seen in the cafe's backyard kitchen garden filled with banana trees, herbs, vegetables, beehives and chooks. They also try to minimise waste, using entire vegetables – from the stalks to the leaves – and secondary cuts of meat

  • The cafe draws a large breakfast crowd with its signature scrambled eggs with black sausage, pickled pear, herb salad and toast. Other ticks include Single O coffees; a poke bowl with poached egg, avocado, macadamia miso, brown rice, seaweed and gluten- free toast

  • For lunch the menu moves into vibrant salads, seafood dishes and curries. The ever-changing dinner menu is designed to share and is made up of “smalls”, “bigs” and “sweets”

Gelato Messina

  • Every proud Sydneysider has eaten at Gelato Messina. Whether it’s winter or summer, those instantly recognisable, orange-and-green cups can be spotted all over the city. It’s that good
  • There are 14 stores in Australia and every one has 35 permanent flavours, with salted caramel and white chocolate being the bestseller
  • The chain patiently makes its own yoghurt, bakes its own brownies, roasts its own hazelnuts, makes its own chocolate, has its own dairy farm and makes its own dulche de leche
  • Messina's five weekly specials have taken off on social media. On weekdays, a new flavour is released simultaneously at every store and stays on for 7 days
  • Some stores also sell gelato cakes, and the brand also runs Messina Eats, collaborative pop-up dinners around Sydney

Paper Bird

  • An all-day East Asian eatery in Potts Point
  • Korean cuisine takes the lead, with influences from China and Japan coming into play for variety when it comes to preparing share plates for anyone and everyone who walks in hungry
  • Having the chef's recommendations set menu is a good move, as you are letting them drive in terms of letting you experience the best of what they have to offer you
  • The fried chicken, seafood pancake and their desserts are to die for

Fratelli Paradiso

  • Fratelli Paradiso opened its doors in 2001 in Potts Point and has since become an inner-city institution
  • You come for the vibrant ambiance and service as much for the well-dressed Italian fare
  • Early risers can head down for a classic Italian breakfast of orange juice, an espresso, and a cherry-and-ricotta Danish baked at the adjoining panetteria (bakery)
  • If you prefer, Paradiso is the perfect place to settle in for the evening. Treat yourself to an alfresco feast of calamari Sant Andrea (floured rings, lightly fried and served with rocket and lemon); chitarra cacio e pepe (thin, eggy pasta served with cheese, pepper and Tasmanian truffle); and the renowned lasagnetta Bolognese. Round it all off with a plate of tiramisu

Pick up the 2018 Student Cookbook from Arc Reception