Restaurant Hubert
15 Bligh St, Sydney (02) 9232 0881 restauranthubert.com
Chef Alexis Besseau Price guide $$$ Bookings Recommended Wheelchair access Yes
Restaurant Hubert has always been a good time, but in a post-lockdown world the underground bistro positively fizzes with excitement, sparked by diners desperate for a little escapism. The mahogany-panelled staircase acts as a Tardis, transporting you to another time and place. Downstairs, the jazz-soaked dining room crackles with electricity as highly enthused diners settle in for martinis, oysters and more martinis. Take a breath and settle yourself long enough to order escargots with XO butter and wagyu tartare, perhaps followed by the Murray cod or chateaubriand. Don’t forget the frites! And wine! Never mind a glass, bring the bottle… Did you remember the frites?! French bistros are having a moment in Sydney but none will leave you quite as invigorated as Hubert. Is it the best French food to be found in Sydney? Perhaps. Is it the most fun you can have dining out? Unequivocally yes.
Basement,
161 King St, Sydney (02) 9169 6898 thegidley.com.au
Chef Pip Pratt
Price guide $$$$ Bookings Essential Wheelchair access No
There are several reasons why not everyone knows about The Gidley, which opened just weeks before Covid shuttered the world in 2020 and sits hidden beneath street level in Sydney’s CBD. And one very good reason why you should: the spinalis. As you take your seat at the subterranean steakhouse, you will be asked politely but firmly to relinquish your phone – to be sealed in a sleek leather pouch and returned at the end of the night. The result is two-fold: diners are focused on the experience in front of them, and The Gidley and its luxe Manhattan cocktail lounge is not plastered all over social media. Still, word has spread: The Gidley is serving the best steak in Sydney. That’s not a claim we make lightly – but once you’ve tried that signature spinalis, you’ll find yourself coming back for it again and again. Slick service and killer cocktails complete the package.