Tastemakers: The Sydney Dish This Food Content Creator Says Has the Most Saves

beautiful Sydney restaurants food feels James Thompson

Welcome to The Latch Tastemakers, where we sit down with people who know a city’s scene like the back of their hand to ask their must-try restaurants, cafes and bars. Dive into our Tastemakers series and curate your ultimate hit-list, whether you’re exploring your own city or venturing somewhere new.

The best way to find great restaurants to try in a new city? Follow chefs based there on Instagram. It’s how James Thompson, who you might know as @food_feels on Instagram, plans where to eat when heading somewhere new.

“I think it’s a good way to dive in and find the places you might not hear about as much,” he says. “See where the chefs are hanging out. There might be a restaurant I follow, and I see they’ve tagged a couple chefs there and that usually leads to different restaurants and chefs in that city.”

Born in Sydney, Thompson spent the past few years in London before returning to his hometown in November 2024. He was amazed by Sydney’s booming restaurant scene. From overseas, he read news of the city’s bar and restaurant openings, but he didn’t realise the sheer number until he was back and saw it for himself. Or how many different pockets of Sydney were booming.

“I think some of the best restaurants in the world are here,” he says. “Some of the best bars are here well. Obviously, the café culture — coffee culture — is the world’s best. I’m yet to explore still. But there are so many exciting things happening out west, down south, up north.”

Here, Thompson shares some of his favourite places to eat and drink in Sydney, including a restaurant he posted about on Instagram that got hundreds of shares, another he says is quietly popular among chef and an eatery he says is worth its hype.

Bar Vincent

A Sydney restaurant Thompson loves but he says flies under the radar is Bar Vincent in Darlinghurst, which serves a European-inspired menu with locally sourced, environmentally-conscious ingredients alongside natural, minimal wines.

Image: Instagram @barvincentsydney

“I know a lot of chefs go there on their night off,” he says. “The menu changes quite frequently, but I love to get a couple pastas, a steak I can share with friends and a couple of sides and let the staff help us with the wines.”

Lumi Dining

Next on Thompson’s restaurant hit list is Lumi Dining in Pyrmont, run by Chef Federico Zanelleto and his sommelier wife Michela. The restaurant offers only a tasting menu or an omakase menu, with optional wine pairings.

“Take a few hours and just be in awe of what Federico comes up with there,” says Thompson. “It’s a focus on Italian and Japanese ingredients from his time in Tokyo, London and Rome. It’s just really special. It’s different to every other restaurant in Sydney.”

The Bennelong Bar

The best venue with a view? Thompson’s pick is The Bennelong Bar, the bar on the restaurant’s top floor with cocktails, wine and bar snacks.

“I don’t think a lot of people know about it,” he says. “But the bar actually has a better view than the restaurant, in my opinion. You look at the restaurant and out towards Circular Quay. I’ve taken friends from overseas. I’ve taken my parents there. It’s that special occasion spot.”

Thompson suggests you ask the waitstaff nicely for some of the signature desserts from the restaurant menu to be brought up to you in the bar area. “The cherry jam lamington and Opera House pavlova – they’ve had on their menu since day one,” he says.

“Both are delicious and iconic Sydney dishes. The pavlova is like Australia in a dish and the lamington is, as well. I know people that go purely just to get those desserts.”

Dear Sainte Eloise

Another restaurant favourite is Dear Sainte Eloise, a wine bar in Potts Point, open since 2017. Thompson says when he recently went for dinner on a weeknight, it was filled with locals having a few drinks.

“It’s a local institution,” he says. “Some people stop by there for a wine. But the food they’re delivering is beautiful, as well. I posted about the restaurant the other night and it got this crazy amount of saves purely from this one dish.”

Image: Instagram @dearsainteeloise

The dish is a starter of compressed watermelon topped with fermented tomato. Thompson calls it summer on a plate and predicts it’ll become pretty popular. “You have one and want to order five more,” he says.

Olympus

A recent favourite is Olympus, which opened in Redfern’s new $500 million dining precinct in December 2024. Thompson visited on the week it opened as a media guest and a day after, booked to go back with friends from overseas the following week. He calls its interiors truly something special.

“You walk in, there’s this 50-year-old bougainvillea tree right in the middle,” he says. “There’s a retractable glass roof that opens up during the day. There’s nothing else like it in Sydney.”

Thompson says you can’t go wrong with whatever you order, but he recommends the fava (split pea dip), taramosalata (white cod roe dip), spanakopita (wild weeds) and arnaki (grilled milk-fed lamb leg). “The chefs there have done a fantastic job,” he says. “It’s the perfect place to share with a few friends.”

Image: Instagram @olympusdining

“Also do not skip out on the desserts at Olympus. They do these frozen Greek yoghurts — they’re olive oil, syrupy, salty desserts. I wouldn’t recommend sharing — just get your own. They’re amazing. I don’t think they’ll leave the menu.”

Superfreak

Another spot with great interiors is breakfast and lunch café Superfreak in Marrickville, which opened in October 2024. Thompson says its interiors are unlike anywhere else.

“Being in the middle of Marrickville, which can be a little bit chaotic, it’s a calming feel when you walk in Superfreak,” he says. “It’s not too crowded — nice and spacious. You can sit at the bar or sit down in one of the lounge seats.”

On the menu are salads, sandwiches and smoothies, all with fresh ingredients and some with a fun twist like the SuperBlue Smoothie with blue spirulina, oat milk, peanut butter, flax seed and honey. The café’s also become known for its Danish-inspired breakfast plate of assorted toast toppings.

“I feel like everyone’s looking to find the next breakfast or lunch plate,” says Thompson. They do it really well and it looks great too.”

Norma’s Deli

Thompson lives in Manly and a local spot he loves is Greek eatery Norma’s Deli on The Corso. You can watch the making of its food in its glass-walled kitchen.

Image: Instagram @normas_deli

“You can go there for everything from deli sandwiches, all on focaccia, to pastries,” he says. “They have a wine section. There are pizzas there. They do panettone at Christmas. Really great ingredients and a cool space to hang out.”

Saint Peter

Another recommendation is Saint Peter by Chef Josh Niland, which moved into its new location in the Grand National Hotel in Paddington in late 2024. Thompson says his favourite part about the new location is that it has a bar next door.

“A lot of people don’t know you can go into the bar and order a beer or some of the most amazing cocktails,” he says. “They focus on their cocktails, and the snacks that you get there actually come from the main kitchen of Saint Peter.”

Double Deuce Lounge

Finally, a great hidden bar in the city is Double Deuce Lounge on Bridge Street where Thompson recommends you order the Discretionary, a cocktail with tequila, cold brew, maple, bitters, whey and salt.

“It’s a great bar, dark and moody,” he says. “I recently went by myself. I was after a drink before I went to a gig and the staff were just super lovely. They talked me through the menu and landed on this cocktail. What I didn’t realise as well is it shares a door with Bistecca Restaurant so you can actually go, have a couple drinks and then go through to the restaurant. You don’t need to walk out again.”

Related: Why Are Sydney Restaurants Trying to Butter Us Up?

Related: Tastemakers: Giuseppe Federici on London’s Not-to-Miss Restaurants

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