Restaurants’ set menus were once the more expensive options, reserved for special occasions. Today, it seems restaurants have flipped the script, making set menus more affordable than if you were to order a la carte. Though that’s not always the case, sometimes, it is, particularly if the set menu is under $100.
Ahead, we’re rounding up some of the best among those $100 set menus or less in Sydney. From a multi-course journey at a Japanese vinyl bar, to a family-style share set menu at an Italian institution, these are the most affordable (and delicious!) prix fixe feasts you can grab in Sydney, currently.
Charlotte Bar and Bistro, McMahons Point
Cost: $89pp
Transport yourself to the height of Parisian dining and service, where the welcome is warm, the drinks are stiff, and the food is as elegant and poised as the waiters. Charlotte Bar and Bistro is aplace where you can disappear for hours, sipping wine and savouring French delights in a light-filled dining room.
If you’re dining with a group, go with the banquet menu. You will need at least four people for this spread. The menu is set in three courses; however, to start, you’ll be served bread and butter, a snack-sized amuse-bouche of spicy nori taco filled with seafood tartare, a chicken and duck liver parfait best scraped on toasted brioche and a cured sausage.
You’ll start with few other snacks, including a tasty morsel of black pudding croquette with apple chutney and chicken ribs. The beef tartare, a highlight, is also served and made tableside with this course.
The main is a hearty plate of slow-cooked lamb shoulder on the bone, served with pomme frites and a salad. To top off the feast, finish with a mango charlotte, the signature dish, served with a quenelle of coconut Bavarian ice cream and a passionfruit coulis.
Rekodo, Barangaroo
Cost: $95pp
Slink upstairs to a Japanese viny record bar and restaurants in Barangaroo’s striking Barangaroo House, which looks like a bird’s nest. Rekodo is where you can escape into good cocktails, good food, and good times. Whether you’ve grabbed a seat at the chef’s counter, a booth, or a table by the stage, you can order the omakase menu, It comes in small or large.
The first few items are bite-sized pieces (one for each person), such as Sydney rock oysters or a delicate kingfish tartlet. There’s also the option to choose the pork belly bao, which is highly recommended.
From here, the rest of the menu starts to get bigger. Think beef tongue on a stick with charred pineapple, grilled calamari served with anchovy mayo, and yakitori spatchcock.
Then dessert is served. The best part about the omakase here is if you like a dish from the a la carte menu, you can ask for it to replace an item you don’t like on the omakase. Omakase translates to “I’ll leave it up to you,” but that doesn’t mean you can’t choose a few dishes that sing out to you.
Ezra, Potts Point
Cost: $69pp
At the sultry, vibrant Ezra, housed inside a heritage terrace in Potts Point, you don’t have to Faulk out hundreds of dollars to have a good time. The Zazim ‘Let’s Do It’ Menu only costs $69 per person and features a tasty journey through the Diaspora of Ashkenazi and Sephardic Jewish favourites. Expect to dip steaming hot flatbreads in fresh hummus or hazelnut muhammara with a sprinkling of sweet pomegranate.
You can even add Gildas for $7.50. For mains, roast cauliflower with burnt honey, feta, and lemon myrtle za’atar take centre stage alongside a roast spatchcock. For dessert, one word: ice cream baklava. Two desserts come to the table, but the baklava is a crowd-favourite.
There is also a larger Mesiba Menu available for $85 per person, which includes the same starters with a few additions and a few more sides to the mains, as well as a tender, juicy lamb shoulder.
Odd Culture, Newtown
Cost: $65pp or $95pp
Odd Culture Newtown as two banquet, share-style menus on offer. The cheaper option is $65pp and includes beer bread, chicken liver pate and koji roasted chicken, while the pricier option at $95pp has a similar menu, but with the addition of fish on toast, squid and bavette steak.
Both menus also come with a leaf salad and a selection of desserts. Groups of seven or more are required to partake in the menu, which, frankly, when it comes to splitting the bill, always works out to be far easier.
Woodcut, Barangaroo
Cost: $160pp, $210pp or $295pp
The restaurant has three group set menus that can be tailored to dietaries. The first is the Silver Wattle Menu for $160pp with crab cakes, swordfish and a T-bone steak. The next level up is the Golden Wattle Menu for $210pp, with John Dory, octopus with whipped anchovies and the T-bone.
And finally, the Black Wattle Menu for $295pp has similar to the Golden Wattle, but with caviar and cold seafood on ice. All menus come with a selection of desserts from the Woodcut pastry kitchen.
El Primo Sanchez, Paddington
Cost: $65pp or $85pp
Most people come to El Primo Sanchez for its tequila cocktails and mezcal collection, but behind the sea of Mexican spirits is a food menu filled with authentic recipes. There are two set menus; one is $65, and the other is $85 with more dishes, but both are great value for the amount of food served.
Think tuna tostadas and roasted corn drizzled in lime mayo and covered in salted ricotta. For larger bites, expect blackmore wagyu barbacoa tacos, charcoal grilled tiger prawns, and red mole, a traditional sauce, often served with rice. For dessert, don’t expect churros; instead, corn tres leches and candied orange flan de Naranja will excite your tastebuds.
The Apollo, Potts Point
Cost: $70pp
The Apollo is a prime example of humble fine dining. The dishes are critically acclaimed, but the atmosphere is casual and inviting for couples or big families. The Full Greek set menu is only $70pp, although everyone at the table has to opt for it.
Diners can expect a range of Greek classics, such as saganaki drizzled with honey, served with pita bread, an oven-baked lamb shoulder for the main, with a side of roast potatoes and semolina custard for dessert.
Another set menu option for groups of four or more is available at $95 per person. This menu includes all of the above with six more dishes, including a fish main and three starters.
Lana, Circular Quay
Cost: $99pp or $129pp
Lana has two set menus, both meant for sharing with a group of six or more. The first is the Lana Experience Menu for $129pp. It includes focaccia, saffron malfadine and Berkshire pork cutlet.
The other set menu is Chef Selection Menu for $159pp and only requires a minimum of two people. It includes porcini arancini, milk braised capretto and gnocchi alla romana with miso and truffle pecorino.
Grana, Circular Quay
Cost: $79pp, $94pp or $119pp
Grana has three set menus, priced at $79pp, $94pp and $119pp. Each menu offers the best of Grana, with a few entrees to start, including a stracciatella, kingfish crudo and sourdough ciabatta with parmesan butter.
The mains will change, but you can expect a pasta dish, such as a rigatoni duck ragu and a meat or seafood course. Think glazed lamb shoulder with rosemary salted chips. For dessert, you might be served tiramisu, raspberry and rose pavlova or toasted coconut semifreddo.
Gildas, Surry Hills
Cost: $95pp
Can’t get a reservation at Firedoor? Venture across the road to Lennox Hastie’s pintxos taverna for basque-inspired dishes and Spanish wines. The set basque menu only requires a minimum of two people.
For $95pp, you will get a small snack plate of Spanish olives, roasted almonds, and retired dairy cow tartare with smoked egg yolk and straw potato. Next, bite into grilled Bundarra pork, romesco and baby leeks, along with a baby cabbage dish with lentils, oyster mushrooms and foamy-looking yeast dressing.
Finally, finish with rice pudding soft serve, drizzled in warm salted caramel and Basque cheesecake.
La Salut, Redfern
Cost: $80pp
This moody wine and vermouth bar in Redfern is by the same team behind Ragazzi, so you can expect the food to be well beyond average. There’s an a la carte menu, or if you want to try a few different things and save money, the $80pp set menu is perfect. For an additional $55pp, a sommelier will pair a wine with each dish.
Each course includes a few dishes, such as the jamon serrano to pick at first, then a Jerusalem artichoke with pork neck pincho for some heft. Expect another course of raw fish before diving into the octopus main, served with a side of green beans and mixed-leaf salad. The dessert is a Turron (European nougat) with coffee ganache.
There is also a larger set menu, available at $95pp. It comes with several additional dishes, including mussels and crisps and chorizo.
Cho Cho San, Potts Point
Cost: $65pp or $95pp
Cho Cho San’s $65 set menu has all the highlights of the a la carte, but works out to be cheaper. The Izakaya Set will set you back $65pp, while the Cho Cho San Feast costs $95pp.
Start with edamame, tuck into a petuna ocean trout dish, then onto the eggplant miso sticks before nipping at spicy sesame noodles with your chopsticks. Also on the menu is a tonkotsu pork cutlet, served with a side of cabbage doused in white ponzu, and sticky date pudding with miso caramel for dessert.
The Feast includes a few of the above, along with additions of pork katsu steam bun, pickled cucumber, striploin, and more.
Bouillon L’Entrecote, Circular Quay
Cost: $59pp or $69pp on Saturdays
Get a taste of Parisian dining at Bouillon L’Entrecote in its elegant dining room overlooking Circular Quay. The restaurant only offers a set menu for lunch on Saturdays, costing $59pp for two courses or $69pp for three.
Either way, you will have the option of a starter, which we suggest the snails in parsley butter and a main of the classic steak and frites, or barramundi of chicken breast. For dessert, pass on the creme brulee.
Maydanoz, CBD
Cost: $99pp
Maydanoz serves a $99pp flavour-packed set menu, influenced by the Aegean Turkish coast. From the cocktails to the plates, the staff is more than willing to help you create a bespoke experience tailored to your tastes and interests.
The standout dish is the Tilba halloumi, barbecued on the table with an aromatic rosemary smoke infusing the cheese. It’s then drizzled in thyme honey for a sweet punch. The whipped feta dip with sweet and sour grapes is another highlight and is best enjoyed with stone-baked bread. For main, the wood-fired oyster mushroom with a tamarind glaze will satisfy meat lovers and vegetarians.
The cocktails are also worth a try. They’re inventive, and we can guarantee you’ve never tried anything like it before, in Sydney at least. The mood lighting and plush velvet seating make it a great date night spot.
Related: 34 of the Best New Bars and Restaurants in Sydney
Related: The Best Late-Night Desserts in Sydney, According to a Serial Sweet Tooth
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