As a genre, Asian-Fusion can sometimes get a bad wrap among sophisticated eaters, but whatever the case, venues professing to specialise in modern Asian cuisine continue to draw diners in a range of cities across Australia.
Sydney is no exception in this regard, playing host to some truly impressive Asian-Fusion restaurants – those that actually manage to nail the balance between creativity and deference to whatever their chosen national cuisine is. Get stuck into all of our favourites below.
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Ms G’s, Potts Point
Ms G’s has long been one of the most popular venues in the Merivale stable, serving diners in Potts Point with its playful menu: think cheeseburger spring rolls, yuzu slushies, or a wok-fried trio of prawns, rice cakes, and green sambal.
The penchant for marrying together flavours which seem, at first glance, like an odd coupling also extends to Ms G’s cocktal menu: resulting in concoctions like vodka and pandan (‘Coco Loco Part 2’) or Dassai 45 sake topped up with pisco.
Address: 155 Victoria St, Potts Point
Chef(s): Dan Hong
Opened: 2011
Price Guide: $$$
Opening Hours: Monday to Thursday (5:00 PM – 10:00 PM); Friday (5:00 PM – 11:00 PM); Saturday (12:00 PM – 11:00 PM); Sunday (12:00 PM – 9:00 PM)
Bookings: Recommended
Five, Sydney CBD
Named for five tastes, five colours, five cooking methods, five moderations, and five senses in the Japanese culinary canon – Five is the latest European(ish) eatery from Azabu Group, the hospitality firm behind Prefecture 48.
One of the aforementioned dining precinct’s signature experiences, many of the dishes here resemble pasta, pastry and protein courses you’d expect to see at a modern fine diner. Until you start to look a bit closer.
Sauces, particularly for the meat and fish courses, employ typical Japanese ingredients to achieve exciting new results: like John Dory cooked in a beurre blanc of sake lees, or bistecca served alongside a sansho pepper jus.
Interior design is similarly blended in its influences, with the classic bar counter and two-askew floorplan contrasted against signature elements which evoke the aesthetic theory of wabi-sabi. During your meal, spare a moment to look up at the restaurant’s ceiling beams, where artist Yuki Tsuji’s Supernature sculpture hangs.
Address: 230 Sussex St, Sydney CBD
Chef(s): Hiroshi Manaka
Opened: 2024
Price Guide: $$$
Opening Hours: Tuesday to Wednesday (6:00 PM – 10:00 PM); Thursday to Friday (12:00 PM – 10:00 PM); Saturday (5:30 PM – 10:00 PM)
Bookings: Recommended
Mr. Wong, Sydney CBD
Merivale’s own website describes Mr Wong as a specialist in Cantonese-style fare, served with “larger than life” theatrics – we agree that that’s about the sum of it.
Pastry chef Michael Luo’s lunchtime yum cha menu is a familiar favourite of Sydney’s city-based office workers, but for a sense of just how eclectic the influences can get, we’d recommend turning your attention to the cocktails.
Exhibit A: Martini made with boba, the tapioca-based pearls that are a signature element in Taiwanese milk tea.
Address: 3 Bridge Lane, Sydney CBD
Chef(s): Dan Hong
Opened: 2011
Price Guide: $$$$
Opening Hours: Monday to Thursday (12:00 PM – 10:30 PM); Friday to Saturday (12:00 PM – 11:30 PM); Sunday (12:00 PM – 10:30 PM)
Bookings: Recommended
LuMi Bar & Dining, Pyrmont
Perched at the very edge of Pyrmont’s airy Wharf 10 registry complex, LuMi Dining specialises in one of Asian-Fusion cuisine’s most reliable pairings: Japanese and Italian.
Chef-Owner Federico Zanellato has been cooking this combination of (un)surprisingly complementary flavours now for over a decade, and LuMi’s glassbox-like dining room gives diners the mindspace they need to come to grips with his flavourful, expertly constructed tasting menu.
Dishes that lean too vigorously into either the Asian or European theme do occasionally appear, but the bite-sized snacks – eight in total when you splurge on the omakase menu – are enough to justify a visit.
The Potato & Wagyu and beetroot tartlet stuffed with fresh salmon roe (ikura) are both tremendous. And we defy you to resist ordering seconds of the gunkan (“warship”): little sushi-esque morsels filled with Koshihikari rice and Straciatella cheese.
Address: 56 Pirrama Road, Pyrmont
Chef(s): Federico Zanellato
Opened: 2014
Price Guide: $$$$
Opening Hours: Thursday (6:00 PM – 8:30 PM); Friday (5:30 PM – 8:30 PM); Saturday to Sunday (12:00 PM – 10:30 PM)
Bookings: Essential
SOUL Dining, Sydney CBD
Following a few years at a neither-here-nor-there location in Surry Hills, the crew at SOUL Dining has managed to up sticks and take their delightful contemporary Korean operation into the city.
Now more popular than ever, returning diners can still expect all of their favourites: from the ox tongue-filled ‘donut’ with jangjorim soy to a risotto that bolsters all of its traditionally bold flavours with classic Korean condiments including soy bean paste (doenjang).
Executive Chef Daero Lee is militant about changing up his menu with the progression of the seasons, so be sure to canvas SOUL Dining on social media for updates about new dishes and outgoing faves.
Address: Suite 2, 50 Carrington Street, Sydney
Chef(s): Daero Lee, Illa Kim
Opened: 2018
Price Guide: $$$
Opening Hours: Monday to Saturday (12:00 PM – 10:00 PM)
Bookings: Recommended
Joji, Sydney CBD
The newest opening from Esca Group (Aalia, Lilymu) is currently known for its popularity with Sydney’s coterie of food influencers – but a great rooftop location will only take you so far. Fortunately, Joji has a few more tricks up its sleeve.
These include a four-part signature drinks list and food menu that (wisely) narrows its focus to fresh seafood and skewers: ergo, things to snack on whilst drinking.
Start with an Old Fashioned from the shibui section of the drinks menu (dedicated to all things “simple, subtle and unobtrusive”), before ordering up a storm of robata grill-cooked proteins.
Big crowd pleasers at the moment include the pork neck or Rangers Valley striploin. Or, if you’re looking for a snack which is less finicky, the scallop & bug sando.
Address: 5/F, 388 George Street, Sydney
Chef(s): Paul Farag
Opened: 2025
Price Guide: $$$
Opening Hours: Sunday to Wednesday (4:00 PM – 12:00 AM); Thursday to Friday (12:00 PM – 2:00 AM); Saturday (4:00 PM – 2:00 AM)
Bookings: Not required
Lilymu, Parramatta
Esca Group’s first fusion restaurant brings a bold, playful approach – in terms of both the fitout and menus – to the typical modern Pan-Asian experience. Cribbing freely between different culinary traditions from the world’s biggest continent, expect dishes that are prepared with Korean, Thai, and Japanese influences (to name a few).
Dishes with a Southeast Asian inflection are particularly popular here: ranging from the Tom Yum dumplings to a decadent massaman curry, made with ultra-marbled Kiwami wagyu. Because why not?
Address: 3 Parramatta Square, 153 Macquarie Street, Parramatta
Chef(s): Roy Park
Opened: 2020
Price Guide: $$$
Opening Hours: Tuesday (5:30 PM – 9:00 PM); Wednesday to Friday (12:00 PM – 9:00 PM); Saturday (12:00 PM – 10:00 PM); Sunday (12:00 PM – 9:00 PM)
Bookings: Not required
China Lane, Sydney CBD
When China Lane originally opened in 2012, it was the preeminent example of a successful Asian-Fusion restaurant in Sydney – offering up a contemporary lens on East Asian cooking. And while it’s no longer the cutting-edge option it was a decade ago, it remains a solid and consistent option for diners in the city.
Duck beneath the restaurant’s distinctive entryway (wreathed in traditional Chinese birdcages overhead) and head into the main dining room – for a menu that is decidedly less Cantonese than it was in the 2010s, yet definitely delicious.
The tempura whiting is a familiar sight at lunchtime, as is the sashimi of King Ora Salmon and smoked chilli. For something more substantial, try your hand at the wok-fried Moreton Bay bug meat or pork belly cooked in China Lane’s caramelised masterstock. Ordering rice with the latter is non-negotiable.
Address: 2 Angel Place, Sydney
Chef(s): Kristian Vale
Opened: 2012
Price Guide: $$$
Opening Hours: Monday to Friday (12:00 PM – 3:00 PM); Saturday (5:30 PM – Late)
Bookings: Recommended
Hello Auntie, Marrickville
Variously described as a modern, fusion, or creative Vietnamese eatery, what we can all agree on is that Hello Auntie is a roaring food time. Chef-Owner Cuong Nguyen’s specialty is Southeast Asian flavours cooked with modern twists, served up in a lively ground-friendly atmosphere.
Chances are you’ve seen the venue’s famous banh xeo (turmeric and coconut crepe) doing the rounds on social media. But for voracious diners who aren’t so easily sated, the DIY kit of rice paper rolls or Viet riff on traditional beef ragout are all worth tucking into.
Should Hello Auntie’s Marrickville branch prove too hard to trek to, the restaurant also has a more compact branch at Darling Square.
Address: 278 Illawarra Road, Marrickville
Chef(s): Cuong Nguyen
Opened: 2015
Price Guide: $$$
Opening Hours: Sunday –to Thursday (12:00 PM – 8:30 PM); Friday to Saturday (12:00 PM – 9:00 PM)
Bookings: Not required
Tokki, Surry Hills
Right within earshot of BH’s offices in Surry Hills, Tokki is a casual eatery that takes inspiration from the “buzzy nightlife of Tokyo and Seoul.” Numerous individual dishes riff on the pub grub from either of those two Asian metropolises: whether it’s pork belly bossam or a refreshing cabbage salad seasoned with sesame dressing.
A handful of more formally inventive plates can also be ordered – there’s a burrata plate seasoned with garlic chive oil that gets a lot of traction. But really, the reason to come here is to knock over a great-value tasting menu ($69 per person) and one of the signature cocktails. Try a ‘Spicy Lychee’ if you’re partial to a Margarita.
Address: 44A Foveaux St, Surry Hills
Chef(s): Jacob Lee
Opened: 2015
Price Guide: $$
Opening Hours: Tuesday to Thursday (5:00 PM – 10:00 PM); Friday to Saturday (5:00 PM – 11:00 PM)
Bookings: Recommended
If you found this list helpful, consider checking out our other dining guides dedicated to restaurants in Sydney:
