When it comes to seeking out the best new restaurants in Marrickville, it pays to do some due diligence. The inner west suburb has certainly taken some shine off neighbours like Enmore and Newtown over the past few years, but there are still a lot of dud choices lining Marrickville Road.
Former industrial spaces turned into hip new bars. Inventive modern restaurants sitting alongside hardy institutions like Corinthian Rotisserie and VN Street Foods. Some of the best pubs in Sydney, like The Henson. Marrickville’s charms are endless, but you’ll need a bit of a guide if you want to explore the suburb’s rich dining scene without feeling like you’ve wasted your time.
That’s where I come in. I’ve put together a list of my favourite Marrickville restaurants so you’ve got a bit of a hit list on hand next time you’re in the area.
Note that this list is not ranked.
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Best Restaurants In Marrickville
1. Corinthian Rotisserie Restaurant
Big Greek salads, pickled octopus, grilled halloumi, deep-fried baby squid and a massive serving of tender lamb shoulder. If this holy spread isn’t laid out in front of you at Corinthian Rotisserie Restaurant then you’re simply wasting your time. This taverna means business.
Although it opened in 1980, the local institution hasn’t aged a day. Step inside and it’s an appropriately old-school affair, with blue checkered tablecloths and classy wood flooring. That’s the perfect scene for a messy Greek feast, easily making Corinthian one of Sydney’s best flag-bearers for Greek food this side of the Apollo.
Corinthian Rotisserie Restaurant is also included in our guide to the best Greek restaurants in Sydney.
2. Baba’s Place
An industrial space has been turned into an approachable, charmingly casual restaurant dedicated to mostly Middle Eastern and Mediterranean food. Co-owner and head chef Jean-Paul El Tom expresses his Lebanese background for sure, but you’ll also find a lot of Greek, Turkish and even some Chinese on the menu.
That’s because Baba’s Place is dedicated to showcasing the food of Sydney’s suburban immigrant communities. But don’t mistake the ambitious menu for anything but focused and incredibly expressive, listing highlights like sous-vide octopus with endives and raspberry, and hand-pulled Shanghai noodles with prawn and XO sauce, smoked koji, lamb ragu and prawn-head stock.
3. Pizza Madre
After pioneering the meat-free movement from their nearby cafe, the team behind Marrickville’s Two Chaps opened Pizza Madre in 2017 and immediately changed the perception of pizza in Sydney. No longer did vegetarians have to contend with two or three standard options. Now, an entire menu is dedicated to meatless dining, powered by creative toppings using premium produce.
Perfectly puffy bases are given top treatment with toppings like the stunning zucchini with potato basil cream, fior di latte, whipped feta and macadamia crumbs. It’s popular amongst vegetarians and vegans, of course, but the real testament to the kitchen’s know-how is just how many people who don’t have dietaries would gladly eat here.
4. Hello Auntie
When Cuong Nguyen first opened Hello Auntie in Marrickville, Sydney’s scope for Vietnamese food rarely stretched beyond the super traditional, primarily leaning towards the street food you’d find peppered around Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi.
Hello Auntie does things differently. The Vietnamese fare is based on tradition but there are many modern flourishes taken. This is most evident in all the pork, beef and seafood dishes, best taken along with one of the kitchen’s generous paper roll kits which comes with prawns, chicken, spring rolls and beef with betel leaves.
Hello Auntie is also featured in our guide to the best Asian Fusion restaurants in Sydney.
5. VN Street Foods
Unlike Hello Auntie, VN Street Foods is tied strictly to tradition. Here you’ll find Sydney’s most flavourful Vietnamese food. Hell, I’d go so far as to say I prefer VN Street Foods to anywhere I’ve found in Cabramatta. And I spent half my life out that way.
Owner Xuan Thang Nguyen pushes mostly bento boxes and street food. The pho is essential, of course, but you’re not making the most of a visit if you don’t order the bun cha. Those pork meatballs and noodles hit the spot every time. It’s one of my favourite places to eat in Sydney’s inner-west.
6. Barzaari
While this long-standing Marrickville favourite didn’t quite stick the landing for a short-lived expansion into Chippendale’s Kensington Street, Barzaari is just fine where it is. You’ll find this award-winning kitchen on a residential strip, looking more like an unassuming local cafe than one of the best Middle Eastern restaurants in Sydney.
The East Mediterranean is highlighted with a wide-ranging menu that takes flavours from Cypriot, Lebanese, Greek and Turkish. The result: focused, confident and very rich, maximising the flavours imbued by the rotisserie and a wood-fired oven to offer highlights like fire-liked dukkah-coated prawns and BBQ octopus with Palestinian braised shallots and garlic chives.
7. Pepito’s
Peruvian street food informs much of the offering at Pepito’s, a rare lick of South America in a suburb better known for its mod-Asian restaurant and hipster-approved breweries. And it’s proven invaluable to Marrickville’s dining scene, from the ox heart antichuchos, to the leche de tigre, which is a medley of local seafood marinated in lime, juice, garlic, chilli, and ginger. Pair that all up with a round of pisco sours and you’re in for a very good night.
8. Lazza
Lazza is all about those big, excessive banana leaves stacked with Filipino street food. While Marrickville’s greatest hits tend to take locals to cities like Ho Chi Minh City, Lima and Athens, you’re missing an essential piece of the melting pot if you don’t pop on over to The Pearl of the Orient.
This unassuming spot is all about channelling the chaotic energy of Manila. The signature bilao feast is the way to go: an enormous bamboo platter filled with crispy pork knuckles, salted egg, charred fish, egg noodles, rice and more. Although I tend to go for the beef shank and bone marrow stew each and every time I go back.
9. The Henson
Modern, family-friendly and discerning. The Henson is everything an inner-west pub in Sydney should be. I’d never get sick of hanging out in that sunny, sociable beer garden, nor will I get sick of the kitchen’s excellent karaage chicken burger with miso mayo.
The community feel helps ground The Henson in the local culture, pushing it as an institution for anyone who really wants to see what a typical weekend in Marrickville looks like.
10. Kurumac
Sister cafe to Kirribilli’s underrated Cool Mac, Kurumac is equally light and minimal with a great sense of space. Hip hop and jazz echo around the immaculately clean venue, reflecting the softness coming from the kitchen.
The food here is very light and approachable. And if you’ve been to Kyoto before, you should know the type of food to expect. Highlights include rice balls packed with pickled greens, mixed vegetable tempura with green tea soba noodles, spicy cod roe melt on Japanese milk bread, and ox tongue curry.
How Boss Hunting Chose Marrickville’s Best Restaurants
I once lived in Newtown for 9 years. During that time, most of my experience dining out in Sydney was limited to the inner west, which included Marrickville. Back then, this heavily industrial area wasn’t nearly as trendy as it is now. Still, I have a very good idea of all the local institutions like The Henson and VN Street Foods. Plus, I’ve regularly been back to check out more modern spots like Pizza Madre and Hello Auntie.
I take a very broad approach to the word “restaurants.” If you can eat food there, and it’s a fairly substantial offering, then it’s up for consideration for lists like this. That’s why you’ll find cafes and bars alongside more traditional restaurants like Corinthian Rotisserie and Barzaari.
As far as how I judge restaurants. Well, the food and drink is the first consideration. Do I leave satisfied? Am I happy with how everything tastes? Then I consider things such as price point, service, concept and atmosphere.
For more on how we put together lists like this please have a read of our editorial policy.
Did you find this list helpful? Check out some of our other Sydney dining guides.
- Best New Restaurants In Sydney
- Best Restaurants In Darlinghurst
- Best Restaurants In Surry Hills
- Best Restaurants In Newtown
- Best Restaurants In Barangaroo
- Best Restaurants In Parramatta
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best restaurant in Marrickville?
The best restaurant in Marrickville is Barzarri.
Where can I find the best Greek food in Marrickville?
You can find the best Greek food in Marrickville at Corinthian Rotisserie Restaurant.
Where can I find the best Vietnamese food in Marrickville?
You can find the best Vietnamese food in Marrickville at the legendary VN Street Foods.
