Time Out Sydney’s Food & Drink Awards have landed – and the Editors' Choice Best Affordable Eat winner goes to @olympic.meats ! 🔥
We’ve had a big, fat Greek crush on this pumping grill house since it first opened in early 2025. Everything’s made in-house, most plates are under $21 and it’s BYO. What’s not to love? 🇬🇷
Congrats to the Olympic Meats team – and if you haven’t been yet, take this as your sign (and for those lucky people with Time Out Social Club x Olympic Meats tix, see you there 😎)
Wanna know the winners of the other Editors' Choice (as well as People's Choice) Awards? Head to the link in bio to get the full winners list 🔗
Time Out Sydney’s Food & Drink Awards 2026 have been announced – and we’re stoked to say the winner of the Editors' Choice Best Bar & Pub is @drydockhotel 🍻
Established in 1857, the heritage-listed Dry Dock is the oldest licensed pub in Balmain. There are no pokies, dogs are welcome and the food is excellent – it’s the kind of pub we wish was around the corner from us.
Big congrats to the whole Dry Dock team! And if you haven’t been yet, take this as your sign to head down for a cold pint and some scotch eggs 🔥
Keen to know the winners of the other Editors' Choice (as well as People's Choice) Awards? Head to the link in bio to get the full winners list 🔗
Drumroll, please! Our Time Out Sydney Food & Drink Award 2026 winners have just dropped – first up, let's hear it for Editors' Choice Best Restaurant winner, @southend_syd ! 🏆
This beautiful little Newtown bistro stood out to our team of food writers and editors for its explosive flavours, joyous, seasonal dishes and fun drinks list.
Join us in congratulating the talented and hard-working South End team – and if you haven't been, take this is your sign to book in (before everyone else does)
Intrigued to know the winners of the other Editors' Choice (as well as People's Choice) Awards? Head to the link in bio to get the full winners list 🔗
It’s worrying to think what Sam Overton has been through to write a menu as confrontational as the one on the tables at Frankie Cadillac, writes Time Out Sydney contributor @mathershugo
“Welcome to Frankie’s,” it says on page one, “where we don’t fuck around”.
If nothing else it’s consistent. The Negroni bar is by the same Londoner who opened boisterous Oxford Street restaurant Bootleg Italian in 2021, with the words “Eats, Beats, Booze” written in pink neon lights above the door.
Like with that now-shuttered venue, which prided itself on “doing shit properly”, Frankie’s highly entertaining menu is scattered with sweary self-assurances (see: “this shit is wild”, “this shit is legit”, “fucking perfection”).
Front and centre are the five house rules, which include “don’t be a dick” and “bar service only” because “we’re not your butlers”.
Needless to say there’s a tremble in my voice as I order a tray of Negronis (from the bar) which are, to be fair, not fucking around.
Click the link in bio to read the rest of Hugo's review of Frankie Cadillac 🔗
📸 : Lila Marvell & Hugo Mathers for Time Out Sydney
If it’s been a while between weekend getaways, we’ve got one for you ✨
Located two hours from Sydney, Mt Hay Retreat is a magical adults-only boutique stay. If you look up the word ‘tranquil’, this place would come up. And don’t just take our word for it – Mt Hay Retreat has taken home gold at the 2024 and 2025 NSW Tourism Awards for luxury accommodation (among others).
Set on a lush farm up a steep hill, just 10 minutes from Berry’s charming township (watch out for wombats at night!), Mt Hay Retreat is made up of six sunlit and spacious villas, all featuring spectacular views, a large bathtub, kitchenette, rain shower and deck made for golden hour, soft cheese and chilled bubbles.
Whether you are in need of a romantic weekend away – or just need eight hours of uninterrupted sleep – this lovely spot delivers.
Click the link in bio to find out more 🔗
📸 : Supplied/ Mt Hay Retreat & Avril Treasure for Time Out Sydney
This week, we held our very first Time Out Social Club at Olympic Meats, winner of our Best Affordable Eat 2026. So Time Out’s @avriltreasure caught up with chef-owner @pan_fried to chat about the inspiration behind his Greek grill house – and what’s on the menu 🔥
Missed out on tickets? We’ve got heaps more fun events coming up – keep your eyes out for details on our next Social Club 👀
The 19km Grand Cliff Top Walk from Wentworth Falls to Katoomba is one of the NSW Great Walks – and you can get there via an easy-breezy train from Central. You'll find everything you need to know before you go at the link in bio 🔗
📸: Destination NSW
📸: NSW National Parks and Wildlife
To celebrate National Burger Day on Thursday, May 28, TGI Fridays is giving away 100 free OG cheesy smash burgers at each location 🍔 But be warned: it’s first in, best dressed. For more info on how you can score a free burg, head to the link in bio 🔗 P.S. Head to Melbourne Central TGI Fridays if you want to play a game of Shufflr 😉
Been wondering what’s replacing The Boathouse at Rose Bay Marina? Us too. And now we have the answer, with the news that SRG Hospitality – the group behind some of the city’s best-known harbour venues including Akti, Ripples Chowder Bay, Aqua Dining and Sails on Lavender Bay – is opening two new waterfront restaurants this winter.
First up is Ripples Rose Bay, a relaxed all-day eatery opening in late June, with seafood, share plates and breezy harbour-side lunches.
Daniel Drakopoulos, managing director of SRG Hospitality, says: "Ripples has been part of Sydney's waterfront since we opened at Milsons Point in 2002, and every venue since has been built around the same idea; great food, a genuine connection to the water, and somewhere people actually want to come back to. Rose Bay is the next chapter in that story, and we want it to feel exactly the same way."
Then in late July comes Riva, a refined Italian restaurant inspired by the glamour of the Italian Riva yacht. Expect polished mahogany timber, scalloped dining chairs, fresh handmade pasta, porchetta and a holiday-like vibe.
Perry Drakopoulos, managing director and creative director of SRG Hospitality, added: “Rose Bay Marina is one of those sites that doesn't need an introduction. Sydneysiders have a genuine affection for this location, and we don't take that lightly.
For us, it's less about making a statement and more about doing the site justice, with two venues that feel like they genuinely belong here.”
📸 : Kitti Gould
We've got you covered for the best things to do in Sydney this weekend 😎
🔗 Click the link in bio to check out the full guide
📸 : Avril Treasure for Time Out Sydney
Whether you’re a seasoned gallery-goer or a self-confessed art sceptic, the must-see 'Archibald, Wynne and Sulman Prize' exhibitions are sure to bring out the art critic in everyone.
Offering a snapshot of contemporary Australian art along with artistic takes on famous faces, catch the celebrated art prizes on display from now until August 16.
For more info hit the link in bio.
Sydney just got a flower market – and it’s unlike anything we’ve seen before 🌸
Right now at the Botanic Gardens of Sydney, you can step inside a magical greenhouse filled with 100,000 vibrant, plush, hand-crafted flowers by Australian artist Cj Hendry.
Every guest gets their first flower free, with extras available for $5 each. Even better, 10 per cent of profits go to the Botanic Gardens of Sydney, supporting vital conservation work 🌿
The stunning display is at The Domain, Sydney, from May 15-17, open from 10am to 8pm – and it’s free to enjoy.
A full-blown floral fever dream – and it’s only in Sydney this weekend 💐
📸 : Kate Breytenbach for Time Out Sydney
