Unique Sydney Experiences You'll Never Forget

Once the subject of acclaimed Netflix show Chef’s Table, Surry Hills restaurant Firedoor and chef Lennox Hastie have created an eating experience completely centred around fire. Armed only with a wood fire, a grill, and his highly unique skill set, Lennox takes the best Aussie ingredients and transforms them into a smokey spectacle at the crossroads of BBQ and fine dining. 

Restaurant Hubert will take you on a trip to France. Tucked away below ground, head downstairs and enter a Parisian-style bistro, with a classic French menu featuring the likes of oysters mignonette, duck parfait, beef tartare, chicken fricassee and cote de bouef. Just like Europe, the kitchen is open late - you can dine until 1am!

One of Sydney’s trendiest go-to restaurants, Continental Deli Bar & Bistro is home to the very Instagrammable Mar-tinny and the Can-hatten, their tincan cocktails they batch and can onsite. With two locations in both the CBD and Newtown, Continental Deli, also offers cheese, charcuterie, decadent bar food and sophisticated cocktails focussed on sherries, vermouths and house-made liqueurs. 

Be taken on a journey of dining discovery at Ele by Federico & Karl where sensory is every sense. You'll will move and be moved with a menu that has been create to draw on the elements of fire, water, earth and air. With only a limited number of seats released monthly, you better get in quick!

Famour for what many consider Australia’s best burger “The Blame Canada”, Bar Luca is a must visit for touring burger heads. With their original bar location still open in the heart of the CBD, you can also visit their offshoot store BL Burgers in Darlinghurst for a quick takeaway experience, or head to Loaded by BL in Newtown to build your own custom creation.

Named after none other than Thor’s mighty Hammer Mjolner in Redfern is an eating experience “created in Thor’s image” that takes you back to the times of vikings and norse mythology. Relax weary traveller, choose your own blade from their amazing selection, and tuck in to the rustic selection of slow roasted meats and mouth watering sides.  Embrace tradition by yelling “skål” while enjoying a glass of traditional mead, or peruse their selection of over 400 whiskies.

Step into a world of elegance at Sydney's newest boutique hotel: The Porter House, by MGallery. Boasting bespoke 5 star design paired with two amazing restaurants, a bar, a stunning pool area, and much more. It’s located on the corner of Bathurst  and Castlereagh Street in the heart of Sydney’s CBD, and is an ideal choice for travellers looking for a boutique experience during their stay.

You'll feel a spirited connection to Sydney's past residents at Q Station, a former quarantine station that's now boutique accommodation and home to some of the city's most fascinating ghost tours. Located atop Manly’s stunning North Head, spend the night in one of their heritage cottages or modern suites and join one fo their nightly tours and hear the chilling stories of this historic site.

An oasis of green studded with a rainbow of blooms, Wendy’s Secret Garden is a little-known hidden gem with million-dollar views found on the northern shores of Sydney Harbour. Created through a need for catharsis after the passing of her late husband & prominent Aussie Artist Brett Whiteley in 1992, Wendy expressed her emotions on the overgrown scrub in the unused railway land in front of their home - transforming it into a multi-level garden paradise. This piece of living art is always open and entry is free, but visitors should note that bookings are required via North Sydney Council for all group events or get-togethers.

One of the most thrilling ways to experience the spectacle of Sydney Harbour is by cruising the water. Take a voyage like the old explorers and jump aboard Sydney Tallship Cruises, with it’s billowing sails and mega mast. Choose from lunch cruises, day trips, overnight stays, or get even more adventurous with a mast climb, pirate cruise, or whale watching.

Finding Shady Pines Saloon involves walking down a dark Darlinghurst alleyway and looking for an unmarked white door. Another door leads to a staircase and then – welcome to the wild wild West. Leaving may be more difficult, however, because at this cowboy saloon-themed bar you can drink whisky and apple juice under the gaze of a vintage stuffed buffalo before joining a country singalong while peanut shells crunch underfoot. It’s honky-tonk fun you’ll want to stick around for.    

What makes Coogee Pavilion unique is not just its jaw-dropping ocean views, and it’s not its dedicated games area for both big and little kids.Known locally as The Pav, what makes this venue unique is its ability to be whatever you want it to be. Family dinner? Go for the burgers and woodfired pizzas downstairs. Date night? Share vibrant plates of tapas at Una Mas. Girls night out? Drinks on the rooftop bar are iconic. And if you really want to impress – Mimi's is home to premium caviar bumps served off a trolley, vintage Champagne and more. 

Head to the address listed for Earl’s Juke Joint, and you’ll find yourself outside what looks like a butcher called Betta Meats. Don’t worry, you’re in the right place. Enter through the unsuspecting shop front into a dimly lit long bar named after Earl Palmer, a New Orleans drummer credited with creating the backbeat for rock’n’roll. Inside you’ll find dark timber floorboards, a tin-covered ceiling, posters of blues legends and an inviting, 11-metre-long bar. Southern US-inspired cocktails, craft beers and natural wines are the stars of the drinks list.

1989 is Newtown’s very own shrine to vintage Arcade gaming. It’s recognisable by its blue neon sign and filled with a huge selection of classic arcade games, board games and pinball machines, and offers a huge range of local craft beers and ciders to choose from. With cheese toasties on offer ideal for one handed eating, as well as gaming themed cocktails complete with ice cubes shaped like the Death Star, 1989 is an essential visit for OG gamers and pop culture lovers alike. 

Walking into this CBD bar off Abercrombie Lane is like a step back in time – Palmer & Co Prohibition-Era bar sports black-and-white photos on the wall and antique shelves filled with apothecary bottles. But the real artistry comes on the drinks menu, sip on perfectly executed classic cocktails, snack on charcuterie, enjoy some live Jazz music, or peruse the mugshots of booze runners and convicts that adorn the walls. 

A lively, spacious example of Sydney’s craft brewery scene, Sauce Brewing Co. is one of the city's premier hops hotspots. With a range of both limited and regular beers on tap, multiple beer flight tasting options, and a huge outdoor area, it’s an awesome visit on its own, or as part of a brewery crawl, with Philter Brewing, Batch Brewing Company, The Grifter Brewing Co. and more all within walking distance.

Sydney has so many unique activities that you won't find anywhere else. And there's no way to experience them all in one day. So when you're planning to discover some of the unusual things to do in Sydney, make sure you book your Sydney accommodation early, so that you can enjoy all the city has to offer.