Sydney

I’ve visited Sydney many times over the years to see family, but it’s only recently that I’ve had the chance to truly explore the city. I’m excited to share some of my favourite spots, restaurants and bakeries.

Sydney has really grown on me, and I think it’s due the combination of its stunning harbour and parks woven throughout the city. It’s also incredibly easy to get around, thanks to the trains and metro. In some ways, I actually feel like I know Sydney better than Brisbane.

I don’t think Sydney gets enough credit for its food scene because it’s often overshadowed by Melbourne. There’s such an amazing variety of restaurants, many with gluten-free options, plus dedicated gluten-free bakeries that I wish we had more of in Brisbane.

The iconic Bondi Icebergs pool is pictured above. While Bondi can get quite crowded, I’d actually recommend taking the ferry to Manly Beach instead (pictured below) if you’re looking for a more relaxed beach experience.

The Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge are obviously two of the main tourist attractions. They’re beautiful, and I love walking along the harbour and through the Botanic Gardens.

It’s also worth visiting the Art Gallery of NSW, which is nestled within the Botanic Gardens. There are usually some cool exhibitions on; last year, for example, featured works by surrealist artist René Magritte.

This is not a comprehensive list, but these are some of my favourite restaurants and cafes:

Mr Wong is a Cantonese restaurant in the city. The gluten-free options are marked on the menu with an asterisk. I recommend getting the kingfish sashimi, peking duck pancakes (the GF option is served with lettuce), stir fried duo of rice vermicelli and glass noodles (this dry noodle dish is one of my faves!), and snowpeas & broccolini.

Chin Chin is a modern South East Asian restaurant in Surry Hills. The gluten-free options are not marked, but the staff are accomdating with allergies and most of the menu is gluten-free. The kingfish sashimi is one of my favourite entrees (pictured below), along with the fried squid and chicken wings. For mains, I recommend getting the beef short rib, and salt and pepper tofu with a side of rice.

Reuben Hills is a popular cafe in Surry Hills. It’s hard to decide what to order because everything on their menu sounds divine. The avocado toast (pictured below) is easily one of the best I’ve had – fresh and full of flavour. Their matcha lattes, both hot and iced, are also standout options and among the best matcha drinks I’ve tried. I also recommend The Dirty Bird, which is a fried chicken burger with slaw that can be made gluten-free.

Bouillon L’entrecôte is a classic steak and frites restaurant reminiscent of the traditonal spots you’d find in Paris. The escargot was delicious and a great way to start the meal. The sirloin was incredibly tender, complemented with a flavourful herb sauce that tied everything together. It’s served with fries and a walnut salad, both of which were just as satisfying. If you’re coeliac, they will serve mash potato instead of fries. The fries are cooked in shared oil.

Botanic House is a Vietnamese restaurant by Luke Nyugen located within the Botanic Gardens. The restaurant offers a set seasonal menu, all of which can be made gluten-free. The scallops were excellent, but the dessert was a real standout – a mango pudding with Davidson plum sorbet (pictured below). It was light, vibrant and refreshing, and I would love to recreate it one day.

Uchilounge is a Japanese restaurant in the city that offers gluten-free ramen and karaage chicken. I tried their karaage chicken ramen. Whilst the broth itself could have had more flavour, the fried chicken was absolutely delicious. Next time, I’d be keen to try one of their bento boxes which comes with miso soup and adgedashi tofu.

Next, a few gluten-free bakeries worth visitng:

Sebastien Sans Gluten in Leichhardt is my favourite gluten-free bakery in Sydney. Their ham and cheese croissant and almond croissant are both exceptional – so flaky and buttery. The rest of their pastry selection is also worth exploring (pictured below), with plenty of beautifully made treats. But for me, I love croissants, so it’s always about the croissants.

Wholegreen Bakery is probably the most well-known gluten-free bakery in Sydney. I visited their Bondi location and had their frosted cinnamon scroll and almond croissant. Both were delicious, but I preferred the almond croissant.

15cenchi serves gluten-free desserts with Japanese-inspired flavours. I highly recommend their basque cheesecakes – we tried the matcha, hojicha and black sesame, and all three were delicious. The texture was so soft and creamy, with each flavour coming through beautifully. They do a variety of drinks, but I only had the iced hojicha latte.

When it comes to shopping, for both homewares and clothing, my two favourite suburbs are Surry Hills and Newtown. In Surry Hills, I recommend visiting Hay, Glass Et Cetera, Maison Balzac, Provider Store, Simply Native and Above the Clouds. In Newtown, I love exploring the shops along King Street, including Maplestore and Hands. Also, The Galeries in the city has a few cool stores including Incu, Muji, Ganni, and T Totaler.

That brings my Sydney guide to an end. I wish I could have included more photos and recommendations, but I hope this gives you a helpful glimpse of the city’s best spots.