The most outstanding dining establishments in Crows Nest continue to rank among North Sydney’s top dining destinations. The already-upscale suburb has stepped up its game in recent years with the addition of new eateries. It’s enough to tempt you to spend the evening in the suburbs.
The best restaurants serving French, Japanese, or Indian food, as well as a wide range of cuisines from different parts of the world, can all be found in this area. Naturally, the abundance of alternatives increases the likelihood of having a worse-than-positive experience. As a result, you may be curious about the most excellent restaurants in Crows Nest.
Here is a reliable directory that lists the top 14 eateries in Crows Nest.
1. Le Bouchon
Located in the heart of Crows Nest’s bustling Willoughby Road restaurant scene, Le Bouchon is a must-visit. It’s easy to see because of its prominent location, but that’s not all: it’s also warm and welcoming, with lots of indoor and outdoor space and a menu of straightforward French cuisine paired with wine.
Those unfamiliar with authentic French cuisine are in for a real treat. Moreover, native French speakers and francophiles will be overjoyed to see classic delicacies from their home country on the menu — and yes, snails are served too.
Prepare a classic dish like confit duck l’orange with a Grand Marnier emulsion, pommes purée, and spinach for a satisfying meal when the weather cools.
French and Australian wines are also hand-picked to go with the dishes. Additionally, various digestifs are available to round off a delicious dinner. Weekend hours include breakfast fare, including a selection of five omelettes, crepes, croissants, and more.
2. Salmon and Bear Crows Nest
If you’re acquainted with the Zetland log cabin-type restaurant, you’ll be thrilled to know that it has relocated to the north shore, specifically the Willoughby Road eating district.
The second location, described as “more restaurant-like,” has the same light and airy design by Otto Design Interiors. You should come here if you’re looking for a cheap, unpretentious, yet delicious dinner.
Their menu is broad, and there is always something for everyone: seafood, steaks, salads, burgers, tacos, and poke bowls. Popular choices include a variety of fish dishes, such as fish and chips, fish pie, and even Ora King salmon.
It’s the perfect destination for family dining. Besides, its kid-friendly atmosphere, short wine and beer choice (mainly from Australia), and affordable prices are ideal for family occasions.
3. Turka
This spacious and chill café in Crows Nest mainly serves traditional Turkish food with an Australian twist. The owner’s mother’s cooking heavily influences the food.
Yengen toast, a sandwich made with typical Turkish cheese, chorizo, and tomato, is an excellent choice for a morning meal. You may make breakfast to order, or you can choose from a variety of pre-set options perfect for a banquet.
At lunch, guests may enjoy dips, salads, rolls, and plates showcasing traditional Turkish foods. And over the evenings, you can pick from a variety of Turkish wines and beer on tap, including Efes and more.
Dessert is highly recommended; typical offerings include poached pears, Turkish ice cream, and baklava.
4. Mschief
The manager and owner, Adelle Ly, started this business after leaving the corporate sector, where she worked for a while. The Mschief restaurant is renowned for delivering various delicious desserts, both low in sugar and quite luscious.
This can be seen in how the glass counter is set up, which displays many lovely cakes, tarts, and pastries that fit into both categories.
Mschief offers a laid-back ambience that allows the cuisine to do the talking. It is housed in a light, contemporary location with outdoor and indoor settings. The Bacon and Oats, a congee prepared in bone broth and garnished with back bacon and sous vide egg, is one of the highlights.
5. Garfish
Garfish restaurant is popular in the Crows Nest and is almost a landmark in the town. It’s almost impossible to find a better eating location than this one. Besides, it’s a well-known joint for excellent seafood, wine, and service.
As an example of an appetiser, the current menu has seared scallops served with yuzu kosho mayonnaise, prosciutto, rockmelon, and pickled cucumber. The Sri Lankan salmon and king prawn curry or the swimmer crab linguine are highly recommended to accompany your entree.
You can also try the lamb rack or the sirloin if seafood isn’t your thing.
The wine list is extensive, so you’re sure to find whatever you’re looking for. Try a local brew from Down Under. And if you’re thinking that this sounds great, but you don’t feel like leaving the sofa, you can order takeout.
6. Luho Restaurant
The Mama’s Buoi Crows Nest is now a thing of the past. It has been replaced with a brand-new Southeast Asian eatery managed by Serene and Dennis Tan, a former executive chef for the business. PS40’s Peter Seabrook takes care of all the beverage needs you may have.
The hawker-style meals mix Tan’s Malaysian origin with Mama Buoi’s Vietnamese influence. Small plates, curries, wok dinners, and a special vegetarian menu are all available on the sharing menu.
Signature meals include the prawns and scallion “tacos” ($12), prawns, char siu pork, and coconut cream crepes ($22), and tiger prawns sambal with zucchini and tomato ($24). If you need help deciding, you may order the banquet, which costs only $49 and includes eight of the chef’s favourite dishes.
In addition to stir-fried mushrooms and wok-tossed Chinese broccoli ($18–$20), the 12-dish vegetarian menu includes items like cauliflower with scorched butter, aubergine jam, and black bean paste ($18) and XO squash with shiitake, sun-dried tomato, tofu, and black bean paste ($19).
The bar’s star draw is its reasonably priced selection of Asian wines from PS40. The $15 Thai Basil Smash (infused with basil gin, lime, and PS40 bush tonic) and the $16 Quandong Spritz. It is supported by various native and international brews, such as Young Henrys and Beer Saigon; over 14 wines are available by the glass and bottle.
Local architect Julie Lien has included red and teal neon components throughout the space, as well as concrete floors and beige wood finishes (Jin Studio). Despite being a fantastic addition to the lower north shore, Mama’s Buoi indeed had an impact on the design and concept of Luho.
7. Kurtosh Crows Nest
You may satiate your hunger for authentic European pastries at this Kürtsh restaurant in Crows Nest, one of their four Sydney sites; there are also two in Melbourne and one in Wollongong.
Kürtsh’s sweets are sold by weight which is a blessing for people who cannot decide and like to try a bit of everything. Look at a savoury bureka filled with flavours like mushrooms and potatoes, feta and ricotta, rosemary, sweet potatoes, and thyme.
They can sample one of the slab cakes. The brioche-like pastry ribbons that make up the kürtskalács cake are twisted into tight spirals and covered in a rich filling to give it the appearance of a chimney. The traditional topping is cinnamon and sugar, but try pistachio, Nutella, or caramelised hazelnuts for a fancier treat.
8. Double Cross Espresso Bar
You know how in the movies or tv shows, when someone enters a coffee shop, the barista would always say something like, “Hey Tommy — the usual?” And, you know, there’s always a tiny part of you hoping it will. You can expect the same kind of treatment at Double Cross Espresso Bar, where the baristas greet every client and even remember the names of a few regulars.
The Crows Nest café is famous for its excellent coffee and novel Japanese take on traditional Australian cafe fare.
The business first opened its doors in 2016 thanks to the entrepreneurial spirit of longtime hotel industry workers Quinton Ng and Samuel Lee. The owners’ origin stories inspired the cafe’s moniker: Ng is from Hong Kong and Australia, while Lee is of Korean and New Zealander descent.
There are maybe a hundred stamped loyalty cards on the white marble counter, a monument to the popularity and high quality of the coffee served. The lunchtimes are often less busy than the mornings, making the available seating inside and out an ideal vantage point from which to people-watch.
Two cooks toil away in a little kitchen in the cafe’s rear. Popular items include the tonkatsu sando ($13) and two little pork katsu rectangles jammed on a stick with flavoured mayo. Katsu sauce, and the mentaiko pasta ($17), loaded with salmon roe and a 63-degree egg, also feature in the list of favourites.
Try the crème brûlée french toast ($15), a brioche bun filled with mascarpone custard, mixed berry sauce, and fresh fruit as a last sweet treat.
If you’re in the mood for trying something fresh on the upper north shore, go as far as Double Cross.
9. I Love Pho
This Crows Nest restaurant is known for its Vietnamese noodle soup, a dish with a cumbersome name but a simple formula. Vegetable, pork chop, wagyu beef, and chicken breast broths are just some of the options for this piping hot soup that has been simmered for 24 hours according to a traditional Hanoian recipe.
Furthermore, the pho restaurant’s menu offers various regional specialties from Vietnam. The steamed Chinese broccoli, spicy pork belly, and roast duck salad are noteworthy.
It’s worth the trip over the bridge if you live on the other side, and if you’re on the north side, bringing a six-pack is a no-brainer when you visit this establishment. If you’d like to bring your alcoholic beverages, I Love Pho is BYOB.
10. Annata
Over the bridge in Crows Nest, Sydney boasts one of the city’s best-kept culinary secrets. Annata, an eatery and wine bar that has been around for a year, has quickly gained a stellar reputation in the city because of its creative cuisine that starkly contrasts its neighbourhood’s modest surroundings.
This long, skinny storefront on Willoughby Road does not sell hand cleansers or provide a discount on leg waxing services, unlike many of its neighbours. You’ll discover a wine cave with brick walls, a jazzy soundtrack, and a lively, somewhat inebriated audience.
Annata follows the tradition of fine dining establishments worldwide by providing a brief, one-page menu listing simply the ingredients; it is up to the diner to envision the dish from there. The Bridge Room, Café Paci, and Ume (now Bar Ume) can attest to the excellence of executive chef Jimmy Richardson’s previous work.
For the first course, you can order a plate of Coffin Bay oysters ($4 apiece) accompanied by the side of pickled black fungus. Guests are always wowed by the chef’s exceptional skills to come up with the best taste in every meal; their robust umami flavour complements the sweet creaminess of the oysters perfectly.
You can request yoghurt ($15) paired with blood plums, a combination more often associated with granola. To boost its spicy character, the plums are guillotined into thin slices, then seasoned with salt, pepper, and toasted black sesame before being finished with a dash of dill oil.
Since plums are in season right now, it’s not surprising to see them in a dish of Thirlmere duck breast ($39), where they’re mashed and showered with anise milk and sweet topaque.
The duck is perfectly done and still pink in the middle, but it’s lacking the luscious white wobbling fat band.
Since Christian Blair, a former bartender at the famous Eau de Vie, owns and manages the establishment, drinks are well catered for. There is a wide variety of cocktails available, from the daily-changing fruit cobbler ($18) to the more complex Hive Mind ($24), which combines Elijah Craig, leatherwood honey, and Xocolatl bitters with burned butter (cacao, cinnamon, spice). The wine list has a wide variety of boutique wineries from across the world and the United States, totalling in the 70s and counting.
Finally, while the portions are smaller than average, it’s easy to build up a hefty cost if you order a lot of food. This may be a shock, particularly considering the restaurant’s location across Ogalo; this is no average eatery.
11. Yakitori Yurippi
Crows Nest is also home to Yakitori Yurippi, a modest authentic Japanese street food taste. In the middle of Crows Nest, this little restaurant has managed to retain an air of authenticity owing to its welcoming staff, which comprises not one but many seasoned masters of the Japanese art of yakitori and a sake sommelier.
The sake selection is superb, as is the vast list of Japan’s most outstanding whiskies, which, as any connoisseur of the spirit can attest, are among the world’s best. You may have a sample flight of sake to enjoy your meal, and you can choose your drinking containers from a wide variety.
A segment of the restaurant’s menu has been designed with Australians in mind, but that’s not why you’re here. The majority believe the over-emphasis on Australian recipes should eliminate it, so traditional dishes take centre stage. After all, yakitori is in their name, and the open charcoal grill, managed by experts, is the restaurant’s key selling point.
Choose a lot of stuff to eat off of sticks, and do so until you’re full. Must-orders include the kombu butter-topped scallops ($4.90 each) served in their shells and the chicken and shallots yakitori ($2.90 each). The most renowned yakitori in Japan and done well here.
People who love pork can never go wrong with the pork belly ($2.90) or the mochi covered in bacon ($4.90), an odd but tasty combo. Chicken liver, giblet, heart, cartilage and skin are all available for $2.90 each, so even the most daring diners will be satisfied.
The Japanese omelette ($4.90) is more akin to a melt-in-your-mouth souffle, and the mandrake root chips ($4.90) are a crunchy, salty compliment to any yakitori. The oden ($4.90) is the most excellent option if you want to eat something traditional from a street vendor.
The meal is a hodgepodge stew of different fish cakes, hard-boiled eggs, and broth, and it’s a popular wintertime snack that’s an exciting experience but deserves a try if only for the cultural experience.
In conclusion, this modest Crows Nest eatery is a true jewel of the Lower North Shore and should be seen by everybody, regardless of where they call home.
12. Ryo’s Noodles
Ryo’s, tucked away in Crows Nest, is a taste of Tokyo that serves ramen the way you should make it: rich with flavour and served in a bowl so large and deep that it’ll be a challenge to finish it all.
You will experience Japanese culture whenever you enter the bright orange noodle house. The genuine atmosphere is enhanced by the kanji-decorated butcher paper covering the walls and the good fortune cats strategically placed around the restaurant.
Ramen in a spicy hot flavoured chicken casserole with roast pork, egg, and shallots ($13.50) is their most popular dish and one of several hogs and chicken broth options. When you add more garlic, the flavour will intensify, leaving you with a pleasant burning sensation on your lips and a happy feeling in your stomach.
The people waiting outside will become angry if you linger too long, so get out of there as quickly as possible.
13. The Foxtrot
The Gothic doors on Falcon Street that conceal the shadowed entrance to one of the city’s most fascinating secret playgrounds are virtually impossible to spot. The Foxtrot is like the whiskey it features: satisfying through with an unexpectedly sinful finish.
Inside, a full-wall painting of ghostly figures with tales to tell adds to the building’s Gothic atmosphere. The DJ mixes songs while sitting on a battered upright piano that appears like it previously belonged to Wednesday Addams.
Enjoying life’s simplest pleasures is the name of the game behind the bar. For $10, you can have a shot of Jameson topped with freshly squeezed apple juice. Or, for the same price (ten dollars), sample the house-infused flavoured vodka, which is enhanced with cinnamon, vanilla, and freshly squeezed pears.
The guys behind the bar are proud of their whiskey knowledge and present a skillfully compiled “Gentleman’s List” of refined drinks. Josie’s Well ($19) is a fan favourite, and it’s named after the distillery’s primary water supply. This drink combines 12-year-old Glenlivet with Lillet Blanc, Poire Williams, and Aztec chocolate bitters.
The food situation is also uncomplicated: pizza, keeping with the concept of refined minimalism. You can’t go wrong with the roast pumpkin ($20) with tomatoes, bacon, Spanish onion, rosemary, and goat cheese. You can buy a cheese board ($20) with a cup of walnuts and piles of crusty nut sourdough.
The music is sophisticated, like the dance for which the club is called. Gentle rhythms wash over the Foxtrot’s joyful drinkers, not overpowering enough to prevent lively discussion but distinctive enough to elicit thoughtful pauses.
You’ll find a patio, a living room with carpeting, and a fireplace. While the bartender works magic, we stay at the bar to enjoy the collection that lines the rear wall. The Foxtrot begins to feel like an old friend as the night winds down.
14. La Grillade
La Grillade is tucked away in a serene nook of Crows Nest and is a low-cost substitute for a trip to Provence. It seems like a typical French cottage from the exterior, but the inside of La Grillade is a refreshing blend of rustic charm and sleek minimalism.
This restaurant, like Ananas on the North Shore, is owned by the same group responsible for the new Vicinity Dining in Alexandria.
Everything you’d want in a French restaurant is served at La Grillade: excellent wine, attentive service with the proper accent, a charmingly rustic atmosphere, and meals presented on cute little stands.
Forget piped Parisian Muzik; the only thing that makes a difference is the absence of forced originality. There is a vast, wintery dining room within and a flowery, summertime-covered patio in the rear.
Despite working in a little kitchen, Nathan Jackson creates a delectable array of dishes. A terrific value-sharing plate ($18.50) includes king salmon tartare with fresh truffle cream, a silky slab of slow-cooked beef short rib, two small croquettes, and a lovely duck liver pate with champagne jelly.
Two delicious grilled scallops cost $19.50, and the spanner crab soufflé with saffron and shellfish cost $18.50. In addition to a more oversized lamb shoulder for two, the best main dish is the rolled lamb belly ($34), which is slow-roasted for 36 hours and served atop a swirl of artichoke puree and gravy.
There’s no need to be modest since the French are so good at making sweets, and humility is not a trait often associated with their culture. The raspberry mille-feuille ($17), a deconstructed marvel of fruit, orange blossom, and crème Fraiche ice cream, is a complicated and delightful alternative to the chocolate torte ($17).
Strong ties to France and a pleasant ambience are highlights. This French gentleman is well deserving of all the accolades he receives.
The fact that breakfast is the most important meal of the day presents a severe problem for those who aren’t naturally early risers. But thanks to our friends at Googies, your breakfasts are about to become eggcellent.
If you’re a fan of eggs for breakfast but prefer sleeping in, you’ll be pleased to know that this restaurant serves them until 6 pm daily. At the new flagship Googies store in Chatswood Westfield, you can get your favourite cooked brekkie to go until late. Fried eggs and s scrambled are available atop fresh brioche buns topped with savoury condiments.
But here’s the best part: Concrete Playground readers can get a free second bun or toastie at Googies. Googies will give you a second item for free if you click this connection and scan it at their kiosk.
Conclusion
Australia unquestionably contains a diverse population of people from various countries, cultures, and traditions. As a result, many restaurants offer cuisines with origins from many parts of the world. Despite not having a signature ethnic dish like Italy’s risotto or Spain has with its paella, Australia has no shortage of iconic snacks and distinctive dishes.
This post lists all the favourite eateries in the Crows Nest. These restaurants offer the best meals and services to their guests. Don’t hesitate to ask for famous dishes from across the world in any of them.