Where To Eat in October: Bar Conte, Lucky Kwong, Cairo Gourmet Kitchen and More

The understated sign at the front of the bar is a good clue: it depicts a sake bottle being poured into a cup. And a glance at the cosy, timber-lined 15-seater joint is another hint: Indigo channels the intimacy of your favourite Japanese drinking joints. This is the newest venue for the Mitomo Somehara, Tin Jung Shea and Chris Wu, the team behind popular Darling Square izakaya Nakano Darling, the char-grilled charms of Yakitori Yurippi in Crows Nest and nearby boutique boozer, Tachinomi YP. The bar’s full name also spells out its intentions in Japanese: ‘Nomidokoro Indigo’ (literally: ‘Drinking Place Indigo’).

Bar Louise’s bright pink-and-purple façade is a heritage-listed landmark: it once was a hairdresser run by George and Nola Mezher, who famously used their 1980s lottery winnings to open a CBD restaurant to feed the unhoused. In 2013, Ibrahim Kasif took over this Marie-Louise Salon location, preserving the hand-written salon appointment cards, with prices written before 1966. Following his exit in April, the site is now home to the Porteno crew’s new tapas joint. Chef Marcelo Munoz channels Spain at Bar Louise with gildas, fennel salad with garrotxa cheese, chorizo flavoured with cider sauce and excellent desserts (the torrijas – Spain’s version of French toast – pairs well with the bracing cava and carrot granita with sheep’s yoghurt ice-cream).

To make a reservation, call (02) 8580 7380.

Oh My Days in Glebe has long been a favourite hangout for vegans, ever since it opened in 2019. As the brainchild of David Rigby (whose CV includes acclaimed restaurants such as Bentley and Tonka), the cafe was never going to be a run-of-the-mill plant-based eatery. And now it’s fully shifted into a vegan patisserie – a feat that’s not too common in Sydney. Fans of its cult croissants won’t be too surprised: that signature pastry has long been a drawcard and is the result of much experimentation and care (it took eight months to nail the recipe and is crafted from Fairtrade shea butter). If you prefer something more showy than the plain croissant, there are the decadent salted caramel croissant wheels, rhubarb crumble danishes with vegan custard and the pistachio and white chocolate scrolls.

St. Alma’s breezy, beach-evoking interiors have been nominated for multiple design awards, but that’s not the only reason to check out this former bank site. Its menu channels Mexico with its serves of confit duck and salsa macha and frijoles con queso, chicken tinga empanadas, sikil pak (a Mayan dip of pumpkin seeds) and los coconut churros (imagine a cross between a doughnut and an edible ice-cream bowl and you’re close). You can chase these dishes with mezcal cocktails, multiple margarita variations and tequila, too.

Some people like Negronis. Raffaele Lombard, though? With Bar Conte, he’s essentially built a shrine to the herbaceous Italian cocktail with a citrus twist. It’s been a dream of his for a decade, and is inspired by his upbringing on the Amalfi Coast. The venue is named after the drink’s inventor and features 20 interpretations of the cocktail, from a Mexican version to a Japanese remix powered with Roku gin. The food, too, is splashed with the classic beverage, from oysters flavoured with a Negroni dressing to salami infused with the boozy drink.

Walk-ins only.

Kylie Kwong’s great-grandfather arrived in Australia during the 1850s gold rush, as a twentysomething man from China’s Toishan province. She sees a link between his career as a Chinese herbalist and what she does today, integrating native ingredients into her Cantonese dishes at Lucky Kwong. The Warrigal greens in her sung choi bao, the bush mint in her Australian-Cantonese coleslaw and the other Indigenous flavours on her menu are grown metres away by Cudgenburra and Bundjalung man, Clarence Slockee. This is truly local food that can be measured in short walks rather than food miles and her sustainable canteen has been nominated as one of the city’s best casual dining destinations.

Bestselling cookbook author Hetty McKinnon listed Cairo Gourmet Kitchen as a highlight during a recent trip to Sydney – she was especially “blown away” by the crisp, golden cauliflower with tahini and sesame, which “jolted” her tastebuds. Other reasons to visit this eatery? Well, there’s the koshari (aka Egypt’s national dish), the creamy gebna bel tamatem dip, and the earthy falafel made with 15 spices and dried broad beans, as it’s done in Egypt, where owner Mina Makram was born.

To make a reservation call (02) 8590 2600.

Chef Morgan McGlone might soon be opening a new European-style wine bar called Bar Copains, but don’t overlook the menu at Sunday, where he’s currently culinary director. The menu is strong on the comfort food, from chip butty sandwiches to roasted cauliflower dunked with sunflower seed pesto and roast potatoes crisp with garlic and lemon thyme. And aptly, given the establishment’s name, you can get a roast plate on the weekends, accessorised with a good pour of gravy.

Porter House is a new city hotel, but its history dates back to the 1876. Its configuration includes a heritage-listed building that’s had various lives (from a 19^th-century tobacco producer to a leather seller), and its new eateries hint at this past. The first-floor Dixson & Sons brasserie is named after the family behind the tobacco factory, and offers everything from butternut pumpkin tarts with burnt onion jus (and optional banksia for a native touch) to ice-cream ‘sandwiches’ made from croissants and blackberries. On the ground floor sits Henry’s Bread and Wine, which sells prawn milk buns, curried egg sandwiches and muhamarra ciabatta rolls. Executive chef Emrys Jones (Fish Butchery) is in charge of both menus. Keep an eye out for the Spice Trader cocktail bar, due to open next.

To make a reservation call (02) 8236 8888.

Taqueria Zepeda is “a brutally simple taco shop” with very good DNA. Its namesake is Claudette Zepeda, who was recognised by Eater and San Diego Union Tribune as a Chef of the Year in 2018. More recently, she’s gained international attention for her turn on Netflix’s Iron Chef: Quest for an Iron Legend, where she impressed the judging panel with her take on mextlapique – particularly the way she toasted her rice grains in cocoa butter. At her pop-up taqueria near Sydney Harbour, you’ll find tacos packed with pork belly or shoulder, beef flank or tongue, or fried cheese shards and sweet capsicum. The excellent hibiscus slushie is especially welcome as the days get warmer.

Walk-ins only.